News
Integrated Ideas & Technologies Inc. (IIT, Coeur d'Alene, ID) has developed an in-house laser cutting system that requires minimal training. The system offers manufacturers the ability to duplicate exact performance between facilities, regardless of location, and provides complete in-house control. An automated download program also allows the staff at IIT to help companies eliminate rework issues.
Assembly defects are expensive and avoidable, although many manufacturers accept rework as an unavoidable upshot of doing business. Customizing or improving surface-mount lines can now be done site, precluding the delay time associated with the remanufacturing of corrected or re-designed stencils by off-site suppliers.
IIT can now provide a user-friendly laser cutting system, without requiring a trained laser technician, stencil manufacturing staff or manufacturing support equipment.
IIT manufactures stencils required for circuit board manufacturing and serves contract manufacturers and original equipment manufacturerss in virtually every high-tech industry.
For more information, call (208) 665-2166.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider Flextronics (Singapore) has signed an agreement with Nortel Networks (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) whereby Nortel will divest certain optical, wireless and enterprise manufacturing operations and optical design operations to Flextronics.
Subject to closing the four-year manufacturing agreement, Flextronics will assume most of Nortel Networks' systems integration activities, final assembly, testing and repair operations, along with the management of the related supply chain and suppliers. Over time, Flextronics expects to consolidate and internally source its vertically integrated supply chain solutions, which include the fabrication and assembly of printed circuit boards and enclosures, as well as logistics and repair services.
Through an optical design services agreement, Flextronics will acquire a group of engineers with expertise in end-to-end, carrier grade optical network products. The design and engineering skills to be transferred to Flextronics include hardware development, software development and project management.
"Flextronics will be acquiring a design group with broad experience in telecommunications and optical networks, with extensive knowledge of optical products and processes," said Michael Marks, chief executive officer of Flextronics. "There are no independent design companies in the world that have this degree of design expertise, so we are thrilled to have expanded the scope of our engagement with Nortel Networks to include these services...We believe hardware design, software design and manufacturing are converging, which makes the addition of the Nortel Networks design group an excellent fit with our long-term strategy."
Mike McNamara, chief operating officer of Flextronics, said, "The significant increase in complex, multi-technology telecom and network solutions, including carrier grade products, further diversifies our product mix and reduces seasonality. The expertise acquired from the Nortel Networks' operations will enhance the capabilities in our Industrial Parks in China, Poland, Mexico and Brazil."
As part of the transaction, approximately 2,500 employees would transfer to Flextronics. The business transfer to Flextronics is expected to begin in November 2004 and will take approximately six months to complete. During this time, Flextronics' revenues from Nortel will increase each quarter and should reach an annual revenue rate of approximately $2.5 billion.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA), an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, and Teradiant Networks (San Jose, CA), a developer of networking semiconductors, have announced an alliance to accelerate the development of a family of application platforms based on the Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (ATCA) standard.
The platforms' architecture makes it possible for network equipment companies to build systems that scale easily from 20 to 120 Gbps. The platforms are architected around the first ATCA-based traffic management and switching (TMS) card, providing functional integration while reducing power. With industry-standard hardware and a suite of pre-integrated, pre-validate application programming interfaces (APIs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can minimize development time and cost. The API suite also enables OEMs to build proprietary applications that ensure differentiation in their product offerings.
With the rollout of scalable platforms in late 2004, Sanmina-SCI and Teradiant will catch the growing wave of interest in ATCA. According to Crystal Cube Consulting, demand for ATCA is expected to produce up to $20 billion per year in networking system sales by the year 2007. ATCA provides a common set of physical and electrical interfaces for telecom and networking equipment, and ATCA-based systems are designed for ease of component reuse and ease of product differentiation.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA) has introduced its Versatest series Model V5400 to deliver a low cost of test across a full spectrum of memory devices. According to the company, the model's algorithmic pattern generator (APG) and patented tester-per-site (TPS) architecture provide configuration flexibility and up to four times improvement over existing systems in throughput for wafer sort and final memory testing.
Compatible with Agilent's model V4400, the newer version overcomes the challenge of testing standard and stacked memory modules such as flash, DRAM and SRAM while offering up to 4,608 channels and 144 independent test sites. The increased performance and lower system costs helps reduce the overall cost of test for semiconductor contract manufacturers, fabless design houses and memory integrated device manufacturers.
The growing consumer demand for digital devices with added functionality and smaller footprints at lower prices has given rise to new test challenges. The devices require higher frequency test systems and the flexibility to test multiple types of memory such as flash and DRAM concurrently, while continuing to require a lower cost of test. Agilent's single, scalable platform architecture will allow users to test standard memories, reduced pin-count devices, BIST-enabled devices and stacked memories.
Agilent's TPS architecture makes it possible for each device under test (DUT) to receive its own set of tester resources. The APG on the test site module has the ability to maximize tester resources based on the needs of the DUT. Dynamic APG can independently test up to four low-pin-count DUTs per site module. For complex tests or high pin count devices, APG can reallocate all site module resources toward testing a single DUT. Configurable solely through software, the APG enables the model to test devices without a change in tester hardware.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
LPKF Laser & Electronics (Wilsonville, OR) has announced the new MicroCut II, a high-performance stencil laser with a high-resolution scanner. The laser is capable of cutting any shape, including square apertures with rounded corners, at up to 50,000 apertures per hour. This translates to a cutting speed of 11 openings per second.
The high cutting speed is accomplished by a specially-developed system that reduces mechanical movement by moving the laser beam completely independent from the x/y table.
The stencil laser has an aperture resolution of 12.5 nm. It can cut apertures as small as 30 µm and its effective material focus diameter of 20 µm produces sharp contours.
The stencil laser features proprietary PulseShape technology, which eliminates the heat effect that causes coining or warpage of high-density and thin stencils. As a result, no external coolant is required. The system also incorporates new technology that avoids burrs at exiting edges, so no post-treatment is necessary.
System software for laser is optimized for stencil production, processing 500,000 pads in a few minutes.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
UP Media Group Inc. (UPMG) has announced the promotion of Andy Shaughnessy to the position of editor of Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture, the premier trade magazine serving the printed circuit board (PCB) design and manufacture markets. Shaughnessy will take the magazine's helm on July 16, the same day that current PCD&M Editor-in-Chief Mike Buetow will replace Lisa Hamburg Bastin as editor-in-chief of UPMG's Circuits Assembly magazine. Hamburg Bastin has resigned to take a position outside the electronics assembly industry.
Shaughnessy, who is currently Conference Chair for the PCB Design Conferences in addition to being associate editor of PCD&M, joined the magazine (then known as Printed Circuit Design) in 1999 as assistant editor. He has been writing and editing for daily newspapers and trade magazines since 1992, including serving as a crime reporter for a metro Atlanta daily newspaper prior to joining Printed Circuit Design. In addition to PCD&M, Shaughnessy's articles have been published in PC FAB, Circuits Assembly and EE Times.
"I am very excited about the opportunity to serve as editor of Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture. My main goal will be to continue providing the most up-to-date technical information to PCB designers, design engineers and fabricators," said Shaughnessy, who will work closely with UPMG Publisher Pete Waddell to ensure that PCD&M continues to capitalize on an improving electronics design and manufacture landscape.
"Fortunately, Mike Buetow is leaving PCD&M in great shape. With his background and knowledge of PCB assembly issues, Mike is the perfect choice for editor of Circuits Assembly. I look forward to working with Mike in the future," stated Shaughnessy.
"I have every confidence in Mike and Andy," said UPMG Publisher Pete Waddell. "They have both proven very skillful at taking the pulse of the markets we serve, not only reporting on these markets, but providing a leadership role as well. Our culture at UP Media Group has always been to promote from within when the situation presents itself and seems logical. With Mike replacing Lisa as editor-in-chief of Circuits Assembly and Andy being promoted to editor at PCD&M, we're putting that internal policy to the best use."
Buetow has more than 13 years of experience in the electronics industry, including six years at electronics trade association IPC and editorial positions at SMT Magazine. Hamburg Bastin led Circuits Assembly for over six years as editor-in-chief. She leaves to become editor of the National Maritime Center's publications branch. The Arlington, VA-based NMC is a Coast Guard Headquarters field unit established to promote marine safety, environmental protection and security.
About Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture
Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture is the premier trade magazine for electronics interconnect professionals, exclusively serving the PCB design and manufacture markets. PCD&M provides printed circuit board engineers, designers, managers, manufacturers and their suppliers with the latest technologies, techniques, processes and market conditions relating to the design and manufacture of PCBs, PDLs, MCMs and other high-density interconnects. PCD&M is free to qualifying PCB industry professionals. Visit www.pcdandm.com for more information.
About UP Media Group Inc.
Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, UP Media Group (UPMG) is a privately held company that specializes in magazine publishing and trade show and conference production. UPMG currently publishes two high-tech magazines, Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture (www.pcdandm.com) and Circuits Assembly (www.circuitsassembly.com), and one high-tech e-mail newsletter, PCB UPdate (www.pcbupdate.com). In addition, UPMG produces two annual conferences and trade shows for the printed circuit board design and manufacture industry—PCB Design Conference West (www.pcbwest.com) in the Silicon Valley area, and PCB Design Conference East (www.pcbeast.com) in the New England area. UPMG also hosts the PCB Design Conference Road Series (www.pcbshows.com) of courses in cities throughout the U.S.
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