The connection between flux and reflow ovens is obvious, but are there ties to stills and race cars too?

When my wife and I moved to Raleigh, NC, we soon realized we landed in the center of the universe for NASCAR fans. Richard Petty, Richard Childress, Dale Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Dale Jarrett, Austin Dillon, J.D. McDuffee, Bobby Isaac and Rick Hendrick are a few of the well-known figures from NC. NASCAR race shops are all over the state. Towns such as Level Cross, Welcome, Kannapolis, Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord and Randleman are on every fan’s destination bucket list. Racetracks such as Bowman Gray, Charlotte, Rockingham, Ashville, Caraway, Fayetteville, North Wilkesboro, Orange County, Hickory, South Boston (VA), etc. are within a couple hours’ drive of our NC home.¹

What owners should do to ensure an attractive price when they sell their company.

It’s not easy owning an EMS company these days ... if it ever actually was. And by all reports it’s getting even harder. Covid, the dysfunctional supply chain, inflation, tight delivery schedules, just finding qualified employees – all these problems and others have combined to challenge even the most seasoned owners. Given all this, who has time to take the necessary steps to prepare a company for sale?

Buoyed by acquisitions and a resplendent new flagship manufacturing center, the French EMS is prepping for a sustainable future.

In October 2021, France President Emmanuel Macron unveiled “France 2030,” the nation’s strategy to reinvent several key domestic sectors, including automotive, aerospace and green industry.

On a smaller scale, European-headquartered businesses are adopting measures similar to those in the US, India, Vietnam and elsewhere to ensure a strong domestic manufacturing base. The ability to build products sustainably and at scale undergirds the trend.

Lacroix is a perfect example of one of those businesses. Based in France, with operations worldwide, the conglomerate is perhaps best known for its electronics manufacturing services, although its history dates to 1945.

And while Europe has a history of supporting its nations economically, even industrial powerhouses like France have not been immune to the call of lower-cost regions.

A new chapter is beginning, however, and Lacroix is intent on writing its place in electronics manufacturing history.

Material properties and considerations of a eutectic SnBi solid wire and SAC 305 flux cored wire.

Low-temperature (LT), high-bismuth solders are being carefully considered to replace SAC 305 for several reasons, including minimizing component warpage, reducing energy consumption and lowering the cost of solder, substrate, plastics, and other materials. Bismuth is strong but brittle, and has different mechanical properties than the SAC alloys they are targeted to replace.1 Despite these drawbacks, consumer electronics not subjected to high thermal or mechanical stress may be candidates for low-temperature materials.

Most published studies have overlooked one important consideration when implementing low-temperature alloys: rework and post-assembly attachment processes. This article reviews issues associated with using low-temperature alloys in the benchtop setting and how these alloys can be implemented or combined with existing processes and materials.