Circuits Assembly - June 2008 - (Page 8)

NEWS In Brief Dai Nikko Engineering plans to build a pair of assembly subsidiaries in Vietnam. The $400-million EMS firm will consolidate its Chinese operations to one or two locations. It currently has plants in Wuxi. Rehm Thermal Systems (rehm-group. com) in April opened a subsidiary in Dongguan, China, to provide direct sales and support in China. The maker of reflow and vapor phase soldering ovens is severing a previous venture with SunEast in China. Electrolube (electrolube.com) supplied Safewash aqueous cleaning products and Acrylic Protective Lacquer conformal coating to the US Department of Transportation for use on PCBs in traffic control boxes. Separately, Electrolube named REStronics (restronics.com) as its sole US representative. Phoenix X-Ray (phoenix-xray.com) will open a West Coast demo and customer service center in Newark, CA, this month. EMS provider Hunter Technology (hunterpcb.com) opened a design center in San Diego, and plans to add service centers around the US during the next few months. Cookson Electronics (cooksonelectronics.com) will implement IBS America’s (ibs-us.com) QSi quality management software at its 55 locations around the world. EMS provider Distron Corp. (distron. com) installed Aegis Software’s (aiscorp. com) MOS suite of traceability and data acquisition tools. The Zollner Group (zollner.de) selected an Agilent Technologies (agilent.com) Medalist x6000 automated x-ray inspection system. Milara Inc. (milarasmt.com) appointed Unotech Inc. (unotech.co.kr) its representative for Korea. Industry Edited by Mike Buetow RoHS Exemptions Input Released BRUSSELS – The European organization charged with collecting and collating comments to the latest RoHS exemption list will hold a series of meetings this month to discuss the preliminary input with stakeholders. Öko-Institut e.V. (oeko.de) signaled its intention to discuss the use of lead in high-melting-temperature-type solders (i.e. lead-based alloys containing 85% by weight or more lead); in solders for servers, storage and storage array systems, network infrastructure and telecommunication equipment, and in electronic ceramic parts (e.g., piezoelectronic devices). Cadmium is also up for discussion during the June 9-13 sessions, as are seven other exemptions. Not expected to be discussed is an exemption for lead in solders consisting of more than two elements for the connection between the pins and the package of microprocessors with a lead content of more than 80% and less than 85% by weight; lead in solders for electrically connecting semiconductor die and carriers within flip chip packages; or lead in finishes of fine-pitch components other than connectors with a pitch of 0.65 mm or less with NiFe lead frames, and lead in finishes of fine pitch components other than connectors with a pitch of 0.65 mm or less with copper lead frames. It is unclear whether by foregoing discussion on those proposals the Institute is suggesting a fait accompli. “The aim is to discuss these nine exemptions within five days,” Öko spokeswoman Stéphanie Zangl said. The organization has put online all nonconfidential documents obtained during the consultation: http://rohs.exemptions.oeko.info/index.php?id=17. – Mike Buetow Cal Urged to Back Down on Chemicals Ban SACRAMENTO, CA – A measure by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to establish a new framework for chemicals management is drawing criticism from electronics industry trade groups. The so-called Green Chemistry Initiative proposes to ban many chemicals and mandate use of alternatives. The DTSC requested public input on seven questions regarding implementation of the initiative by April 23. According to IPC, the proposed measure is “much worse than RoHS” and would have “major adverse implications for all types of industries, including electronics.” The trade group called on its California members to lobby the DTSC against the ban, pending consideration of environmental, social and economic impacts. At the order of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the DTSC launched a multi-year effort to reduce toxic substance use. The department has developed a list of some 800 options and has convened a panel of 23 scientists and engineers to guide it and provide the technical basis on scientific matters. Preliminary goals include reducing toxic chemical use 50% by 2010, and developing baselines and targets for lifecycle assessments. Among the options listed in the preliminary findings were to ban hazardous substances in electronics, and set R&D tax credits for finding alternatives. However, the 192-page draft does not specify what those hazardous substances would be. Final recommendations for a statewide green chemistry framework are due July 1. IPC, however, argues such substance bans often result in unintended environmental consequences, citing as evidence the US EPA Lead-Free Solder project, which details environmental tradeoffs inherent in material substitutions. The EPA is already engaged in an agreement across North America to assess and manage chemicals, IPC noted, and California’s proposed ban “would undermine ongoing efforts of the federal government.” According to IPC, under the international agreement, the EPA will screen, prioritize and assess nearly all chemicals in US commerce, and develop hazard characterizations, risk characterizations and risk-based management decisions. – Mike Buetow circuitsassembly.com 8 Circuits Assembly JUNE 2008 http://oeko.de http://www.rehm-group.com http://www.rehm-group.com http://electrolube.com http://rohs.exemptions.oeko.info/index.php?id=17 http://restronics.com http://phoenix-xray.com http://hunterpcb.com http://www.cooksonelectronics.com http://www.cooksonelectronics.com http://ibs-us.com http://www.distron.com http://www.distron.com http://www.aiscorp.com http://www.aiscorp.com http://zollner.de http://agilent.com http://milarasmt.com http://unotech.co.kr http://circuitsassembly.com

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

Circuits Assembly - June 2008 Contents Letters Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Screen Printing Better Manufacturing China Goes ‘Upmarket’ Out of the Garage Improving Production Line Performance Manufacturing Steps Onto the Enterprise IT Stage Measuring and Controlling Wave Height and Dwell Time Wave Soldering Tech Tips Test and Inspection Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Eastern Advances Semicon West Product Preview Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - June 2008

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