Nolan’s Notes: Moving Forward With Confidence
The Knowledge Base: Beyond the Badge—Why Membership Matters More Than Ever
Smart Automation: AI—Revolutionizing Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
PhiChem Open House a Success!
March 28, 2016 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Delighted to be invited to an exclusive preview of the new PhiChem global headquarters and R&D centre in Shanghai’s Baoshan suburb, I joined the VIP group assembled at the PhiChem booth at the CPCA show, made welcome by PhiChem President Dr. Jin Zhang.
An hour’s private bus ride brought us to an immaculately presented site—four brand-new buildings with a total of 500,000 square feet of floor area: administration, pilot plant manufacturing and packaging, warehousing, fronted by a spectacularly impressive six-story laboratory complex, which had taken five years from green-field site to completion.
Gleaming! Through reception and into a display area with glass showcases holding examples of PhiChem’s products and applications, and an appropriate place for Dr. Zhang to begin his explanation of PhiChem’s evolution since he founded the company in 2002.
A graduate chemist, with an MS degree in optics, and many years’ experience in microelectronics packaging and the development of optical and laser materials and components, Jin Zhang gained his doctorate in polymer chemistry at the University of Michigan in the U.S. Recognising the rapid growth in the demand for optical fibres for data and telecoms transmission, and a fundamental requirement for glass fibres to be coated for mechanical protection and enhancement of their optical properties, Dr. Zhang returned to China and began production of UV-curable coating resins in Shanghai. Since 2002, PhiChem has grown to become China’s largest supplier of UV-curable materials to the optical fibre industry and second largest in the world, producing all of its own raw materials and resin precursors.
Dr. Zhang reached into a display cabinet and took a short length of fibre from a large spool, explaining that the widespread use of high bandwidth optical fibre would not have been feasible without the protection afforded by UV-curable coatings. The sample he demonstrated had a coated diameter of 250 microns, the glass itself being half that diameter, and the combination of glass and coating had a tensile strength of five kilograms. Talking of high speed, he remarked that the fibre was coated and cured on-the-fly at 3000 metres per minute!
Page 1 of 3
Share on:
Suggested Items
BEST Inc. Introduces StikNPeel Rework Stencil for Fast, Simple and Reliable Solder Paste Printing
06/02/2025 | BEST Inc.BEST Inc., a leader in electronic component rework services, training, and products is pleased to introduce StikNPeel™ rework stencils. This innovative product is designed for printing solder paste for placement of gull wing devices such as quad flat packs (QFPs) or bottom terminated components.
See TopLine’s Next Gen Braided Solder Column Technology at SPACE TECH EXPO 2025
05/28/2025 | TopLineAerospace and Defense applications in demanding environments have a solution now in TopLine’s Braided Solder Columns, which can withstand the rigors of deep space cold and cryogenic environments.
INEMI Interim Report: Interconnection Modeling and Simulation Results for Low-Temp Materials in First-Level Interconnect
05/30/2025 | iNEMIOne of the greatest challenges of integrating different types of silicon, memory, and other extended processing units (XPUs) in a single package is in attaching these various types of chips in a reliable way.
E-tronix Announces Upcoming Webinar with ELMOTEC: Optimizing Soldering Quality and Efficiency with Robotic Automation
05/30/2025 | E-tronixE-tronix, a Stromberg Company, is excited to host an informative webinar presented by Raphael Luchs, CEO of ELMOTEC, titled "Optimize Soldering Quality and Efficiency with Robotic Automation," taking place on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM CDT.
CE3S Launches EcoClaim Solutions to Simplify Recycling and Promote Sustainable Manufacturing
05/29/2025 | CE3SCumberland Electronics Strategic Supply Solutions (CE3S), your strategic sourcing, professional solutions and distribution partner, is proud to announce the official launch of EcoClaim™ Solutions, a comprehensive recycling program designed to make responsible disposal of materials easier, more efficient, and more accessible for manufacturers.