CHANGZHOU, CHINA – Microtek (Changzhou) Laboratories has been authorized by China Quality Certification Center to test PCBs, copper-clad laminates and plastics, the company said today.
The lab, which is headquartered in the US, is now able to issue CQC certification (CQC-V084) for the domestic Chinese market.
It reportedly marks the first time CQC has authorized a foreign-based laboratory to perform testing to these categories.
CQC covers 31 test methods and is based on China National (GB) Standards, as well as certain IEC and ISO standards.
CQC is often specified by various Chinese governmental departments that require product safety certifications.
CHANDLER, AZ – Isola USA Corp. filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission claiming certain imports of prepregs, laminates and PCBs infringe claims of its patents.
In the complaint, the Chandler-based company alleged several Asia companies, among them Ventec Electronics, Taiwan Union Technology, ITEQ Corp., and Guangdong Shengyi Sci. Tech Co., of violating Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.
The company is asking the US ITC to ban the imports of any materials or products that allegedly infringe Isola's patents, including Ventec's VT-47 and VT-48, TUC's TU-662 and TU-752, ITEQ's IT-200DK, and Guangdong Shengyi's S1000.
Last week, Isola asked the China courts for help in protecting its IP, naming TUC and ITEQ for patent infringements. TUC strongly denied the allegations, insisting Isola “stop harassing TUC customers and interested companies at once.” ITEQ did not publicly respond.
CORINTH, MI -- ACT Electronics's electronics manufacturing services plant here will begin laying offworkers as early as Dec. 4, according to published reports. About two weeks ago, the company told customers it would close its Hudson, MA, factories.
ITASCA, IL – ITW lowered its third quarter and full-year forecasts following a slowdown in North America as industrial production and end-market fundamentals weakened and margins tightened last month, the company said.
SMYRNA, GA – Registration for Virtual PCB is now open. Virtual PCB, sponsored by UP Media Group, is the industry's first virtual tradeshow for the PCB design, fabrication and assembly industry.
The online event will take place Nov. 12 – 13.
The free, two-day show can be accessed from anywhere in the world via a computer.
Virtual PCB provides on-demand educational presentations; private communications with exhibitors and other attendees; worldwide access to exhibitor booths and sessions; downloadable literature and product brochures; white papers; live, scheduled group chats with industry experts; live group chats with peers, and auditorium content.
SAN JOSE – Freescale Semiconductors director of packaging technology Glenn Daves will keynote an upcoming MEPTEC symposium on packaging.
The symposium, Packaging Developments and Innovations: From System Design to Integrated Delivery, takes place Nov. 13 in San Jose.
In his presentation, Aligning of Packaging Development with the Market, Daves will discuss how the interplay of competing requirements and constrained schedules often makes market alignment a complex undertaking, and show examples of market requirements and the packages and technologies that resulted from the alignment process.
A second keynote, by Mike Crawley, will cover how to play a role in significant technological advances.
Other presentations include advanced packages and processes; packaging to board assembly trends; microelectronics substrate fabrication and assembly innovations, and design tools and co-design solutions.
TUCSON, AZ – The ESD Association members elected to its board of directors Gianluca Boselli, Texas Instruments; Tom Larson, Trek Inc.; Michelle McSwain, TW Clean and consultant Steven H. Voldman.
The new board will serve for a three-year term beginning Jan. 1.
The board also elected its officers for a one-year term, including David E. Swenson, Affinity Static Control Consulting, president; Donn Bellmore, Universal Instruments, senior vice president; and Leo G. Henry, ESD-TLP Consulting, vice president.
The ESDA is an organization dedicated to furthering the technology and understanding of electrostatic discharge.
LAKE TAHOE, CA – The ESD Association requests abstracts for the 3d annual International Electrostatic Discharge Workshop.
The workshop will be held May 18 - 21 at the Stanford Sierra Conference Center in Lake Tahoe, CA.
The event invites focus on the increasing importance of system level ESD design and test, as well as the relationship between system and component level ESD. Presentations should address at least one of the following: novel design concepts, special custom design approaches, technology integration issues, failure analysis, test structures, simulation tools, component-level ESD testing, characterization, system-level issues, and unresolved ESD issues. Abstracts should be two pages and emailed in PDF format to iew@esda.org no later than Nov. 14.
The technical program committee will announce the selections on or before Dec. 5.
The call for presentations may be downloaded from www.esda.org.
ANAHEIM, CA – The ESD Association requests abstracts for papers on the effects of electrostatic discharge, electrical overstress, and static electricity for presentation at its 31st Annual EOS/ESD Symposium.
The event will take place Aug. 30 – Sept. 4 in Anaheim, CA.
Papers should deal with component level EOS/ESD, system level EOS/ESD issues, EOS/ESD factory level and materials technology, electrostatic considerations, magnetic recording heads, ultra sensitive devices, and ESD standards-components, systems and factory.
Submissions must include a 50-word abstract and a four-page (max.) summary.
The deadline for abstracts is Jan. 9.
The submission deadline for the finished paper is June 5. Final papers will be limited to a maximum of 10 pages.
The call for papers may be downloaded from www.esda.org.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congress has proposed legislation that would end the US Customs' and Homeland Security's right to seize laptops, phones, cameras and other electronics when US nationals enter the country.
Bills introduced last week by Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) provide traditional legal citizen protections to residents crossing borders back into the US, including standards of probable cause before electronics equipment can be searched, and require warrants for search and seizure.
Customs currently does not need suspicion of wrongdoing to search or seize electronics. Many victims of searches claim racial profiling.
In its defense, Customs asserts only 40 laptops were searched out of 17 million travelers over a two-week period, and not all of those were prevented from entering the country. However, the situation has been troubling enough warrant attention from Congress.
STAMFORD, CT – Gartner lowered its 2008 forecast for Asia/Pacific semiconductor growth from 6.4% to 5.2% on an annual basis, as a result of the global economic environment and poor consumer confidence.
However, the firm says emerging markets in India and Vietnam are experiencing higher growth compared to the slowing China/Hong Kong region.