Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

SPOKANE, WA – Selective solder equipment provider Robotic Process Systems Inc. has been acquired by an investor group led by GaitherCapital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco. No terms were disclosed.

Robotic Process Systems will operate under the name RPS Automation LLC and will continue to develop, manufacture, and market its products and services globally.

Jess Baker, a founder of the company, will be president of RPS Automation.

He will be joined by Reed Gaither, the new CEO, and Kari Novatney, a managing director of GaitherCapital, as CFO.

TAIPEI — Compal Electronics will invest $500 million to build notebook PCs in Vietnam. It also plans to expand into LCD TVs, said chairman Rock Hsu Sheng-Hsiung at the ODM's June shareholders meeting.

The company, which counts Dell among its customers, is also investigating sites in Brazil, according to published reports.

Compal's primary factory is in Kunshan, China. The company employs more than 20,000 workers and expects sales to top $10 billion this year.

MORRISVILLE, NC – Juki Automation Systems will offer a full three-year parts warranty to every customer on all new placement systems sold in the Americas and Europe.

That beats the industry standard one-year warranty on placement machines.

In a statement, Juki president and CEO Bob Black said, “A three-year parts warranty is unprecedented in our industry. The quality from our factory in Japan is so high that the extra two years of warranty costs us very little. Our customers can pencil in zero dollars on their parts budget for three years, even if they run the machines 24/7.”

EDINA, MN – The deadline for papers for the SMTA’s Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium is July 20.

The symposium will take place in Kauai on Jan. 22-24.

The event focuses on business markets and technologies of microelectronic packaging, interconnection, microsystems technology and assembly. It promotes international technical interchange and provides a forum for networking among microelectronics professionals and business leaders throughout the Pacific Basin.

For more information on submitting a topic for presentation, visit http://www.smta.org/pan_pac/call_for_papers.cfm or contact JoAnn Stromberg, joann@smta.org.

SAN JOSE, CA – The world flat panel displays market is set to exhibit a huge growth during the 2001-2010 period, registering sales in excess of $114.4 billion by 2010, says Global Industry Analysts Inc.

Japan and Asia-Pacific corner the largest share of the global FPD market, with a combined share estimated of more than 75% in 2006, says the firm. Asia-Pacific is forecast to emerge as the fastest growing FPD market with a CAGR of 23.5% during 2001-2010.

The plasma displays market is projected to be the major growth driver with a CAGR of 38.5% over 2001-2010.

Demand for various flat display types will remain bullish in the years ahead, according to Global Industry Analysts. The market researcher claims the demand for displays will come from integration in different end-use applications, including home entertainment systems and mobile phones.

Prices of LCDs and PDPs are sliding because of the huge investments made in fabrication capacities and advanced technologies, bringing in an increased demand for FPDs, the firm states.

LCDs are being increasingly used in notebook computers, desktop computers, cellphones, portable digital assistants and flat panel televisions with broadband compatibility. Leading electronics players including Samsung, Sharp and LG are channeling substantial resources into the production of these displays to suffice the continuously up-surging market demand, says the report.

However, the LCD market could face stiff competition from competitive flat panel displays such as organic light emitting diode (OLED) and field emission display (FED), says Global Industry Analysts.

Recently, small-size LCDs have been in short supply in major FPD markets across the globe, owing to an unprecedented demand for small-size panels in color cellphones apart from shortened supply of the large panels, continues the report.

Large-panel LCDs for desktop and notebook computers are trading at significantly low prices and prices are likely to fall further. Prices of large-area, thin-film-transistor LCDs dropped by significant amounts and are expected to continue dropping until demand recovers sharply.

WASHINGTON, DC – Comments on Korea's RoHS-like regulation via the ‘technical barriers to trade’ process are due July 21.

CHANGCHUN, CHINA – EMS firm Surface Mount Technology (Holdings) Ltd. will invest more than $13 million over the next two years in its newest facility, in Changchun. The 108,000 sq. ft. facility, SMT’s fourth, began operation June 28 and will operate under the name Surface Mount Technology (Changchun) Ltd.

SAN JOSE, CA – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.65 billion in orders in June and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.94, according to SEMI.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings was $1.65 billion. The bookings figure is relatively flat with the final May level of $1.64 billion, and about 7% less year-over-year.

The three-month average of worldwide billings was $1.75 billion. The figure is about 5% greater than May, and about 13% greater than June of 2006.

"North American bookings and billings are trending up slightly, and are at their highest levels of the year," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Based on SEMI midyear consensus forecast data, we expect the semiconductor equipment market to experience strong sales in 2007 of over $40 billion, driven by investments in 300 mm technology and 45 nm tools."

MILPITAS, CA – Lead-Free Soldering, a hardback book from Solectron Corp., offers a collection of practical techniques for lead-free soldering design and manufacture.

The book includes the latest information on proposed changes to lead-free standards, and up-to-date analysis of government and legislative activities and regulations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Written by recognized experts in both academia and industry, Lead-Free Soldering is a guide for practicing engineers interested in the latest developments surrounding areas such as lead-free alloy properties, reflow, wave, rework, solder joint reliability, PCB laminates and surface finishes, and backward and forward compatibility.

To purchase the text for $129, email orders-ny@springer.com.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Total semiconductor shipments in Greater China—consisting of Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan—totaled $66.3 billion in 2006, up 11.8% from 2005, according to iSuppli Corp.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. high-tech goods exports increased by 10% to $220 billion, while imports rose by 9% to $322 billion between 2005 and 2006, according to AeA's first edition of “Trade in the Cyberstates 2007.”

ROME, NY – The ESDA’s annual EOS/ESD symposium will take place at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA, Sept. 16 – 21.

This year’s featured plenary speaker, Allan Johnston, principal engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will present Space Radiation in Advanced Semiconductor Devices on Sept. 18.

More than 30 tutorials will include topics such as ESD basics for program manager, ESD on-chip protection in advanced and RF technologies, air ionization, EOS/ESD failure models and mechanisms, in-plant ESD survey and evaluation measurements, CDM design and characterization, and more. Also offered is the two-day S20.20 seminar on developing and implementing an ESD control program.

New tutorials include ESD Circuits, ESD Ignition & Fires, Methodologies for Determining the Impact of Static Control Methods, Perfect ESD Storm, Advanced Topics in TLP Testing, Electrical Fields – Practical Considerations for the Factory, Electrostatic Attraction, Automated Handling Processes, and Advanced ESD/EMI/EOS Auditing Techniques.

More than 50 technical sessions from international authors will address such issues as device testing, ESD-RF design considerations, factory/materials, system-level testing, and more.

Ten workshops will be offered, including ESD Control and Design for Extremely Sensitive Devices, Cleanrooms ESD Ionization Guidelines and Considerations, Future of ESD Standards and System Test, and Protecting High Frequency Circuits.

Credit can be earned during tutorials for ESD Certified Professional-Device/Design and ESD Certified Professional-Program Manager; these tests will be offered during the symposium. Visit www.esda.org/certification.html for more information.

The symposium includes an exhibition, a welcome reception, an awards breakfast, a professional and technical women’s reception, an attendee lunch, and the ESD Association annual meeting and luncheon.

The deadline for early registration is July 27. For symposium registration information and to download a complete symposium program, visit www.esda.org/symposia.html.