Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Products

News

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in January fell 2.1% year-over-year, while orders increased 22.2% compared to the same period last year.

The North American book-to-bill held steady at 1.05, IPC reported.

Rigid PWB shipments were down 2%, while orders increased 19.8% year-year-over. The rigid book-to-bill remained at 1.06.

Flex circuit shipments for the month were down 4.1%. However, orders were up 59.3% compared to January 2009. The flex book-to-bill climbed above parity to 1.03.

A book-to-bill ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

“The best news from our January PCB surveys is the huge growth in orders compared to January of last year,” said IPC. “Sales are still down slightly from last year, but are increasing steadily. The book-to-bill ratio for all PCBs has stayed above 1.0 for nine months now, indicating continued sales growth in 2010.”

In January, rigid PWBs represented an estimated 90% of the current industry in North America, says IPC.

The firm says 82% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82% of rigid and 72% of flex circuit shipments.

WASHINGTON -- The sudden unintended acceleration problems in Toyota's vehicles have touched off a firestorm of controversy over the cause. Now, a professor of automotive technology at Southern Illinois University has entered the fray, testifying before Congress that the trouble locating the problem's source could stem from a missing defect code in the affected fleet's diagnostic computer.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – A clear positive shift can be seen in the North American EMS industry’s intentions for capacity expansion and new equipment purchase compared to one year ago, says IPC.

One-third of 58 companies participating in IPC’s North American EMS statistical program indicated they will “very likely” or “definitely” add assembly capacity in 2010. In 2009, only 17% of the participating companies indicated intent to expand.

Thirty-five percent of the respondents anticipate the need to buy new inspection equipment this year, while 20% are likely to buy new pick-and-place equipment and ovens.

BERKELEY — The National Science Foundation has awarded a $24.5 million five-year grant to the University of California, Berkeley to fund electronics power-reduction research.

According to published reports, the grant will underwrite a new center that could eventually lead to a million-fold reduction in electronics power consumption.

Researchers will focus on the basic logic switch in computer chips, which demands about 1 V to function well. Electronic circuit wires could operate well on a few millivolts, say the researchers. The goal is to find a lower voltage alternative to modern-day transistors.

The Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science, or E3S, is one of five multi-institutional science and technology centers to be established in 2010.

UC Berkeley researchers will partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Contra Costa College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College and the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.