Manufacturing of the Raspberry PI to move to the UK

One of the biggest holdups to owning a Raspberry Pi was its stuttering availability, so much so that it even prompted a few copycat boards. Creator Eben Upton and equipment makers Premier Farnell might have found the solution, teaming up with Sony to produce an initial run of 300,000 of the educational computers at the company's UK Technology Center, in Pencoed, near Bridgend in Wales. Upton hopes to keep the cost at $25 and $35 for two boards, thanks to employing Sony's "lean manufacturing techniques," and the Japanese company has already spent £50,000 ($80,000) on new package-on-package assembly equipment -- ensuring that we'll all be able to get our hands on one soon enough.

Premier Farnell, Sony, team up to move Raspberry PI manufacturing to the UK -- Engadget:

'via Blog this'

Cookson mulls spin off of unit that makes iPad parts

Telegraph: Analysts believe that splitting its electronics and ceramics businesses will unlock shareholder value as the shares are currently trading at a 20pc discount to the wider industrials sector.
The ceramics business makes consumable that are used in the production of steel and the electronics business manufactures the high- performance materials used in circuit boards. Cookson also owns a small precious metals processing business.
Talk of a potential spin off gathered pace after activist investor Cevian, the hedge fund chaired by former City minister Lord Myners, recently become the largest shareholder in Cookson, with an 18pc stake earlier this year.
However, Nick Salmon, Cookson's chief executive, is also understood to believe the electronics division, which accounts for about a third of the group's 2.8bn of annual sales, would thrive as a separate business.

Nihon Superior Picks Up Another Award

Nihon Superior Picks Up Another Award: Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced soldering materials to the global market, recently received a 2012 NPI Award in the category of Soldering Materials for its SN100C (551CT) Flux-Cored Solder Wire.

Lead-free Solder Ames Lab's Top Income-Generating Technology

SMTONLINE: Fifteen years ago, an environmentally-friendly solder developed by the U.S Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory made history as the first cost-effective, broadly useable alternative to tin-lead solder, a toxic but necessary ingredient in a range of popular – and proliferating – consumer electronics.

ImageNow lead-free solder, a tin-silver-copper alloy invented by a research team headed by Ames Lab senior metallurgist Iver Anderson, has made history for a second time: In 2011, it became the top royalty income-generating technology ever produced in the history of both Ames Lab and Iowa State University.

In earning this distinction, lead-free solder surpassed Ames Lab’s previous top royalty earner – a mass spectrometer that combines the key analytical tools of multiplexed capillary electrophoresis with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry – and ISU’s longstanding record-holder: an algorithm, patented in 1972, that expedited the fax transmission process.

“As of the end of June 2011 lead-free solder generated $38.9 million in royalties, exceeding all other licensed ISU technologies,” said Nita Lovejoy, associate director of the ISU Research Foundation (ISURF) and ISU's Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. Through its contract with the DOE to operate the lab, ISU may retain rights to Ames Laboratory funded intellectual property.

Balver Zinn Group to Highlight Range of Solar Applications at EU PVSEC 2011

Energetica India (Official Magazine): As a supplier of surface treatments, wires and solder, Balver Zinn has over three generations of experience in the electronics industry. This metallurgical knowledge and the company drives of “forging new paths” is the basis for entering the solar market. Additionally, Balver Zinn is working closely with suppliers of PV ribbon products. Materials are supplied by Balver Zinn to produce tin precision copper flat wire for solar cell tabbing and string interconnects. Different hot-dip tinning alloys are available including lead-free materials.

Ishihara Chemical to Establish New Plant for Electronic Materials

Factiva: "Ishihara Chemical has made a decision to build a new production plant for electronic materials, probably on land acquired on the outskirts of Kobe, and will determine the plant's output capacity during this fiscal year. It will also funnel R&D investment into the setting up of a laboratory in the plant for the development of new products to foster its electronic materials into a core business.

The company produces primarily metal-surface finishing agents, such as tin and tin-alloy solder plating solutions"

Atotech Licenses Enthone Immersion Tin Tech Patent

PCB007: "Enthone Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics has granted Atotech Deutschland GmbH (Berlin, Germany) a license under an immersion tin patent (U.S. Patent Number No. 6,821,323). The Enthone patent encompasses technology that mitigates the propensity for whisker growth.

The Enthone immersion tin patent allows the use of metals, such as silver, to be incorporated within the tin process solution. The patent is registered and valid in Europe, Asia and the United States. Terms of the license agreement remain confidential.

Dr. Bernhard Wessling, Enthone Global Director ORMECON Products, said, “The Enthone patent being licensed to Atotech is not used in the formulation of the industry’s leading ORMECON CSN Classic immersion tin process for printed wiring board (PWB) fabrication. Instead, a distinctive Organic Metal technology is employed within the pre-dip process that appears to induce the formation of relatively large grain tin deposits and reduce the rate of IMC formation, thus rendering the immersion tin deposit whisker resistant."

European Metal Recycling and Summit Solders

European Metal Recycling: "EMR has a wholly owned subsidiary, Summit Solder Products, who are the leading UK manufacturer of tin based solder products. Our expertise has been developed through understanding each industry and knowing exactly what different customers require. Our reputation has been built through supplying consistently high quality solder products with exceptional levels of customer service.

Using highly efficient technology, we are able to enhance the purity of any alloy, which not only reduces waste for the end user, but also saves on cost."

New Book on Lead-Free Released

EMS007: "Carol Handwerker of Purdue University and Greg Henshall of HP offer a overview of their new book, Lead-Free Solder Process Development, which they co-authored and co-edited with Jasbir Bath, explaining the relevance and importance of their new work."

Nihon Superior's Technical Director to Present Assessment of Microalloyed Sn-Zn as a Solder

EMSNow: "Given the advantages of reduced damage to components and laminate, as well as energy savings that could accrue as a result of a melting point 20'C lower than the liquidus temperature of SAC305, the tin-9 percent zinc eutectic alloy has been attracting the attention of the electronics industry as a potential lead-free solder. If solders based on the tin-zinc eutectic are to find wider application, the problem of corrosion will have to be addressed.

The presentation will provide a detailed assessment of the effect of a microalloying addition of manganese on the mechanical integrity of tin-zinc alloy joints on copper, nickel, and silver substrates after exposure to elevated temperature (150'C) and humid heat (85'C/85 percent RH) for up to 1000 hours. The nature and extent of corrosion on the surface, and the solder/substrate interface was examined using SEM/EDX and found to vary considerably with the substrate.

Nihon Superior Recognized for Achievement in Intellectual Property

EMSNow: "For Nihon Superior, the reasons cited for the award were:

1. The company's prompt response to the EU RoHS Directive on eliminating lead from electronic circuitry that resulted in the granting of patents in 24 countries and regions.

2. Avoiding price competition by the exclusive use of high-quality technology effectively protected by patent and maintaining ongoing activity to strengthen the patent and provide the basis for new patents.

3. Improving global competitiveness by investing in collaborative research at foreign universities.

The use of licensing to ensure fast adoption of the patented technology by overseas companies also was recognized as a key part of Nihon Superior's intellectual property strategy."

Nihon Superior Opens R&D Center in Japan

EMS007 "Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced soldering materials to the global market, announces the grand opening of its new Research and Development center. The opening celebration was held on Friday, October 15, 2010 at the new center located in Osaka, Japan.

'Our technical, sales and quality assurance departments have merged, resulting in our new R&D Center. We plan to leverage the capabilities of our new R&D Center to respond to a more diverse range of customer needs. Simultaneously, we will continue to aggressively advance our academic research to contribute to the development of the electronics industry,' said Tetsuro Nishimura, President of Nihon Superior Co. Ltd."

Interview—David Crimp, Cookson Electronic Materials

Global SMT and Packaging : "David Crimp is a 25-year industry veteran (with a four year gap, as he likes to point out) and executive vice president, Europe, for Cookson Electronic Materials. What he doesn’t know about the European solder business is probably not worth writing about. Trevor Galbraith spoke to him recently about how Cookson seem to have fared better than many in the electronics interconnect business."

You moved your global research and development headquarters to Bangalore, India. What benefits did you gain by moving this key department to Asia?

Our R&D H.Q. remains in the U.S., and our Bangalore facility was opened three years ago to augment our global capabilities. We are constantly enhancing our team with the best young scientists we can find, and India has more honours kids than the U.S. has kids!

Also, this location in Asia puts us right where the action is.

You still do a lot of “blue sky” research when most of the industry has reverted to customer-led development only. Why do you think “blue-sky” is still important?

Of course it’s not all “blue sky” there! In fact, we have a full-line applications support and test facility to support our Asian customer base.

But the fundamental research can get us ahead of the curve. Take halogen-free as an example! We had materials “on the shelf” before there was a market driver.

Disruptive technologies galvanise industries: some of our nano-materials research could revolutionise the die-attach market.

What do you think is driving the trend towards nano-materials, and do we have sufficient reliability data on these materials as an interconnect medium?

Miniaturisation and lead-free are the major drivers. Nano-materials have to create value to the user. In Cookson’s case, nAg for die-attach does. Data is being generated as the material is adopted and will provide a guide to their use in other interconnect applications.

Your SACX materials are a low-silver alternative. Is the conductivity and reliability data comparable or better than SAC305?

Yes, the in-use performance of SACX Plus is comparable to SAC305 and can often improve process yield.

Regarding reliability in the case of impact resistance SACX Plus actually out performs higher silver alloys.

Alpha's Alan Plant to Present at Tallin Reliability Summit

Global SMT and Packaging: "Alpha’s Regional Applications Manager Europe, Alan Plant is to present at the European Electronics Assembly Reliability Summit, September 21-23, 2010 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Low silver alloys are now commonplace in the production of solder spheres for BGA and CSP components but their adoption in solder paste formulation and use has been slower and more conservative.
Plant’s presentation, 'The effect of mixing BGA and solder paste alloys on the formation of voids,' highlights a potential problem arising when assemblies are produced using spheres and solder pastes with different alloy compositions.

Hugely experienced, Plant has been an invaluable member of the Alpha team for the past 7 years. A metallurgist by training, he has been involved in electronics assembly for some 27 years overall, having held several positions within ICL and Celestica before his time with Alpha."

Balver Zinn SN100CS with Ge

EMSNow: "Our SN100CS™ is a variant of SN100C™. It helps to make optimal solder available for each specific application. This eagerly anticipated development in the highly regarded SN100C™ solder range has a content of 100 ppm (0.01 percent) of germanium (Ge).

In the SN100C™ formulation, Ge plays the vital role of the antioxidant, providing a preferential reaction with oxygen to protect the solder from oxidation, which results in the formation of dross. The greater content of germanium in the SN100CS™ solder renders it especially suitable for applications without nitrogen. This new solder also offers all of the same advantages that have made Balver Zinn's SN100C™ so popular with leading manufacturers around the globe, including its substantially reduced copper dissolution. The lower surface tension of the solder surface deoxidized with Ge also results in improved wetting and flow"

Nihon Superior Releases Video Results for Evaluation of SN100C and SAC305

EMSNow: "Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., a supplier of advanced soldering materials to the global market, has released a video demonstrating the results of an evaluation comparing the wettability and spreadability of SN100C and SAC305 solder alloys on stranded wire.

The video demonstrates that although SAC305 has a lower melting point, the superiority of SN100C's wettability and spreadability after melting results in faster total wetting and spreading over SAC305.

In general, wettability is evaluated with zero-cross time using the wetting balance test (JIS Z 3198 or IPC J-STD-003). However, it is recommended to verify the performance of wetting and spreading of solder onto a base material after melting, such as in this evaluation. The total wetting time appears to be a more realistic indication of the true wetting and spreadability of a solder than just the zero-cross time as demonstrated in the video."

Nihon Superior Wins ICEP Outstanding Paper Award！

Nihon Superior Co., Ltd.: "Nihon Superior is pleased to annouce that research they have sponsored at the University of Queensland, Australia, has provided the basis for the paper that earned an ICEP Outstanding Paper Award.

The Award, presented during the opening ceremony of ICEP 2010 in Sapporo on May 12, was for the paper, “Inhibiting Cracking of Interfacial Cu6Sn5 by Ni Additions to Sn-based Lead-free Solders” that was presented by the lead author, The University of Queensland's Associate Professor Kazuhiro Nogita, at ICEP 2009 in Kyoto. The paper, which reports a phenomenon that explains a major contribution to the reliability of Nihon Superior’s SN100C solder alloy was co-authored by Stuart McDonald, Hideaki Tsukamoto and Jonathan Read of University of Queensland and the president of Nihon Superior, Tetsuro Nishimura and Shoichi Suenaga of Nihon Superior."

Senju Manufacturing Joins HDP User Group

EMS007 : "The High Density Packaging User Group International, Inc. (HDP User Group), a global non-profit cooperative research and development organization for the Electronics Manufacturing industries, announces that Senju Manufacturing has joined the organization. Senju will participate in HDP User Group's technical programs.

The HDP organization and its member companies are excited about the addition of Senju and look forward to sharing knowledge in current and future projects that will benefit all. 'Senju, as a world leader in many of the materials used for manufacturing electronics will be a very important addition to the HDP User Group team. Often the solutions to the technical issues in electronics manufacturing derive from improved materials. We look forward to working with the Scientists and Engineers at Senju to address and solve the industry's problems,' said Marshall Andrews, Executive Director of HDP User Group International."

Henkel acquires solder sphere manufacturer, Accurus Scientific Company Ltd.

EMSNow: "Upholding its promise to deliver customers with single-source materials solutions for the entire semiconductor packaging and printed circuit board (PCB) assembly value chains, Henkel today announced that it has successfully acquired Accurus Scientific Co. Ltd.. The Taiwan-based Accurus Scientific Co. Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of solder spheres and type 1 through type 7 solder powders with 170 employees. It is an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company.

'The addition of Accurus to our portfolio brings Henkel's product offerings full circle - enabling us to provide complete materials solutions, which now includes advanced solder sphere technology for next-generation CSP and BGA devices and specialty solder powder for fine-pitch applications,' says Dr. Jochen Krautter, Executive Vice President of Henkel Technologies"

Foxconn moving from southern China to northern and western regions, says report

EMSNow: "The Foxconn Group, after announcing wage hikes for employees at two production bases in Shenzhen, southern China in early June, has been shifting a large portion of the production lines from Shenzhen to its production bases in Tianjin, northern China, and Wuhan and Chongqing, western China, according to a Chinese-language China Times report.

The two production bases in Shenzhen currently have 400,000 employees in total and will be combined into one, with only a few relatively profitable production lines to remain, the report pointed out. As the minimum monthly wages in Tianjin and Wuhan are currently 920 yuan (US$135) and 900 yuan respectively, the moves are to reduce labor costs because Foxconn may not raise wages for workers in the two places, the report analyzed. According to other China-based reports, Foxconn began to stop recruiting new employees in Shenzhen on May 29."