Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Current

Press Releases

CLINTON, NY – Indium Corporation is excited to announce the promotion of Steve Foster to the role of Associate Director.

In this position, he maintains responsibility for implementing operational strategies to ensure that plant operations meet or exceed Indium Corporation’s goals and objectives.

Foster builds, leads, and manages the plant management teams at two of the company’s North American facilities. He ensures that the facilities are operating safely and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

“Over the last four years, our operations have grown steadily under Steve’s leadership. Despite the uncertainty of a global pandemic and volatile market, he implemented global best practices and helped drive productivity improvements,” said Brian Reid, Vice President Global Relations. “As we look to the future, we know that our teams and business will benefit from Steve’s strategic vision, innovative thinking, and commitment to success.”

Foster joined Indium Corporation in 2000 and was instrumental in the creation and installation of Indium Corporation’s IATF16949-certified Business Management System. He took on the role of Plant Manager in 2019 and Senior Manager Manufacturing Operations in 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute. Foster is an Exemplar Global Trained Auditor for ISO9001 and IATF16949. In addition, he has earned his Six Sigma Brown Belt certification.

PASADENA, CA – Supplyframe, a leader in decision intelligence solutions, and Jabil, a global leader in design, manufacturing, and supply chain solutions, have announced a collaboration to transform the electronics industry, leveraging artificial intelligence and automation for enhanced operations and decision-making. This collaboration is set to transform key industry processes and deliver data-driven insights to stakeholders in sourcing, quoting, and procurement, eliminating manual errors and increasing efficiency.

With a keen focus on the procurement and sourcing landscape, the partnership will employ digital systems to develop instant and market-competitive response solutions, streamlining operations and reducing effort. In addition, the collaboration aims to reduce product development cycles and time to market by eradicating manual processes, thus improving operational efficiency.

Steve Flagg, CEO of Supplyframe, reflects: “Teaming up with Jabil is a transformative step for both our companies and the broader electronics industry. We are excited to integrate our decision intelligence expertise to create digital solutions that push the boundaries of what's possible in the electronics value chain.”

Frank McKay, SVP, Chief Supply Chain & Procurement Officer at Jabil, adds: “Our partnership with Supplyframe is not just about integrating new technologies; it's about reshaping the way the electronics industry operates. We're leveraging AI and automation to create a more agile, competitive, responsive, and efficient value chain, which is crucial in today's fast-paced market.”

The collaboration between Jabil and Supplyframe represents a significant milestone in the digital transformation of the electronics industry. By combining Jabil's manufacturing and supply chain expertise with Supplyframe's decision intelligence capabilities, this joint effort is set to deliver cutting-edge solutions that drive efficiency, reduce cycle times, and enable seamless collaboration across the value chain. The future of electronics manufacturing and sourcing is here, and it is digital.

NEWMAN LAKE, WA – Hentec Industries/RPS Automation, a leading manufacturer of selective soldering, lead tinning and solderability test equipment, is pleased to announce that Astranis Space Technologies Corp has finalized the purchase of a Hentec/RPS Odyssey 1325 robotic hot solder dip component lead tinning machine.

The Odyssey 1325 is a MIL spec complaint high-volume, high-mix component lead tinning machine equipped with auto load/unload functionality and is capable of processing dual solder alloys. Designed to tin component leads for re-conditioning, gold removal and re-tinning applications, including high reliability and military applications including DIP, SIP, QFP, BGA, axial and radial components as well as BGA de-balling. The Odyssey 1325 complies with all applicable GEIA-STD-006, MIL-PRF-38535, MIL-PRF- 38524E and ANSI-J-STD-002 standards.

MADISON, AL – STI Electronics, Inc., a full-service organization providing training services, training materials, analytical/failure analysis, prototyping and electronics contract manufacturing, proudly announces the latest addition to its Training Team, Ms. Jenny Taymon. This appointment represents a milestone in STI’s commitment to delivering unmatched education and training services for the electronics assembly and related industries.

With an illustrious career spanning more than two decades, Taymon brings a wealth of experience and expertise to STI’s Training Center. Widely recognized as an authority in the electronics industry, Taymon has consistently demonstrated a passion for excellence and a steadfast dedication to shaping the next generation of leaders in the field.

“We are honored to welcome Jenny to our team,” said Diana Bradford, VP, Operations at STI Electronics, Inc. “Her extensive knowledge and proven track record in the electronics industry align seamlessly with our commitment to providing top-notch education and training.” In her new role as Master Instructor, Taymon will lead customer classes both offsite and at STI, with a primary focus on reviewing and conducting industry certification courses in a professional manner. Her commitment to fostering a dynamic and interactive learning environment aligns with STI’s vision of empowering individuals to excel in the electronics assembly and related industries.

“As we celebrate STI’s 41 years of dedication to excellence, the addition of Jenny signifies a new chapter in our commitment to providing world-class education,” added Bradford. “We are confident that Jenny will play a pivotal role in shaping the future success of our students and contributing to the continued growth of our company.”

REDDITCH, UK – Altus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment for the electronics industry, has further enhanced its product portfolio with the addition of the ASSCON VP810 Vapor Phase Soldering System, the latest innovation in vapor phase technology launched at this year's Productronica trade fair in Munich.

Designed for users managing applications with frequent product changes in small series production, the VP810 offers versatile applications, making it ideal for prototyping, laboratory work, and process qualifications. Its compact design, characteristic of ASSCON's stand-alone vapor phase soldering systems, allows for flexible loading on workpiece carriers and seamless integration into various production setups.

The VP810 maintains its predecessor's cost efficiency and space-saving attributes, the VP800, while introducing an innovative touch display for user-friendly machine operation. The Advanced Management Interface enables external profile creation, system monitoring, and automatic production data logging. There is also the option to add the patented Multi Vacuum technology, which achieves void rates below 1%.

Altus Group CEO, Joe Booth said: "2023 has proven to be a milestone year for vapor phase soldering adoption in the UK and Ireland, marking our best performance yet since joining forces with ASSCON. We have supplied a diverse range of systems - from the fully inline VP2100-100 to the popular VP510 laboratory batch solution, which is our top-selling unit this year.

“ASSCON is a great company to work with, but what sets them apart is their commitment to continuous development and innovation. The release of the VP2100-100 in 2021 left a lasting impact on our local partners and resonated globally. Now, with the introduction of the VP810, ASSCON has adeptly bridged the gap between the VP510 and VP800 units. This provides customers with price sensitivity and an excellent entry point and positions the VP810 for success. We look forward to the unit's widespread adoption and ASSCON's next innovation."

The VP810 sets a new standard for intelligent vapor phase soldering with its innovative sensor based profiling capability. This enables real-time temperature measurement at the product level during every soldering cycle, allowing for automated adjustment of profiles to dial in optimal parameters. The VP810 can now leverage this closed-loop temperature control even when running in vacuum mode for minimised voids.

The inclusion of the ASSCON VP810 further strengthens Altus’ product portfolio, addressing the evolving needs of customers with precision and innovation.

MUNICH – Microsoft and Siemens are deepening their partnership by bringing the benefits of generative AI to industries worldwide.

As a first step, the companies are introducing Siemens Industrial Copilot, an AI-powered jointly developed assistant aimed at improving human-machine collaboration in manufacturing. In addition, the launch of the integration between Siemens Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management and Microsoft Teams will further pave the way to enabling the industrial metaverse. It will simplify virtual collaboration of design engineers, frontline workers, and other teams across business functions.

“With this next generation of AI, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation across the entire industrial sector,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “We’re building on our longstanding collaboration with Siemens and bringing together AI advances across the Microsoft Cloud with Siemens’ industrial domain expertise to empower both frontline and knowledge workers with new, AI-powered tools, starting with Siemens Industrial Copilot.”

“Together with Microsoft, our shared vision is to empower customers with the adoption of generative AI,” says Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens AG. “This has the potential to revolutionize the way companies design, develop, manufacture, and operate. Making human-machine collaboration more widely available allows engineers to accelerate code development, increase innovation and tackle skilled labor shortages.”

A new era of human-machine collaboration

Siemens Industrial Copilot will allow users to rapidly generate, optimize and debug complex automation code, and significantly shorten simulation times. This will reduce a task that previously took weeks to minutes. The copilot ingests automation and process simulation information from Siemens’ open digital business platform, Siemens Xcelerator, and enhances it with Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service. Customers maintain full control over their data, and it is not used to train underlying AI models.

Siemens Industrial Copilot promises to boost productivity and efficiency across the industrial lifecycle. Using natural language, maintenance staff can be assisted with detailed repair instructions and engineers with quick access to simulation tools.

The vision: Copilots for all industries

The companies envision AI copilots assisting professionals in various industries, including manufacturing, infrastructure, transportation, and healthcare. Numerous copilots are already planned in the manufacturing sectors, such as automotive, consumer package goods and machine building.

Schaeffler AG, a leading automotive supplier, is among the first in the automotive industry to embrace generative AI in the engineering phase. This helps its engineers to generate reliable code for programming industrial automation systems such as robots. In addition, the company intends to incorporate Siemens Industrial Copilot during their own operations, aiming to significantly reduce downtimes, and also for their clients at a later stage.

”With this joint pilot, we’re stepping into a new age of productivity and innovation. This Siemens Industrial Copilot will help our team work more efficiently, reduce repetitive tasks, and unleash creativity. We’re excited to partner with Siemens and Microsoft on this project,” says Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler Group.

Generative AI facilitates virtual collaboration

To bring virtual collaboration across teams to the next level, Teamcenter for Microsoft Teams will be generally available beginning December 2023. This new app uses the latest advances in generative AI to connect functions across the product design and manufacturing lifecycle such as frontline workers to engineering teams. It connects Siemens’ Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management (PLM) with Microsoft’s collaboration platform Teams to make data more accessible for factory and field service workers. This will enable millions of workers who do not have access to PLM tools today to contribute to the design and manufacturing process more easily as part of their daily work.