ATLANTA – Lead-free doesn’t seem new, but many myths still pervade industry thinking. One expert tried to dispel them.
In a presentation during the Atlanta SMTA Show Thursday, Chrys Shea, R&D applications engineer manager at Cookson Electronics, posted statements about Pb-free and asked whether the audience thought they were fact or fiction. She made some strong points about the myths of Pb-free, showing a distinct passion for her research. Here are the key points of her presentation:
ATLANTA – After 50 years in electronics, Jim Raby believes the industry’s greatest invention was not the transistor, but the plated through-hole.
The guru of electronics, Raby led what an audience member called a “fireside chat” at yesterday’s Atlanta SMTA Expo. He warmly shared stories from the dawn of the modern electronics industry. Raby, founder of STI Electronics, and a few others brought an Electrovert wave soldering machine from Canada with fake “Made in the USA” stickers on it.
RICHARDSON, TX – Test Research Inc. will integrate ASSET InterTech’s boundary scan technology into its line of in-circuit testers.
Under the terms of the extended agreement, ASSET will be the preferred supplier of boundary scan systems and related intellectual property to TRI and its customers. No financial terms were disclosed.
SAN JOSE – Dr. Luke P. Lee will describe a new 3-D optical lithography for waveguides self-assembly in the MEMS Packaging Symposium keynote next month.
In the presentation, Lee, a professor in the University of California Berkeley department of Bioengineering, will reveal the process, which uses self-aligned microlenses and self-writing in photopolymers.
His talk takes place May 22 in San Jose.
After the keynote, Karen Lightman, managing director, MEMS Industry Group, will present findings and recommendations from the MEMS Industry Group members’ annual meeting.
Symposium segments include consumer, automotive, biomedicine, and WLPs and 3-D ICs, among others.
PHILADELPHIA – Confusion over whether to conformally coat assemblies has, with the increase in Pb-free processing, become a major discussion point, especially for producers of high reliability products.
On May 17, the American Competitiveness Institute will sponsor a free, five-hour seminar on different coating materials and application methods, and will examine the issue of contamination detection and control. Other topics of discussion will include tin whiskering.
This is the first in a series of free workshops covering key manufacturing issues.
Presenting will be Graham Naisbitt, who has over 30 years’ experience in coatings, as a user and in application and test equipment. He is co-chairman of the IPC Test Methods subcommittee and SIR task group, and has received multiple IPC Distinguished Committee Service awards for efforts on IPC-CC-830 IPC-HDBK-830 (conformal coating), J-STD-004 (fluxes) IPC-TM-650 2.6.3.7 (SIR), IPC-9201A (SIR Test Handbook) and 2.6.25 (CAF Testing). He also works on IEC TC91 Standards Committee.
The presentations will include explanations of conformal coatings; how to apply , inspect and assess them; new coating technologies; contamination detection and control
The event is suited to engineers, design, quality and inspection staff, production and test operators and any member of staff tasked with quality control.
To attend, contact Ken Friedman at 610-362-1200 x 279 or kfriedman@aciusa.org by May 12.
ACI is a scientific research corporation dedicated to the advancement of electronics manufacturing processes and materials for the Department of Defense and industry. The company operates the US Navy’s Center of Excellence in Electronics Manufacturing and is located directly next to the Philadelphia Airport.
STAMFORD, CT -- Worldwide semiconductor capital equipment spending will drop 19.8% to $47.5 billion this year, says Gartner Inc.
In December, the research firm forecast a 10% drop for the year.
The company blamed lower capital spending
for memory chips. “Since
our last update in late December, reported DRAM spending plans have
declined to the point where we are now projecting a drop of almost 47%
in DRAM spending and 29% in total memory in 2008,” said managing VP Klaus Rinnen. The firm expects a recovery
will begin in the second half.
Global packaging and assembly equipment spending is now forecast to drop 18.1%, extending last year's 3.7% decline. Automated test equipment is expected to drop 13% this year, following last year's 14%
decline. Gartner said market conditions for those segments should begin to turn up this summer.