February 2012

Continental in Guadalajara has apparently switched spi horses in midstream by purchasing 5 systems from Parmi.

January 2012

As  we approach IPC/APEX we are reminded of AdvanTools Semiconductor's new APEX model photoresist exposure system which is expected to be introduced the summer of 2012. It is a direct write imaging printer that will be able to create features with 10um lines and spaces.

Taiwan TPT Techvest states that it will complete Phase I of a new PWB facility in Sichuan (Western China) by the 4th quarter of this year. The new plant will have a monthly output of more than 1.2 million square feet.

December 2011

International copper prices dropped about 2% in December. This is predicted to help stabilize the 1st quarter price of foils used in the manufacture of copper clad laminates for the printed circuit industry.

November 2011

Zero Defects (ZDI) of California installed a MIVA Technologies GmbH 2600x direct LED resist exposure system at Vector Fabrication in Vietnam. It is the first such installation in Southeast Asia. The system features a combination of a pulsed LED array along with DMM (Digital Micro Mirror) technology.  The LED array has a 3-year warranty.

Chris Fussner, owner of Singapore's TransTech, opened an office in Chandler, Arizona in order to assume sales and service responsibilities for Yamaha Motor in the North American market. Transtech is the distributor for Yamaha's assembly equipment line in Singapore, Malyasia, and Thailand.

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical has commisioned Shengyi Technology to produce the core products of its high performance copper clad epoxy-glass laminates. Shengyi will market in China the products produced under the agreement.

On November 30 WKK introduced several new exposure systems at the HKPCA show in Shenzhen, China. The first freatured product was Hefei AdvanTools Semiconductor's LDI 6800 to be used as a direct imaging system for HDI, substrate, multilayer, and conventional PWB manufacturing.

The second was the next generation of the ProForm automated printer formerly made by ORC (Perkin Elmer) of the U.S. It was built in China by WKK who had acquired the intellectual properties and inventories of the original business and product. It was re-engineered to meet today's demands as requested by leading American/International board makers. The modifications and improvements include a new high speed Yamaha panel handling amnd alignment system as well as the replacement of PLCs with computers to ensure higher resolution and alignment repeatability.

October 2011

Panasonic will invest 17 billion yen ($221.7 million) to build a new “ALIVH” PWB factory in Vietnam. The new plant will start the operations next August to make "smart phne" circuitry.

September 2011

If only the interconnect industry (bare board fabrication) could/would do this...

Five semiconductor makers, including IBM, Intel, Samsung Electronics, Taiwan Semiconductor, the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the State University of New York, and Global Founries (former AMD manufacturing arm) have committed $4.4 billion to develop chip technology in New York State - and share resources for advanced manufacturing of 22 then 14 nanometer feature-sized chips on 450-millimeter wafers.

Each company involved in the 450-millimeter wafer development will invest about $75 million to the group, known as Global 450 Consortium.
The Global 450 Consortium will work together in a new demonstration fab being built at CNSE. Intel willestablish its 450-millimeters East Coast headquarters in Albany to support the overall project management. New York state will invest $400 million in CNSE for the projects and the new llabioratories.

Maskless Lithography has sold another direct imaging system and taken a deposit on a second unit this month.

The 50 um capable direct imaging system will be shown in Taiwan at the ECWC/TPCA event in early November as well as at the HKPCA show in Shenzhen China in early December.

August, 2011

The new iNEMI Roadmap provides in-depth discussion of six product sectors and 21 different manufactruring, component, business process and design technologies in  its 1800 pages.   A complete list pf product sectors and technology areas can be found at: http://www.inemi.org/2011-inemi-roadmap

July, 2011

Industry notable, engineer, technical and marketing executive, and technology editor Kathleen Nargi-Toth joined America’s leading PCB fabrication supply chain manager P. D. Circuits, Inc.asTechnical Director next month. Elected an“Atomic Giant” in 2000 in recognition of being one of the 10 most influential people in the global PWB industry Kathy was a founding member of the Electronics Industry Center of Excellence established at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane Indiana to support the military advancement in the industry, and was nominated to theNational Acadamies Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design in 2004.

June, 2011

Initial reaction to the first Akila XR-3 X-Ray inspection system in America has been very positive. Datest customers, where the machine was sent after its debut at IPC Apex, like the high end feature set at an affordable price. In particular, the 60 degree oblique view of the camera allows better viewing of BGA solder balls, without the hassle of fixturing or clamping the PCB as some systems require. Moving the image intensifier instead of the board means that large or add shaped boards can be loaded into the system easily and quickly. The XR-3 has its emitter at the bottom which allows the PCB to be brought closer. This greatly improves the image quality over the typical mid range X-Ray system. The user friendly GUI of the XR-3's Windows 7 64-bit operating system has the ability to move the image with either keyboard, joystick, or its ‘click to move’ feature. The machine, produced in China by WKKD (Wong's Kong King Distribution) is marketed by in North America by Christopher Associates.

Robert J. Haskins has been appointed Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, Asia byEnthone Inc.,a business of Cookson Electronics.Haskins’ career marks over two decades of electronics industry expertise that has included a broad range of executive positions in sales, marketing and general management at Cookson Electronics’ Alpha, Enthone and Polyclad businesses. Most recentlly he was President of Isola Asia Pacific. Haskinsreports directly toSteven He is the former President of the American Club in Hong Kong and currently serves on its Board of Corbett, CEOCookson Electronics, and is a member of Enthone's Global executive team. Haskins has an M.S. in management and business administration from the University of Texas and a B.A. from Dartmouth.

May, 2011

On May 17 Dan Feinberg,Vice President of P. Kay Metal Inc.announced record breaking sales for the company’s patented MS2® dross elimination technology. The record was broken even though there were 14 days left in the month to register additional sales! Dan reported that sales of the patented dross elimination molten solder surfactant product have increased exponentially during the past year. Recent higher tin prices have made the use of the product, which dramatically reduces loss of tin, extremely attractive. P. Kay Metal received a broad based patent early in 2011 and has since been granted patent protection in China. The MS2® product was introduced just three years ago and has now enjoying a skyrocketing market share. At the conclusion of the NEPCON Shanghai 2011 show held at the Shanghai Everbright Convention & Exhibition Center May 11-13.Hamed El-Abd,President of WKK Distribution Ltdstated: “We are very happy with the progress of our sales of MS2. Solder material prices are increasingand customers are now really seeing the advantages of using MS2. As with most new processes it is not easy to get customers to be among the first to install but once they do they see the value as well the improvements in solder joint quality. I believe that we will continue to see consistent market share growth with this product over the coming years."  

Solar Frontier, a 100% subsidiary of Showa Shell Seikiyu K.K., has started commercial production on schedule at its gigwatt-scale Kunitomi plant. The new Miyaki operation is one of the world's largest CIS thin film solar module production facilities. Uyemura has introduced the GRX-70 high-speed electrolytic process which prevents whisker formation in electroplated tin for 22,000+ hours (most tests are for just 4,000 hours). It has high deposition speeds for rackless as well as reel-to-reel processing for lead frames, connector, and other components. The GRX-70 bath is lead and fluoride free. Deposits have excellent solderability.

April, 2011

Hong Kong's WKK appointed Christopher Associates of Santa Ana, California as the North American distributor of its new line of Akilaassembly, test and inspection systems.

A Rarity - 40 years in the board business

Board maker IMI celebrated its 40th Anniversary April 1 2011. {Company President Peter Bigelow, a member of the IPC Board of Directors, and noted PWB management columnist, recanted the history of the company as it evolved from its beginnings as an OEM memory card maker to today’s bare board focus on the RF/Microwave, Aerospace, Military, Medical, Industrial and Telecommunications Markets.

Intek Plus, world leaders in 3D Moiré technology, has appointed Christopher Associates exclusive North American distributor of its SPI 4000 high speed solder paste inspection (spi) system. With over 15 years experience and one of the electronics industry’s strongest engineering teams, Intek Plus delivers world class technical performance and world class cost performance.

The SPI 4000 features:

. Rapid Programming
. Dual Projection Illumination
. Excellent Accuracy
. High Speed 3D + 2D SPI
. Full SPC Software Suite
. Windows 7, 64 Bit OS

Silicon Valley’s Zero Defects International (ZDI) sold a Miva Tech direct imaging machine to Vector Fabrication during IPC APEX in Las Vegas. The system will be installed in Vietnam.

Semblant Limited has announced the release of the Semblant Plasma Finish (SPF), a versatile PCB and substrate surface finish that has extraordinary properties.  SPF is a nano-coating that is truly disruptive. The SPF material has properties that include exceptional solderability, ultra-corrosion resistance, flux containment, and creep corrosion suppression. It has a modifiable surface energy and is said to be an economic replacement for OSPs, gold or silver and other final finishes.

The SPF Solution reportedly uses as little as 10% of the energy consumed by a nickel/gold line, generates no hazardous waste, and has no water consumption. The SPF process contains no carcinogens and is safe in process and final material.The "SPF Solution" includes a Nordson March co-developed plasma system.

Semblantappointed Christopher Associates as a distributor during the April 2011 IPC APEX show in Las Vegas.

Enthone, Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics, will offer Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Courses for manufacturers in the Automotive, Aerospace, Energy, Electronics, Building, Hardware and Tooling, and Surface Finishing markets.

The training will span the 5 months from August through December and include:
     Sustained yield improvement and defect reduction 
     Design for Six Sigma: multi-generational Planning)
     Lean manufacturing
Participants will also receive:
     25 Days hands-on learning with experienced professionals
     One-on-one project mentorship with a Master Black Belt
     Practical Skills with Statistical Software
     CED Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (with completion exams and two projects)
     More than 3000 pages of training material and more than 200 electronic training    reference files 
 
Contact Enthone Master Black Belt Aaron Spearin for complete information. () aspearin@cooksonelectronics.com

Christopher Associates announced a new team operating structure at IPC APEX.  The company stated that this,  along with the addition of the above mentioned lines as well as OTC photoimageable solder masks and  Tagarno Inspection Systems, has created many new career opportunities for sales engineers.