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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent signing of California's Workers' Compensation Reform Bill, which promises to save up to $7 billion a year for the state's employers, caused IPC's California Circuits Association (CCA) to applaud this decision.

"During the most recent Sacramento Day, IPC and many of its California-based members heavily lobbied the state's legislature on the overwhelming need to fix the state's broken workers' compensation system-one that doesn't sufficiently provide protection for injured workers and yet costs employers an alarming amount in premium costs," said Dick Crowe, IPC CCA's executive director. "The issue ranked as one of the most contentious facing California employers, and it's thrilling to see that our voices were heard in the state's capitol.

"Though just one of several industry groups pushing for this reform, IPC's CCA and its members collectively played an important role in bringing about success," Crowe cointinued. "Lobbying is a legitimate and concerted way to influence responsible legislation and it remains a key benefit of IPC membership."

Effective immediately, the reform seeks to simplify the current program for treating job-related injuries and provide financial relief to California's employers that presently face the nation's highest workers' compensation costs.

Under the new law, workers will now be required to seek care from a list of doctors approved by employers and insurance companies for treating injured workers. Also, workers' rights to seek a second opinion will be limited, as an independent medical review board will be established to resolve disputes and allow injured workers to switch physicians.

Efforts from IPC to convince California's Senators and Assemblymen of the need for workers' compensation reform began at its first Sacramento Day event in 2003, which gave all companies in the electronic interconnection industry with operations in California an opportunity to lobby Assembly Members and Senators. Over the past two years, IPC also arranged frequent plant visits for state legislators and prompted its California members to participate in various letter writing campaigns.

www.calcircuits.org

www.ipc.org

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) introduced a high-speed production-test solution for identifying the maximum number of product defects at the lowest cost. BIST Assist 6.4 is built on technology that enables signal integrity testing of high-speed serial links up to 6.4 Gb/s using a cost-effective loopback/built-in self-test (BIST) approach

To date, testing devices with high-speed links has forced a compromise. Traditional at-speed test approaches of automated test equipment (ATE) and bench instruments offer the highest fault coverage but at a price too high for volume manufacturing of cost-sensitive, consumer-driven devices. Loopback test offers low cost but does not provide adequate defect identification. According to Agilent, its technology has the fault coverage of traditional ATE at the low cost associated with loopback.

The device provides a solution for high-volume testing of high-speed interfaces such as PCI Express, Serial ATA, Fibre Channel and Serial RapidIO. These high-speed interfaces are becoming pervasive in current and future-generation convergence devices such as media PCs, disk drives, set top boxes and digital video recorders. The continuing trend toward miniaturization and higher functionality drives the need for faster system links on a device or on a circuit board.

The new technology provides at-speed level control and precision and adjustable jitter injection up to 430 ps, exercising high-speed link performance and expanding fault coverage. Because it is a calibrated solution within the test head, it is both a robust production and an efficient characterization solution. Each card provides four loops (16 differential pins) operating up to 6.4 Gb/s.

www.agilent.com

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

FEINFOCUS (Stamford, CT), a global supplier of Microfocus x-ray inspection systems and tube technology, has agreed to be acquired by COMET AG (Flamatt, Switzerland), a supplier of conventional x-ray tubes for non-destructive testing (NDT), security, analytics, food inspection/irradiation and semiconductor applications. FEINFOCUS is known for microfocus and nanofocus x-ray inspection for electronics assembly, semiconductor and medical device industries, as well as NDT and the emerging micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) markets.

This acquisition represents a partnering of microfocus and conventional x-ray technology. A provider of sealed x-ray tube manufacturing, COMET will be acquiring a provider of demountable, or open, x-ray tube technology.

Both companies seek to capitalize on continuing opportunities from industry trends toward smaller feature sizes, 3-D computed tomography (CT) applications and the departure from film-based imaging.

FEINFOCUS chief executive officer Lance A. Scott said, "With well over 50 years' experience in high voltage/high vacuum x-ray tube manufacturing, COMET's proprietary know-how will accelerate FEINFOCUS' development of next generation microfocus and nanofocus X-ray technology. FEINFOCUS' proprietary system development know-how and award-winning service support will extend COMET's ability to offer proven sub-system solutions to its valued customer base."

Organizationally, there is little duplication between the two companies. FEINFOCUS will immediately expand its presence in Asia through COMET's Shanghai office and COMET will take advantage of FEINFOCUS' North American presence in Connecticut and California.

FEINFOCUS was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Garbsen, Germany. COMET was founded in 1948. In 2003, COMET employed a staff of 245 in its headquarters and its three subsidiaries in the US, France and China.

www.feinfocus.com

www.comet.ch

FEINFOCUS (Stamford, CT) has introduced the COUGAR-VXP (Versatile X-ray Platform), a new modular x-ray inspection platform for maximum operator flexibility. The new platform addresses a broad range of inspection requirements throughout the industry, from basic failure analysis to high-end inspection for SMT production. The COUGAR-VXP was developed as a versatile X-ray inspection solution to constantly changing market and application requirements in the worldwide electronics industries.

The basic platform provides for further equipment and accessory implementation, depending on the particular needs of the customer. The initial configuration includes a standard microfocus x-ray tube up to 160 kV, true x-ray intensity (TXI) Control, a standard four-axes manipulator, an advanced realtime image processing system and a standard realtime image chain with high-resolution 4 in. image intensifier and flat-screen monitor.

Users also have the option of adding features such as a more sophisticated manipulator system, CNC capability, higher-bit image chain, direct digital detector (DDD) and a multifocus x-ray tube up to 160 kV.

The platform features a small footprint (approximately 1 x 1 m); low system weight (approximately 1.450kg); and convenient front and side door service access.

An advanced surface-mount configuration is also available, featuring a higher-bit image chain with 16-bit realtime image processing, CNC capability, digital detector, and oblique viewing capability with AIM technology.

www.feinfocus.com

The Metcal (Menlo Park, CA) division of OK International has developed a flexible optical inspection system for use with large boards measuring up to 36 x 36 in. The VPI-1000-XL system is the latest addition to the company's range of optical inspection systems for inspection of array packages and surface-mount devices.

The system meets all inspection requirements on larger boards, which are becoming increasingly common in applications such as cellular base stations, data communications and network servers. It features four adjustable supports to hold round, rectangular, square or l-shaped printed circuit boards (PCBs) and has an articulating arm capable of spanning up to 24in., allowing it to cover a 36 x 36 in. board without requiring a lens change.

Metcal's NovaScope lens design is capable of moving through 90° left/right and 20° up/down, so operators can inspect under array packages with standoff heights as low as 0.002 in. (0.05 mm) and clearances of just 0.043 in. (1.1 mm) between components. The optical design is sharper and clearer - using 2/3 fewer optical elements to send a direct image to the high-resolution CCD camera.

The integrated optical design is a departure that moves beyond typical endoscopic systems and gradient lenses. While conventional designs relay an internal image repeated throughout the length of the endoscope, an approach requiring multiple sets of complex optical elements to perform the task, NovaScope has only one image: the image in front of the eyepiece.

In operation, the system floods the underside of a component with bright white metal halide light that replicates natural daylight, enhances the color rendering and produces images on the system's color LCD monitor. The lens looks underneath array packages to inspect each ball and its top and bottom connections. With a quick turn of the lens adjustment ring, operators can move through the underside of the device to check for defects such as bridging, cold solder joints, open circuits, excess flux, contamination and other process-related failures.

The unit can also be used for inspecting surface-mount devices and any other board feature without changing lenses. Apertures on stencils can also be inspected with ease.

A software tool completes the package, allowing users to measure, record, annotate, analyze and communicate component information. Images are displayed in real-time for a visual inspection of the soldering process, and they can be captured and stored for future reference or reports. Documents can also be emailed or archived for use in training, research and development or quality insurance.

www.metcal.com

The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA, Arlington, VA) continued its slow upward movement in March, creating hopes that profits will follow.

"We're continuing to see a gentle increase that is consistent with our conversations with manufacturing executives," said Bob Willis, ECA president. "The prevailing hope from manufacturers is that average selling price (ASP) will begin to rise in concert with sales."

According to Willis, manufacturers are reporting some isolated supply shortages, which could spur demand and raise ASPs. Recently, UBS Securities reported that multi-layer chip capacitor (MLCC) supply is expected to fall short of demand in the second half of 2004, which could create a 5 to 15% price increase. In other areas, however, even substantial growth will not ease price pressures. Market researcher IDC predicts a compound annual growth rate of 15% for LCD panels between 2003 and 2007, with 56% growth in 2004 alone. But, IDC predicts the market will be oversaturated during that period, leading to price erosion.

The ECA represents manufacturers and producers of passive and active electronic components, component arrays and assemblies, and materials and support services. It is a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), comprising more than 2,100 members that reportedly represent 80% of the $430 billion U.S. electronics industry.