Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - CA Magazine Issues

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SAN JOSE -- Venture Outsource Group has reported a sharp rise in the number of employment searches it is conducting for EMS, ODM and technology OEM client companies.

The firm helps companies find candidates to fill internal postings for a variety of managerial and executive-level positions across the globe. In 2005, the firm has helped client companies fill nine positions. The company is on track to engage in more than twice the number of client search assignments it executed in 2004.

This is not necessarily a sign that the electronics outsourcing industry is improving as a whole, but may instead reflect the increasing role VOG is playing with company hiring activities in industry.

Aurora, CO – Advanced Circuits, a quick-turn PCB manufacturer, has invested more than $1 million in new equipment to be installed between now and the end of the year. The investment will enable the company to keep its “On Time or It’s Free” guarantee.

New purchases include:

Automated strip-etch-strip (SES) line.

Debur equipment, offering cleaning for small holes.

Lead-free hot air solder level (HASL) unit.

HASL pre- and post-clean lines.

Handling equipment for the HASL and SES lines.

Dan Chouinard, VP of plant operations, said “Investing in new equipment allows us to not only produce superior boards, but also consistently ship them ahead of schedule. An extra day or two means a lot to our customers who are responsible for meeting tight deadlines and juggling numerous projects.”

Ashburn, VA – Recent studies by Zestron have concluded that the emergence of lead-free products will significantly increase the need for cleaning in the electronics industry.

“The use of alternative solvents with higher boiling points, increased rosin contents as well as more aggressive activators will change the particular application needs in the context of cleaning,” said Umut Tosun, application technology manager.

The study, which involved the 40 latest lead-free solder paste formulations, revealed that the removal of flux residues from soldered assemblies provided very satisfactory cleaning results. In addition to flux residues, the company was also able to fully remove uncured, lead-free pastes from stencils and misprinted assemblies. Solvent and MPC-based products were used to conduct all trials.

For more info, visit: Lead-Free Cleaning: Moving from Eutectic to Lead-Free.

Thief River Falls, MN -- Digi-Key and Freescale are hosting an exclusive design contest using the new MC9S12NE64xx Microcontroller. The grand prize is an Arctic Cat H1 ATV and trailer, and various cash prizes will be awarded. U.S. and Canadian residents can submit designs until August 15.

The contest offer is void where prohibited by law.

For more information on contest rules, prizes and registration:

US: http://dkc1.digikey.com/us/mkt/Contest/DKFS_2.html

Canada: http://dkc1.digikey.com/ca/mkt/Contest/DKFS_2.html

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- The SMTA has finalized the conference program for SMTAI, held Sept. 25 - 29, in Rosemont, IL.

Technical sessions held on Tuesday and Wednesday are organized into tracks on Manufacturing and Assembly, Advanced Packaging, Substrates, RoHS and Process Control.

Full- and half-day educational courses, offered on Sunday and Monday, will focus on Manufacturing and Assembly, Advanced Packaging, Substrates, Soldering, Test/Inspection/Quality and Process Control. Of the 30 tutorials offered, 16 are entirely new and 13 will focus on lead-free and environment-friendly issues.

The Emerging Technologies Summit on Monday will feature sessions on Roadmaps, Turning Lead into Gold, Advanced Power Technology and will conclude with an Emerging Technologies panel.

The Contract Manufacturing Symposium on Tuesday will consist of paper sessions on Mid-Tier EMS Strategy and Models and Markets. The Lead-Free Symposium on Thursday will feature paper sessions on the Joint Council on Aging Aircraft (JCAA) / Joint Group on Pollution

Prevention (JCPP) Lead-free Solder Project and additional sessions on Process Implementation and Reliability.

Two workshops will be held on Thursday morning on Lead-free Reflow Soldering Using Convection Dominant Ovens and Emerging Technologies Today & Tomorrow - The Next 50 Years.

Free events include:

- The Opening Session on RoHS Compliance and Lead-free

- A presentation on iNEMI Roadmaps

- A panel discussion on environmental efforts beyond lead-free implementation

- A technical session on Process Improvement and Lean Manufacturing in PCB Assembly

- A presentation on Rapid Setup and Turnover

- A mini-conference on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology

- A panel discussion on the RoHS and WEEE directives

- A technical session on Lead-free Reflow

The Board Authority Live: Impact of Green Technologies will address the impact of environmental legislation on PCB design, fabrication and assembly. It will cover issues like lead-free and halogen-free laminate selection, tin whisker reduction, lead-free reliability data and using HDI to reduce manufacturing costs associated with RoHS and WEEE Directive compliance.

Board Talk will once again uncover the truths and myths of electronics assembly, with all proceeds being donated to the Charles Hutchins Educational Grant ($25 SMTA members/$30 non-members).

The keynote during the Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday will feature Dan Shea, CTO of Celestica, dicussing " The Impact of Temperature on Hybrid and Compliant Assemblies."

Hudson, NH -- Machine Capability Analysis (MCA) testing helps pick-and-place equipment manufacturers and users comply with the new IPC-9850 performance standard, according to Michael Sivigny, general Manager of CeTaQ Americas.

MCA testing is a third party, objective evaluation methodology in which special vision algorithms, accurate glass plates and components are utilized for independent measurement of Cp and Cpk indices on production equipment. All brands and models of SMT printers, dispensers, placement and semiconductor machines are easily validated with the methodology. The software that operates the equipment provides statistical specification-based results on machine quality performance.

The IPC-9850 document standardizes the parameters, measurement procedures and methodologies used for the specification, evaluation and continuing verification of assembly equipment characterization parameters. The ANSI-approved standard also establishes the procedures to characterize and document machine placement capability of surface mount assembly equipment while maintaining a placement-accuracy-to-placement-speed relationship.

According to Sivigny, “CeTaQ machine capability analysis lets the user know if a machine is performing to manufacturer’s performance specifications, a key element in IPC-9850 compliance. If the machine isn’t performing to specifications, the user or manufacturer can use the information generated by the evaluation to correct offsets and bring the machine to its best possible performance condition.”