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Rome, NY – The ESD Association has scheduled an ESD Device/Design Seminar to be held at its Rome headquarters May 1-2. Developed by the ESDA’s Professional Education Committee, the technical seminar will cover on-chip ESD protection designs.
 
The seminar will focus on: ESD in the industrial semiconductor IC context; ESD models and ESD testing; ESD device operation; ESD circuit operation; technology impact on ESD design choices; special circuit requirements, including RF, and their impact on ESD; CDM ESD protection; and design examples and case studies.
 
The course is required for ESD Certified Professional-Device/Design certification.
 
Instructors are Charvaka Duvvury, Ph.D., Texas Instruments, and James W. Miller, Freescale.
 
For more information, visit esda.org/documents/DeviceDesignSeminar-2006_Rome.pdf
SEATTLE -- Microsoft has delayed -- again -- the launch of its Windows Vista operating system, pushing out the next generation software for PC consumers to January 2007. Business customers will get in the door a couple months earlier, in November.

Analysts are mixed on whether the delay will impact overall PC sales, but the consensus is that buyers will wait the extra few months for the new OS. Thus, fourth quarter shipments might not be as robust as previously forecast.  Read more ...

HERNDON, VARegistrations for iNEMI’s April 5 roadmap workshop are due March 28, the consortium said today.

The full-day meeting, co-sponsored by Fraunhofer IZM, IEEE’s CPMT (Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology) Society and IMAPS Europe, takes place at the ICM Congress Hall at Munich Messe. 

It coincides with SemiCon Europa, also in Munich.

The workshop will give attendees an advance review of draft chapters of the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap, including two key market segments and eight of the 19 technology and infrastructure areas covered:

Product sectors include automotive products and consumer/portable products. Technology areas include Packaging, board assembly, organic substrates, ceramic substrates, sensors, test, inspection and measurement, final assembly and environmentally conscious electronics.

Attendees' input be be incorporated in the 2007 Roadmap.

The registration fee is $200 and includes a copy of the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap CD. Registration deadline is March 28.  For information click here.

For information about SemiCon Europa, click here.

Every two years iNEMI updates its compendium of future manufacturing technology needs of the global electronics industry. The roadmap has become recognized as an important tool for defining the state of the art in electronics as well as identifying emerging and disruptive technologies. 


Read more ...
SIOUX FALLS, SD – Electronic Systems Inc. recently shared lessons learned from its RoHS compliant processes at a workshop for executives and engineers.

About 70 persons from two dozen electronics companies attended the in Bloomington, MN, seminar to hear the EMS company, which has RoHS compliant products in production and pilot stages, describe everything from solder materials and profiles to supply chain management.

ESI said the seminar was meant to be a jump start for those who’ve not yet committed to a RoHS strategy. The first deadline for compliance is July 1, 2006.

According to company vice chairman Leo Reynolds, the seminar was not for “answer(ing) the unanswerable questions but rather to make our customers aware of the impending deadline and jog them into the realization that they need to be very aware of what may or may not have to do with their products and processes.”

Questions revolved around tin whiskering, preferred PWB finishes and soldering temperatures, he told Circuits Assembly. There were “a lot of questions on component availability and compliance [and] on verifying compliance, how can the EMS company ensure that every component is in fact lead-free compliant.”

“Obviously, there are as many unanswerable questions as there are solid ones in this whole RoHS issue.”

Speakers included Tony Hilvers, vice president of industry programs at IPC, who reviewed RoHS requirements and discussed issues related to managing the supply chain, processes and verification. Dave Paluck, ESI manufacturing engineering supervisor, gave an overview of the company’s soldering and assembly processes, while director of program management Steve Hillesheim explained the logistics and planning needed for an OEM to move product into compliance.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that attorneys say stretches the boundaries of what should be patentable, Circuits Assembly's Mike Buetow reports in today's blog.

http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/
Clinton, NY -- Indium has begun manufacturing wave solder fluxes in its European facility. The company hopes the added capability from its Milton Keynes, England, facility will improve customer service in the region.

The company produces a full line of wave solder fluxes, including no-clean, residue-free fluxes that accommodate Pb-Free and Sn/Pb processes.

Rochester, NYEMA Design Automation and Ageus Solutions have joined forces to provide environmental compliance solutions from design through manufacturing.

“We’re adding the ability to supply the mechanical portion of RoHS/WEEE compliance,” said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA. “Aligning forces with Ageus allows us to expand our Engineering Data Management (EDM) solution to cover the entire manufactured product, which supports the entire RoHS/WEEE directive.”

EDM allows product development teams to record, manage and report the design and development data used in the creation of manufactured products.

Ageus provides RoHS/WEEE consulting, assessment and process of mechanical components and drawings. The company also has a comprehensive recycling network in Europe.

“RoHS compliance should not be dominating the agenda of electronics companies,” said Bruce Calder, president of Ageus. “Our focus is to seamlessly integrate RoHS/WEEE compliance into engineering systems and business practices allowing electronics companies to keep their focus on the core business of designing, manufacturing and selling electronics products.”

Cupertino, CA -- Is Apple going to break up its relationship with Motorola to introduce its own iPhone in late 2006? The long-rumored product once again made headlines last week as analysts speculated on an upcoming product introduction.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said there was a 75% chance that Apple would release an iPhone in the next 12 months.  And over the weekend, JPMorgan analyst Johnny Chan told Barrons that Apple is working on "an iPod with phone functions."

Most speculate that Apple will end up using Hon Hai Precision, a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer, to help them make it. Hon Hai already has contracts for the Power Mac G5 line and the iPod nano. (Dell, Intel, HP, Sony, and Cisco Systems are also rumored to be current Hon Hai customers.)

BEIJING -- Two U.S. senators, part of a delegation to China this week, are pressing Chinese officials to ease protections on its currency before the Senate votes on possible punitive measures next week.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) claim that China is manipulating its currency, in violation of World Trade Organization rules.

Read more ...
NORWALK, CT -- The global market for self-service machines, nearly $11.3 billion in 2005, will reach $24 billion by 2010, an average annual growth rate of 17%. According to BCC Research, the global number of machines in service will grow from 2.1 million last year to 2.8 million by 2010, an AAGR of 6.1%.

Automated teller machines (ATMs) and vending machines will continue to be the driving force for this market; the history and technology is long-standing and well-tested, and consumers will continue to show their support. An offshoot of the ATM, the self-service kiosk provides information to users instead of currency. These kiosks will begin to take off through the forecast period as well, as more consumers worldwide recognize their versatility and cost efficiency, BCC said.
CONCORD, CA -- March Plasma Systems has established an advanced plasma applications and demonstration laboratory in Shanghai, China.
The new lab is located within the existing March-China offices and will be run by applications field service engineer Michael Zhang.


The laboratory is equipped with a variety of March plasma processing systems for processing PCB, semiconductor and microelectronic devices.

TOKYO - DENSO Corp. has established a new company in Tianjin, China. The addition is “in response to the production needs of Korean automotive manufacturers in China,” noted managing officer Mitsuharu Kato.
 
Tianjin Poong Sung Electronics Co., Ltd. will produce instrument clusters, beginning production at the end of 2006. By 2010, it is expected to employ 80 people with projected sales of US$23 million (2.7 billion yen).
 
This is DENSO’s second company to produce instrument clusters in China.
 

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