Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

FRANKLIN, MA – On Sept. 13, Speedline Technologies will offer a Webcast on high-speed solder paste inspection techniques and tools. The one-hour presentation will start at 11 am EST.

Various inspection techniques and tools are available for process verification and defect detection. Specific areas of discussion will include process design, process control factors to limit defects, and inspection/process equipment available to discover defects as early as possible. Capabilities and benefits of printer 2-D inspection and 3-D AOI will be reviewed.

To register, visit www.speedlinetech.com/seminars.

LAKE FOREST, CA — EMS company Probe Manufacturing reported second-quarter sales fell 50% year-over-year to $1.8 million. Net profits rose 510% to $336,627 for the period ended June 30.

Cash from operations was $161,796, up from $44,143 for the same period in 2006. Debt was cut by $452,055.

Probe reported sales of $1.9 million in the March quarter.

"We are pleased with our results, as we marked the seventh consecutive quarter of positive net income from operations and debt reduction," said Probe CEO Reza Zarif.

For the quarter, half the revenue came from medical, aerospace and alternative energy business, up from 20% in 2006. Probe seeks to focus on the medical device manufacturing, aerospace and alternative energy industries, which management believes to be more stable and less likely to move offshore. Five customers accounted for approximately 77% of sales in the quarter, compared to 93% in 2006.

SHENZHEN – SMTA China announced it will sponsor the upcoming SMTA China South Conference 2007. Reed Exhibitions will support the conference in conjunction with the Nepcon China 2007 exhibition at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center.

It is scheduled to take place Aug. 27-30 in Shenzhen, China.

This event will feature technical papers, workshops and training sessions, as well as the Emerging Technologies Summit and three symposia across seven tracks: manufacturing and assembly, advanced packaging, substrates, soldering, test/inspection/quality, process Control, and contract manufacturing/business issues.

Conference topics include 01005 assembly, 3-D system in package (SiP), package on package (PoP), Pb-free reliability, component supply integrity, legal responsibility of non-RoHS part/product entering Europe, materials and process characterization, and flex circuit assembly.

For more information and to register, contact Peggy Chen at +86-21-5609-3010 or peggy@smta.org.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – iSuppli Corp. has announced a free Webinar on the PMP/MP3 market. Time to Grow Up and Face the Music will take place Aug. 15 at 11:30 am EST.

Chris Crotty, senior analyst for consumer platforms at iSuppli will discuss market share figures for PMP/MP3 makers and their semiconductor suppliers; shipment and revenue forecasts, including media and product mix outlooks; market drivers; whether a viable challenger to Apple will ever arise, and the latest retailer and consumer demographic data.

The Webinar will answer such questions as, Will NAND flash be capable of meeting the storage needs of video-capable productions? Will PMP/MP3 makers be able to source sufficient supplies of NAND-type flash memory for their data storage needs? Can PMP/MP3 controller vendors continue to endure severe price erosion for their products? Which new technologies will help maintain the momentum of PMP/MP3 player sales?

The increasing pervasiveness of broadband connectivity, the rising availability of content, and the continued reductions in component costs have contributed to the portable media player and MP3 player markets becoming the fastest growing segments of the consumer electronics market today, says iSuppli.

Although Apple Inc. gets the lion’s share of attention in the PMP/MP3 player market, the market is highly fragmented, with about 100 product manufacturers supplying both OEMs and their own brands, says the research firm.

During the next few years, the number of companies in the business is likely to dwindle, as the less competitive players are acquired or are squeezed out of the market entirely, believes iSuppli.

SANTA CLARA, CA – EMS provider NBS Design Inc. has opened two PCB layout facilities in recent weeks.

The first, in Dallas, has been in operation since mid-July and is run by Russ Wirth. In mid-August, NBS will open its third layout operation, to be located in Nashua, NH; another PCB industry veteran, Kathy Descoteaux, will run that operation.

The eight-year-old company also has a design center and manufacturing facility in Santa Clara.

In a statement, NBS president Craig Arcuri says the “addition of two such prominent and experienced industry players” will help the company broaden its “national footprint.”

Arcuri was the founder of Design Solutions Inc., the network of PCB service bureaus that peaked at more than 100 designers before he sold it to Flextronics.

SAN FRANCISCO – The PC market is springing back to life, with benign pricing, favorable component costs, and improving unit growth, a leading analyst said.

In a research note issued today, Deutsche Bank’s Equity Research Group said PC unit growth will continue to accelerate through year-end, and consensus expectations for PC unit growth should trend toward the firm’s earlier prediction of 15%.

EDINA, MN – The SMTA has announced its 5th annual Medical Electronics Symposium to be held Jan. 29-30 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.

The 2008 program, previously held in Minneapolis, will now be co-located with the Nano-Technology Medical Device and Manufacturing Expo West.

This symposium will focus on medical electronics and medical device applications. The technical committee is soliciting abstracts from within the medical community that share up-to-date information about company electronics expertise, practices, technology and applications related to symposium topics.

Topics may include active and passive components; packaging and materials for medical electronics; assembly technology challenges; manufacturing/equipment requirements; barriers to entry for assembly; sensors/MEMS/nanotechnology; RoHS/WEEE impact on design; wireless telemetry; substrate materials for medical electronics; environmental constraints; emerging technologies for medical electronics; advanced cleanliness requirements; advanced packaging for medical electronics; medical device process development/improvement; battery technology, and more.

Please provide an abstract (300-word min.) on any relevant topic to Melissa Serres at melissa@smta.org no later than Aug. 31. Please include contact information (address, phone number, email address) and a paper title with your abstract submission.

Written papers are due Nov. 16.

Visit http://www.smta.org/education/symposia/symposia.cfm#medical for more information.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Facing intense competition from LCDs in the consumer and business markets, plasma display panel manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace, according to iSuppli Corp.

Global PDP revenue will rise to $8.6 billion this year, up 11.8% year-over-year. Revenue will swell to $10.2 billion in 2008, up 18.5% from 2007 because of increased production of 50" and larger sizes, says the firm.

But, because of increased competition and continuous price pressure, the market will then undergo a revenue contraction, declining to $8.7 billion by 2011, says iSuppli.

Falling average selling prices are enabling PDPs to enjoy a growth phase in the consumer and business market, says the research firm. However, this growth period will be short-lived, with those same ASP declines causing market revenue to decline starting in 2009, following a peak in 2008.

According to iSuppli, declines in PDP ASPs are being driven by a number of factors, including increased competition forcing panel makers to reduce prices; larger PDP fab sizes boosting production efficiencies; improved manufacturing processes; declining costs for display materials; escalating competition from LCD and microdisplay-based rear-projection technologies.

Unit shipments will reach 23.6 million by 2011, rising at a CAGR of 18.6% from 2006.

MINNEAPOLIS – EMS provider Nortech Systems Inc. reported record net sales of $31.1 million for the second quarter, an increase of 19% year-over-year.

Operating income totaled $840,000, up 34% year-over-year. Net income of $367,500 was up 19% from the second quarter of 2006.

For the first half of the year, Nortech reported net sales of $59.1 million, an increase of 13% year-over-year. Operating income was $1.5 million, up 21%, while net income was $654,400, an increase of 14%.