Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

Jersey City, NJ – Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials has established a Global Applications Technology and Engineering group, which will join its global R&D group. The new group’s mission is to help customers solve assembly technology, yield and reliability challenges by understanding process dynamics, and incorporating internal testing and validation capabilities.

"The formation of the Global Applications Technology and Engineering group gives Cookson Electronics the ability to increase its development and output of process engineering expertise into the world of electronics manufacturing,” said Steve Brown, director of global applications technology. “This new group has been formed at a time when assemblers are continually finding new practical challenges in assembly processes, as Pb-free production becomes a daily reality. At the disposal of the group is our a global team of field applications engineers along with two fully automated SMT and wave soldering lines, with automatic solder paste inspection. This enables us to re-create and solve process problems from within Cookson Electronics labs, by using either Cookson test vehicles or customer specific PWBs."

HERNDON, VA — The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) is launching a new project to develop testing and use condition guidelines for electronic components used in medical applications. The Medical Components Reliability Specifications Project is the first organized under the consortium’s new Medical TIG (Technology Integration Group).

The project will develop test and extrapolation methodologies to predict reliability of components in actual use. The project team plans to create a minimum set of requirements for electronic components used in implanted or life-critical devices. The project will also suggest when testing should be done, what kind of testing is required and how to apply test results.

ST. LOUIS -- LaBarge has been named sole supplier for PCBs by ZTEC Instruments, and received initial orders valued at approximately $1.6 million.

LaBarge is producing PCBs for the oscilloscopes, waveform generators and digitizers that constitute ZTEC's modular instrument platform. The platform is used to monitor systems in the telecommunications, military, medical and industrial markets. It integrates several automated test and measurement instruments into a single box.

LaBarge is manufacturing the PCBs at its Pittsburgh facility. Production on the initial orders is expected to continue through December 2006, with additional orders anticipated.

ANAHEIM, CA – Along with its second quarter financial results, DDi Corp. announced that it has acquired PCB manufacturer Soverign Circuits and sold its assembly business to Veritek Manufacturing.

On August 8,, DDi sold its assembly business to Veritek Manufacturing Services LLC, for approx. $12 million in cash. The assembly business had unaudited net sales of $15.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2006 and $31.1 million for 2005, with gross margins of 13% and 10%, respectively.

Thief River Falls, MN – Quatech, a wholly owned subsidiary of DPAC Technologies Corp., signed a distribution agreement with Digi-Key. Products distributed by Digi-Key include wireless modules and external device servers. These modules afford designers the opportunity to use finished RF designs in their own projects, which results in rapid design turnaround time and frequently, reduced costs.

Digi-Key will also stock Fox Electronic’s range of crystals, oscillators, VCXOs, TCXOs and OXCOs. New products will be added to Digi-Key’s line as they are announced by Fox.

Digi-Key also signed an agreement to stock Future Designs Inc.’s USB in-circuit programs and an LCD demonstration kit. FDI is a design consultant for a variety of products from Philips Semiconductors.

Irvine, CA – The electronics group of Henkel plans to broaden its scope in India, with several of its top customers setting up production centers in the region. Development plans include the expansion of the local sales force through direct sales and distribution channels, growth of the technical applications staff, establishment of product manufacturing and refinement of logistics operations.

The company has appointed Bhavesh Muni as global director of business development for India. Muni has spent the last four years with Henkel in various sales and product management roles, and is a native of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India.

“India has been on our radar screen for quite some time,” said Patrick Trippel, president. “With an office and support team already in place in Bangalore, we are now taking our regional commitment to the next level with the expansion of the sales and application staffs and the appointment of Bhavesh Muni to the newly-created business development role.”