Rome, NY -- The ESD Association has scheduled two program manager tutorials for March 28 in Texas, as well as an ESD educational program March 9-10 in the Philippines. 
 

The program in the Philippines provides information on ESD fundamentals, ESD problems and causes, in-plant verification requirements, audit procedures, ESD measurement methods, methods for designing ESD control programs and methods for assessing ESD processes for conformance to ANSI/ESD S20.20. 
 

Scheduled courses include S20.20 ESD Program Development and Assessment, ESD Auditing & Evaluation Measurements, Packaging Principles for the Program Manager, and Standards Basics for EPA. They are among the required courses for obtaining ESD Program Manager Certification.
 

Courses will be taught by Ron Gibson, Celestica International; John Kinnear, IBM Corp.; and Stephen A. Halperin, Stephen A. Halperin & Assoc./Prostat Corp. 
 

The March 28 half-day tutorials will be held at the 3M Innovation Center in Austin, TX. The courses cover Cleanroom Considerations for the Program Manager and Air Ionization: Issues and Answers. 
 

Topics covered in the cleanroom tutorial include: airborne particle classification standards, cleanroom compliance monitoring test methodologies, electrostatic attraction relation to airborne and surface contamination, ESD concerns, and cleanroom static charge generation challenges and control methodologies. The instructor is Christopher Long, a senior engineer at IBM Microelectronics.

The air ionization course will examine problems caused by static charges, review common methods for generation and control of static charge, illustrate the importance of ionizers in a static control program through demonstrations, explain the major types of ionizers and the varying environments, discuss electrical and performance test methods, demonstrate ionization measurements using the Ionization Standard, and present installation, safety, maintenance and contamination issues. The instructor is Arnold Steinman, CTO for Ion Systems Inc. 
 

This seminar is co-sponsored by the Texas Chapter of the ESD Association and is a requirement for ESD Certified Professional-Device/Design certification. 
 

For more information, visit: esda.org/upcomingcourses.html.

The conference and tutorial program for SMT/Hybrid/Packaging show are now online at smt-exhibition.com/conference. The show, which will focus on "Technologies for the 3rd Dimensionin the Production of PCBs,” will take place May 30-June 1 in Nuremberg, Germany.

In 24 half-day tutorials, topics will encompass the complete product chain of electronic component assembly from design and process technologies to quality assurance. The conversion to Pb-free will be a principal theme in nearly all tutorials.

Five tutorials will be given in English:

Tut 06: Advanced Thermal Management Materials

Tut 07: Lead-Free Design for Manufacture Assembly Tutorial

Tut 08: Manufacturing Reliable Lead-free Electronics with High Yield - What You Should Know - Part 1

Tut 15: Lead-Free Inspection, Process Control and Defect Elimination

Tut 16: Manufacturing Reliable Lead-free Electronics with High Yield - Part 2

For information on the adjacent exhibition with over 600 suppliers, visit: smt-exhibition.com/registration

"Winning this award means more to us at YESTech than any other industry award," said Don Miller, president and CEO. "Customer service and genuine concern for our customers has been the underlying foundation of our success, and has been a commitment by every YESTech employee from the beginning. We're very proud to receive this recognition from an industry leader of the caliber of Circuits Assembly, and are extremely grateful for the support of our customers. Our pledge is to continue this high standard of customer support as we continue to grow."