Circuits Assembly - April 2008 - (Page 10)

NEWS In Brief Test equipment OEM CheckSum (checksum.com) named Atlantech (altantechusa. com) its distributor and manufacturers’ representative in 17 states in the mid Atlantic and Southeast US. Henkel’s Electronics Technology Center (henkel.com) has installed a GEN3 Systems (gen3systems.com) MUST III solderability tester and AUTO-SIR SIR tester. Speedline Technologies (speedlinetech. com) purchased a Koh Young (kohyoung. com) KY-3020T solder paste inspection system. Valor Computerized Systems (valor. com) has signed EMA Design Automation (ema-eda.com) as a sales and support channel in North America. Valor also named Silgal (silgal.com) as a representative in the Iberia peninsula. AOI supplier Mirtec Corp. (mirtecusa. com) reported sales revenue for its North American division grew 23% in 2007. President Brian D’Amico attributes the company’s growth to the recent introduction of two new AOI platforms, and said first-quarter 2008 sales were up year-on-year. EMS provider Servatron Inc. (servatron. com) announced gross revenue exceeded a record $32 million in 2007, up 39% over 2006. During the year, the company combined operations previously in two separate facilities, and added 10,000 sq. ft. of floor space, bringing the total production area to 61,000 sq. ft. Nordson Corp. has launched an online adhesive systems parts and services center. The site (parts.nordson.com) provides registered customers with a hub for purchasing Nordson parts, contacting sales and service representatives, and obtaining technical and product information. The site permits price checks, ordering and order status checks. Suntron’s (suntroncorp.com) Tijuana, Mexico, plant will build PCBs for plasma TVs for Celco California (celco.jp). Industry Edited by Mike Buetow RGT to Increase Stake in Adeptron TORONTO – Adeptron Technologies (adeptron.com) has entered a letter of intent with R.H. Global Technologies (rh.co.il) for the private placement of $6 million worth of common shares. The deal would give RGT about 62% of Adeptron’s issued and outstanding shares. Closing is expected by May 9. The deal also calls for Adeptron to raise its number of directors to nine, of which RGT may nominate four. Adeptron would use the proceeds to repay an outstanding $5 million subordinated debenture, saving the EMS company about $900,000 a year in interest expense. Adeptron CEO F. Michael Marti said, “The proposed transaction represents a momentous turning point. For the first time, Adeptron would benefit from a committed and EMS industry-based shareholder. RGT is committed to supporting Adeptron’s vision of vertical integration and growth through M&A activity, along with strong organic business development efforts.” He suggested the deal would also permit Adeptron to gain a footprint in low-cost geographies. An Israeli EMS company, RGT employs more than 1,000 workers and had sales of about $148 million in the first nine months of 2007. – Mike Buetow Passives Classification Effort Heating Up BANNOCKBURN, IL – A joint IPC/ECA/Jedec effort to define and classify passive components’ potential of thermal damage during assembly is gaining steam. J-STD-075, Classification of Non-IC Electronic Components for Assembly Processes, is being circulated to the respective trade groups’ memberships for comment and approval. According to IPC, J-STD-075 is intended as a “gap filler” to test and classify components prone to thermal damage during assembly. The proposed standard is based on J-STD-020, “Moisture/Reflow Sensitivity Classification for Non-hermetic Solid State Surface Mount Devices,” and IPC-9503, “Moisture Sensitivity Classification for Non-IC Components.” Unlike the former documents, which focus on issues related to moisture absorption, J-STD-075 does not incorporate moisture sensitivity testing or classification for passives or other parts. However, says IPC director of certification and assembly technology Jack Crawford, “it has undergone significant change to thermal classification requirements since the version circulated last fall.” “This document has broad support from component suppliers, and it is likely users will see classification and labeling on component packaging based on this standard,” he added. The document, comment list and comment form can be downloaded at http://files.ipc.org/ J075-Ballot-Mar08.zip. – Mike Buetow EU, US Cracking Down on Pirated Components BRUSSELS – In the wake of a recent successful discovery of a counterfeit component ring, EU and US officials in late February said they would crack down on further counterfeiting. China will be a focus of the operation, officials said. The announcement stems from recent operations at major airports during which some 360,000 counterfeit parts, representing more than 40 brands, were uncovered. The seized parts were valued at more than $1.3 billion. “Traffickers and counterfeiters have become much more sophisticated.… They are no longer confining themselves to trafficking in some of the traditional goods we used to see them in, such as footwear or handbags,” US Customs and Border Protection assistant commissioner Dan Baldwin said, according to published reports. “There are increasing numbers with high-tech goods, goods that impact our critical infrastructure,” he added. circuitsassembly.com 10 Circuits Assembly APRIL 2008 http://adeptron.com http://www.checksum.com http://rh.co.il http://altantechusa.com http://www.checksum.com http://altantechusa.com http://henkel.com http://gen3systems.com http://www.speedlinetech.com http://www.speedlinetech.com http://www.kohyoung.com http://www.kohyoung.com http://www.valor.com http://www.valor.com http://ema-eda.com http://silgal.com http://www.mirtecusa.com http://www.mirtecusa.com http://www.servatron.com http://www.servatron.com http://files.ipc.org/J075-Ballot-Mar08.zip http://files.ipc.org/J075-Ballot-Mar08.zip http://parts.nordson.com http://suntroncorp.com http://celco.jp http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - April 2008

Circuits Assembly - April 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Design and Modeling of High-Speed, High-Density 3-D CSPs and Memory Modules The ‘Big Brush Off’ Revisited Impact of Soldering Atmosphere on Solder Joint Formation Beyond Moore’s Law ESD Control For Class 0 ESDS Devices Growing Your Brand This Year’s Model Tech Tips Reflow Soldering Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Equipment Advances Apex Product Preview Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - April 2008

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