Trouble in Your Tank: Interconnect Defect—The Three Degrees of Separation
It’s Only Common Sense: Creating a Company Culture Rooted in Well-being
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Notorious: Leadership Lessons from History’s Most Notorious Leaders’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
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Assembler’s Guide to... Low-Temperature Soldering, Vol. 2, Chapter 4
10/03/2024 |Chapter 4 of this book addresses the challenges in ensuring high electrical reliability of low-temperature solder pastes in modern electronic assembly. Also covered is the need for new-generation materials due to advancements in technology. The authors also explore the impact of flux components on electrical reliability and the formulation considerations to achieve higher reliability.
AIM to Present on Ultra-Miniature Component Assembly at SMT-Info
10/02/2024 | AIMAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming SMT-Info Technical Conference taking place October 15-16 in Brno, Czech Republic.
Mycronic’s Jet Set Technology
10/02/2024 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineIn this interview, Wolfgang Heinecke, head of global product management at Mycronic, discusses advancements and applications of jet printing technology, which offers solutions to the challenges faced by traditional stencil printing. He highlights the key benefits of jet printing, and explains the qualification process for solder paste compatibility as well as the software-driven nature of jet printing, which allows for quick program creation and real-time adjustments.
Metcal Introduces New MicroFine Products for Soldering Under the Microscope
10/02/2024 | MetcalMetcal, part of OK International and Dover and a leader in benchtop soldering for electronics and industrial manufacturing, announced the launch of its new MicroFine soldering handpieces and cartridge tips for use under microscopes.
Indium to Showcase Industry-Leading Solder Paste and Alloy Technology at Detroit Battery Show
10/01/2024 | Indium CorporationAs one of the leading materials providers to the electronics assembly industry, Indium Corporation® is proud to feature its industry-leading Durafuse® solder technology at the Battery Show North America, October 7-10, in Detroit, Michigan.