Equipment Procurement
One-Stop Shopping
Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent annually to determine general strategic directions for SMT production equipment requirements. A turnkey line can simplify purchasing, machine compatability and service.
Jeffrey Stong

PCB Inspection
A Primer on AOI and AOT
Not all AOI systems are the same, but the big differentiator is programming time. Some systems take one to two days, others require only three to four hours for the same job.
Zulki Khan

Vietnam
Manufacturing in Vietnam
The lowest fully burdened labor rate in an educated workforce is just one reason companies like Intel are investing in this Southeast Asia nation.
Jason Craft

Cover Story
'Choosing to Lead'
Siemens this month launches a new placement platform in North America. Guenter Lauber, vice president of Siemens' electronics assembly equipment division in North America, talks about the new platform, the future addition of such features as optical inspection, and the process by which equipment is introduced and evaluated around the world.
Mike Buetow

Solder Testing
Environmental and Mechanical Stress Testing of Pb-Free and SnPb Solder
Soldered boards subjected to accelerated aging tests showed that Pb-free solder beats SnPb on lead pull, but not shear force.
Larry Fisher

Device Programming
Programming and the Problem of Yield
Optimized sockets should combine the durability and signal integrity of test sockets and the standardization (and cost) of burn-in versions.
Nick Deppen, Erik Orwoll and Robert Duff

Rework Cleaning
Cleaning Flux Residue in Hand Solder Rework and the Effects on SIR
An investigation of the hand rework cleaning process found that SIR endpoint readings tend to be higher following IPA cleaning.
Curt Alexander

Caveat Lector
Dover: weak-kneed or prescient?
Mike Buetow

Letters

Talking Heads
Unovis Solutions' Roland Heitmann.
Mike Buetow

Focus on Business
One basket, but how many eggs?
Susan Mucha

Global Sourcing
Another side of procurement.
Greg Papandrew

On the Forefront
A new model for IC packaging and assembly houses.
E. Jan Vardaman

Screen Printing
For IC deposition, dispense or print?
Clive Ashmore

Better Manufacturing
A trashy topic.
Peter Grundy

Soldering Tips
Reballing BGAs.
American Competitiveness Institute

Wave Soldering
Solder ball formation.
Gert Schouten

Process Doctor
Product performance risk.
Terry Munson

Equipment Advances
Speedline's new printer inspection tool.

Technical Abstracts

The Lean Culture
'Eyes for Waste'
Celestica's Global Lean Architect explains why going Lean means persistently asking, Is this something the customer would for pay for?
Robert Hemmant

Cover Story
Interconnects and Their Effect on Automated SMT Placement
More components than ever can be processed in an automated SMT line. The challenge: to combine the increasing spectrum into a single machine platform to minimize the need for different machine types.
Frederik Moberg

Factory Floor Workcells
Flexible Manufacturing Systems for Wave and Fountain Wave Soldering
Using unique solder pots for each alloy is a low-cost, highly efficient solution for mid-volume environments.
Lee Whiteman

Wire Bonding
Large Diameter Wire Bonding to Organic Boards
FR-4 substrates are showing up in high rel products as a cost-effective - and proven - alternative to ceramic.
Mike McKeown and Gerard O'Brien

ICT ROI
The Economics of In-Circuit Testing
Even small improvements in defect coverage can have a large impact on more expensive downstream verification and diagnosis, repair and retest. A methodology for examining the effect of ICT alternatives on these costs.
Michael J. Smith

Final Finishes
Know Your Final Finish Options
Pros and cons of the newest alternative finishes.
Donald Walsh, George Milad and Donald Gudeczauskas

Caveat Lector
Proving RoHS compliance.
Mike Buetow

Letters

Talking Heads
An interview with Qualitek.
Mike Buetow

Focus on Business
Puzzles with missing pieces.
Dr. Jonathon Linton

Global Sourcing
Don't outsource; automate!
Michael Sivigny

On the Forefront
More power to you.
Dr. Ken Gilleo

Screen Printing
Lessons from Asia.
Joe Belmonte

Better Manufacturing
Tell me lies.
Phil Zarrow

Soldering Tips
How do Pb-free finishes hold up?
American Competitiveness Institute

Wave Soldering
Design for good solderability.
Gerjan Diepstraten

Test and Inspection
All shook up.
Wayne Tustin

Process Doctor
Selective soldering's residual effects.
Terry Munson

Equipment Advances
EVS's dross recovery system.

Technical Abstracts

Life After Lead
The Greening of Electronics
After a half-century of reliance on lead, we have entered an era where we are flying mostly blind. This is just the first of a sweeping wave of environmental impacts on product design and product life.
Dan Shea

Cover Story
Improving Hand Soldering Operational Costs and Process Control
Equipment purchase decisions for soldering stations should guarantee high process stability at low running costs. Advances in intelligent equipment mean manual soldering and process control can finally go hand-in-hand.
Mark Cannon, Bob Klenke and Phil Zarrow

RoHS Best Practices
Getting RoHS Ready
The E.U. RoHS directive, which goes into effect this month, is hardly the only environmental law with which manufacturers must comply: everywhere in the world legislation looms on the horizon. Five steps to preparing your company on a global basis.
Dave Purvis

Annual Buyers Guide
Circuits Assembly's Annual Guide to Products and Services

Caveat Lector
Happy hangovers?
Mike Buetow

Focus on Business
Account acquisition at EMS firms.
Susan Mucha

Global Sourcing
International procurement hubs.
Craig Schuster

On the Forefront
Manufacturing's rising costs.
E. Jan Vardaman

Screen Printing
Board transport systems.
Clive Ashmore

Soldering Tips
How to analyze and restore storm-damaged boards.
American Competitiveness Institute

Wave Soldering
Hole-fill solutions.
Gert Schouten

Test and Inspection
Board stress models.
Gary St. Onge and Jesse Carpenter

Countdown to Pb-Free
Tomorrow's environmental priorities.
Joe Johnson and Bob Pfahl

ESD Basics
Compliance verification programs.
David E. Swenson

Process Doctor
'Staging' a clean process.
Terry Munson

Equipment Advances
DEK's post-print verification system.

Technical Abstracts