Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Current

Press Releases

DAYTON, OH – Libra Industries, a valued portfolio company of CW Industrial Partners (CWI), is thrilled to announce the promotion of Andrew Williams to the role of President and CEO.

Mr. Williams, previously serving as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Libra, played a pivotal role in driving double-digit growth within the company's core markets, including Semiconductor, Medical, Aerospace, and Defense. With over three decades of experience in contract manufacturing and holding senior positions at renowned companies such as Jabil, Sanmina, and Kimball Electronics, Mr. Williams brings a wealth of expertise to his new position. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration and a proven track record of process enhancement for technologically advanced product businesses.

Expressing his gratitude for the appointment, Mr. Williams stated, “I am deeply honored to lead such an exceptionally talented and hardworking team dedicated to delivering innovative manufacturing solutions to our clients. We will continue to focus on delivery of truly customized manufacturing and supply chain solutions to some of the world’s most prominent OEMs.”

Todd Martin, Managing Partner of CW Industrial Partners, commented “We are absolutely thrilled that our extensive search process yielded the best possible candidate right here on our existing team. Andrew is an extremely talented and competitive leader who is relentlessly dedicated to our customers’ success.”

REDDITCH, UK – Altus Group, a leading supplier and service provider of capital equipment for the electronics industry, has revealed that since partnering with Heller Industries, they have seen unprecedented installations throughout the UK particularly following the launch of the new MK7 convection reflow system thanks to its ground-breaking design and features.

The new MK7 line of reflow ovens have been hailed as the most economical systems ever released. Building upon the remarkable success of the MK5 oven, the MK7 brings significant advancements in various aspects of reflow technology.

Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group, said: "The response to the Heller MK7 reflow ovens in the UK have been extremely positive. The innovative improvements in energy efficiency have been especially important but there are also advances in thermal management, ease of operation and maintenance which have caught the attention of electronics manufacturers and resulted in record numbers of installations.

"Our commitment to delivering industry-leading solutions that maximise productivity, minimise costs, and increase performance are integral to Altus. Heller Industries' innovative solutions perfectly align with these objectives."

One of the key highlights of the high-throughput MK7 is the redesigned thermal heating zone, which effectively reduces thermal mass and brings the fans closer to the product. This update includes an enhanced low height heater module providing the lowest Delta Ts for superior thermal uniformity and improved air flow. MK7’s clever design and Industry 4.0 compatibility ensures its seamless integration into existing production setups for those already using Heller’s systems.

Energy consumption of the MK7 has been reduced by at least 25% compared to the MK5 which was a market leading system when launched, with the Uniform Gas Management system eliminating ‘net flow’ which results in nitrogen consumption reductions of up to 40%. The energy required for start-up has also been significantly reduced, improving the speed of initialisation. Additionally, the reduced thermal mass in the heating zone, coupled with new software-based energy reduction capabilities, further enhance the efficiency of the oven when idle.

Heller’s state-of-the-art reflow oven offers unparalleled advantages and continues to be one of Altus’ most sought-after options in the UK and Ireland. To find out more visit www.altusgroup.co.uk

CLINTON, NY – As an industry leader in innovative materials solutions for heterogeneous integration and assembly (HIA) and fine-pitch system-in-package (SiP) applications, Indium Corporation® will feature innovative products designed to meet the evolving challenges of HIA and SiP at the Chiplet and Heterogeneous Integration Packaging Conference and Exhibition (CHIPcon) hosted by IMAPS, July 24-27, in San Jose, CA.

Indium Corporation’s proven SiPaste® series is specifically designed for fine feature printing with fine powders ranging from Type 5 to Type 8. They help Avoid the Void®, reduce slumping, and demonstrate consistent superior printing performance. The newly released, award-winning SiPaste® C201HF offers the same superior printing performance with the benefit of having a cleanable chemistry with semi-aqueous-based solutions.

As the industry leader in no-clean semiconductor flux, Indium Corporation will feature NC-809, the first low-residue no-clean, ball-attach flux on the market. NC-809 is a dual-purpose flux, engineered with high-tack characteristics for flip-chip applications and with superior wetting power for ball-attach applications. This material is designed to hold die or solder spheres in place without risk of die shift or solder sphere movement during the assembly process.

NC-809 is designed to leave minimal residue after reflow at the level of Indium Corporation’s proven ultra-low residue (ULR) flip-chip fluxes, such as NC-26S and NC-699. NC-809 is the first ULR flux qualified for ball grid array ball-attach applications for packages that are sensitive to traditional water cleaning processes. NC-809 also improves production yields by eliminating costly cleaning steps that can increase substrate warpage, both after reflow and before the underfilling steps, creating the potential for die damage and cracked solder joints.

Indium Corporation will also feature Indium12.8HF, an award-winning, no-clean, halogen-free solder paste formulated to be compatible with a wide range of microdispensing and jetting systems. Indium12.8HF provides exceptional deposition performance, and its unique oxidation barrier promotes complete powder coalescence during reflow to eliminate graping and similar reflow issues.

Additionally, Indium Corporation will showcase QuickSinter®, a high metal content paste, redefining sinter technology. Available in pressure and pressureless formulations, this portfolio of sintering solutions delivers products engineered for customers’ specific application needs. The company’s suite of Thermal Interface Materials, including Heat-Spring®, m2TIM™, and Liquid Metal Paste will also be featured.

To learn more about Indium Corporation’s innovative solutions for HIA and SiP, visit our experts at CHIPcon, or visit us online at indium.com/HIA.

JASPER, IN – Kimball Electronics said Friday that Steven Korn has been appointed as chief operating officer, effective July 1.

Korn has been the president of global electronics manufacturing services operations since July 2020, the company said in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Kathy Thomson, vice president of global business development and design services, has also been appointed to the role of chief commercial officer, effective July 1.

SAN FRANCISCO – If you plan on attending the Semicon West show in San Francisco, CA this year, make sure you stop by the Seica booth - #1561! Seica USA is an exclusive distributor for Osai Automation Systems, as well as Focused Test Inc. semiconductor test solutions. Seica has partnered up with these co- exhibitors in one large booth, with an assortment of Semiconductor handling and Power, GaN and SiC test solutions. And, as the world leader in Flying Probe test technology, Seica is where customers look for leading-edge wafer, probe card, and electronic board testing solutions.

In the spotlight – Seica’s Flying Probe Tester, Pilot VX Next >Series
The Flying Probe Tester Pilot VX Next> series represents the latest frontier in flying probe test technology; it is the complete solution for those who want maximum performance: the highest test speed, low to medium volume testing, maximum test coverage and flexibility, for prototyping, manufacturing, or repairing any type of probe card, wafer, substrate or CCA. Its vertical architecture is the optimum solution for probing both sides of the device simultaneously. Seica’s Pilot VX Next series on display will be shown testing a ceramic wafer and the same configuration is used to test the most complicated probe/MLO boards produced in the world today.

The Flying Probe Tester Pilot VX Next> series is suitable for:

Wafer test
Probe Card/MLO test
Product validation testing
Vectorless and in-circuit tests
Programming and functional tests
Boundary Scan test
Medium/high volumes with automatic loader
Highly-integrated prototypes
High-mixed products
Boards not designed for testing
Reverse Engineering and Repair

In the spotlight – Focused Test, Inc. FTI 1000 and FTI2000
Focused Test Inc. announces the launch of our FTI 2000 Power IC test system which will be on display on the booth by our US distributor, Seica Inc.

FTI 2000 offers a high throughput, low cost and scalable test solution for power IC’s such as Regulators, Voltage Converters and Gate Drivers thanks to its Tester per Channel Board system architecture. FTI 2000 provides high voltage (1,000V), high current (100A) and 100 MHz digital performance needed for multisite production, engineering characterization and failure analysis test of the latest power IC’s. Its small footprint makes efficient use of valuable test floor space.

Focused Test continues to extend the range of the FTI 1000 power discrete test system to address the needs of the SiC Mosfet and GaN HEMT Wide Band Gap power markets, including higher voltage and higher current DC and UIS, Delta Vsd, and Short Circuit tests.

SEMICON West is the premier annual event for the global microelectronics industry. SEMICON West 2023 returns to Moscone Convention Center between July 11-13. This year should prove even better than the previous years due to the US government’s $280M USD investment in “The Chips and Science Act”. Please stop by at our booth #1561, David Sigillo, Vice President of Seica and his team are looking forward to welcoming you for a demo and to assist you in solving your most challenging test and automation requirements.

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE – ICAPE Group (ISIN code: FR001400A3Q3 - Ticker: ALICA), a global technology distributor of printed circuit boards ("PCB"), today announced the evolution of its governance.

In agreement with the Board of Directors, Cyril Calvignac, ICAPE Group’s Chief Executive Officer, today submitted his resignation from his position as Chief Executive Officer and Board member. Yann Duigou, the Group's current Chief Marketing Officer, will succeed him as Chief Executive Officer. Before pursuing a new professional project, and in the interests of good governance, Cyril Calvignac will continue to support the Group until the end of 2023 to ensure this transition.

Yann Duigou, aged of 61, current Chief Marketing Officer and Board member, brings over thirty years' experience in the electronics and PCB industry. Before joining the ICAPE Group in 2017 as Director in charge of e-commerce, he held various executive positions within the CIRE electronics group. He was notably Factory Director and then Managing Director for ten years, from 2002 to 2012. Yann Duigou is a graduate of the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (ISG Paris).

The Board of Directors warmly thanks Cyril Calvignac for his vision, commitment and action at the service of the Group since 2003, for which he notably led the IPO to a successful conclusion, and wishes him every success in his future projects.

In addition, the Board of Directors decided to strengthen the Group’s Executive Management with the appointment of two new Deputy CEO, namely Arnaud Le Coguic, who becomes Chief Financial Officer of the Group, and Bingling Li Sellam, who replaces Yann Duigou as Chief Marketing Officer. Shora Rokni sees her scope extended as Chief Strategy and M&A Officer. ICAPE Group's Executive Management is thus composed of a Chief Executive Officer, supported by five Deputy CEO.

The Group's Board of Directors also evolved with the appointment by cooptation of Mr. Thomas Chea as Board member, replacing Mr. Calvignac. This appointment will be subject to ratification by the next Annual General Meeting. Arthur Mendes and Bingling Li Sellam also join the Group's Board of Directors as censors for a 3-year term.

Thierry BALLENGHIEN, ICAPE Group’s Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, stated: "I would like to offer my warmest thanks to Cyril Calvignac for the commitment he has demonstrated daily since joining our Group. Over the past 20 years, he climbed the Group's ladder by my side, one by one, and supported its structuring at the highest level, with its IPO as a major achievement. Yann has my full confidence to pursue the ambitious objectives we set ourselves within the framework of our IPO, and I am sure that his experience and expertise will be major assets to reinforce our trajectory of strong profitable growth. The experienced management team currently in place, composed of experts in the PCB industry, also has my full confidence to successfully lead the Group's future development."

Yann DUIGOU, ICAPE Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, added: "I am particularly proud of the opportunity given to me today to become Chief Executive Officer, and I would like to warmly thank Thierry Ballenghien for the confidence he placed in me. Thanks to our many assets and the strengthening of our governance, I am convinced that the offensive strategy we are deploying today will consolidate our position as a key player in printed circuit board distribution."