BINGHAMTON, NY - Universal Instruments' SMT Laboratory has committed over $10 million in research grants and stipends, as well as mentoring research projects and providing access to equipment and facilities.

The investment has accrued over 14 years, during which the SMT Lab has supported leading-edge research into second-level packaging and sponsored the activities of the Area Array Consortium. 

The AAC has historically consisted of up to 32 large member companies which support the lab's research.

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UTICA, NY -- Indium Corp. has completed its third audit since transitioning to ISO9001:2000. The process involved over 20 individuals at its manufacturing facilities in Utica and Clinton, NY, and resulted in no "minor" or "major" findings, the company said.
 
"This success does not just happen." said Bill Jackson, director of corporate quality, in a statement, "It is the result of people working together to improve the effectiveness of our processes and systems to increase our ability to fulfill customers requirements."
 

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SANTA CLARA, CA - Sierra Proto Express next week will roll out what it calls the "first true lead-free PCBs guaranteed not to fail in process or use."

The maker of quickturn prototype PCBs will put discuss its methods next week at the Printed Circuit Board Design Conference West, in Santa Clara.

In the seminar, the company says it will cover compliance with Europe's RoHS initiative for electronics products, and fabrication of high reliability PCBs intended for extreme environments and life-sensitive applications. The boards, Sierra Proto says, can withstand up to 2000 cycles of -45˚ to 145˚C.

The seminar will review the needs associated with lead-free printed circuits and discuss materials suitable for meeting the lead-free directives. The seminar also provides a new solution for boards for space, aeronautical, military, transportation, medical, and oil exploration applications.

The seminars will take place during PCB Design Conference West in the exhibits area each day of the show.

To register: call 800-763-7503 x500, or email frankd@protoexpress.com.

NORWALK, CT - Waste from electronics equipment that has reached the end of its useful life - already valued at 6% of the U.S. GDP alone - will open a new door for companies that recycle or remanufacture such goods, a new study says.

According to a soon-to-be-released report from Business Communications Co., the worldwide market for electronic waste will rise at an average annual growth rate of 8.8%, from $7.2 billion in 2004 to $11 billion in 2009.

Electronics equipment that is ready for disposal is generally considered toxic when disassembled or incinerated and is typically targeted for hazardous disposal or slated for recovery and reuse.

The market for post-consumer recycled materials from electronics will be strong over the next five years. The largest driver of growth will be the regulatory-driven onus on OEMs to manage hazardous waste materials from cradle-to-grave. This lifecycle begins with designing for the environment and in certain regions of the world now requires OEMS to finance all recovery costs of electronics products and their constituent materials. The need to rapidly curb toxins in the waste stream is apparent as electronic waste grows at three times the rate of other waste in the municipal solid waste stream.

E-waste has been mounting rapidly with the rise of the information society. It is the fastest growing segment of the municipal solid waste stream. E-waste equals 1% of solid waste on average in developed countries and is expected to grow to 2% by 2010. In developing countries, E-waste as a percentage of solid waste can range from 0.01% to 1%. However, led by China, developing countries will be the fastest growing segment of the E-waste market with the potential to triple output over the next five years. Electric and electronics equipment equals 6% of the U.S. gross domestic product, up from 5% 10 years ago. Yet that growth is easily eclipsed by that of China's where the gross domestic product is growing in excess of 8% a year - versus 3% for the U.S.

At the same time, the rate of obsolescence of electronic equipment is rising. globally, computer sales continue to grow at 10% plus rates annually. Sales of DVD players are doubling year over year. Yet the lifecycle of these products are shortening, shrinking to 10 years for a television set to two or three years for a computer.

Manufacturers and governments have not kept pace with electronic waste policy and practice. As a result, a high percentage of electronics are ending up in the waste stream.