Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

KANSAS CITY, MO -- A study of more than 200 multinational companies across 15 industries found that intellectual capital and university collaboration -- and not just lower costs -- are primary attractions for companies to locate R&D activities in locations abroad.

Also noted: emerging countries such as China and India will continue to be major beneficiaries of R&D expansion over the next three years as companies seek new market opportunities, access to top scientists and engineers, and collaborative research relationships with leading universities. Companies studied were mostly headquartered in the U.S. and Western Europe.

Weymouth, UK – DEK has confirmed the line-up for its 21^st Century Line Technology Day, scheduled to take place March 29 – 30 at the company’s UK headquarters in Weymouth. Partners and presenters for the event include BTU, Assembleon, Henkel and Nutek.

Aimed at helping electronics manufacturers negotiate the challenges of Pb-free, the event will focus on the role of leading-edge technologies within this significant industry transition. Event content will include discussion of Pb-free products, latest generation components, reflow technologies, line flexibility and Pb-free developments. DEK will also highlight recent product innovations including Proflow and Grid-Lok.

In addition to presentations, the Technology Day will feature workshops and technical demonstrations.

Rome, NY -- The ESD Association has scheduled two program manager tutorials for March 28 in Texas, as well as an ESD educational program March 9-10 in the Philippines.

The program in the Philippines provides information on ESD fundamentals, ESD problems and causes, in-plant verification requirements, audit procedures, ESD measurement methods, methods for designing ESD control programs and methods for assessing ESD processes for conformance to ANSI/ESD S20.20.

Scheduled courses include S20.20 ESD Program Development and Assessment, ESD Auditing & Evaluation Measurements, Packaging Principles for the Program Manager, and Standards Basics for EPA. They are among the required courses for obtaining ESD Program Manager Certification.

Courses will be taught by Ron Gibson, Celestica International; John Kinnear, IBM Corp.; and Stephen A. Halperin, Stephen A. Halperin & Assoc./Prostat Corp.

The March 28 half-day tutorials will be held at the 3M Innovation Center in Austin, TX. The courses cover Cleanroom Considerations for the Program Manager and Air Ionization: Issues and Answers.

Topics covered in the cleanroom tutorial include: airborne particle classification standards, cleanroom compliance monitoring test methodologies, electrostatic attraction relation to airborne and surface contamination, ESD concerns, and cleanroom static charge generation challenges and control methodologies. The instructor is Christopher Long, a senior engineer at IBM Microelectronics.

The air ionization course will examine problems caused by static charges, review common methods for generation and control of static charge, illustrate the importance of ionizers in a static control program through demonstrations, explain the major types of ionizers and the varying environments, discuss electrical and performance test methods, demonstrate ionization measurements using the Ionization Standard, and present installation, safety, maintenance and contamination issues. The instructor is Arnold Steinman, CTO for Ion Systems Inc.

This seminar is co-sponsored by the Texas Chapter of the ESD Association and is a requirement for ESD Certified Professional-Device/Design certification.

For more information, visit: esda.org/upcomingcourses.html.

The conference and tutorial program for SMT/Hybrid/Packaging show are now online at smt-exhibition.com/conference. The show, which will focus on "Technologies for the 3rd Dimensionin the Production of PCBs,” will take place May 30-June 1 in Nuremberg, Germany.

In 24 half-day tutorials, topics will encompass the complete product chain of electronic component assembly from design and process technologies to quality assurance. The conversion to Pb-free will be a principal theme in nearly all tutorials.

Five tutorials will be given in English:

Tut 06: Advanced Thermal Management Materials

Tut 07: Lead-Free Design for Manufacture Assembly Tutorial

Tut 08: Manufacturing Reliable Lead-free Electronics with High Yield - What You Should Know - Part 1

Tut 15: Lead-Free Inspection, Process Control and Defect Elimination

Tut 16: Manufacturing Reliable Lead-free Electronics with High Yield - Part 2

For information on the adjacent exhibition with over 600 suppliers, visit: smt-exhibition.com/registration

San Clemente, CA – YESTech recently won the 2006 Service Excellence Award for Test & Inspection equipment. The awards, sponsored for the 14^th year by Circuits Assembly, were presented in February, during the Apex/Expo conference in Anaheim, CA.

The SEA program recognizes companies receiving the highest customer service ratings, as judged by their own customers.

"Winning this award means more to us at YESTech than any other industry award," said Don Miller, president and CEO. "Customer service and genuine concern for our customers has been the underlying foundation of our success, and has been a commitment by every YESTech employee from the beginning. We're very proud to receive this recognition from an industry leader of the caliber of Circuits Assembly, and are extremely grateful for the support of our customers. Our pledge is to continue this high standard of customer support as we continue to grow."

NORWALK, CT – Sales of digital home entertainment gear will reach reaching $411 billion by 2010, an average annual growth rate of almost 20% over the $166 billion posted in 2005, said BCC Research.

Hubs and nodes are the largest device segment, accounting for 56% of total device sales in 2004 and 55% in 2010.

PHILADELPHIA – The American Competitiveness Institute has been awarded a five-year, $150 million contract by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research.

Under the contract, ACI will continue to operate and manage the Electronics Manufacturing Technology Center, which is already located at ACI, and perform research for electronics manufacturing technology (ManTech) programs for the Navy and other Department of Defense services.

SAN JOSE -- January bookings of semiconductor gear from North America-based manufacturers reached the highest point in 15 months, SEMI said

The three-month average basis of orders for semiconductor equipment was $1.26 billion in January, up 10% from December and 27% year-over-year.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The January 90-day moving average shipments of all types of circuit boards rose 2.7% year-on-year, while bookings rose 10.8%, according to the latest poll of North American PCB fabricators.

The domestic book-to-bill ratio was 1.13. The ratio is based on data collected by IPC from rigid and flex producers and is calculated by dividing three months worth of orders by sales. A ratio over 1.0 is considered an indicator of rising demand.

HERNDON, VA — The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has scheduled a full-day roadmap workshop on April 5, coinciding with Semicon Europa in Munich, in an effort to include European perspectives in the 2007 Roadmap.

The workshop will give a “sneak peak” of draft chapters of the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap, including two key market segments and seven of the 19 technology and infrastructure areas covered. The session will also allow discussion and input of the draft chapters.

The $200 registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, social hour and a copy of the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap CD when published. Registration deadline is March 28 (earlier if the meeting reaches capacity).

The workshop is co-sponsored by Fraunhofer IZM, IEEE’s CPMT (Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology) Society and IMAPS Europe.

For an agenda and more details, visit
inemi.org/cms/calendar/iNEMI_Roadmap_European_Workshop_Apr_2006.html.

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Huntsman Corp., one of the world's largest suppliers of chemical products, today reported fourth quarter net loss of $61million, including $20.2 million in restructuring, impairment and plant closing costs, versus a net loss of $1.2 million including charges a year ago.

SAN JOSE -- If you've been watching the Olympics, you saw this coming. Backed by a heavy sponsorship of the Turino games, Lenovo Group Ltd., the former PC arm of IBM, on Thursday said it will roll out its first series of computers under its new name and aimed at North America.