WILSONVILLE, OR - Expedition and Board Station RE PCB layout tools now come with advanced design capabilities for flex and rigid-flex boards. The Board Station and Expedition design flows now permit definition and checking of flex circuit design rules, including curved trace settings by area, complex contour following for routes, teardrops at pins, t-junctions and route width changes, cross-hatching of shielding areas and selective pad modifications. The enhancements are available now; pricing starts at $7,500 per year. Mentor Graphics www.mentor.com

O.C. White Offers Full Spectrum Lighting for Pb-Free Assembly, Inspection
12-20-2004

Full spectrum lighting (FSL), a critical feature for lead-free assembly and inspection applications, is now supplied free of charge on all illuminated magnifier products. Full spectrum light contains the entire range of visible wavelengths, so that the human eye can see all objects and a range of materials; helps to inspect lead-free solder connections.

According to president Richard May, "Lead-free solder connections are not smooth and shiny like those of lead-bearing solders; they are rough, irregular and frosty-looking. This surface appearance makes it even more difficult to see microscopic cracks, voids and defects in a solder joint, or to judge between an acceptable defect level and an unacceptable one. Full Spectrum Lighting gives the inspector or assembler a critical edge in working with lead-free connections, adding enhanced visibility to duller and rougher lead-free alloys so that effective inspection can be accomplished."

The O.C. White Co., ocwhite.com