Compiled by SMT Staff

Innovation at Speedline
FRANKLIN, Mass. - Known for wave soldering and reflow with its Electrovert lines, cleaning with the Accel line, MPM in stencil printing, and the Camalot dispensing series, Speedline Technologies is in full production of new products and legacy lines at its 120,000-sq.ft. Franklin headquarters. Keith Favre, product marketing and business development, gave SMT a tour of the facility.

A metallurgical lab hosts testing projects for manufacturers. Equipment such as a Juki pick-and-place system helps techs simulate the assembly process. Prior to our visit, they had tested an Electrovert reflow machine, measuring flux emissions and residues.

Hugh Read, dispensing products, demonstrated the FX-D flexible, mid-range dispenser, featuring two vision systems for underfilling with a heated chuck under the board. Chris Wild, printing products, demonstrated the MPM Accela, a high-performance printer with built-in parallel processing and inspection. It has a stationary wiper, allowing the stencil to move the wiper; and enables post-print inspection and pre-alignment of the next substrate during wiping. Speedline introduced a mid-range printer, Momentum, at Nepcon Shanghai.

On the floor, engineers build systems in cells using a demand-flow technique. Parts are stored in bins and carts move components to unit builds. “Repeatability” and “six-sigma accuracy” are terms used to describe benefits of this system. Through such innovations and improvements on legacy products, Speedline continues to answer market demands.

Where’s Your IP?

Central to the outsourcing debate is the issue of intellectual property (IP) protection. The U.S. brought two copyright and IP violation charges against China to the World Trade Organization (WTO), pinpointing a struggle between industry groups and outsourcing strategies that maintain the electronics industry. Economic backlash from China may threaten cooperation and stability in a global company with Asian facilities, subsidiaries, and outsourcing partners. Chinese news agencies point to evolving IP rights (IPR), and improvements to IPR trials, allowing more transparency and international oversight. The New York Times adds that Chinese government agencies must buy computers with IP-protected software.

These WTO cases mark a shift in relations between China and the U.S. The National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA - Atlanta), joined the coalition against counterfeiting and piracy (CACP), citing a need to protect domestic economy, jobs, and consumer safety. Counterfeit components, such as those marketed as RoHS-compliant and still containing RoHS-banned substances, and IP loss are global and growing, according to NEDA. How China’s evolution from lowest-cost/lowest-quality to complex assembly and materials capabilities will affect the outsourcing climate.

IPC Roadmap Forecast

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. - IPC’s “National Technology Roadmap” a guide to current, near-term, and long-term goals, indicates that design-for-manufacture (DfM), lifecycle management and end-of-life (EOL) recycling, and emerging resources for EMS providers will tame the global supply chain. “Early involvement in the design cycle for companies that practice concurrent engineering processes addresses DfM inadequacies,” notes IPC, adding that manufacturers must monitor an SMT machine’s availability and effectiveness to maximize facilities.

A “take-back” movement, pressuring companies to reclaim and recycle e-waste, is motivating EMS providers to centralize operations around refurbishing, repairing, or recycling assemblies.

EMS providers need tools to manage a global network of customers and suppliers with increased transparency and trace­ability. Software- and internet-based programs could create that link to supply-chain partners, assemblers, and distributors.

IPC faulted component manufacturers for lax reporting of surface finishes for lead-free. Some provide components with a new finish requiring higher soldering temperatures, but don’t change part numbers to reflect the adjustment.

EMS Diversification

To remain competitive in respective markets, Finland-based Elcoteq and Taiwan-based BenQ will restructure manufacturing services. After reviewing weak operating incomes due to price pressure, low volumes, and production problems in Mexico, Elcoteq approved a plan to broaden EMS offerings into integrated electronics manufacturing services (IEMS). Changes include adding merger and acquisition (M&A) arrangements, collaborating with other companies, and intensifying offerings.

BenQ will revamp its corporate roadmap, splitting contract electronics manufacturing and brand-name electronics into two companies: Jia Da Corp. and BenQ. CEO K.Y. Lee will remain chairman for both companies. Reportedly, BenQ’s branded business structure has become relatively small compared to its EMS business - Jai Da. Subject to approval, BenQ will spin off its brand name as a subsidiary of Jai Da this fall. This model is expected to boost efficiency and recover losses from the mobile-products unit in Germany.

PCB Market Up in ‘06

The world PCB market reached $47.35 billion, reports German research associations VDL and ZVEI.

• Southeast Asia and China grew 14% to $25.40B
• Japan grew 7.4% to $9.15B
• Americas grew 8.4% to $6.05B
• Europe grew 8.7% to $5.60B