Trade Shows
What Drives the Crowd?
A survey of 1,400 North American readers of Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design & Fab finds engineers are most turned on by a great technical conference and location.
By Mike Buetow

Controlling Static
Mastering ESD Control in Automated Handling Systems
ESD control has always been critical to high production yields, but programs are generally geared toward operators. The best ESD control programs ensure such equipment is capable of handling highly sensitive devices.
By Bob Taplett

Cover Story
Beating the RoHS Heat
Once on the outs over environmental concerns, vapor phase improvements have broadened the process window, reduced changeover time and lowered peak temperatures.
By Chris Munroe

Trade Groups
Trade Secrets
Tax-exempt electronics trade associations took in over $110 million in revenues during fiscal 2006. The growth of the sector has led to a first-of-its-kind review of the last three years’ worth of tax filings.
By Mike Buetow

Morey Corp.
True to Its Roots
Most EMS companies talk customer service, or technology, or supply-chain management. This family-run Chicago-based company touts something else.
By Mike Buetow

Offshore Expansion
The Road Abroad – Strategic Alliance or Greenfield Facility?
A management insider explains the main models for establishing manufacturing in low-cost regions.
By Paul Plante

Caveat Lector
Fueled up.
Mike Buetow

Letters

Talking Heads
Nihon Superior’s Tetsuro Nishimura.
Mike Buetow

Focus on Business
Where trust trumps execution.
Susan Mucha

On the Forefront
Embedded applications are coming up.
E. Jan Vardaman

Screen Printing
Verification and traceability.
Clive Ashmore

Tech Tips
Intermittent BGA connections.
American Competitiveness Institute

Wave Soldering
Air and joints.
Ursula Marquez de Tino

Test and Inspection
Cutting AOI data to size.
Jeff Bishop

Process Doctor
Inline vs. batch cleaning.
Ravi Parthasarathy

Pb-Free Lessons Learned
Concerns from the board level.
Chrys Shea

Getting Lean
Optimizing flow.
Robert Hemmant

Materials World
Package-on-package configurations.
Dr. Renzhe Zhao

Equipment Advances
Juki’s FX-3 placement machine.

Technical Abstracts

Program Management
Maximizing Lean
While customers want flexibility and long-term paths to cost reduction that Lean supports, they aren’t always agreeable to the necessary internal changes. But the smaller the effort, the smaller the result.
By Todd Baggett

Component Packaging
Copper as a Viable Solution for IC Packaging
As gold prices spike, some are turning to copper in ball-bonding processes for its conductivity and lower cost.
By Sheila Rima C. Magno, Jean Ramos, Eduardo Pecolera and Chris Stai

Recent Patents
Embedded Active Components for High-Rel Products
Inside the missile, a heavy module on the board surface was breaking loose and failing. The answer: A solderless, wire-bonded chip-to-board solution covered with copper "lids" to quell vibration.
By Jim D. Raby

COVER STORY
XRF Equipment as a RoHS Screening Tool
A jointly funded industry/DTI collaborative project, led by the National Physical Laboratory, investigated the suitability of XRF techniques for determining the presence and levels of RoHS-restricted substances in typical electronics components. The 15-system study found most – but not all – are viable.
By Martin Wickham and Dr. Christopher Hunt

Caveat Lector
Rabid for Raby.
Mike Buetow

Letters

Global Sourcing
Bad parts, like colds, come from anywhere, and no one is immune. A new database might help.
Mike Buetow

Better Manufacturing
Keep an eye on vision.
Phil Zarrow

Tech Tips
Large BGA attachment profiling.
American Competitiveness Institute

Selective Soldering
Wave or selective for high-rel products?
Ursula Marquez de Tino

Test and Inspection
The fixture is in.
Stacy Kalisz Johnson

Process Doctor
Localized extraction clearly shows residue volumes at isolated spots.
Terry Munson

Pb-Free Lessons Learned
Wake up to the value of boards.
Chrys Shea

Technical Abstracts

ESD Control
Walking on Water
Winter’s dry air means less humidity – and more static. High-pressure humidification systems can improve air quality and reduce energy costs.
By Pierre Husson

Cover Story
Flux Selection for Lead-Free Wave Soldering
This design of experiments clarifies the best types, best available flux within each type, and process limits for each, and also discusses the gaps between the capability of existing flux chemistries and requirements of Pb-free assembly, industry standards and customer expectations.
By Douglas Watson, Jasbir Bath and Pan Wei Chi

Component Inspection
An A-to-Z Guide to X-Ray Inspection, Part II
The second of a two-part article looks at practical recommendations for production sampling and viewing various part types.
By Dr. David Bernard

Productronica Recap
Evolution in Action
At Productronica, the most radical sight was the transit strike. But the venerable show didn’t disappoint.
By Mike Buetow

iNEMI’s Emerging Technologies
Research Priorities for the Electronics Industry
The merger of micro and nano, chemical, and other sensors with micro- and nano-electronics could mean disruption ahead.
By Alan Rae, Ph.D., Robert C. Pfahl, Ph.D., and Charles Richardson

Caveat Lector
Sanmina-SCI: Poised for recovery?
Mike Buetow

Talking Heads
Syncro’s Ed Childress and why managing risk is essential to EMS companies.
Mike Buetow

Focus on Business
For EMS firms, finding the right trade show to reach customers is tricky business.
Susan Mucha

On the Forefront
The cycle continues.
E. Jan Vardaman

Screen Printing
‘Ware’ it well.
Clive Ashmore

Better Manufacturing
Waiting for the revolution.
Peter Grundy

Selective Soldering
Selective soldering with Pb-free alloys.
Ursula Marquez de Tino

Process Doctor
Circuit board cleanliness.
Terry Munson

Pb-Free Lessons Learned
The engineer’s guide to chemistry.
Chrys Shea

Materials World
Solder spheres and packages.
Dr. Renzhe Zhao

Technical Abstracts