News
Plexus Corp. (Neenah, WI), a provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), has secured an exclusive contract with Patientline PLC to manufacture, supply and install the Patientline bedside multimedia and entertainment system.
The contract gives Plexus sole manufacturing rights over a two-year period and covers the whole of the UK. According to the agreement, Plexus will provide complete product engineering, testing, volume manufacturing and installation services for the bedside units.
The contract also includes Plexus managing the complete supply chain for Patientline from component sourcing to warehousing, logistics, installation and repairs.
The bedside unit has now been installed in over 100 hospitals throughout the UK. It brings TV, telephone, radio, email, Internet and entertainment access direct to the patients' bedside.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
The VIEW Engineering Inc. (Simi Valley, CA) Pinnacle is a large format non-contact dimensional measurement system for high volume, high capacity operation in production environments ranging from clean rooms to factory floors. Featuring a precision granite base and column, passive vibration isolation system, non-contact stage encoders and linear motors with exceptional acceleration and velocity performance, the system is useful for product design/development and near-line process monitoring applications in advanced manufacturing environments.
The precision metrology system is designed for dimensional measurement applications requiring the highest levels of accuracy and reliability. Its dual-magnification optical system uses two cameras for near instantaneous magnification changes. Multi-color LED illumination systems allow use of monochromatic red, green, blue, or white light for high resolution imaging.
The system features a measuring range of 250 x 165 x 100 mm (xyz) and an accuracy of U2 (xy plane) = (1.5 + 4L/1000) µm and resolution to 0.025 µm.
Applications for Pinnacle include ball grid arrays (BGA), micro-BGAs, chip scale packages (CSPs), flip-chip, multi-chip module (MCM) bump-on-die, lead frames, solder paste and chip carriers. It is electrostatic discharge (ESD) and Class 1000 clean room compatible.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Northwest Analytical Inc. (Portland, OR), a provider of statistical process control (SPC) software, and ASECO Integrated Systems (Oakville, Ontario, Canada), a manufacturing consulting and system integration firm, announced a partnership to deliver a new approach to Quality Information Systems. The partnership combines off-the-shelf SPC solutions with an open, flexible, scalable database design, plus a set of integration tools that simplifies implementation, reduces integration costs, exposes all quality data and shortens project timelines.
Unlike products that typically use pre-defined database structures, the NWA/ASECO solution is tailored to meet individual customer needs, scaled to meet future requirements and can be integrated with other information systems. The database design is optimized for NWA products, minimizing configuration, training and support requirements.
The new approach is especially attractive to corporations with multi-plant operations that require scalable, reusable quality software solutions installed and serviced by an experienced systems integrator, such as ASECO. Through this partnership, a quality solution is available to all companies that need an underlying database for their NWA SPC software tools.
"Quality information systems are an integral part of the performance management environment because they provide critical process intelligence to the entire enterprise from operations management to supply chain partners," said Tom Fiske, senior analyst ARC Advisory Group. " The partnership places both companies in a strong position to solve the needs of performance-driven manufacturing organizations that require up-to-date process information to operate more effectively."
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
LaBarge Inc. (St. Louis) reported that financial results for its fiscal 2004 second quarter and first half, ended Dec. 28, 2003, rose significantly over prior-year levels. The company also signed a letter of intent to acquire Pinnacle Electronics LLC (Pittsburgh, PA.) LaBarge indicated the acquisition will be immediately accretive to earnings.
For the second quarter, net sales rose 20% to $29,070,000, up from $24,302,000 one year ago. Net earnings from continuing operations increased 81% over last year. The quarter included a net loss from discontinued operations of $393,000, or $.02 per diluted share. Net earnings grew 267% to $1,404,000 or $.09 per diluted share, up from $383,000, or $.03 per diluted share, in the same quarter last year.
For the fiscal 2004 first half, net sales rose 24% over the first half of 2003. Earnings from continuing operations increased 169% to $2,775,000, or $.18 per diluted share. First-half results also included a net loss from discontinued operations of $102,000, or $.01 per diluted share. In total, net earnings for the fiscal 2004 first half grew 475% to $2,673,000 or $.17 per diluted share, year-on-year.
"The primary contributor to fiscal 2004 second-quarter revenues was shipments to defense customers representing 59% of sales versus 43% in last year's second quarter," said president and chief executive officer Craig LaBarge. "Bookings of new business strengthened during the second quarter from first-quarter levels, primarily attributable to orders from defense customers which represented the largest single component of second-quarter bookings. We continue to experience lingering weakness in our non-defense markets. One brightening spot is oil and gas where we have begun to see increased order activity."
LaBarge has entered into a letter of intent to acquire Pinnacle Electronics, a privately held contract electronics manufacturer that designs, engineers and manufactures printed circuit assemblies, cables and harnesses, full "box-build" assemblies and electronic/electro-mechanical systems for customers in a variety of industrial, non-military markets. Pinnacle, owned by Main Street Capital Holdings LLC, had 2003 revenues of approximately $38 million.
LaBarge expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings per share. The transaction is expected to close by the end of February and is subject to the satisfactory conclusion of due diligence, finalization of financing, finalization of definitive agreements and other customary terms and conditions.
LaBarge expects to fund the anticipated purchase price of approximately $41 million with a combination of cash on hand and bank financing.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reservedThe National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA), an industry-led consortium focused on strengthening the global electronics manufacturing supply chain, is planning several meetings at IPC SMEMA Council's APEX conference on Feb. 23-26, in Anaheim, CA. Several projects will be reporting on activities in conference sessions; the recently formed RoHS Transition initiatives will hold meetings to discuss areas of focus, objectives and activities; and several of the roadmap Technology Working Groups (TWGs) will begin discussions for the 2004 NEMI Roadmap.
NEMI's Defects per Million Opportunities (DPMO) Project will be featured as one of the APEX free forums on Feb. 25. The project is nearing completion of its investigation into package-level DPMO rates throughout the electronics assembly industry. Such DPMO data can be used to quantify the expected fault spectrum on particular printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies, enabling manufacturers to more accurately assess the cost of assembly, test, repair and scrap and also to estimate shipped product quality levels. During the forum, the DPMO Project team will present findings from their study, briefly review methodology, share lessons learned and discuss their vision for follow-on DPMO efforts in the industry.
Several of NEMI's optoelectronics projects will be discussed in conference sessions. Reports from the Fiber Optic Splice Improvement Project and the Optoelectronic Substrate Cost/Performance Analysis Project are featured in a panel on optoelectronics on Feb. 26. A third optoelectronic project—the Fiber Optical Signal Performance team—has a paper session scheduled on the show floor on Feb. 26 to discuss their paper, "Degradation of Optical Performance of Fiber Optic Connectors in a Manufacturing Environment."
Several of the roadmap TWGs are holding their initial organizational meetings. The TWGs are responsible for development of roadmap chapters on specific topics and are actively recruiting industry participants. Board Assembly, Environmentally Conscious Electronics and Interconnect Substrates—Organic are all scheduled to meet at APEX.
The RoHS Transition Task Group and four initiatives organized under this group will also hold meetings that are open to non-members. These efforts were organized in late 2003 in response to findings of the 2002 NEMI Roadmap, which highlighted the need for standards for collection, documentation and transmittal of material content data of components, assemblies and systems to meet the requirements of pending regulations. The group addresses supply chain issues surrounding the transition of the electronics industry to lead-free assembly. The meeting on Feb. 26 will provide an overview of group activities and include presentations from all of the working projects as well as a panel discussion with a question and answer session.
NEMI's Board Assembly & Substrates Technology Integration Groups (TIGs) have scheduled a joint "call for participation" meeting on Feb. 24 to launch two new collaborative efforts: materials and processes for high-frequency products; and substrate surface finishes for lead-free assembly
For a complete schedule of meetings, visit http://www.nemi.org/APEXmtgs_public.pdf.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Kester (Des Plaines, IL) is working with BTU International (North Billerica, MA) to co-host a seminar focusing on lead-free technology. The seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 10 in Tampa Bay, FL.
This series of seminars is part of the Kester University, which offers complete solder technology training programs coupled with consulting services to assist the electronics industry with training and process issues. Training courses are offered for surface-mount assembly, wave soldering and rework. Each course also offers technical and practical information for implementing lead-free assembly, wave and rework.
Courses in traditional leaded solder processes are available and are offered in both English and Spanish. The courses are customizable to accommodate a customer's need for in-house training of operators, line supervisors and managers. Courses come with complete in-class training materials and CD training modules.
This series of seminars is part of the Kester University, which offers solder technology training programs coupled with consulting services to assist the electronics industry with training and process issues. For information, contact: kesteruniversity@kester.com or call (847) 297-1600.
The Lead-Free Solutions seminar is co-produced by Kester, a supplier of solder and related materials and services to the electronics assembly, micro-component, industrial soldering, hardware/retail and wholesale plumbing markets, as well as by BTU International, a supplier of advanced thermal processing equipment for semiconductor packaging, surface mount and advanced materials processing.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Samsung Electronics Mechatronics Center (Suwon City, Korea) has given ASC International (Maple Plain, MN) sales and service responsibilities for their line of FARA-VSS Series automatic optical inspection (AOI) equipment in the North America. Founded in 1992, ASC International has grown as a supplier of AOI for 3-D solder paste measurement.
"The Samsung brand name has a reputation for providing reliable, feature-rich products at affordable prices," said Jon Arneson, president of ASC International. "Samsung's AOI products are no exception, and align very nicely with ASC's product strategy. Samsung provides a total solution for surface-mount inspection with post-paste, pre- and post- reflow inspection systems and have been very successful in Asia and Europe. We think the timing for right for North America, given the recent market turnaround."
At APEX 2004 in Anaheim, CA (Feb. 24-26), ASC will introduce Samsung's latest model, the VSS-3EL to the North American market. The color camera-based system provides high speed and high resolution with the capability of inspecting 0201s. In addition, options such as repair software, SPC software and line monitoring software help take the guesswork out of inspection data interpretation.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Universal Instruments (Binghamton, NY) and Hitachi High Technologies (HHT, Schaumburg, IL) have renewed their successful original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement for a further five years. HHT acquired Sanyo High Technologies, Universal's original OEM partner, in 2003. The partnership has enhanced Universal's turret-style high-speed placement (HSP) technology while affording HHT an extensive sales and support network.
Since it was first announced in 1989, the agreement has resulted in more than 1200 HSP platforms sold. Continued success of the partnership and sustained market demand for HSP equipment have allowed the agreement to be renewed several times in the past.
In addition to customers' access to the entire line of 4797-series HSP machines, extending the agreement until 2009 will allow further joint efforts to continue. Such efforts include recent line software development work and may extend in the future to additional joint technical projects, technology transfers and further product sharing.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA), an electronics contract manufacturer and printed circuit board (PCB) fabricator, has become the first company to enter a world-wide licensing agreement under Nortel Networks' Channel Routing technology licensing program, authorizing it to design and manufacture PCBs using Nortel Networks' patented technology.
Channel Routing allows designers the opportunity to improve the routability of signals out of dense array packages and potentially reduce the number of layers required to interconnect components. It is an algorithm that utilizes blind vias and/or microvias to open up routing channels in dense array packages allowing for improved wiring density. A software layout tool works with Sanmina-SCI's current ECAD tool to allow for auto-routing of designs with high I/O array packages, such as ball grid arrays (BGAs), speeding up the design process.
George Dudnikov, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Sanmina-SCI's PCB Division, said, " This is an opportunity for us to license someone else's innovation and provide products and services which utilize this licensed technology to all of our customers in addition to Nortel Networks. It also demonstrates a close collaboration between an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and EMS partner in developing and commercializing new technology."
"By using our patented Channel Routing technology, complex PCBs can be designed with fewer layers, thereby enabling even higher density products, improved manufacturing yields, and overall, a more cost effective PCB," said Ryan Stark, vice president, Advanced Technology Investments, Nortel Networks. "Channel Routing will benefit those who are pushing the envelope in complex PCB design."
With this license, Sanmina-SCI is immediately able to offer Channel Routing to all of its board layout and PCB customers.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
AIM (Montreal, Canada) has announced an all day lead-free seminar to take place in Sydney, Autralia, on March 23, 2004. Future workshops are being planned at various locations worldwide.
To successfully achieve lead-free electronics assembly, each participant in the manufacturing process, from purchasing to engineering to maintenance to quality, must have a solid understanding of the changes required of them.
While there are many theoretical workshops on lead-free assembly, this seminar focuses on the practical considerations for achieving successful lead-free assembly at a factory. Each step of the manufacturing cycle is addressed, from purchasing parts to inspecting assembled board.
Some of the lead-free assembly topics to be presented include: the status of lead-free legislation, marketing and implementation worldwide; reasons for hesitating to move towards lead-free soldering; design, component flux and solder alloy considerations; lead-free alloy requirements and materials management issues.
The instructor of the workshop is Karl Seelig, vice president of technology of AIM. In his 25 years of industry experience, Seelig has authored over 20 published articles on topics including lead-free electronics assembly, no-clean flux technology, assembly and process optimization, inspection and metallurgical studies. Seelig has numerous awards and patents in soldering technology—including four for lead-free solder alloys—and has been one of the key developers of no-clean technology.
To participate, contact AIM Products Australia: (02) 47356775, or email: tweber@aimsolder.com.au.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
A supplier of electronic assembly machinery, Panasonic Factory Automation (PFA, Elgin, IL) has introduced a new offering—Solutions. The primary goal of the program is to demonstrate the benefits of customers partnering with their original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
"Solutions was developed to globally share methods to increase customer's profit, performance and possibilities," said John Worthylake, PFA solutions and development manager. "Insight from customer suggestions and challenges—coupled with Matsushita's own manufacturing experience—has successfully provided solutions that simultaneously increase throughput, decrease costs and maximize the full potential of PFA's products."
Specifically, Solutions offerings include enhancements (a white L.E.D. Fiducial Light kit and a wide angle PCB detection sensor upgrade); equipment maintenance; spare parts options (cost-saving reversible tape cutter blades, remanufactured placement head assemblies); tools and jigs and training.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Tamura F.A. System Corp. (Beaverton, OR), a company that develops and supplies the materials, components and products demanded by electronics markets, has announced the availability of a new lead-free system featuring solder bath technology designed for the electronics assembly industry.
FLIP Solder Bath for Lead-free Wave Soldering Solutions features linear induction pumping technology in which three phases of AC currents flow through induction coils to induce horizontal magnetic fields inside solder bath. The magnetic fields generate vertical force, per Fleming's left hand law. The force moves molten solder upward through nozzles and flow down by gravity. Two induction coils generate magnetic field and propelling force as the alternating AC current flows in induction coils.
Additionally, the solder bath features advantages over other solder bath systems, including the use of less solder (300 kg, instead of 450 kg) and less solder dross (7 kg, instead of 15 kg) after 8 hours of operation. It also offers open space to access the inside side bath and easier nozzle cleaning and maintenance. It also features a quieter and more stable solder wave than impeller motor types. Acid oxidization around the motor spindle is eliminated.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Press Releases
- ViTrox Americas Expands and Upgrades Its ViTrox Demo Center (VDC); Sy Creed Comments
- SisTech Manufacturing Selects Europlacer to Power High-Mix, High-Reliability Growth
- Q Source Announces New Partnership with C2V to Expand Safety Solutions Offering
- Altus Helps FermionX Enhance Production with Advanced Inspection Solutions; Joe Booth and Will Patrick Comment