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FEATURES

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
A Startup for Startups
MassChallenge may have a “wacky model,” but that’s not stopping  the not-for-profit accelerator program from helping innovators get to market.
by Mike Buetow

AOI
Yardsticks for Gauging AOI Effectiveness
State-of-the-art AOI can detect 99.5% of component faults and failures. Older technology, on the other hand, detects much less. Can a value be placed on the higher detection rate?
by Zulki Khan

EMBEDDED COMPUTING
Bright Future for Worldwide Merchant Embedded Computing Markets
The MEC market, a specialized subset of electronics assembly, is a dynamic industry with
a healthy growth forecast.
by Jerry Watkins

EMS COMPANY OF THE YEAR
New Vision at Lightspeed
Small tier EMS companies are perpetually undercapitalized and short of resources. But every so often, one emerges that has the vision and the capability to rival their larger competitors.
by Mike Buetow

INSPECTION
Understanding 3D AOI, What It Is, and What It Isn’t
3D inspection is a buzzword, but it lacks a standard meaning or definition.
by Axel Lindloff

RETROSPECTIVE
In Memoriam
A look back at friends and colleagues who left us in 2013.

FIRST PERSON

• CAVEAT LECTOR
  The Year of the Startup.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  Bad models.
  Peter Bigelow

• FOCUS ON BUSINESS
  Reliability trends.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• SCREEN PRINTING
  What’s driving 0.4mm CSPs?
  Clive Ashmore
  

• DEFECTS DATABASE
  Clean the bath.
  Dr. Chris Hunt

• SELECTIVE SOLDERING
  Reworking connectors.
  Chris Denney

• GETTING LEAN
  The Lean toolbox.
  Todd Baggett

• TEST AND INSPECTION
  In a flash.
  Jun Balangue

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FEATURES

PCB WARPAGE
How and Why to Use the IPC-9641 Standard
IPC-9641, High Temperature Printed Board Flatness Guideline, is the first standard to address local area PCB warpage across reflow profile temperatures. The standard is both educational about the general topic of PCB warpage measurement and specific in its guidelines for how such measurement should be done. A summary of the contents of IPC-9641, plus notes about how to implement it.
by Ken Chiavone

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE
GHS Impacts on the EMS
OSHA’s recent update of the Hazard Communication standard 29 CFR 1910.1200 brings the HazCom standard into alignment with the United Nations Global Harmonized System. Here, the practical impacts of the GHS standard on a company’s EMS (environmental management system), given a facility’s requirement for chemical management, are discussed.
by Scott Mazur

LABOR
Determining the Profit-Maximizing Machine/Technician Ratio
More technicians cost more money but reduce wait-for-technician time. Fewer technicians save money but increase wait-for-technician time. Where is the profit-maximizing tradeoff? And what is the profit-maximizing machine/technician ratio?
by Bob Kotcher

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  A matter of perspective.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  Living without.
  Peter Bigelow

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  Apple’s Newton: Passé or predictive?
  E. Jan Vardaman
  

• Screen Printing
  It’s in the hole.
  Michael L. Martel

• Tech Tips
  Rework, reconsidered.
  Karl Seelig and Tim O’Neill

• Test and Inspection
  Risky business.
  Robert Boguski

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FEATURES

COMPONENTS
A Custom BGA for Particle Physics Experiments
Deep inside the CERN collider, detectors capture faint electrical signals the particles produce during their transit. How a novel high-yield and higher functioning BGA package was designed to replace a more expensive COB part in the sensors.
by Benjamin Buck

CFTI
Metals from Africa
One of the biggest names in electronics – Philips – is out to change the fate of the Congolese people. In the process, the MNC has teamed with a pair of behind-the-scenes suppliers and a Dutch prince to revamp the electronics supply chain and overcome the Dodd-Frank Act.
by Mike Buetow

COMPONENT PLACEMENT
Improving Placement Modularity through Shared Resources
By maximizing the flexibility of existing equipment, and sharing equipment resources, assemblers can eliminate duplication and speed component placement.
by Matt Wyglendowski

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Unintended consequences.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  On the benefits of planning.
  Peter Bigelow

• Focus on Business
  Similar in Singapore.
  Susan Mucha
  

TECH TALK

• Final Finishes
  Specs for QFNs.
  Lenora Toscano

• Screen Printing
  Stretched to the limit.
  Clive Ashmore

• Test and Inspection
  High rel testing.
  Swee Chyee Goh