FRANKLIN, MA - SMT manufacturing experts from Speedline Technologies will address the issues involved in "Lead-Free Reflow Soldering Power And Nitrogen Consumption" during a free, live, Web seminar on May 19 from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, ET. 

Selecting a reflow oven for an SMT manufacturing process requires numerous engineering considerations, including board size capacity, heating zones, nitrogen compatibility and the ability to maintain even heat.  With the introduction of lead-free materials, new and more complicated factors are compounding the decision. 

With the introduction of lead-free requirements, process engineers must now also consider the ability to achieve the heat required to reflow the lead-free solder paste and to cool the soldered joints at a rate that will provide the best possible product quality. In a lead-free process, two "cost of ownership" issues now gain additional significance: energy consumption and nitrogen consumption. The seminar will discuss an analysis of energy and nitrogen consumption in lead-free reflow soldering equipment. 

Topics will include: a comparison of energy consumption in new reflow oven designs versus previous reflow oven designs; an actual power consumption case study of lead-free versus tin lead process; and methods for controlling nitrogen consumption.

For more information or to register, visit speedlinetech.com/seminars.

 

 

Zurich, Switzerland -- DEK has signed a supply and license agreement for its VectorGuard stencil technology with Gemido, a France-based designer and manufacturer of machines for the electronics industry. Gemido will manufacture the stencils from foil blanks supplied by DEK and will also provide customers with VectorGuard frames. 

Gemido will implement this agreement in France and the French part of Switzerland.

Tokyo -- The 35th International Electronic Circuits Expo will take place June 1-3 at the Tokyo Big Sight center. The show, sponsored by JPCA (Japan Printed Circuit Association) -- a member of the WECC (World Electronic Circuits Council) -- will focus on "The Challenge, Starting for the Next Evolution."

The show is offered in conjunction with the JIEP (Japan Institute of Electronics Packaging) 2005 Microelectronics Show: "Discover the Next Generation Technologies on Electronics Packaging."

The two shows will feature 530 exhibiting companies with 1,531 booths, and the producers expect more than 100,000 global attendees during the three-day period.

Participants can attend three keynote sessions: professor Dr. Kenichi Ohmae of UCLA will address "The Next Global Stage - Challenges and Opportunities in our Borderless World;" Dr. Takeo Nakagawa, CEO of Fine Tech Corp., will talk about strategies for the future of manufacturing in Japan; and Dr. Tsugio Makimto, Sony's corporate advisor will address the role of electronics packaging in the paradigm shift era of electronics industry.

The concurrent Jisso (Advanced Electronics Packaging) Technology Symposium will offer technological sessions such as SiP/Multi Chip Package, Thin Wafer/Chip Packaging, High Frequency Packaging/New Substrate Materials, FPC, MEMS, Embedded Packaging Board and Opto-electronics Packaging technologies on the topics.

Click here for early registration.

 

 

Edina, MN -- Two new software applications for materials and RoHs declaration are available from the Surface Mount Technology Association's Web site.
 
For small-to-medium size enterprises with RoHS-related obligations, the Material Declaration Wizard (MDW) is an automated substance-level data collection software. 
 
The Windows desktop application collects, aggregates and distributes substance data that allows you to declare substances required by RoHS, JIG A, B, & C, or to declare that your components have been lead-free assembly tested.

Read more ...

GLEN COVE, NY - Photocircuits Corp. has a new venture with Global Brands Manufacture Group in China. The plant, completed in 2004 in Kunshan (near Shanghai), Jiangsu Province, China, occupies approx. 70,000 sq. m. Terms of the venture were not disclosed. GBM will be investing an undisclosed amount into the new venture while Photocircuits will provide operational technical controls and systems along with marketing and sales.

Located on a 409-acre campus in the KunShan Economic and Technical Development Zone, the factory's current manufacturing capacity is 400,000 sq. ft. of imaged area per month. Three planned expansions over the next 18 months will increase capacity to 1.5 million sq. ft. per month.

Eindhoven, The Netherlands -- Assembléon formally opened its new China Competence Center (CCC) in Shanghai during Nepcon Shanghai on April 13.

The company has 70 people, including 50 service and support engineers, already working out of the Shanghai center, with the headcount set to increase even further.

Read more ...

New Tripoli, PA -- The $3.4 billion dry etch market achieved a record growth rate of 89% in 2004, led by Lam Research and Applied Materials, according to a report by The Information Network.

 

"The 89% growth rate in 2004 topped the 85% growth achieved in 2000," noted Dr. Castellano, president. "Lam Research led the market after growing 91% in 2004. Applied Materials moved ahead of TEL into second place after growing 123%."

The Dielectric Etch sector grew 101% and achieved a 58% share of the market, followed by Polysilicon Etch, which grew 87% and held 30% of the market.

The Dielectric Etch sector grew 101% and achieved a 58% share of the market, followed by Polysilicon Etch, which grew 87% and held 30% of the market.

The dry etch market is earmarked to drop 10.2% in 2005 to $3.1 billion.

In the $340 million dry strip market, Mattson regained its lead after growing 132% in 2004. Novellus placed second. The dry strip market is projected to drop 7.8% in 2005.

Fremont, CA -- Manufacturing Resource Corp. will expand its operations into Grand Prairie, TX, between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. Operations are set to begin by the end of the month.
 
The new location will initially be set up for laser-cut stencil fabrication and later expand into tape and reel services.  The facility will serve customers in Texas and neighboring states.
 
MRC has been doing business since 1994 in the Fremont location. 

FOREST GROVE, OR - Merix Corp. has agreed to buy Eastern Pacific Circuits Ltd. for $120 million cash. Merix said the acquisition of the Hong Kong-based PCB supplier includes earn-out consideration of up to $8M based on 2005 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

Merix plans to finance the transaction, expected to close in June, with a combination of available cash and debt. Eastern Pacific has four manufacturing plants in southern China and one in Hong Kong. In 2004, Eastern Pacific's preliminary unaudited sales were $143M, with adjusted EBITDA of $14.1M.

 

NY, April 14 -- U.S. IT spending will increase to $417 billion in 2005 and reach $497 billion by 2008, a report from IDC reveals. According to the study, government, manufacturing, and banking continue to drive IT spending in process management and content management.

According to Anne Songtao Lu, program manager for IDC's Worldwide Vertical Markets, the consumer/home vertical has become increasingly important for IT vendors.

Read more ...

SAN JOSE, CA -- Sanmina-SCI Corp. has demonstrated interoperability of its scalable ATCA (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) compatible backplane across a spectrum of existing and proposed backplane interconnect standards.
 
"We have completed testing and collected electrical and performance data that demonstrates how Sanmina-SCI's suite of design and manufacturing techniques enhances system-level interoperability," said George Dudnikov, Sr. VP and CTO for the PCB division. "The high-performance market is starting to see some forward momentum, and OEMs are beginning to recognize the performance benefits of using low-distortion interconnects in their systems, which are compatible with drivers and receivers from all major silicon manufacturers. As a result, system designers enjoy a variety of options."
 
The ATCA-compatible backplanes equalize the performance variations seen across major connector technologies (press-fit, SMT, BGA); dielectrics (low-cost and enhanced materials); existing and proposed industry-wide, high-performance interconnect protocols (Ethernet, XAUI, Infiniband, Fibre Channel, Compact PCT, ATCA, VXI, UXPi); modulation schemes (NRZ, PAM, multi-level signaling); and signal-conditioning schemes (passive and active driver pre-emphasis and receiver equalization). 
 

Cost reduction has been replaced by order lead time as the top issue facing mid-size manufacturers, according to a new report. As customers eliminate inventory by asking manufacturers to be more reactive and reliable to their demands, customer service is no longer simply improving complete and on-time order performance. Mid-size manufacturers are scrambling as they recognize that their order-to-delivery processes are not capable of delivering in less time with the accuracy and cost profiles required to please customers and the CFO.
 
"Mid-size manufacturers now understand that their current order-to-delivery processes are nothing but a set of loosely coupled functions and not as integrated and streamlined as needed," said Chris Jones, Aberdeen Inc.'s senior VP of value chain research. "Best-in-class mid-size manufacturers have adopted end-to-end integrated order-to-delivery process and are using real-time information to accelerate the velocity of their business."
 
The report finds manufacturers that move from a loosely coupled set of department or functions to a tightly synchronized order-to-delivery process are 2.5 times more likely to have the shortest lead times. Far too many mid-size manufacturers mistakenly believe that an end-to-end integrated process does a better job at passing information between the functional operations. Only 20% of respondents had end-to-end processes in place and only 14% had integrated, real-time IT solutions.
 
To optimize order-to-delivery performance, Jones recommends:
 
-- Understand the difference between an integrated process and connected pieces.
 
-- Get started by picking the top three functions to integrate.
 
-- Automate and use workflow to drive velocity.
 
-- Extend order-to-delivery to the supply base.
 
-- Drive order-to-delivery performance with real-time information
 
Download a copy here: www.aberdeen.com/summary/report/benchmark/RA_MidSizeMfg_CJ.asp