EAC-7000 hand assembly series is available in two or three operator sections, and may have the rails set at zero or 15° (to customer preference).
 
The hand assembly lines provide a clean, ergonomic means to hand-place odd-form and other components prior to reflow or wave. Equipped with overhead lighting, adjust rear part shelves, low-profile front work area (maximizing leg room), ESD ground ports, and hand or foot pedal release for operators. Allow for progressive assembly through intelligent routing sequencing.
 
Features PLC, steel roller chain with pneumatic stops, intelligent sensing and rear shelf storage system. Capable of holding a variety of part bins or other carriers.
 
Optional add-ons include LCD holders, front work surface, ESD part bins, and tilt and feed stations (for 15° configurations).
 
Promation, pro-mation-inc.com 
 

SHANGHAI -- The SEMI and AeA trade groups have formed a working group for trade compliance workers in the Shanghai area.

The group will hold periodic roundtables and networking seminars on customs and export compliance topics will be designed to provide a continuous learning forum for local Shanghai trade professionals to expand their knowledge of international trade.

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LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES -- Integrated Microelectronics Inc. and Pulax Corp. have signed a deal under which IMI will provide high-volume electronic manufacturing services and Pulax will handle prototyping for electronics products, subassemblies and components for Japanese OEMs.

IMI president and chief executive Arthur R. Tan said Japan-based Pulax would handle prototyping, pilot run, engineering services, and other startup operations for IMI’s new business with Japanese OEMs. IMI in turn would provide large-scale manufacturing in its Southeast Asia plants.

Japanese OEMs contribute the bulk -- more than 60% -- of the revenues generated by the IMI group of companies.

Said Tan: “Pulax’ advanced design and mounting technologies for printed circuit boards and fast prototyping turnaround time complement IMI’s comprehensive and cost-effective manufacturing capabilities. Hence, Japanese customers will benefit from lower costs of production as well as faster time-to-market."

IMI has EMS plants in China, the Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S.

Pulax, which is headquartered in Tokyo, has been in business for more than 32 years.

ELM-700A engraves barcodes, product model numbers, logos, company names and serial number data on PCBs. Fully operated by PC control, features an extruded aluminum frame with painted vanity panels and a transparent cover.

Standard features: ability to handle PCBs from 50 x 50 mm to 430 x 350 mm, ability to handle PCBs with thicknesses ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mm, auto-width adjust, three-color light tower lamp with audible alarm, conforms to SMEMA Spec.1.2, mechanical front stopper and side clamper, and more.

Can mark barcodes (1- and 2-D), text (alphabet, numeric, alpha-numeric), graphic data (.jpg, .bmp, .jpeg) and CAD data (dfx file). It can process both PCB and plastic materials, has a maximum adjustable conveyor speed of 200 mm/sec. and can both auto-center a marking point and auto-mark height adjustment.

With a maximum working area of 430 x 350 mm and a one-point marking area of 70 x 70 mm, the system has a 15" LCD monitor, inner fume exhauster, CO₂ laser and complies with Class 4 IEC standard laser safety. Offers repeatability of ±0.01 mm XY table movement.

Options include a barcode reader, a 15" LCD touch-screen monitor and a host connection.
Eunil H.A. Americas, www.eunil.com

A-Tek, a distribution company based out of Fort Collins, CO, will introduce Asscon Vapor Phase Technology to the North American market.
 
Vapor phase soldering allows high levels of thermal control and low delta Ts across complex circuits. The use of an inert liquid with a boiling point at or slightly above the desired soldering temperature creates a vapor blanket that, through the process of condensation onto the circuit, heats the circuit homogeneously without elevated ramp rates or differentials between large and small components. The phase change (condensation) at the surface of the solder piece lasts until the assembly has reached the temperature of the vapor. Due to the high vapor density and the liquid film created at the interface of the Vapor blanket and the circuit as a result of condensation, the complete heating takes place in an oxygen-free environment. The transferred quantity of heat is linear to the supplied heating energy making control simple and energy efficiency high.
 
Batch (stand alone) and inline systems are available. Batch machines feature pre-heating, soldering, drying and cooling. The loading of the machine and starting of the soldering process is done manually. May be additionally equipped with an automation system.
 
Inline-condensation-reflow-soldering machines close the gap between the automatic batch units and the convection-inline-machines for large mass production series. Using the temperature gradient control and the automatic solder-temperature identification, designed as classical inline machine with separate conveyors for loading, pre-heating and cooling of the PCBs arranged in the direction of the process, these machines may produce very high levels of productivity. 
 
Have standard SMEMA interfaces, can be integrated into automatic inline production.
 
The main application is the production of complex high-density boards or complicated components, high-mass circuits and very large back planes. Due to the favorable efficiency for the condensation heat-transfer, the machine requires only a very moderate energy supply. Average energy consumption is low even when operating at full capacity.
 
As the respective process vapors create an oxygen-free atmosphere in the soldering-zone, the machine does not require any additional protective gases, e.g. nitrogen. With its integrated circulating cooling system for the necessary cooling water, the machine is independent of an external water supply.
 

ATLANTA - Visiprise Inc. has been awarded ISO9001:2000 certification. The audit was completed by Quality Systems Consultants Ltd and denotes Visiprise’s administration of the design, supply, production and support of computer software systems to meet client’s requirements.
 


“Earning ISO certification is an important step we have taken to ensure the best quality standards at Visiprise,” said Dave Chambliss, COO of Visiprise. “We continually strive to improve our system’s ease-of- use and look to build on this certification in the evolution of our manufacturing offerings. Having ISO certification illustrates our commitment to uncompromised quality and unparalleled customer service and satisfaction.” 
 

To earn certification, a company implements a quality management system that includes all of the company's activities such as customer interaction, hiring and training of staff, vendor management, and service processes and procedures.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- LCD-TVs will displace CRTs in three years as the leading type of television manufactured worldwide, rising 74% this year alone, a research firm said today.

iSuppli Corp. raised its forecast for LCD-TV panel production in 2006, citing "dramatic reductions in pricing and increased consumer acceptance." iSuppli boosted its 2006 forecast to 46.7 million units, up from its previous prediction of 41.9 million units.

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Series 1414 Wet Process Station satisfies the stringent cleanliness requirements of semiconductor process facilities. Achieves flexibility by mounting components on support rails. This facilitates the use of proven, highly reliable components positioned for easy replacement or repositioning for optimal product flow through the station.
 
Includes modular electrical devices and plumbing systems that provide an orderly maintenance program with minimal service inventory. Available in white stress-relieved polypropylene, natural polypropylene, fire retardant polypropylene, stainless and PVC. Designed for in-wall placement, allowing total laminar clean air flow to the work deck. Maintenance may be performed from the front, rear or both.
 
Has touch-tone microprocessors. A flexible membrane that is resistant to acids and solvents protects the face of the controller. Heated tanks come with liquid level sensors, high-limit overrides, ground fault interrupters and other safety overrides. DI water flow bypass diaphragm valves inhibit bacterial growth.
 

Newark InOne announces the availability of RoHS Certificates of Compliance (C of C) via its Website. Online customers can download a C of C for each of 250,000+ parts that the distributor has identified as RoHS compliant.
 
The C of C links are located in the Technical Information column on its search results pages, as well as on product detail pages. As is personalized, a simple online registration process is required before the document can be downloaded. Customer-specific information is included along with the description of the part, manufacturer brand name and part number. Customers who order by phone can request that a C of C to be sent with their order.
 
Each is backed by a 10-step quality process, which assures that the manufacturer has accurately represented the part's RoHS compliant status. These steps include: conducting a risk assessment process that evaluates the quality of the compliance information it receives from the supplier, asking for additional conformance and testing information when risks are identified, inspecting parts during the receiving process, resolving discrepancies with suppliers, notifying customers when they've purchased a misidentified part and keeping careful audit trails.
 

QualMark's patented OVS (OmniAxial Vibration System) tables used in their HALT and HASS chambers excite every part of a product, down to the component level, at its resonant frequency. This requires vibration in all three axes as well as the rotation around those axes, simultaneously, across a wide frequency range. At the same time, and within the same chamber, thermal tests are undertaken.  The chamber's patented Typhoon air-handling technology drives products from ambient to the appropriate stress temperature quickly using less electricity and liquid nitrogen.  
 
"If you looked at a pie-chart and it showed all possible defects, you'd have a certain percentage showing up at extreme high and low temperatures, during thermal cycling, under vibration in all axes, and during combined vibration and thermal cycling," said Charlie Bates, VP of program development.  "To cover all the bases you have to test both vibe' and temp simultaneously, because studies have shown that you can otherwise miss 25-30% of the defects."
 
In addition, thorough HALT and HASS testing requires broad frequency excitation, far beyond what a product might see in the end use environment, to ensure that weak links are quickly exposed.
 
"Our new xLF vibration system is unique in shifting the energy in the frequency domain down to the zero to 5,000 Hz range. With 50% of the energy below 2,000 Hz and 50% above, we simulate the resident frequencies in various types of electronic hardware, including PCBs," continued Bates. "This quickly brings out potential real-world problems such as weak solder joints and incomplete surface-mount connections."
 
QualMark authorized test centers have conducted over 4,000 HALT and HASS tests since
1991, employing services such as customer directed testing, production screening, production HASA (Highly Accelerated Stress Audits) and on-site testing.
 
QualMark, qualmark.com

MIDLAND, MI — The Dow Chemical Co. is raising prices in North America for a wide selection of its epoxy resin products. Expoy resins are a basic component of laminates used in printed wiring boards.
 
Effective July 1, 2006, or as contract terms allow, Dow will increase off-list prices for liquid, solid, solid solution and brominated epoxy resins by six to eight cents per pound.

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Valor Computerized Systems has announced a full Pb-free environment control solution covering market-leading machine vendors, regardless of brand and model generation. The TraceXpert operations monitoring and control solution for EMS companies delivers machine vendor neutrality for line-monitoring, real-time materials management, optimized assembly line performance and component traceability.
 
With the July deadline for the RoHS Directive almost here, electronics manufacturers are focused on sourcing Pb-free components through improved and revised production and inspection processes for compliance. TraceXpert assists that process by blocking uncertified AVL components from entering the assembly cycle, by preventing unauthorized operators from running the Pb-free process, by ensuring proper control of moisture-sensitive devices and preventing inadvertent tampering with process parameters. In addition, exact traceability capabilities allow manufacturers to produce device compliance history records, and provide customers and authorities with evidence to support their Pb-free process certification.