News
Hover-Davis, Inc. (Rochester, NY) has hired Darrell R. Tullar as Marketing Manager. In this new role, Tullar will lead global technical and promotional marketing activities and strategies. His focus will be on market growth and increasing sales.
Tullar comes to the company with over 24 years of experience in the electronics industry. He has held positions in customer service, product management, marketing and sales, while at Motorola, Universal Instruments & PMJ Automec.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
The Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA, Minneapolis, MN) is co-locating its annual conference, SMTA International, with the Assembly Tech Expo on September 26-30, in Rosemont, IL.
Many events are planned for industry professionals who have an interest specifically in lead-free soldering technology. To help industry professionals prepare for the 2006 deadline, this year's event will feature eight short courses, close to 40 technical papers and a Lead-Free Soldering Symposium.
The short courses will cover: Lead-Free Solder Joint Reliability; Lead-Free Conversion Project; Real Time Process Control, Including Lead-Free; Lead-Free Rework; Lead-Free Surface Finishes; Implementing Lead-Free at Your Facility; The Real Cost of Lead-Free; and Ten Steps to an Effective RoHs Compliance Process.
The technical papers will cover printing, selective soldering, moisture-sensitive devices (MSD), rework, ball grid array (BGA), flip chip, harsh environments, surface finishes, automated optical inspection (AOI), x-ray, tin whiskers, lead-free materials, processes and reliability.
Organized by Dr. Paul T. Vianco of Sandia National Labs, the symposium will provide technical information on alternative materials systems, tin whiskers, lead-free processing techniques and the growing knowledge base of lead-free solder joint reliability, as they related to lead-free technology.
Additionally, a free session entitled "Lead-Free: Where Are We Right Now?" will explore the transition from standard leaded solders in a volume-manufacturing environment with papers from Agilent, Flextronics and Indium Corp. of America. The SMTAI Opening Ceremony will focus on RoHS Compliance.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's (NEMI, Herndon, VA) Tin Whisker User Group has released a draft proposal of tin whisker acceptance test requirements. As part of its efforts to help suppliers and users minimize the exposure to problems associated with tin whiskers, the group has developed the document to provide testing requirements and acceptance criteria for evaluating devices with tin finishes in high-reliability applications.
As the electronics industry moves toward lead-free assemblies, a simple manufacturing solution is to use pure tin, or alloys with high tin content, as coatings on lead-frames. However, tin is known to be susceptible to the formation of needle-like protrusions, or whiskers, and tin whiskers are a reliability concern. They can cause electrical shorts, disruption of moving parts or degraded RF/high-speed performance. Tin whiskers may grow between adjacent conductors of different potentials and cause either a transient short circuit if the whisker is burned open, or a permanent short if the whisker remains intact. At shorter lengths, whiskers may create a stub-type effect that degrades performance of high-speed/high-frequency circuits. Additionally, whiskers can potentially break loose and, as debris, cause mechanical or other electrical problems.
"System developers face two key problems," said Joe Smetana, principle engineer, advanced technology for Alcatel and chair of the NEMI Tin Whisker User Group. "First, there is no scientific consensus on whisker formation and growth fundamentals, despite five decades of research. Second, there is no standard set of tests that can accelerate whisker formation and growth and relate these tests to field conditions with any reasonable degree of certainty. These issues make it difficult for developers to safely specify tin-based lead-free finishes for components used in their products, particularly those concerned with high-reliability or design life of more than five years."
NEMI has previously published recommendations for test conditions for evaluating tin whisker growth and for mitigation practices to help prevent whisker formation. The latest publication combines practices established by the previous documents and adds information such as test lengths, failure criteria, number of parts and additional bias voltage testing. It provides guidelines for post finishing inspection and preconditioning; outlines a flowchart for acceptance requirements; provides a framework for a qualification test report; and defines requirements for process controls and periodic testing.
The Tin Whisker User Group has scheduled a meeting on June 2, in conjunction with the IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), in Las Vegas, NV. The group will review the proposed test requirements with suppliers and solicit feedback on the practicality of implementing the various recommended mitigation and testing approaches. Supplier inputs during the meeting will be considered by the User Group for possible modifications to the test requirements.
The draft of the NEMI acceptance test requirements document is available at http://www.nemi.org/projects/ese/tin_whisker_activities.html.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Assembly Technology Expo will take place Sept. 28-30 in Rosemont, IL, and will feature a keynote address by actor John Ratzenberger, producer and host of the Travel Channel's John Ratzenberger's Made in America series that honors the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of American manufacturing. Ratzenberger will share insights that he has gained visiting American factories and working alongside the men and women who produce many of America's best-loved products, including Harley Davidson motorcycles, Chevy Corvettes, John Deere tractors, Craftsmen tools, Zippo lighters and Slinky toys.
"We can't imagine a more fitting way to mark ATExpo's 25th year than a tribute to the greatness and inventive spirit of American manufacturers," said Kelvin Marsden-Kish, vice president of the assembly family of events, produced by Reed Exhibitions. "Mr. Ratzenberger is clearly passionate about great American products and respects the skill and dedication of the men and women who create them. He has become a highly effective advocate of American ingenuity at work and of manufacturers who invest in the effort to maintain a competitive edge here in the U.S."
For Ratzenberger, manufacturing is much more than an abstract concept. It's a way of life and a source of pride that ties communities and generations together. The son of blue collar working parents in one of the northeast's leading industrial cities, Ratzenberger grew up with the idea that Americans were hardworking inventors and problem solvers. Before turning to an acting career, he worked as a carpenter and takes pride in pointing out the houses that he helped build to his children. Despite his celebrity status, Ratzenberger still regards himself as a garage tinkerer. He holds five patents for a packaging process that he invented.
"I've always had a high regard for people who put their hands to something useful," Ratzenberger said. "A tool and die maker is an artist on par with those who display their works in expensive art galleries. A painter can always paint over a mistake. But when you work with tolerances of 1/1000th of an inch on a spinning lathe, you can't afford to be careless."
Ratzenberger is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the know-it-all, nebbishy mailman Clifford C. 'Cliff' Clavin, Jr. in the sitcom Cheers. His movie acting credits include roles in Superman and Superman II; Star Wars V-The Empire Strikes Back; Ghandi; and all five of Pixar's animated feature films, providing the voices for Hamm in Toy Story and Toy Story 2, PT Flea in A Bug's Life, the Abominable Snowman in Monsters, Inc. and a school of moonfish in Finding Nemo.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Led by its members, IPC (Northbrook, IL) pushed for a fair, open and rules-based international trading system at its recent Capitol Hill Day, an industry lobbying event.
In more than 50 appointments with lawmakers, senators and their staff, IPC's Government Relations Committee and more than 40 industry leaders lobbied Congress to enforce the U.S.' international trade agreements and more aggressively officiate U.S. trading partners' obligations under the World Trade Organization and other international trade agreements. In particular, Capitol Hill Day attendees asked Congress to keep the pressure on U.S. trading partners that manipulate their currency in order to gain a competitive and trade advantage over their U.S. counterparts.
During his keynote address, Rep. Donald Manzullo, chairman of the House Small Business Committee, emphasized that lower business costs, not protectionist trade policies, will revitalize the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Congressman Phil English (R-Pa.) concurred with Manzullo in his address, as he discussed his countervailing duty bill and other congressional efforts that help level the playing field with foreign competition.
"After a three-year absence, IPC's GR Committee decided to bring back this important program to assist our members in continuing the industry recovery," said IPC President Denny McGuirk. "IPC's lobbying efforts, though, extend beyond this one-day event and cover a vast array of policies that greatly impact today's U.S. electronics manufacturer. Presently, we are lobbying to reduce the corporate tax rate on U.S. manufacturing and production income by 3%, and, to maintain competitiveness, we are supporting the extension of the research and development tax credit and the bonus 50% depreciation. IPC staff is also working on several important environmental initiatives, including a reduction of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reporting burdens, a broader exclusion of all recycled materials and development of lead-free labeling and materials declaration."
After recent lobbying efforts at the state and local level, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recently signed the California's Workers' Compensation Reform Bill, which promises to save up to $7 billion a year for the state's employers. IPC also successfully opposed a bill in Maine that would have banned all brominated flame retardants, including TBBPA-the main flame retardant in printed circuit boards.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Siemens Dematic Electronic Assembly Systems Inc. (Norcross, GA) has announced the appointment of Gregg Schoenrade as the new Senior Sales Engineer for the South Central U.S. He will be based out of Fort Forth, TX, and will be responsible for Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Schoenrade comes from Technical Solutions, a sales rep organization that he owned and operated for the past two years.
Jeffrey Timms, vice president of sales and marketing at Siemens Dematic, said, "We are excited to have Gregg join our team. As a seasoned sales professional, with more than 14 years experience in the surface-mount technology industry, we know customers will be pleased with his professionalism and enthusiasm."
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved
Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials (Jersey City, NJ) is joining fellow Cookson Electronics companies Polyclad and Enthone in adopting the six sigma system to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its business processes. The goal will be to enhance customer satisfaction, improve profitability and to train employees to understand and effectively employ the six sigma philosophy throughout the organization.
"Six Sigma is not another ‘TQM' program," said David Zerfoss, president of Cookson EAM. "It involves a sustainable, measurable culture shift for the companies that embrace it, and our company is doing just that. In fact, we have over 35 assembly materials employees either in or about to begin black belt training globally. Our black belt candidates have been carefully selected and, upon graduation, they will have developed the skills required to lead six sigma projects for us."
Motorola first made six sigma popular in the 1980s. Allied Signal employed it in the 1990s, and General Electric has made it arguably the most popular management philosophy in history. Polyclad and Enthone both launched their six sigma programs three years ago.
Cookson EAM develops, manufactures and sells materials used in electronic assembly processes, including: solder paste, stencils, squeegee blades, stencil and printed circuit board cleaners, bar solder, cored wire solder, wave soldering fluxes and surface-mount device adhesives.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Speedline Technologies Inc. (Franklin, MA) and Aegis Industrial Software Corp. (Philadelphia, PA) announce the availability of Aegis' iMonitor remote monitoring software for use with Speedline's Camalot dispensing, MPM printing and Electrovert reflow oven equipment for the electronics manufacturing industry.
The software provides completely browser-based remote monitoring by station, machine, line, factory or the entire enterprise over a Web or network connection. The reporting and performance analysis tool offers more than 100 customizable displays reporting status, performance, quality and efficiency data for use by technicians and line operators, process development engineers and business managers.
The remote monitoring software is available for use with the Camalot XyflexPro dispensing system, MPM AP-Excel, UltraPrint 2000 and AccuFlex stencil printers and Electrovert Bravo 8 reflow soldering system. The software will be compatible with other Speedline equipment models in the near future. For data acquisition, Aegis xLink transmitters have been incorporated into the native software of the Speedline machines. This solution meets the new industry standard IPC 254x 'CAMX' XML specifications for easy data interchange with other XML-based software throughout the enterprise.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Venture Development Corp. (VDC, Natic, MA), a technology market research firm, and Circuits Assembly (Atlanta, GA), a UP Media Group publication, are launching a multi-client market research study analyzing global market opportunities for 3-D chip scale packaging solutions.
This research program, based on extensive telephone interviews with suppliers, integrators and other 3-D packaging market participants, will include: detailed market definitions and segmentations; 3-D packaging technology descriptions; engineering approaches (such as thermal or power management); market estimates and forecasts across product categories and application segments; analysis of current and future applications; original equipment manufacturer (OEM)/integrator requirements and preferences; competitive position of 3-D packaging component and solution suppliers; and key success strategies.
3-D chip scale packaging refers to the vertical (z-axis) stacking of multiple die within a package, or multiple packages, using specialized substrates and interconnects. Driven in large part by wireless application markets, 3-D chip scale packaging solutions will play a vital role in meeting performance and size requirements for future generations of mobile electronics. As portable products become smaller, lighter and more feature-rich, the vertical stacking techniques employed in 3-D chip scale packaging solutions will provide tremendous value by building on and exceeding package miniaturization efforts to date, allowing increased functionality and reliability on the system level.
Lisa Hamburg Bastin, editor-in-chief of Circuits Assembly, said, "Although 3-D chip scale packaging exceeds many performance demands and looks promising, there are still challenges that lie ahead such as cost and integration issues. We are excited to team with VDC to find answers to these issues and create a roadmap for the industry."
Rick Barnard, practice director of VDC's Electronic Components and Advanced Materials group, said, "As the technology landscape becomes more mobile-oriented and time-to-market challenges increase, system designers are faced with finding the optimal combination of form and function. This study will address important issues surrounding the 3-D chip scale packaging opportunity by providing a granular, relevant market analysis with technical and developmental considerations."
Circuits Assembly's assistance will enhance the contents and scope of the report, based on its knowledge of 3-D chip scale packaging trends, business opportunities in the global market place and innovations and technological developments in the industry; and bolster VDC's primary research program by queuing its proprietary database with VDC's research tools.
Interim findings from the analysis will be shipped in July 2004; the completed report will be delivered in August 2004. The pre-publication price of the report is $4,450.
To view the full proposal, visit: http://www.vdc-corp.com/components/reports/04/br04-10.pdf.
For more information about "3D Chip Scale Packaging Solutions: A Global Market Assessment," contact Marc Regberg, senior vice president: (508) 653-9000 x111; msr@vdc-corp.com.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Tyco Electronics (Willow Grove, PA), a business segment of Tyco International Ltd, announced today that the company is offering Q-Series and APS-1H customers the ability to upgrade their machines to the Windows XP operating system.
According to Tyco, Windows XP's ease of use and dependability are benefits to customers, as well as factors such as:
- advanced security: Windows XP Professional builds on the security model in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, making system security easier to manage. Additionally, users can protect data transmitted across a network. IPSec is a key part of providing security for vital private networks (VPN), which allow organizations to transmit data securely over the Internet.
- increased application compatibility: Numerous operations that cannot run in Windows 2000 will run on Windows XP Professional, right out of the box. If an application is not natively supported by Windows XP Professional, a user or system administrator can specify if the application needs to run in either a Windows NT 4.0 or a Windows 95/98/ME compatibility mode.
- Windows File Protection: This feature protects core system files from being overwritten by application installations. If a file is overwritten, Windows File Protection will restore the correct version.
- availability: This upgrade will be available on June 1, 2004. The availability date depends on the user's current system configuration, and a CPU, hard drive or memory upgrade may be required.
http://automation.tycoelectronics.com
The Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA, Minneapolis, MN) recently announced the Best of Conference paper for the Ninth Annual Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium, held in February in Kahuku, Oahu, HI. As rated by the attendees, the award was presented to Charlie Barnhart of Technology Forecasters Inc. (Alameda, CA).
In his paper, "Contract Manufacturing Strategies: Addressing the Changing Global Landscape," Barnhart discusses "today's market preference for China, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) industry's fascination with off-the-shelf product solutions and the impact of these trends on the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and original design manufacturer (ODM) industries, as well as their probable reactions and their likely successes."
While the clear message is electronic manufacturing is expanding in China and shrinking in the Americas, Europe and even other Asian locations, China is not a panacea for manufacturing all types of electronic products. Issues concerning logistics, management of program, employee skill level, labor conditions, infrastructure, business culture and government practices are adding unexpected costs.
The paper also looks at projected growth rates over the next five years, especially considering that net global capacity may actually decrease during the period.
The 2005 Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium will be held on Kauai, Hawaii, Jan. 25-27, 2005.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. (Herzlia, Israel), a provider of manufacturing process management (MPM), has introduced eM-Execution, the latest solution in the company's eMPower for electronics offerings. The Web-based software solution was created specifically to meet the production management and analytical needs of electronics circuit board manufacturers and their supply chain partners.
The system helps electronics manufacturers act on critical production data to better serve their customers and meet regulatory demands by masking the complexity of gathering and managing critical manufacturing information. It creates customizable information and status reports targeted to multiple audiences, from the shop floor to the executive suite.
Electronics manufacturers can configure the solution to meet their specific needs and business objectives. Some of the key functionalities available include: traceability; electronic records and signatures; material management; process verification; repair; production analytics; and quality management.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Press Releases
- Yamaha Robotics Introduces a New Program to Minimize Onshoring Costs in North Americ
- Scanfil Appointed Anna-Maria Tuominen-Reini as Chief Supply Chain Officer
- BEST Inc. Provides High-Reliability BGA Reballing and Component Rework Services
- ProcureAbility Releases New Benchmarking Report Confirming Widespread AI Development and Adoption in Procurement with Focus on Targeted Enterprise Results