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News

IPC (Northbrook, IL) has announced the collection of free events planned for its co-located IPC SMEMA Council's APEX/IPC Printed Circuits Expo/IPC Designers Summit exhibition and conference, being held Feb. 24-26, 2004, at the Anaheim Convention Center, in Anaheim, CA.

In addition to the complimentary keynote addresses of Solectron president and chief executive officer Michael Cannon, industry forecaster Walt Custer and the multi-talented Bill Nye-The Science Guy, the trade show will feature eight free forums throughout the exhibition and conference. The schedule includes:

1) Beyond Lead Free-WEEE/ROHS on Feb. 24
Chair: Fern Abrams, IPC
This panel discussion will provide insights into what leading companies are doing to prepare for the July 2006 lead-free compliance deadlines along with the latest developments in legislation, exemptions and definitions of lead free under Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS). Additionally, the panel of experts will examine the ripple effects of this legislation on laws and regulations in the U.S. and abroad.

2) North America or Asia: Where is the Best Place for Your Manufacturing? on Feb. 25
Chair: Lisa Hamburg, Circuits Assembly magazine
The relative complexity, quantity required, circuit density, level of customization needed and delivery time frame are just a few of the issues that help determine the supply source. This panel discussion will discuss and debate the various pros and cons of overseas sources.

3) IPC PCQR2 Database-Globally Accepted de facto Standard for Comparing Process Capability, Quality and Relative Reliability of PCB Suppliers on Feb. 24
Chair: David Wolf, CAT, Inc.
The IPC D-36 Subcommittee has developed an industry standard, IPC-9151A, for process capability test panel designs and the PCQR2 database detailing the capabilities of printed circuit board (PCB) suppliers. The database provides quantitative data that allows subscribers to statistically benchmark board suppliers' capabilities; perform intelligent sourcing; select new suppliers; ensure design for manufacturability; and establish realistic design rules. The seminar will include in-depth discussions on the test panel designs, analysis reports and the capabilities of the PCB supply chain documented in the database.

4) Domestic PCB Technology Innovations at the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division on Feb. 26
Chair: Bill Payne, EG&G Crane Operations
The Emerging Critical Interconnect Technology (ECIT) program was created to co-opt military, academic and industrial extension for the purpose of facilitating North American research and development consistent with IPC's technology roadmap. This presentation will provide insight into ongoing ECIT projects, their goals, status, the participants and potential delivery schedules.

5) NEMI Defective Parts per Million Opportunities (DPMO) Project Forum on Feb. 25
Chairs: Tim Kruse, Plexus NPI Plus, and David Mendez, Solectron Texas LP
The NEMI DPMO project team is nearing completion of an investigation into package-level DPMO rates throughout the electronics assembly industry. Such DPMO data can be used to quantify the expected fault spectrum on a particular PCB assembly, enabling manufacturers to more accurately assess the cost of assembly, test, repair and scrap and also estimate the shipped product quality level of a product. Participants in the NEMI DPMO Project Team will present findings from the study, share the lessons learned and discuss the vision for follow-up on DPMO efforts in the industry.

6) Will the Real Immersion Silver Please Stand Up? on Feb. 24
Chairs: Kim Hyland and Dave Mendez, Solectron
As consumers demand more cutting-edge electronic devices, as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) design higher functioning boards and as chemical companies make new PCB surface finishes, fabricators and assemblers need to endure the fast progression of all these changes. In this session, representatives from fabrication, assembly, OEM and chemical supply companies will answer all questions and concerns relating to the implementation of immersion silver.

7) Reactivation of IPC's OEM Council on Feb. 25
Chair: Daryl Sato, Intel Corp.
IPC is reactivating its OEM Council, which has made significant contributions to efficiency in the supply chain through development and release of standardized vendor surveys. The council's mission is to develop and use a methodology for PCB technology and assessment and advancement, evaluate PCB supplier process capabilities, identify technology gaps and monitor R&D advancements and PCB design changes to ensure gap closure. The panel will discuss their working group efforts and solicit feedback on ways to integrate and expand such collaborative projects through the OEM Council.

8) International Technology Interchange-Total Packaging Solution Roadmap on Feb. 24
Chair: Dieter Bergman, IPC
This forum will discuss global industry needs and how international organizations are involved in developing common ways of understanding future development and improving the international supply chain. The panelists will cover various topics, ranging from the definition of Jisso to the hierarchy of electronic packaging to optoelectronics and a global outlook on lead and halogen free.

For more information about these events, visit http://shows.ipc.org or contact Joe Dudeck, IPC communications manager, JoeDudeck@ipc.org.

www.ipc.org

LPKF Laser & Electronics (Wilsonville, OR) has announced the release of the low cost SL740 surface-mount technology stencil laser cutter. The system is designed for low- and medium-volume stencil production, cutting up to 3,000 apertures per hour.

The cutter uses the same proprietary high power infrared laser source compliant with laser safety class 1 as found in LPKF's higher-end models. The entry-level system provides high accuracy and reliability, making it ideal for start-up stencil businesses or a backup system for established shops. It offers a cutting area of 29 x 29 in. and accommodates all common stencils, including stencils for quick release frames. Mounting fixtures are provided for both bare sheets and framed stencils.

"With the introduction of the SL740, we are excited to better address the entry-level market space, while maintaining the signature reliability and accuracy of LPKF's products," said Stephan Schmidt, vice president of LPKF North America.

www.lpkfusa.com

Reptron Electronics Inc. (Tampa, FL), an electronics manufacturing services company, reported that its Second Amended Plan of Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Jan. 14, 2004. Reptron anticipates the effective date of this confirmation to occur on Jan. 26, 2004, which is about 90 days from the original filing date.

Under the confirmed plan of reorganization, the company's unsecured class of creditors that includes its existing convertible notes will receive new notes with a total principal amount of $30 million. The existing notes, along with all accrued and unpaid interest, will be cancelled. The unsecured class of creditors will also receive 95% of the common shares of the reorganized company. Existing common shareholders will receive the remaining 5% of the common shares of the reorganized company.

"The restructuring of our convertible notes is a key component in our strategic plan, which we believe positions the company to take advantage of future growth opportunities," said Paul J. Plante, Reptron's president and chief operating officer. "Once the restructuring is completed, Reptron will have reduced its debt load by over $70 million over the past 12 months. We are extremely pleased to have completed this restructuring in such a short time frame."

www.reptron.com

IPC (Northbrook, IL) and JEDEC, the Solid State Technology Association, have announced plans to further their efforts in preparing electronics manufacturers for the inevitable European ban on lead by co-sponsoring three international conferences on Lead-Free Electronic Components and Assemblies in the U.S., Europe and Asia in 2004.

Ever since the European Union agreed upon the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Directive, in which all affected electrical equipment sold in Europe after July 1, 2006, must be free of lead, IPC and JEDEC have taken an active role in keeping the industry informed of changing requirements and encouraging the voluntary elimination of lead. In their second year of jointly producing domestic and international conferences on lead-free electronics, IPC and JEDEC will host lead-free conferences on March 17-19, 2004, in San Jose, CA; in August 2004 in Singapore and Oct. 20-22, 2004, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Each international conference provides tutorials focusing on subjects such as manufacturing with lead-free, halogen-free and conductive adhesive materials, as well as various workshops that introduce lead-free solders and present selection criteria for lead-free compositions.

The associations will also select industry experts to present a two-day technical conference covering crucial lead-free topics. Presently, conference chairs Jean Hebeisen and David Bergman of IPC and John Kelly and Donna McEntire of JEDEC are seeking papers and presentations in the following areas:

Policy: European lead ban status
Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Industry: On the front line of the change
Component issues (passives and actives)
Design issues
Environmental health and safety effects and alternatives
Printed circuit board (PCB) issues
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM)/Consumer demands/voluntary elimination dates
Recycling options
Substitutions: New commercially available alloys/conductive adhesives/ease of replacement
Cost issues
Reliability evaluations (such as temperature cycling data, tin whiskers)
Roadblocks to implementation
Finishes issues: Organic solder protectants, immersion tin, silver, electroless nickel and palladium
Lead-free and other product sectors

For more information on the conferences or submitting abstracts, visit: www.jedec.org or www.ipc.org.

The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA, Arlington, VA) took its annual December dip, but the outlook remains positive for 2004.

"Based on previous years, we expected a December dip," said Bob Willis, ECA president. "The good news is that the December dollar value is up by more than 20% over 2002, and the 12-month moving average ended on an upward note. Our members believe that 2004 might be the first year of sustained growth since 2000."

Electronic components are the building blocks of most consumer goods and technology hardware, so the industry normally reflects the movement of the economy as a whole. This year, the outlook is good. Nariman Behravesh, chief economist for Global Insight, predicts that economic growth in 2004 will be the strongest since the bursting of the high-tech bubble in 2000, with the U.S. and Asian countries outside of Japan enjoying the fastest growth.

Behravesh said, "The beleaguered manufacturing sector will finally enjoy a year of strong, uninterrupted growth - barring any unforeseen shocks."

According to Willis, the ECA has scheduled a full slate of events and marketing opportunities that will help its members make the best of the industry's rebound.

"There is a lot of justifiable optimism, but companies need the resources to manage the intricacies of demand, raw materials, supply flow, distribution, inventory and other interrelated issues," said Willis. "We had prosperity a few years ago, but it went bust. We want our members to have access to the information and opportunities that will allow them to take advantage of the good and mitigate the bad."

www.ec-central.org

Professor Deborah Nightingale, PhD., of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) will present a keynote presentation, "Transforming the Lean Enterprise Value Stream," on May 6, 2004, as part of the NEPCON East/Electro and Assembly East event. The co-located manufacturing shows will take place May 5-6 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA.

The conference program will begin one day earlier on May 4. Combined, the three shows will provide Northeast manufacturers with a single source for cutting-edge manufacturing solutions at the board, component and final product assembly levels. In addition, attendees can see even more new products with the concurrent running of The Vision East Show featuring automated machine vision solutions.

"Lean Manufacturing is a very hot topic," said Kelvin Marsden-Kish, vice president of the NEPCON/Assembly family of events, produced by Reed Exhibitions. "To have a world-class educator such as MIT's Professor Nightingale share their knowledge will be very valuable for NEPCON East/Electro and Assembly East attendees."

In her address, Professor Nightingale will share the successes that the MIT LAI has experienced with its implementations of Lean. The presentation will focus on the need for contemporary networked enterprises transforming the entire value stream, including suppliers and partners. Dr. Nightingale will explain how applying lean principles to all life cycle, enabling and leadership processes will be required to achieve value for the total enterprise.

Nightingale is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Engineering Systems Division. She serves as the MIT lead on the Lean Enterprise research and product development team within the LAI. Prior to joining MIT in 1977 she worked for AlliedSignal Aerospace for 17 years, serving in executive leadership positions across the entire enterprises.

http://lean.mit.edu

www.nepconeast.com

www.assemblyeast.com

IPC (Northbrook, IL) has announced the schedule for its second annual Sacramento Day, taking place Feb. 3-4, 2004, at the California Chamber of Commerce headquarters in Sacramento, CA.

Open to all companies in the electronic interconnection industry with operations in California, IPC and its California Circuits Association's (CCA) two-day event will assist businesses in lobbying the California Legislature to develop and pass a pro-growth, pro-manufacturing, fiscally responsible agenda for California's printed circuit board industry.

On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 3, participants will kick off the event with dinner and a presentation by Richard Costigan, legislative secretary for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Costigan will address the attendees on the Governor's recently released 2004 budget blueprint and present the keys to returning California to fiscal stability.

Fred Main, counsel, government and policy division of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips LLP, will commence Wednesday's activities with a primer on lobbying the California Legislature. Then, Dominic DiMare, vice president of government relations for the California Chamber of Commerce, will discuss the key business issues facing the legislature in 2004.

Next, the attendees will meet their Assembly Members and Senators to share crucial industry concerns, such as workers compensation reform and the creation of a pro-business environment to foster increased investment, innovation and jobs in California's high-tech manufacturing community.

After a morning of lobbying, the attendees will hear luncheon speaker Dan Walters, political columnist for the Sacramento Bee, discuss the historic recall effort, the election of Governor Schwarzenegger and its impact on the political environment in the Golden State. Following lunch, attendees will participate in afternoon lobbying visits before a wrap-up session to compare notes from the day.

For more information, visit www.calcircuits.org/sacday or contact Dick Crowe, CCA's executive director, (714) 343-6267.

www.ipc.org

Chief executives from several leading high technology companies called on Congress this week to stay away from policy initiatives that penalize companies from outsourcing labor to foreign nations.

"As the U.S. encounters new global realities policy makers face a choice: we can compete in the international arena or we can retreat," said Craig Barrett, chief executive officer of Intel Corp. "America can only grow jobs and improve its competitiveness by choosing to compete globally, and that will require renewed focus on innovation, education and investment."

In a report issued today, the Computer Systems Policy Project said U.S. companies "must engage in business worldwide to capitalize on opportunities and respond to competitive challenges."

"Countries that resort to protectionism end up hampering innovation and crippling their industries, which leads to lower economic growth and ultimately higher unemployment," said CSPP in its report.

CSPP, whose members include Michael Dell, Carly Fiorina, Sam Palmisano, Joseph Tucci, Ed Zander and Barrett, among others, lobbied Congress for programs that promote technological innovation and improve education and training for American students and workers.

"As a nation we must renew our investment in competitiveness, just as businesses must do," said Fiorina, chairman and CEO of HP. "Today we're calling on our national leaders to partner with the private sector to develop a competitiveness agenda that maintains the processes and discipline that made the U.S. the leading technology exporter it is today."

Barrett said white-collar jobs in the U.S. are no longer a guarantee. "It had been assumed we had a lock on white-collar jobs and high-tech jobs. That is no longer the case."

Noting the disparity in federal subsidies for agriculture, which number the in the tens of billions of dollars, versus those for physical sciences--reportedly just $5 billion--Barrett said, "I can't understand why we continue to pour resources into the industries of the 19th century."

AMTECH Inc. (Branford, CT), a supplier of solder powders, pastes, fluxes and associated products used in electronic assemblies, has introduced NoVOC™, a water-based, no-clean liquid flux for use in wave soldering.

The low solids liquid flux contains no rosins, resins or volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It improves solder joint reliability and reduces the risk of rework since it leaves no insulating residue on test pads or conductive pads. The no-clean formula eliminates the need for wash-up, since any residual flux residues are non-corrosive and halide-free.

The flux features low surface tension, for wetting prior to wave soldering double sided or multi-layer boards. It is ideal for board assemblies containing sensitive sliding switches or conductive carbon pads.

With water as the main ingredient, the flux is inherently more economical to manufacture than rosin-based fluxes. As a non-hazardous material, it easily transported and contains no irritants.

The flux is available in 1, 5 and 55 gallon containers. It can be applied by spraying or dipping and can be diluted when required by using deionized water.

www.solderproducts.com

Shoda Techtron Ltd. (Hamamatsu, Japan), a manufacturer of printed circuit scoring, beveling and shear/beveling systems, announced that it has entered into a sales and service agency agreement with Christopher Group Inc. (Santa Ana, CA) for distribution of their complete product range of products in the North American market.

Shoda has also announced the introduction of the ACS-1500NC III automatic laminate cutting saw, developed for materials to .002 inches in thickness, and the IT-700HA automatic printed circuit board (PCB) thickness measurement system. The system was developed to accurately measure thickness of PCBs for controlled impedance applications.

Shoda has installed over 1,500 systems worldwide, while Christopher provides distribution and engineering support focused on the North American market.

www.stech.co.jp

www.christopherweb.com

Universal Instruments (Binhamton, NY) has trimmed the footprint and increased the maximum board size for its high-speed placement platform. According to the company, the result is more flexibility in a smaller shop-floor space. The new 4797R HSP accepts up to 96 feeders with placement speed maintained at 48,000 cph.

The machine is capable of handling boards up to 610 mm (24 in.) x 460 mm (18 in.) within a footprint machine measuring 3,100 mm (122 in.) x 2,155 mm (84.8 in.). Three-sigma accuracy is 0.08 mm for MELFs and small chips and 0.05 mm for leaded components.

Accepting up to 72 components on standard 8 mm tape feeders, or 96 components with dual-track feeders, the machine has a minimum placement tact time of 0.075 seconds. Feeder axis tact time is 0.09 seconds or 0.08 seconds with the dual-track feeder.

Standard equipment includes 12 five-spindle, advanced direct-drive placement heads and Universal's software for offline programming. Available options include component library data teach, pattern program data teach, barcode validation system (BVS), traceability package, ball grid array (BGA)/ chip scale package (CSP) recognition, and GEM/SECS II.

www.uic.com

The Electronic Components, Assemblies and Materials Association (ECA, Arlington, VA) has acquired CARTS, the conference and exposition for passive components.

CARTS USA 2004, the 24th Capacitor and Resistor Technology Symposium, will be held March 29-April 1 in San Antonio, TX. CARTS Europe will be held Oct. 18-21 in Nice, France.

ECA purchased CARTS from the Components Technology Institute (CTI). CTI will continue to manage CARTS during the next two years as ECA takes an increasingly more active role. ECA and CTI will establish a CARTS advisory board that will include officers from both organizations and senior-level executives from electronic component companies.

Leon Hamiter, the show's founder and CTI president, said, "ECA has the membership connections, the conference experience and the reputation within the worldwide resistor and capacitor community to ensure the health and vitality of CARTS into the future."

CARTS will benefit from ECA's extended reach into the electronics industry, according to James Kaplan, chairman of Cornell Dubilier and ECA industry vice president.

CARTS will join an ECA conference line-up that includes the International Relay Conference (IRC), the Electronic Distribution Show (EDS), the Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) and the International Wire and Cable Symposium (IWCS).

www.ec-central.org