Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

WESTLAKE, OH -- Nordson today reported second-quarter results at its Advanced Technology Systems business unit fell 3% from the prior year. Solid organic growth in electronics test and inspection and fluid management equipment was offset by softness for automated dispensing equipment in certain mobile end-markets.

For company's fiscal second quarter ended April 30. The ATS unit includes Dage, YesTech, Asymtek, and March, among others.

Orders for Asymtek have been recovering, however, the company's top executive said.

"We have begun to see an increase in orders for automated systems in recent weeks and we expect to generate solid sales growth in our third quarter within this segment,” said president and CEO Michael Hilton.

Geographically, organic sales growth in the second quarter over the prior year in the US and Europe was offset by softness in other regions. Operating margin for the Advanced Technology segment was 24% in the second quarter, up 13 percentage points from the first quarter.

Overall company sales for the quarter were $417 million, up 9% from a year ago.

HERNDON, VA – iNEMI released a rare earth metals white paper.

"Rare Earth Metals: Current Status and Future Outlook” discusses the sources of rare earth metal ores and processed materials. Potential solutions to prevent future supply constraints are suggested.

"Demand for rare earth metals has increased significantly in the past decade," said Bill Bader, CEO of iNEMI. "REMs can be found in every electronic device produced today. But the electronic industry is not the only sector requiring an increased supply of REMs. These materials can be found in every hybrid automobile and most batteries, as well as every fiber-optic amplifier, LED, fluorescent light, and even in wind turbines. As demand continues to grow, shortages are a real risk."

Bader says iNEMI developed its REM white paper to inform the electronics industry about the REM situation worldwide and to urge the industry to take steps to become better informed and ready to react appropriately to future challenges. He notes some affected industries are developing policies and alternative technologies to reduce their dependence on REMs and/or mitigate risks to their supply chains, and that the electronics industry should consider taking a similar approach.

To view the white paper, visit http://thor.inemi.org/webdownload/projects/iNEMI_REM_Whitepaper.pdf.

KANATA, CANADA – Test and measurement equipment from OneChip Photonics will be sold at auction in early June.

Items up for auction include a Royce Model MP300 autoplacer die sorter; SEC Model 830 manual pick-and-place system; Finetech Lambda flip chip bonder; Averna life test system; Royce Model DE35-ST semiautomatic die handler; bar tester systems; Tektronix Model CSA8000 Scope; wafer probers; Agilent DCA-J 86100C; HP Model 8703A Lightwave component analyzer; Ando Model AQ6317C optical spectrum analyzer; two Agilent Model 86142B optical spectrum analyzers; two Agilent Model 86140B optical spectrum analyzers, and TestEquity 1007C temperature chambers

The online auction is being conducted by Baja Bid at www.BajaBid.com. Bidding will open at 4 AM EST on June 3 and will close at 11 AM EST on June 5.

MELBOURNE, FL – Electronics manufacturer MC Assembly is moving to a new facility here.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — DASI Solutions has signed a deal to develop 3D printable applications related to production requirements of EMS firm Firstronic's automotive customers. Financial terms of the exclusive, three-year agreement were not disclosed. electronics manufacturing services (EMS) applications. DASI is a supplier of 3D printing equipment, software and services. DASI will work with Firstronic and its customers’ product development teams, and Firstronic engineers will have full access to DASI's technical support labs and 3D printers. "3D printing ... is becoming a disruptive technology with the potential to provide competitive advantage to companies who explore ways it can be used to cut lead-time or eliminate design constraints," said Firstronic CEO John Sammut. "Our alliance with DASI Solutions gives us access to their technical support labs, which have the widest range of 3D printing capability in Great Lakes Region. Our engineering team will be working with their additive manufacturing technology experts to develop applications which save our customers time and money." It is an exciting time to be involved in additive manufacturing technology because the range of materials and applications is rapidly expanding," said DASI co-owner David Darbyshire. "We see the alliance with Firstronic’s engineering team as not only an opportunity to educate them on our technology, but also an opportunity for our experts to learn more about their processes and ways additive technology can be used to improve them."

OOSTERHOUT, THE NETHERLANDS - Vitronics Soltec will move its global engineering and product management responsibilities to its European Business Unit, which the company says will better leverage the company's soldering knowledge and provide comprehensive products and support on a global scale.

The shift to Europe will permit the company to take full advantage of nearly a century of soldering expertise, Vitronics said. Engineering teams in the US and China will be maintained and will continue to help product development, the firm said.

The company, which released new selective and wave soldering lines this year, said it expects to debut two more products in 2015.

Vitronics Soltec’s Advanced Technology team is led by Gerjan Diepstraten. The global Engineering and Product Management team will be headed by Ton Colijn, a 25-year Vitronics Soltec veteran who has been responsible for many successful product introductions, including the recently introduced ZEVAv selective soldering machine.