SHANGHAI - Reserved exhibition space for next month's Nepcon China/EMT China has surpassed last year's final size and more than 20% growth is expected, according to conference organizers.

The trade show, which takes place next month, will feature 700 exhibiting companies from 21 countries. Reed Exhibitions, which manages the show, forecasts 15,000 attendees from the Pacific Rim.

New for 2005 is the Soldering Zone, a showcase of the latest products and technology in soldering technology. "We are excited to be exhibiting our latest soldering equipment at the Soldering Zone. It's a rare opportunity for us to reach quality decision makers and gives us very focused platform," says David Chen, general manager of Ersa.

The show takes place April 12-15, in Shanghai. Visit reedexpo.com for details.

Nepcon is home to suppliers of equipment and materials for electronics assembly. EMT China, which is co-located with Nepcon China, focuses on component manufacturing, electronics manufacturing services and test and measurement.

The growth of the event is a reflection of the local market, Reed says. By year's end, China's electronics manufacturing base will grow by $65 billion, an increase of 135% over 2003, according to the International Finance Group. The forecasted value of China's electronics market: $247 billion. 

The growth of the event is a reflection of the local market, Reed says. By year's end, China's electronics manufacturing base will grow by $65 billion, an increase of 135% over 2003, according to the International Finance Group. The forecasted value of China's electronics market: $247 billion. 

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NASHUA, NH -- Teradyne Inc.'s printed circuit board plant today received a key U.S. EPA recognition for surpassing environmental regulation standards.

The company's High Performance Circuits facility was named a member of the EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program, joining more than 300 facilities nationwide in their commitment to consistently exceed environmental regulation requirements.  Teradyne is among only six companies in New Hampshire to be selected, the company said.

The National Environmental Performance Track program is designed to recognize and encourage top environmental performers -- those that go beyond compliance with regulatory requirements to attain levels of environmental performance and management that benefit people, communities and the environment, the company said in a statement.

The Teradyne plant qualified for the program through its performance, continuous commitment to environmental compliance and implementation of a strong environmental management system.

"Performance Track facilities represent a new generation of environmental leaders who have the vision to embrace the strategies that will protect the environment for generations to come," said Dan Fiorino, director of EPA's Performance Incentives Division.
 

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COLLEGE PARK, MD - DfR Solutions and Interface Sciences Corp. have begun a joint investigation into potential improvements in CAF resistance through the application of ISC's molecular assembly and deposition technologies.

DfR Solutions, which has extensive experience in CAF experimentation and failure analysis, has identified this technology as a critical link in ensuring CAF robustness in high-density printed boards subjected to Pb-free reflow. The ISC process increases the uniformity and surface density of silane coupling agents on glass reinforcement - up to four times denser - compared with current technology, the companies said in a joint statement. This is expected to improve the intrinsic resistance of the fiber/epoxy bond to hydrolysis and cracking (during drilling), decreasing the influence of manufacturing defects on CAF. In addition, the process enables the deposition of novel surface chemistries that are expected to suppress filament formation. Substantial increases in CAF resistance are expected from the combination of these effects.

 
DFR and Interface are currently establishing supply chain development channels with glass, laminate and PCB manufacturing companies.

AUSTIN, TX -- Low-cost assembly of RFID chips and antennas may be the most critical roadblock to reaching a five-cent RFID tag. With this in mind, TechSearch International has created a workshop to address assembly issues associated with RFID tag manufacturing. 

Low-Cost RFID IC Packaging and Assembly: Roadblock on the Highway to a 5-cent RFID Tag, will be held March 29-30 in Austin, TX.  The workshop will provide a forum for experts on all aspects of RFID IC packaging and assembly to present their work. 
 
Rick Koskella, Sun Microsystem, will give the opening presentation -- RFID Scorecard: Accomplishments and Issues --  based on the experiences from Sun's RFID test center in Texas. Dr. Gitanjali Swamy will present a cost model for RFID.  Presentations from semiconductor makers and inlay manufacturers include speakers from Philips, Texas Instruments, Celis Semiconductor, Alien Technology, Symbol Technologies and KSW Microtech. 
 
Equipment makers, including Muhlbauer and Toray Engineering, will share their experiences in the RFID tag assembly area.  A presentation on printed electronics will be given by Dr. Dan Gamota, Motorola.  Presentations will also highlight RFID activities in Japan and China. Dr. Frank Bachner of TechSearch will moderate a panel discussing the key challenges to lowering RFID inlay and tag assembly cost.