MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The opening session and annual meeting/keynote address during SMTA International will be held Oct. 9 and 10, respectively, in Orlando.

The free opening session will focus on SMTA’s End Game: Lead-Out, Labels-On, Reliability-In. Marking, Symbols, and Labels for Pb-Free Identification will be led by Steve Greathouse of Greathouse Solutions, and Pb-Free Printed Circuit Board Reliability will be led by Werner Engelmaier of Engelmaier Associates.
 
The SMTA annual meeting will feature Andrew Alduino, Senior Optical Researcher in the Photonics Technology Lab of Intel Corp. Implementation Challenges of Future Optical Interconnects will address the challenges facing integration to photonics technology, including thermal management, multi-chip package concerns, alignment of components, and more.

The 2006 conference award winners will be recognized, including Best of Conference Presentation, Dave Hillman, Rockwell Collins; Best Proceedings Paper, Robert Darveaux, Ph.D., Amkor Technology; and Best International Paper, Heather McCormick, Celestica, Inc.

At the meeting, the SMTA will present its Association Awards and the Charles Hutchins Educational Grant for $5,000, an award that is given annually to a graduate-level student pursuing a degree and working on thesis research in electronics packaging or related field. (Circuits Assembly funds the grant using proceeds of its Service Excellence Awards.)

The cost for the SMTA annual meeting is $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers. 

Universal Contacts, for SMT, provide an electrical connection between a device and a PCB. Come as a single piece stamped product, incorporating pre-load and anti-lift features, designed to replace traditional interfaces requiring customized contacts. For use to connect a number of device components in any direction and configuration using the same interface, reducing qualification time. Come in heights of 1.3, 1.8, 2.5, 3.5 and 4 mm. So-called "solderwells" are said to prevent solder wicking up the contact. Are WEEE and RoHS compliant.

ITT Electronic Components, www.ittcannon.com 

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MUNICH -- A conference pairing the fashion and high-tech industries takes place next week in Munich.

The first Wearable Technologies Congress takes place July 8 to 10, in the International Congress Centre Munich at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.

According to conference organizers, the event aims to make possible the transfer of relevant know-how, the exchange of experiences among the participants of the involved industries and the exposition of visions for the next WT-product generations. The event is focused on future-oriented and marketable products, as well as new sales potentials for manufacturers of WT-products with emphasis in added value. 

Attendees are expected to include experts in commerce, product development, production from the sports, fashion, electronics and consumer electronics sectors.

Among the topics presented:

• High-tech meets low-tech – strategy for added-value-selling.
• RFID – Chance and opportunities for the sport and textile industries.
• New market perspectives through modern technology transfer.