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Web Exclusive Articles Industry News | Home Page | Archives Home Home Page 2008 P24 IPC APEX Product Preview The IPC Printed Circuits Expo/APEX/Designers Summit will take place April 1–3 in Las Vegas. Following are more product previews for the event, including dispense system, squeegee tooling, fluxers, test systems, rework tools, machine updates, microscopes, cleaners, and other materials, equipment, and software for the electronics assembly market. From the Editor: Innovation Still Alive and Well in the U.S. They say that innovation has dwindled down in the U.S., that technology and manufacturing drifted off to lower-cost providers in distant underdeveloped countries. This undeniably has happened in the contract assembly of surface mounted PCBs. It's almost as if the U.S. needs a challenge at times to get us started along another route. For instance, consider the approach we have taken to the standard 63/37 tin/lead solder paste, eutectic at 183°C, and a known entity that works well. Technical Highlights: APEX (March 25, 2008) LAS VEGAS — Technical presentations will take center stage at IPC Printed Circuits Expo/APEX/Designers Summit, April 1–3 in Las Vegas. Following are previews of select presentations taking place at the show, as well as links to other aspects of the technical program. Q&A with a Turnkey EMS Provider EPE Corporation is a 110-person turnkey EMS provider in Manchester, N.H. They specialize in domestic solutions, with high-mix and low- to medium-volume production runs. In addition to SMT, thru-hole, and BGA placement, the company performs conformal coating and UV inspection, and can incorporate custom parts. Their facility is ISO 9001-2000 certified and IPC-verified for lead-free and leaded processes. SMT spoke with Heather L. Steck-Yeaton, business development manager. Agilent Launches Blended Test Technology (March 24, 2008) SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Agilent Technologies Inc. will demonstrate a hybrid boundary scan and VTEP vectorless test solution, Cover-Extend, at APEX in Las Vegas, April 1–3 and Nepcon China in Shanghai, April 8–11, launching under its VTEP v2.0 Powered suite. Cover-Extend technology allows in-circuit test (ICT) without physical test points, recovering up to 50% of test node access and protecting assemblies. Siemens Divests Electronics (March 21, 2008) FRANKFURT, Germany — Thomson Financial reports that a spokesman for Siemens AG confirmed the company's plans to divest its electronic assembly systems unit by the end of this year. EA makes assembly machines for electronic components and circuit boards. ITW Completes Vitronics Soltec Acquisition (March 21, 2008) STRATHAM, N.H. — Illinois Tool Works (ITW) acquired Vitronics-Soltec from Francisco Partners, adding the soldering equipment company to other holdings in the SMT space, such as Kester and Speedline. Financial amounts were not disclosed. Novagard Releases Potting, Encapsulant, Conformal Coating Series (March 19, 2008) CLEVELAND — Novagard Solutions released RTV 800 Series UV/dual cure and UV gels for use in potting, encapsulating, and conformal coating of delicate components, PCBs, lighting assemblies, and various wiring/current-carrying electrical devices. Cure speeds can be less than 3 sec. Nunes Offering Green SMTAI Keynote (March 18, 2008) MINNEAPOLIS — The SMTA Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony at SMTA International (SMTAI), August 20, 2008, in Orlando, Fla., will feature a keynote presentation by Sharon Nunes, Ph.D., VP, Big Green Innovations, IBM Systems & Technology Group (STG). In her talk, Nunes will discuss IBM's approach to environmental challenges globally, and highlight ways that IBM is helping to tackle some of these important issues. From the Editor: Valuable Insights As editors focus on the industry at-large, we often rely on analysts, filtering information down to specifics relating to how readers conduct business and plan for the future. After all, information only becomes a tool when it is packaged in useful and useable formats. Some analysts present a narrow focus; others have a wider scope. Like the youngest bear in Goldie Locks, editors package together analyses to provide the "just right" amount of detail and macro view. Here's what you need to know. PAGE: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 |

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