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Endicott Interconnect Technologies (Endicott, NY) has announced a $10 million capital expansion program to meet demand in all of its products, especially in the defense and aerospace markets. Much of the funding will be spent on equipment that will enter production during the second half of this year. 

 

"Endicott Interconnect's printed circuit board (PCB), semiconductor packaging and complex electronic assembly business are all experiencing strong growth, and this additional expansion will position us to meet our customers' demands this year," said Jim Herard, marketing manager. 

 

The capital package includes monies for equipment to produce PCBs greater than 28 in. long and additional lamination capacity for high performance materials. Other capacity increases for semiconductor packaging production and printed wiring board production are also included. 

 

Also included in the package were funds for expansion and equipment for the production of complex electronic assemblies that will enter volume production later this year and additional funding for expansion in the precision machining area to be used for production of the SureScan explosive detection system announced previously by Endicott Interconnect.

 

www.endicottinterconnect.com

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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Ultrasonic Systems Inc. (Haverhill, MA) has developed a new solution to apply no-clean, low solids flux for lead-free wave soldering.  Nozzle-free Ultra-Spray technology with reciprocating motion enables the proper amount of flux to be applied uniformly and repeatably with complete through-hole penetration.

 

The higher operating temperatures of lead-free alloys require flux chemistries with stable activators, excellent wetting properties and minimal post wave residue. But flux chemistry alone cannot guarantee good soldering success. Precision fluxing technology is the solution. Too little flux can cause bridging and poor wetting. Poor through-hole penetration can result in insufficient solder joints. Too much flux can cause solder balls or leave harmful residues that are not removed in modern no-clean operations. 

 

Visit the company's Web site to learn more about the lead-free spray fluxing solution.

 

www.ultraspray.com

 

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA) has announced that Centor Software Corp. (Irvine, CA), Foxconn (Taiwan), MatrixOne (Westford, MA), Microsoft (Redmond, WA) and Speedline Technologies (Franklin, MA) are the latest companies to join the industry-led consortium.

 

"NEMI attracts organizations from across the supply chain, and this latest group of new member companies demonstrates our broad range of appeal," said Jim McElroy, executive director and chief executive officer of NEMI. "Our newest members include a major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) (Microsoft), a major component module move service (CMMS) provider (Foxconn), two software solution providers (Centor and MatrixOne) and a capital equipment manufacturer (Speedline). Our methodology brings together diverse interests and fosters a collaborative environment that benefits the entire industry. These new participants further strengthen our membership base and improve our effectiveness in facilitating change as we address gaps in the global electronics manufacturing infrastructure."

 

Dan Camarda, vice president of marketing with Centor, said, "NEMI member firms face a wide range of challenges in dealing with environmental concerns, specifically RoHS transition issues such as materials declarations. Centor is pleased to have the opportunity of working in collaboration with NEMI firms in leveraging our experience to help drive industry-standard solutions for these challenges."  

 

Centor Software Corp. provides business analytics applications for manufacturers focused on the end-of-life and customer use stages of a product's lifecycle. Its suite of applications helps decision makers reduce regulatory compliance costs and improve product quality, ultimately increasing customer satisfaction, lowering product lifecycle costs and reducing producer liabilities. Centor's customer base includes OEMs and supply chain companies in the automotive, electronics, electrical equipment and aerospace industries.

 

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., with the registered trade name Foxconn, is an integrated global CMMS provider. The company specializes in components, modules, moves and services for computers, communications and consumer electronics. With subsidiaries and operations throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia, Foxconn is a manufacturer of PC connectors, motherboards and PC system integration.. 

 

MatrixOne Inc. delivers collaborative product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions. The flexible solutions unleash the creative power of global value chains to inspire innovations and speed them to market. The company's from the aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer products, high technology, life sciences, machinery and process industries include Agilent Technologies, General Electric, Honda, Johnson Controls, Philips, Procter & Gamble, Siemens, and Toshiba.

 

Founded in 1975, Microsoft is a provider of software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft's Home and Entertainment Division products include Xbox game consoles and accessories and PC hardware such as keyboards, mice and other devices.

 

Speedline Technologies is a provider of single-source process knowledge, solutions and service to the printed circuit board assembly and semiconductor packaging industries. The company sells five brands: ACCEL microelectronics cleaning; CAMALOT dispensing systems; ELECTROVERT wave soldering, reflow soldering and cleaning equipment; MPM stencil and screen printing systems; and PROTECT global services, support and training solutions.

 

www.nemi.org

 

www.speedlinetech.com

 

www.foxconn.com

 

www.centor.com

 

www.matrixone.com

 

www.microsoft.com

 

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo) will mark its 25th anniversary as the trade show kicks off on Sept. 28-30, 2004, in Rosemont, IL. The ATExpo conference opens one day earlier on Sept. 27.

 

The event features a showcase of assembly solutions, from advanced robotic systems to hand tools. Nearly 600 suppliers will display and demonstrate new products in more than fifty categories, for use in a range of manufacturing industries, including: automotive, electronics, industrial equipment, computers, household appliances, motors and generators, medical, telecommunications and aeronautics/aerospace.

 

The conference will offer ten free special events as part of the Free Educational Program. The program is highlighted by three entertaining and informative keynote presentations.

 

The opening keynote, "Made in America," will be presented by television star John Ratzenberger, the producer and host of the Travel Channel's John Ratzenberger's Made in

America series. On the second day, "A Tale of Two Rovers—Integrating, Testing and Operating the Mars Exploration Rovers," will be delivered by Christopher Salvo, Mission Manager, Mars Exploration Rover for NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratories. And on Sept. 30, Karl Eberle, vice president and general manager of Harley-Davidson's Kansas City assembly facility will share manufacturing successes in the revolutionary, "Relationship Driven Leadership, a Unique Manufacturing Environment."

 

The conference offers over 30 sessions organized into six tracks: Adhesives,

Automated Assembly, Lean Manufacturing, Manufacturing Management, Materials

Joining and Wire Processing. The organizations presenting conference sessions at the conference include: The Automated Imaging Association (AIA), APICS - the Educational Society for Resource Management, the Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), the Edison Welding Institute (EWI), the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the Wiring Harness Manufacturers Association (WHMA) and ASSEMBLY magazine. Sessions will focus on a variety of topics, including lean production, flexible assembly and robotics in assembly.

 

Three dedicated technology pavilions make it easier for attendees to locate the specific products and suppliers they want to see. The Electronics Manufacturing Pavilion features nearly 200 suppliers offering solutions for every phase of the electronics manufacturing process, from design, packaging and fabrication to assembly and test. The pavilion also features the EASi Line, a working assembly line that incorporates sample equipment from the areas of material handling and transport, stencil printing, component pick-and-place, reflow wave solder, visual and x-ray inspection, robotic point-to-point soldering, packaging, microcontroller programming, and factory modeling and simulation. This year's line will manufacture a Light Chaser game that visitors can take home.

 

The Robotics Pavilion, endorsed by the RIA and AIA, is the place to find industrial robotics, flexible automation, machine vision solutions and related technologies.

 

The Wire Harness Pavilion showcases wire-processing solutions. Endorsed by the Wire Harness Manufacturers Association, the pavilion features new products and services for electronic cable assemblies, cord sets, wiring harnesses and other products within the wire processing industry. The Wire Processing Assembly Line (WPAL) theme this year is, "Lean Sigma Technologies To Support Wire and Cable Processing." 

 

www.atexpo.com

 

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Cookson Group plc (London, UK), an international materials technology company, announced the appointment of Nick Salmon as Group Chief Executive.

 

Salmon has held leadership positions within major international organizations over many years. At Babcock International plc, the engineering services group, he was chief executive from 1993 to 1997. From 1997 to 2001, Salmon was executive vice president of ABB Alstom Power and president of Alstom's Energy Sector. From 2001 until March of this year, he was executive vice president of Alstom SA.

 

In May, Cookson announced that Stephen Howard intended to relinquish the role of group chief executive, after the identification and appointment of a successor. Howard will step down as on July 19, and will continue as an executive director until the end of the year.

 

The company also announced the appointment of Jan Pieter Oosterveld as a non-executive director, with immediate effect.

 

Oosterveld spent his career at Royal Philips Electronics. Until his retirement in March, he was a member of the Group Management Committee, CEO of Philips Asia Pacific, Chairman of the Board of Directors of LG.Philips LCD Seoul, South Korea and Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of LG.Philips Displays NV, Hong Kong.

 

www.cooksongroup.co.uk

 

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Indium Corp. (Clinton, NY) has promoted Leo M. Devine to market development manager for wave solder products.

 

In this role, Devine will be responsible for the marketing of the company's fluxes, chemicals and alloys for through-hole circuit board assembly.

 

 Devine has several years of industry experience.  He will be based in the company's global headquarters in Clinton.

 

Indium is a supplier of electronics assembly materials including solder pastes, solder preforms, fluxes, lead-free solder alloys, underfill materials and die-attach materials. 

 

www.indium.com

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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UP Media Group Inc. (Atlanta, GA) announced the final conference program and event schedule for PCB Design Conference East 2004—the premier East Coast conference and exhibition for printed circuit board engineering, design and manufacture professionals.

The ninth annual PCB East 2004 will be held at a new venue, the Radisson Hotel Manchester, in Manchester, NH, a location that's central to the New England technology corridor and a short distance from Canada's "Silicon Valley North."

PCB East 2004 features a theme that is extremely relevant and on target for today's PCB designers, engineers and managers: "Education For Your Most Pressing PCB Design Challenges, Including Lead-Free, Embedded Components, High Speed and PCB Design Fundamentals." In fact, more than a third of this year's 36 Professional Development and Technical Conference courses focus on the challenges posed by lead-free printed circuit board design/manufacture/assembly, embedded components and high-speed design.

Additionally, over 80% of this year's courses are new to PCB East, with the rest returning due to popular demand.

"When conference attendees participate in classroom discussions, show floor presentations, networking events and vendor-sponsored activities, they learn about PCB design/manufacture technologies and techniques that they can take back to their employer and share with their coworkers," said UPMG President Pete Waddell. "Participating in a terrific technical conference like PCB East is a win-win situation for everyone involved—our attendees, their companies, and our exhibitors."

PCB East 2004 features a five-day conference program of targeted Professional Development and Technical Conference courses, plus a keynote address, a variety of free special networking events, and a terrific two-day exhibition of the industry's hottest products and services. The three-day technical conference (Oct. 5 - 7) includes 26 short courses—19 of them new to PCB Design Conference East.

Also offered: 10 Professional Development Certificate Program courses, including seven full-day tutorials and three two-day Design Excellence Curriculum courses for which attendees will receive certificates of completion.

The two-day exhibition begins Oct. 5 at 10 a.m.

Registration for the two-day exhibition and most special events is free.

www.pcbeast.com

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Attitudes were upbeat at the annual SMTA/IMAPS Upper Midwest Industry Appreciation Day on June 2, 2004, as attendees and exhibitors looked to network with customers and gather sales leads during the small exhibition. The one-day event is designed to showcase surface-mount materials and services from adhesives to laser stencils to flip chip underfills.

 

Hosted at 3M (St. Paul, MN) headquarters for the third time, the show sold out, attracting more than 170 attendees and 55 exhibitors.

 

"Compared to a year ago, business is picking up and we're a lot more hopeful than we were last year at this show," said Richard Brooks, technical manager at Indium Corp. of America, supplier of electronics assembly materials.

 

Representatives from other companies—including JMW Enterprises and 3M—agree that business has been picking up.

 

"We were fortunate that we remained busy even during the downturn due to the nature of our business [selling pre-owned electronic assembly equipment]," said Brian Ebbinger, sales manager for JMW Enterprises. "Electronics manufacturing is booming across the board. We're anticipating that business will continue to increase throughout the year." 

 

"Business in electronics has been very promising," said Greg Eick, market development manager for 3M Electronics Markets Materials Division, a supplier of adhesives, tapes, abrasives and specialty fluids and gases to electronics manufacturers. "We've seen double digit sales increases every quarter.  With the help of great networking opportunities like this show, we continue to gather solid leads and meet our goals."

 

"This is our first year exhibiting and we're pleased with the number of quality leads we've received," said Cris Smith, national sales manager for Global Stencil, a supplier of surface-mount stencils, inspection templates and customized parts. "The return on investment at smaller shows like this more than covers the cost of attending. The show also provides a personable venue to meet with current and potential customers, which aligns directly with our philosophy of offering a high level of customer service." 

 

www.smta.org

 

www.3M.com/electronicmaterials

 

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International Manufacturing Services Inc. (IMS, Portsmouth, RI), a manufacturer of thick film resistors and substrates to the electronics industry, has announced the appointment of DM Associates Inc. (Columbus, OH) as the company's representative in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and western Pennsylvania.

 

DM Associates is a manufacturer's representative in the central U.S. with sales offices in Columbus and Cleveland, OH, and Indianapolis and South Bend, IN.

 

IMS also recently announced the availability of lead-free compatible thick film chip resistor components for customers transitioning to lead-free circuit assembly. The products feature lead-free end terminal metallizations designed for compatibility with all lead-free alloys and flux systems currently available.

 

 

www.dmassociatesllc.com

 

www.ims-resistors.com

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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Preco Electronics (Morton, Illinois), an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider serving middle-market original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), announced the launch of its plan to incorporate six sigma principles throughout the company. Recently, the senior management of Preco attended a weeklong program to understand more about integrating six sigma into the company's existing lean philosophies.

 

While the existing lean manufacturing initiatives have eliminated waste and improved performance at the Morton facility for the past four years, six sigma provides tools to utilize process data in all areas of the business to reduce variation in execution and improve quality while reducing costs to the customer.

 

The unification of these philosophies will provide Preco Electronics with: an evolving framework to insure that customer critical requirements are understood and operation focus is developed to address them; a program to identify the root cause of issues and process inefficiencies and solve them permanently; and a data-driven culture based on continuous improvement.

 

www.preco-morton.com

 

 

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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The International Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS) announced that Alec J. Babiarz, senior vice president and a founder of Asymtek (Carlsbad, CA) will be the keynote speaker at the 37th International Symposium on Microelectronics to be held Nov. 14-18, 2004, in Long Beach, CA. 

 

Babiarz also serves as vice president, new business development for Nordson Corp., Asymtek's parent company. Since 1983, Babiarz and Asymtek co-founders Robert Ciardella and Philip Maiorca have built the company from a small operation into a manufacturer of dispensing equipment worldwide. In 2004, Asymtek received Intel's highest honor for its suppliers, the Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement Award.

 

 "We are very pleased that Alec accepted our invitation," said Maurice Lowery, IMAPS 2004 General Chair. "Alec's experience and insight with Asymtek—and as an IMAPS Corporate member—make him the ideal candidate to provide the information our attendees are looking for. His first-hand involvement from the very beginning gives him the credibility we need to help guide the principals in other companies through the successful growth process." 

Asymtek supplies automated fluid dispensing systems, specializing in semiconductor, surface-mount and electronics packaging applications.

 

www.asymtek.com

 

www.imaps2004.org

 

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The SIA forecast that revised semiconductor growth from 19% and 6% growth in 2004 and 2005, respectively, to 29% and 4%, should negatively impact equipment sales for 2004, according to the report, "The Global Market for Equipment and Materials for IC Manufacturing," recently published by The Information Network (New Tripoli, PA), a market research company.

 

"Negative sentiment from analysts and forecasts of a relatively flat 2005 from the SIA are pointing to eventual pushouts and cancellations of equipment," said Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network. "Semiconductor manufacturers are already overly cautious from the last severe downturn, and fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD factor) about growth in late 2004 beyond will affect their decisions to go ahead and purchase more tools they may not need by the time they are delivered."

 

According to the company, the industry is 9 months into the current equipment upswing, while semiconductor sales have been in an up cycle since January 2002—a period of 28 months. Historically semiconductor and equipment inflections occurred within 3 months of each other.

 

However, the company believes the industry went through a paradigm shift during the past recession, moving to more aggressive die shrinks and to 300 mm processing to increase production. To avoid massive inventory buildup, semis will not be investing frivolously in equipment, but will instead be closely monitoring real demand. If demand drops, real or perceived, the equipment market boom will be over before it really got a foothold. 

 

"As capacity utilization is the percentage of wafer starts (and we know they've been increasing for 28 months) to capacity, and capacity is showing no growth, it results in increasing capacity utilization," said Castellano. "But why didn't capacity grow when revenues (billings) increased dramatically for the past two quarters? Is capacity utilization really increasing to stratospheric levels as IC manufacturers would lead us to believe at a time they are raising prices?"

 

Company forecasts from November 2003 called for the front-end equipment market to grow 21% in 2004 and 11.4% in 2005 before dropping 7.9% in 2006, based partly on SIA's forecasts of 19% and 6% growth for 2004 and 2005 and on IC fab capacity

 

www.theinformationnet.com

 

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