Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Current

Press Releases

Kitron has entered into a long-term production agreement with an expected value of NOK 750 million with Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace AS for electronic modules that are part of KONGSBERG’s remote weapon station system (RWS).

“This is a significant agreement for Kitron. It both extends and expands our strong collaboration with KONGSBERG,” says Peter Nilsson, CEO of Kitron.

On Monday, 31 October, KONGSBERG announced a new 5-year framework agreement with the U.S. Army for its version of the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS).

For Kitron's production facilities in the USA and Norway, the CROWS program is expected to generate annual revenues of NOK 150 million over the next five years. The volume will depend on demand and the annual budget process in the US and may therefore be either lower or higher.

In total, KONGSBERG has delivered more than 18,000 weapon station systems across all defence branches to the US military. The system is intended to provide protection and a better decision-making basis for soldiers or operators.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Nilsson, President and CEO, tel. +47 948 40 850

Hans Petter Thomassen, Managing director, Kitron Norway, tel.: 47 913 92 360

E-mail: investorrelations@kitron.com

Kitron is a leading Scandinavian electronics manufacturing services company for the Connectivity, Electrification, Industry, Medical devices and Defence/Aerospace sectors. The group is located in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, India, China and the United States. Included the acquisition of BB Electronics in January 2022, Kitron has about 2 800 employees, and pro forma revenues were about NOK 5 billion in 2021.

FOUNTAIN INN, SC – KYOCERA AVX, a leading global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, is introducing a new global MLCC part numbering system this November.

The new global MLCC part numbering system will maximize manufacturing synergies within KYOCERA AVX and the KYOCERA Electronics Components Group, which combined their MLCC manufacturing and development resources in 2021 following the corporate reorganization and rebranding that elicited KYOCERA AVX. It will also facilitate the rapid expansion of the MLCC business unit and make it easier for customers to perform product searches across the entire KYOCERA AVX brand portfolio.

“The new MLCC part numbering system will be introduced this November, starting with new product releases. Our goal is to make it the universally preferred ordering code for all KYOCERA AVX MLCC products while providing customers with adequate time to familiarize themselves with the new part numbers,” said Neil Smyth, Marketing Director, KYOCERA AVX. “We’re excited about this important milestone of our MLCC product line integration. Also, I’d like to emphasize that all of the KYOCERA AVX MLCCs that employ the new part numbering system will continue to be produced with the same trusted materials, designs, and processes and exhibit the same physical and electrical characteristics.”

For more information about KYOCERA’s new global MLCC part numbering system, including cross references to current part numbers, please visit https://search.kyocera-avx.com/ and https://ele.kyocera.com/en/product/capacitor/mlcc/. For more information about KYOCERA AVX, please visit https://www.kyocera-avx.com/, email inquiry@kyocera-avx.com, follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, like them on Facebook, call 864-967-2150, or write to One AVX Boulevard, Fountain Inn, S.C. 29644.

CLINTON, NY — Indium Corporation’s expertise and proven products were featured at NSW Automation’s launch of its N4 Full-Range Solder Paste Micro-Dispenser during a special event in Penang, Malaysia.

Indium Corporation’s proven solder paste for jetting and microdispensing applications — Indium12.8HF — was featured in several demonstration machines at the event.

Indium12.8HF is a no-clean, halogen-free solder paste optimized for long-term jetting and microdispense applications. Indium12.8HF has proven to be useful in a wide range of applications requiring precision dot diameter/line width deposits down to 80μm, consistently achievable with NSW’s equipment.

Additionally, Indium12.8HF:

Meets IPC J-STD-004B with Amendment 1 ROL0 requirements
Offers exceptional electrical reliability
Minimizes graping and similar reflow issues with a unique flux oxidation barrier formulation
Delivers aesthetically pleasing clear residue with minimal flow-out
Provides minimal reflow spatter compared to similar solder pastes
Long working (syringe) life

Other Indium Corporation products were featured at the event, including the award-winning Durafuse™ LT, a low-temperature alloy technology, and its GalliTHERM™ portfolio of gallium-based liquid metal solutions, a new thermal interface materials (TIMs) product line that can be applied with jetting and microdispensing equipment for mass production.

Additionally, Associate Director for Global Technical Service & Application Engineering Jonas Sjoberg shared his technical expertise and insight on the importance of design for excellence and collaboration.

To learn more about Indium Corporation's jetting and microdispensing pastes, visit www.indium.com/jetting-paste

NORTHBROOK, IL ― Impossible Objects today announced the appointment of MaRCTech2 as its manufacturers’ representative. Jennifer Eby and the team at MaRCTech2 will provide sales and service for Impossible Objects’ customers in the Pacific Northwestern states of: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Vancouver, B.C. Pacific NW centered and globally supported, MaRCTech2 is a premier manufacturers’ representative with more than 25 years of experience.

Combining the company’s history with its progressive attitude and commitment to supporting our customers (both internal and external), MaRCTech2 is able to offer solutions that allow its customers to best compete in their space. Being incredibly connected in the NW market, the team can offer the best solutions to its customers and principals, putting people together strongly benefiting all parties.

“New Product Development moves very quickly,” says Jennifer Eby, President / CEO of MaRCTech2. “Impossible Objects’ technology allows the speed that our customers are looking for, without making large investments in tooling. We are excited to share this new technology with our Pacific NW customers."

Impossible Objects 3D prints composite tools and parts that would normally be machined or injected molded. Their high-speed, high-performance low-labor CBAM process is perfect for NPI projects, since it is able to both produce inexpensive complex quality tools for customers in less than a week and be cost-effective in low-volume manufacturing of up to 10,000 units when compared to injection molding. In particular, Impossible Objects can do low-cost prototyping with finished product quality.

NPI is not just about parts, though. In many cases projects can be held up for months due to tooling for electronics or other manufacturing processes and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Impossible Objects’ automated manufacturing is changing that with turn-around times of shorter than a week, in-house design services for tooling, and pricing that’s independent of complexity and lower than machining. All of this without sacrificing an inch in material properties: Impossible Objects’ Carbon fiber – PEEK composite parts can withstand temperatures in excess of 500F and virtually any caustic manufacturing environment used today making them ideal for many tooling applications.

This unique set of qualities makes Impossible Objects ideal for NPI.

For more information about MaRCTech2, visit www.marctech2.com

To learn more about Impossible Objects, visit www.impossible-objects.com

LOVELAND, CO – X2F is making waves with their breakthrough molding technology, unlocking new manufacturing capabilities for protecting electronics from heat. X2F’s unique technology molds highly filled and extremely viscous materials that are “impossible to mold” with today’s conventional approaches. Their innovative molding process provides a superior solution to potting and conformal coating when extreme thermal management is needed, and it improves thermal performance of the end product by as much as 200%.

Accomplishing the Impossible

Motivated by the tremendous need for high-performance thermally conductive solutions to dissipate heat from electronics used in a variety of industries, X2F developed a patented low- pressure and Controlled Viscosity Molding (CVM) approach. Typical difficult-to-mold materials such as highly filled thermally conductive hot melt adhesives, thermoplastic elastomers, polycarbonates, and nylons are no problem with X2F technology.

High-tech advances in a variety of industries have created electronics with more power and functionality. Today’s electronics require improved cooling methods to prevent overheating and ensure long-term reliable performance. For instance, printed circuit boards (PCBs) used to manage battery power in today’s power tools often develop hot spots during operation. These hot spots reduce the product’s lifespan by degrading battery charging and discharging performance. X2F technology eliminates hot spots via over-molding of electronics with highly filled thermally conductive materials. This type of thermal management is critical to achieving superior performance for today’s advanced electronics, batteries, and LED lighting.

Unique X2F Process

X2F’s technology delivers highly filled materials to the mold cavity via extruders that are designed specifically for X2F’s unique Extrude to Fill (“X2F”) process. The X2F process combines specialized hardware, sensors, software, and a process feedback loop. Utilizing electrically generated heat instead of high-pressure shearing, X2F technology precisely controls the pressure, temperature, and viscosity of the melted material throughout the molding process. And by continuously sensing mold cavity pressure and using their patented “pulse-pack” process, X2F molding can be performed at 70 to 90% lower pressure than traditional injection molding.

Faster Production

The X2F process easily molds highly filled materials at high-volume production speeds. Cycle times of 30 to 60 seconds are common with X2F, which is significantly faster than potting and conformal coating, which can take several hours. Companies can also expect ultra-fast prototyping from X2F – typically 5 to 10 business days for samples depending on the complexity. Their process even includes the ability to provide compounding at the press – adding fillers (ceramics, graphite, etc.) to impart added performance.

Enabling Innovation

In their recent collaboration with Covestro, X2F co-developed a thermally conductive automotive heat-sink with in-mold-electronics that was 49% lighter than traditional cast aluminum. And by eliminating the need for brackets, fasteners, thermal pastes, and adhesives, the X2F process was significantly less expensive. Covestro also saw improvements in thermal performance with the X2F solution compared to traditional injection-molding processes. This illustrates how X2F technology is enabling innovation. With X2F, previously un-moldable materials can be used, new higher-performance materials can be developed, and more intricate molded shapes can be designed.

“This innovative technology is a game-changer for the industry, helping to accelerate innovation and technology for new products with higher performance. Our molding technologies are eliminating barriers with materials everyone thought where impossible to mold. We can now streamline production, reduce manufacturing complexity, and add significant thermal enhancements to products with ever expanding performance requirements.” said Antonio Aceves, VP of Strategy & Business for X2F

COSTA MESA, CA — West-Tech Materials, a commercial partner to leading manufacturers specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of medical products and electronic assemblies has entered into a sales agreement with Trans-Tec, a premier distributor of Yamaha SMT equipment. West-Tech was approached by Yamaha and Trans-Tec after being impressed by their synergistic line of products that allows them to provide a complete solution to their customers in the medical device and electronic assembly industries.

West-Tech Materials engineers assist clients with material selection, sampling, and evaluation of all types of soldering materials, supplies and equipment, thermal interface materials, adhesives, cleaning chemistries, conformal coatings, ESD Solutions, and many other needs. With access to a large array of specialized materials and manufacturers, the West-Tech team can offer specific solutions to address a variety of client needs.

“West Tech Materials can now supply turn-key solutions from consumables to solder paste, Yamaha screen printing, SMT placement, automated optical inspection, and conformal coating and dispensing. With demonstration and training sites in Fremont CA, and Chandler AZ, Trans-Tec America and West Tech Materials are uniquely positioned to train and support customers in this territory.” John Stempfle, Trans-Tec America.

“We serve markets that expect extremely high product reliability, and flexibility to adapt quickly to requirement changes. With many of our customers serving the medical and defense industries, having a reliable commercial partner who specializes in SMT equipment is foundational to what we do. Our customers trust us to respond quickly to their needs and our relationship with Yamaha and Trans-Tec helps us maintain that reputation.” Explains Rick Campo, CEO.

From soldering equipment to ESD Solutions and specialized materials, West-Tech’s team of engineers is comprised of industry specialists, allowing them to guide customers in their design, development, engineering, and manufacturing processes.

Yamaha has recently introduced important new inline machines and major software updates with state-of-the-art graphics and data analytics. The latest generation of assembly equipment includes the YSP screen printer with fully automated stencil changeover, the YRM20 high-speed mounter with single high-speed rotary head and advanced motion control, and the YRi-V 3D AOI with enhanced optics and auto program generation. Connected together in the unique 1 STOP SMART SOLUTION that shares real-time process and diagnostic data for maximum productivity, and with YSUP factory software tools, Yamaha’s portfolio is continuously adding new features ready for customers to achieve their next manufacturing targets.