Latest Articles

New Challenges Facing Mil/Aero Segment

For this month's issue, we invited a sampling of professionals whose experience centers on the electronics industry in the military and aerospace world, including experts from design, PCB manufacturing, and the assembly arena to sit down with us for a frank discussion. Our discussion centered on the challenges associated with military work, including the new regulatory requirements for cybersecurity, dealing with leaded vs. lead-free components, and the differences and similarities with the commercial world.

Using Paste Flux for Rework

When using a hot air or IR rework system where the reflow cycle is mimicking the original SMT reflow profile, and when using flux for re-attachment, paste flux otherwise known as gel or tacky flux is the correct type of flux to use. Due to its high viscosity and tack properties, paste flux prevents components from being moved during hot-air reflow while being able to remain active for the complete time-temperature period.

Does Your EMS Provider Have an Industry 4.0 Roadmap?

At its simplest level, the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, is about automation and connectivity. This should lead to faster, more efficient manufacturing--and therefore advantageous pricing. Additionally, it might also mean that products can be made in a different way. For example, new processes might allow late customization or configuration, faster delivery, or enhanced quality.

The Importance of Supplier Training

The human factor remains a critical issue when it comes to the overall efficiency of your PCB assembly lines. But how do you make sure your operators, engineers and supervisors have the proper knowledge and skill sets to perform at their peak levels, day in and day out?

Today’s Mil/Aero Enemies: Counterfeits, Obsolescence and Failure

The need for high-reliability electronics, components and assemblies that can perform in harsh operating conditions involving extreme temperatures, vibration, and moisture continue to challenge electronics assembly providers catering to the military and aerospace markets. These are on top of current manufacturing issues such as the miniaturization of products, shrinking component sizes, higher density board assemblies, and the obsolescence of electronic components.

Is Configure to Order Manufacturing the Right Strategy for Me?

This article looks at what the term Configure to Order (CTO) means, the importance of supply chain management, where responsibilities lie when setting up new agreements with an EMS provider, and some of the benefits OEMs can expect to see when adopting a CTO strategy.

The Importance of Conformal Coating, Now and in the Future

At the SMTA Michigan Expo and Tech Forum, held in Grand Rapids on May 11, Technical Editor Happy Holden spent a few minutes with AIM Solder’s Technical Marketing Manager Tim O’Neill to discuss O’Neill’s presentation on the topic of conformal coating over no-clean fluxes.

EMS Firm Tsukiden Electronics Seeing More Business in Prototypes

At the recent Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE) held in Manila, Karen Flordiles, marketing supervisor at EMS firm Tsukiden Electronics Philippines Inc., talks about their customers' changing requirements and their manufacturing challenges. She also discussed new opportunities they are seeing in the EMS sector.

Technology Enabler Highlights Benefits of Having Design Services for an EMS Firm

At the 14th Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition (PSECE) held last week in Manila, Robin Ramiso, design and development manager at Technology Enabler, discusses their activities, and the benefits of having a design services team for an EMS company with I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias.

The Significance of the PCB in the Value Chain of the European EMS Industry

At SMT Nuremberg, Pete Starkey meets with Dieter Weiss, who comments upon the significance of the PCB in the value chain of the European EMS industry, and looks to a future where we embrace an open-minded attitude and a willingness to work together.

A New Player in the Philippine EMS Industry

There's a new EMS player in town. Come August 2017, Artem Global, a startup EMS firm in the Philippines, will start manufacturing operations, with services ranging from PCB assembly to box build, and even turnkey services. I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias caught up with Artem Managing Director Art Ledonio at last week's PSECE event in Manila.

How Important DFM is for Your Electronics Assembly Partner

Each OEM will have their own set of criteria when it comes to selecting an appropriate EMS provider. But where does design for manufacture (DFM) support come into play? Is it a priority? Should it be? And what benefits does this service have to offer the OEM? This article explores some of the benefits DFM offers OEMs and how this service can help realize elements of an outsourcing strategy.

Better Together: How HDP User Group Showcases the Industry’s Best Side

HDPUG is a non-profit trade organization comprised of members from top companies in the electronics industry, from materials suppliers and manufacturers, to OEMs and end users. Key activities include collaborating on issues facing multiple industries and bringing people together on projects who might not have met otherwise. Barry Matties met HDPUG’s European representative and project facilitator Alun Morgan at the recent EIPC Summer Conference to learn more about the group and current projects.

Assembly Training and Education

Even if your PCB assembly process is optimized, there is always room for improvement. And no matter how successful your company has been in the past, you just can’t rest on your laurels. It is always in your best interest to strive towards a better operations model. We've created a survey to help us gauge the importance of training and education in your workforce, and the benefits that you get in ensuring that your operators and engineers have the most current knowledge and skill sets.

Solder Ball Joint Reliability with Electroless Ni/Pd/Au Plating – Influence of Electroless Pd Plating Film Thickness

This paper investigated the influence of Pd film thickness in electroless Ni/Pd/Au plating on the solder ball joint reliability. It was found out that the shape and thickness of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are among the key factors that affect solder joint reliability after multiple reflow cycles and thermal aging, respectively.

Happy Holden Second Recipient of I-Connect007 'Good for the Industry' Award

Our second 'Good for the Industry' award has been presented to Happy Holden. After working with Happy for a number of years it is clear to see that he is dedicated to improving the industry. He has a long history in the PCB industry, starting off with HP in the '70s. Not only did he develop HDI, but he then wrote the HDI Handbook, which is provided to readers at no charge.

High-Volume Test Strategies

In an interview with I-Connect007 during the recent NEPCON China event in Shanghai, Siegmund Hornig, director of global sales for Europe and Asia, for production board test division at Teradyne discusses the new testing demands from customers, and strategies to help them address their high-volume test requirements.

President Donald Trump Launches Workforce Development Week

Earlier this week President Donald Trump announced “Workforce Development Week.” As such, President Trump spent the last four days promoting job creation and even signed executive order expanding apprenticeship programs.

Koh Young Discusses Latest 3D AOI Innovations

Koh Young Technology's Scott Kim, overseas sales team manager, talks about the latest challenges and developments happening in inspection technologies, the new demands and requirements from customers, as well as the key factors to consider when it comes to buying inspection systems.

Global Impact on European PCB Fabrication: EIPC Summer Conference 2017, Day 2

The second day saw the conference room full once more, the late networking session in the bar having resulted in no significant casualties, and I was pleased to accept the invitation to moderate the first session, on processes and materials for flexible PCBs.

How to Make a Bad First Impression with an EMS Provider

Like any relationship, starting off on the wrong foot when finding an EMS provider can quickly trip you up and become painful in the long term. Regardless of the 'why', here are some good examples of what not to do when first approaching a potential EMS provider. This way, you can make sure that you don't end up wasting valuable time and effort finding the wrong EMS provider for your business.

Global Impact on European PCB Fabrication: EIPC Summer Conference 2017, Day 1

Electronics industry professionals from 13 countries, mainly from Europe and Scandinavia, others from the USA, but some from as far away as India and Japan, gathered in Meriden, the centre of England, for the EIPC Summer Conference.

AOI Capabilities Study with 03015 Components

More EMS companies are implementing AOI into their SMT lines to minimize repair costs and maintain good process and product quality, especially for new component types. This project focuses on the testing of 03015 components, which is challenging for AOI.

3D Inspection is the Way to Go

In an interview with SMT Magazine during NEPCON China, Guido Bornemann, head of sales in Asia for Viscom, discusses how inspection technology is keeping up with the latest requirements and demands from customers. He also explains why 3D technology is the best inspection technology to utilize in electronics assembly.

Saki Discusses Industry 4.0 and True 3D Technology

Quintin Armstrong, general manager for North America Sales and Service at Saki America, speaks to SMT Magazine about the Industry 4.0 strategy for inspection equipment providers. He also talks about why manufacturers are finding it more and more relevant to have an inspection line in their assembly lines now.

Why You Should Have Formal Business Reviews with Your EMS Provider

Your working relationship with your EMS provider is fundamentally a partnership. Therefore, it's important to ensure that you carve out time to meet with your EMS provider on a frequent basis – even if you are feeling particularly pleased about having handed over responsibility to them.

3D: Towards Better Inspection Capability

For this month's issue of SMT Magazine, we spoke with Mark McMeen, vice president of engineering at STI Electronics, to know more about the inspection challenges and requirements from an EMS provider's standpoint. We also talked with Jean-Marc Peallat, vice president of global sales at Vi TECHNOLOGY, to find out, from a supplier's perspective, how they are looking at these challenges and addressing them through their product development efforts.

2D X-ray Inspection With Materials and Thickness Identification

The need to inspect electronic components and assemblies non-destructively is the main driver behind the development of X-ray inspection technology. In many cases, X-ray inspection provides the only non-destructive techniques to inspect optically hidden components and solder joints such as BGA, POP, QFN, flip chips, through-holes, TSVs, microbumps, and copper pillars.

HDP User Group 2017 European Meeting Highlights Technology Progress

The conference facility at the offices of Oracle, in the royal burgh of Linlithgow in West Lothian, Scotland, was the venue for the 2017 European meeting of the High Density Packaging User Group. I was delighted and privileged to be invited once again to sit in on the open session, an intense programme of technical presentations and discussions, project reviews, status updates and new project proposals.

The Need for 3D AOI

While the coplanarity of height-sensitive devices such as BGA packages and leaded components can be inspected in 2D using multi-angled colored lighting and side-angle cameras, these will be susceptible to an increase in false calls, a need for additional programming and cycle time, and possible escapes. These factors underscore the need for 3D technology in inspection strategies.

Will You Be RoHS 2-Compliant by 22 July 2017?

The year 2011 saw the legal initiation of the RoHS 2 recast and an update of the RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU, subsequently transpiring into UK law. The initiative granted transition periods of varying time scales to different categories of electrical and electronic equipment products. Now, 2017 sees the end of the transition period for EEE products that fall into one of the subsections of category nine – industrial monitoring and control instruments.

Shenzhen Axxon Discusses Acquisition and Dispensing Market Trends

Ivan Li, general manager at Shenzhen Axxon Automation Co. Ltd (China), discusses their recent acquisition by Mycronic, as well as the latest developments in the dispensing market. Also discussed is the China market, and how the company is staying ahead of the increasing competition in the dispensing industry.

RTW NEPCON CHINA: Teknek Discusses Contact Cleaning Technology Trends

Stephen Mitchell, managing director of Teknek, a contact cleaning solutions provider, discusses the latest trends in contact cleaning technology. He provides his outlook on China’s electronics manufacturing industry and intelligent manufacturing, and talks about how Teknek's contact cleaning systems are helping customers address their defects and productivity issues.

RTW NEPCON CHINA: Interflux to Revolutionize Solder Industry

At the recent NEPCON China event in Shanghai, Daniel Werkhoven, CEO of Belgium-based soldering chemistry provider Interflux Electronics N.V., talks with I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias about how their new bismuth-based solder alloy will help improve the soldering process.

Tape and Reel Solder Preforms: A Success Story for the UD00 X86 SECO Board

SECO's latest product innovation, UDOO X86, is a real computer with an integrated Arduino 101 compatible board that is capable of running games and videos in 4K. But while the success of the UDOO X86 is impressive, so is SECO's ability to develop this game-changing product with low-cost technology for mass appeal and affordability.

Vapor Degreasing Chemistries to Remove Difficult Lead-Free and No-Clean Fluxes from PCBs

In line with increasing regulations on electronics manufacturing, many changes have been made to the electronics world, and thus the circuit board manufacturing process. Lead-free, no-clean and halide-free flux formulations have introduced new cleaning obstacles, especially on ever-shrinking component sizes. To maintain high cleanliness standards for modern circuitry, new sophisticated cleaning chemistries are required.

The Benefits of Postponement Manufacturing When Outsourcing

With the world changing at an incredible pace, OEMs agile enough to respond rapidly to customer demand stand a greater chance of survival compared to those that are not. This article looks into the late stage configuration technique and some of the benefits an OEM can expect to gain when outsourcing to an EMS provider that offers this service.

Business and Technical Developments at Super Dry Totech

At the recent SMT Hybrid Packaging show in Nuremberg, Germany, I-Connect007 Technical Editor Pete Starkey visits Super Dry Totech and spends a few minutes with CEO Jos Brehler and Sales Manager Terry Morgan to talk about the rationale behind ASYS Group's acquisition of stake in Super Dry Totech, as well as the latest technology developments happening at the company.

RTW NEPCON CHINA: Mycronic Meets High-volume Demand with Solder Jet Printing

Mycronic VP for Global Dispensing and Managing Director Clemens Jargon discusses how the flexibility of solder jet printing helps reduce downtime in the line, thus increasing total line speed and enabling it to keep up with high-volume demand.

RTW NEPCON China: Data I/O on Securing the Supply Chain

At the recent NEPCON China show in Shanghai, Anthony Ambrose, president and CEO of Data I/O Corp., discusses the cybersecurity challenges facing the electronics manufacturing industry today amid the proliferation of connected devices and the Internet of Things.

Grow Your Own Training Programs

Negative connotations about manufacturing jobs as dirty, repetitive, and boring have plagued the industry for the last 20 years. Manufacturing lacks the sex appeal that jobs in tech use to entice potential employees. Due to the great shortage of skilled workers and the lackluster image of the industry, manufacturing companies have had to re-evaluate and re-design their HR strategies to recruit, hire and train new employees.

The Role of an Account Manager Within an EMS Provider

How do you start to compare EMS providers when it comes to their account management team? Does it really matter what role they play? And how crucial do you believe they are in helping you achieve your outsourcing objectives? This article looks in-depth at some of the common activities an account manager typically carries out on your behalf when you decide to partner with an EMS provider.

Zestron Technical Workshop Tackles Next Generation of Cleaning

Zestron recently held a technical workshop in Alabang, Muntinlupa City in the Philippines to help users address their cleaning challenges amid advancements in semiconductor device packaging.

Mentor Graphics: Connecting the Manufacturing Environment

Oren Manor serves as the director of business development for Mentor Graphics Valor Division. In this interview with SMT Magazine, Manor discusses the latest updates in their OML community, their case study regarding Phoenix Contact’s implementation of their IoT solution in its facilities, and what’s new in ODB++.

Why You Shouldn't Hide Your Supply Chain Issues

From a natural or man-made disaster that is completely out of your control to a breakdown in communication, there are many reasons why an OEM might find themselves faced with a problem in their supply chain. Whatever the reason for the disruption, one thing is certain: if you are planning to work with, or are already working with, an EMS provider, you shouldn't hide your supply chain issues.

Voiding Control at High-Power Die-Attach Preform Soldering

Voiding in the solder joint is a concern for high-reliability and high-performance devices. This paper discusses a study on voiding behavior of large pad high-power devices simulated with Cu coupon to Cu coupon sandwiches. A flux-coated preform was studied in this assembly, with variation in solder alloy type, quantity of solid flux coated on solder preform, Cu coupon pre-oxidation extent, reflow temperature, and pressure exerted onto the sandwich during reflow.

Enhancing Recruitment Efforts with Public-Private Partnerships

After nearly two decades of the dominance of the service economy, manufacturers in all industries have a challenge: recruiting and training the next generation of manufacturing employees. This article details how one EMS company has been addressing that challenge through collaborative efforts with educational institutions, other businesses and regional support networks.

SMTA West Penn Expo: Who Says There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch!

Bill Capen of DRS Technologies, the president of the SMTA West Pennsylvania Chapter, speaks with I-Connect007's Patty Goldman about the recent West Penn Expo & Tech Forum. He also talks about the group's upcoming chapter meetings this year, and the latest developments happening in the military segment.

The Benefits of Applying Flux Directly to a Micro BGA

Technology trends continue to drive miniaturization in electronic components. As a result, product designers are often forced into specifying smaller and smaller devices on their bill of materials. Sometimes, miniature devices offer OEMs cost savings, which is seen as a good thing; other times, there is simply no choice.

Manufacturing Through the Eyes of Human Resources, Recruitment and New Hire Training

Perhaps more important than the technology and tools a manufacturing company has are its people. People are what make a company truly great and the process of recruiting talented, skilled, dedicated employees and training them properly for success is an important aspect of any manufacturing company.

San Diego IPC Designers Council Meeting Held at Del Mar Show

The Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show is a long-time favorite among PCB professionals. What better place to hold a meeting of the San Diego Chapter of the IPC Designers Council? Each year, the San Diego Chapter of the Designers Council hosts their largest meeting of the year at the Del Mar show. This year, approximately 50 PCB designers and electronics professionals attended the lunch-and-learn meeting.

Keeping an Eye on the Next Generation

Why should a company in our industry dedicate hours to providing professional development to a group of temporary student interns? Why should they open their doors to kids, some of whom haven’t even entered high school? For Indium, the short answer is, it makes them better. Read on to find out why.

IMPACT 2017: Electronics Industry Leaders Meet with Members of Congress and Trump Administration on Capitol Hill

IPC places a high priority on making our presence known in the halls of government to educate our government officials on the policies that will strengthen the advanced manufacturing industry.

Blackfox Program Trains Vets for Manufacturing Jobs

It's harder than ever for managers in the PCB manufacturing industry to find qualified staff, with some reporting that positions are remaining open for months at a time. On the other hand, there are thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines transitioning out of the service each year and seeking good jobs. In this interview, Allen Dill, president of Blackfox, discusses their program that offers manufacturing training to veterans, even while they are still in the military.

The Challenge of Filling PCB Assembly Positions

U.S. manufacturers are having a difficult time filling open positions. They cannot find workers with the necessary skills to fill the openings. If we look specifically at the PCB assembly industry, the rhetoric is similar. There are more openings than people to fill them. The discussions reveal that lower wages, lack of skills, and sometimes the reported low unemployment rate in the United States is part of the problem.

Predicting Solder Paste Transfer Efficiency and Print Volume

Being able to predict the transfer efficiency and print volume reproducibility of solder paste are valuable data points for any circuit assembly process. Knowing how many good boards that can be expected from a jar of solder paste is critical for a contract manufacturer working on paper thin margins.

The Complex World of Soldering

Industry veteran Happy Holden and Saline Lectronics Senior Process Engineer Cathy Cox discuss the various challenges and issues that users face in soldering, including the lack of a "one-size-fits-all" approach in the process, and some key factors that the PCB assembly industry should consider when it comes to different applications and markets.

RTW NEPCON China: Viscom Talks 3D AOI Developments

Guido Bornemann, head of sales for Asia at Viscom, speaks with I-Connect007 Editor Stephen Las Marias about inspection challenges such as false calls and improving first pass yields. He also talks about the latest developments in 3D AOI to address these issues as well as test strategies to achieve zero defects.

RTW NEPCON China: Metcal Highlights Innovation in Hand Soldering Technology

At NEPCON China, Bryan Gass, vice president of Metcal, discusses how their Connection Validation soldering station will revolutionize the hand soldering technology industry.

IMPACT Washington 2017 Just Around the Corner

IPC's Government Relations team has worked around-the-clock to ensure that IMPACT Washington D.C. 2017 is the best yet. During this two-and-a-half day event, executives from IPC-member companies will have the opportunity to speak with leaders in Congress and the Administration in support of our common priorities.
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