CircuiTree - September 2008 - (Page 19)

Industry Review commitment to its development and the improvement in Tropical’s internal processes to deliver more value and better customer service. News CCL Prices Stable Despite Weak Demand From PCB Clients Taipei – According to DigiTimes, prices for CCLs remain stable, although demand from PCB clients has yet to see a seasonal upturn. CCL makers expect Q3 FY 08 sales to grow only 5 to 15 percent, weaker than recorded for previous high seasons. CCL prices rose last in May amid rising copper prices. Copper prices continued to surge to USD 8,720 per metric ton in early July, but they have now fallen back to about USD 8,200 per metric ton; despite drops in copper prices and calls from PCB clients for CCL quote reductions, CCL prices remain at May levels. SMT Manufacturers to Enhance Product Range in Response to Demand From Medical Device Industry Palo Alto, Calif. – According to Frost & Sullivan, high demand for reliable and flexible equipment from the medical device market encouraged SMT equipment manufacturers to develop highly advanced machines. Aspects such as accuracy, parts handling, and speed requirements remain at the forefront, prompting OEMs and EMS providers to offer high-tech solutions. Also noted in the report “Growth Opportunities for SMT Equipment Providers in the North American Medical Device Industry,” the market earned revenues of more than USD 1.25 billion in 2007 and estimates to reach USD 1.89 billion by 2014. Valor and i-PULSE Sign OEM Agreement to Deliver Advanced NPI Solution Tokyo – i-PULSE Co., Ltd., of the Yamaha Motor Group, established an OEM agreement with Valor Computerized Systems Ltd. to deliver a complete CAD-toMachine NPI solution for i-PULSE assembly machine users; the solution is based on Valor’s vPlan production planning tool. The new product, iPlan, will offer a wide range of capabilities customized to i-PULSE machine users and will allow intel- ligent data input and preparation, BOM processing, machine optimization, and auto-generation of machine part libraries for i-PULSE machines. Orbotech to Acquire Photon Dynamics Yavne, Israel – Orbotech Ltd. and Photon Dynamics, Inc., signed a definitive agreement for Orbotech to acquire Photon Dynamics. Orbotech will pay USD 15.60 per share in cash for all of the issued and outstanding shares of Photo Dynamics’ common stock; this makes an aggregate merger consideration value for the transaction of approximately USD 290 million, to be financed through a combination of internally generated funds and externalsource financing. ■ The Best of Our Industry is Coming Together for You — One Show … One Place! GET INTERCONNECTED “The conference at IPC Midwest was very enlightening and well attended. The sessions were really helpful to questions we face on a daily basis.” Mark Orzech, Coretec USA Inc. If you need to see PCB equipment, you need to be at this show! DESIGN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLY TM Keep up with global changes in technology, standards and customer expectations. TEST Sunday–Thursday, September 21–25, 2008 Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center Schaumburg, Ill www.IPCMidwestShow.org circuitree.com • September 2008 CT09084IPC.indd 1 19 7/22/08 3:22:38 PM http://www.IPCMidwestShow.org http://www.IPCMidwestShow.org http://circuitree.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CircuiTree - September 2008

CircuiTree - September 2008 Contents My Line Industry Review Tech Talk Flexible Thinking New Halogen-Free Materials: Their Time Has Finally Arrived Asian Section IPC Issues PCB and Package Convergence Ask the Flexperts Market Outlook IPCA Showcase Technical Product Spotlights Classified Ads Upcoming Events Ad Index

CircuiTree - September 2008

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