TORONTO – Firan Technology Group Corporation (TSX: FTG) today announced that IPC's Validation Services Program has awarded qualification for IPC-1791, Trusted Electronics Fabricator Requirements Qualified Manufacturers Listing (QML) to FTG Circuits Toronto.
FTG is a global corporation offering design, development, prototypes and manufacturing solutions for aerospace and defense electronic products and subsystems.
The FTG Circuits Toronto facility passed stringent Type 2 fabricator requirements, helping to optimize product quality, reliability, and consistency across the entire manufacturing operations, earning a spot-on IPC’s global network of rigorously vetted, trusted sources. Requirements for qualification and QML listing to IPC-1791 includes product and quality system, supply chain risk management system (SCRM), security system including compliance to NIST SP 800-171, Export Control Laws (ITAR and EAR), and a chain of custody system review. This is the third FTG site to achieve the IPC-1791 certification.
FTG Circuits is a manufacturer of high-technology, high-reliability printed circuit boards including standard rigid, high-density interconnect (HDI), RF circuitry, thermal management, and rigid flex products. FTG produces boards utilizing traditional PCB manufacturing processes and a license of Averatek’s A-SAPTM Semi-additive process.
“This IPC recognized qualification combined with the capabilities, scope and FTG’s commitment to being the trusted PCB supplier of choice for aviation, defense and space industry customers assures our continued relationship with IPC Validation Services and the Trusted Supplier Audit Program,” said Mr. Brad Bourne, President and CEO, FTG Corporation.
IPC's Validation Services QML Program was developed to promote supply chain verification and recognition. It also provides auditing and qualification of electronics companies' products and identifies processes which conform to IPC standards. The IPC-1791 QML verifies security systems and recognizes companies for either trusted electronic designer, fabricator, or assembler ensuring a high level of integrity. "IPC's Validation Services Audit Programs uniquely provide technical and in-depth assessments of products and processes in accordance with IPC standards," said Randy Cherry, IPC Director of Validation Services. "We are pleased to recognize FTG Circuits Toronto as a member of IPC's network of trusted QML suppliers."
PETACH-TIKVA, ISRAEL – Eltek Ltd. (NASDAQ: ELTK), a global manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced solutions in the field of printed circuit boards, announced today that it repaid the balance of its $1.7 million of bank debt. As of June 27, 2023 the Company's cash balance is $7 million. In addition, the Company has decided to accelerate its current investments in production equipment.
"Our cash flows from operating activities together with the cash we received from our insurance carrier have allowed us to repay the balance of our bank debt, which will reduce our interest expenses going forward. We are pleased that our strong cash position has enabled us to repay our bank debt, expedite our current investments in production equipment in order to meet the current high demand for our products and to continue with our $15 million accelerated investment plan, " said Eli Yaffe, CEO of Eltek.
TOKYO – Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced that it has standardized development of all printed-circuit board (PCB) design on the Altium 365 cloud-based platform from Altium, LLC, a global software company based in San Diego, Calif.
Renesas currently employs multiple PCB design tools across the company, in part because different companies that Renesas has acquired over the past several years have brought their own legacy software into the company. As Renesas integrates components from these different groups into system solutions as Winning Combinations, a uniform PCB design tool will streamline board designs used for demonstrating and evaluating these Winning Combinations and all other product kits, resulting in reduced complexity, improved cost structure and faster time to market.
Renesas’ Winning Combinations are engineering-vetted designs integrating embedded processing, analog, power, and connectivity. They allow customers to take advantage of an elevated platform for their design ideas, accelerating product development cycles and lowering overall risk in bringing designs to market. Renesas now offers more than 400 Winning Combinations for a wide range of customers and markets.
Altium 365 is the leading cloud-based PCB design platform. With Altium 365, users can collaborate with stakeholders and other participants while maintaining IP security and keeping designs under revision control. Users can organize designs, libraries, and participants in one place while sharing links to designs for real-time collaboration. With the use of CAD-specific intelligence, data can be stored and accessed online. Renesas will publish all its products’ ECAD libraries to the Altium Public Vault. With features such as manufacturer part search on Altium365, customers can choose Renesas parts directly from the Altium library for faster time to market.
“Renesas has made a commitment to digital transformation and making the customer design process easier,” said Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President, CSMO and Head of the Global Sales and Marketing Unit at Renesas. “The ECAD tool migration is an important step in our journey, and we look forward to continuing collaboration and to strengthening our partnership with Altium.”
“This migration tightly aligns with Renesas’ solution and digitalization strategy, which includes Quick-Connect Platforms and other strategic initiatives,” said DK Singh, VP Renesas System and Solution Team. “This development workflow harmonization will enable internal global collaboration and make it easier for customers to integrate Renesas products and solutions into their systems.”
Renesas will continue to offer full support to customers leveraging ECAD design platforms other than Altium and provide ECAD libraries for other ECAD tools as needed by customers. We are strengthening our partnership with Altium, and this ECAD tool unification is the first chapter of our journey as we work on multiple initiatives to strengthen our “broader and deeper” market strategy.
“Renesas is truly a world leader in the semiconductor business, with one of the industry’s broadest product lineups and a design footprint that spans the globe,” said Marc Boonen, Chief Commercial Officer at Altium. “We are proud that Renesas has chosen Altium 365 as their platform of choice and are looking forward to working together to deliver high-quality integrated solutions faster and less expensively than ever before.”
LAKE FOREST, CA – Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, has announced it will become the exclusive distributor for North America of Arlon copperclad laminates beginning September 4, 2023. Arlon is also the master distributor for Elite Materials Company (EMC) based in Taiwan bringing both product lines to Insulectro.
“Today, we welcome two new manufacturers to our World-class supplier/partner family,” announced Insulectro President and CEO Patrick Redfern, “Arlon and EMC offer a wide array of cutting-edge, high-performance laminates for mission critical printed circuit boards manufactured for high endurance and long-life programs. Plus, it allows us to offer California-sourced inventory for greater supply chain reliability.
“This is the beginning of a new era for Insulectro as new materials and relationships strengthen our presence in the PCB industry and prepare us for unprecedented growth. We continually monitor the marketplace to assess challenges and develop solutions. All to enable us to service our customers’ needs today and in the future,” Redfern added.
Arlon was founded in 1969 as Howe Industries and the company manufactured polyimide laminate and prepregs for the printed circuit board industry. Thermoset polyimide resin was the preferred high temperature laminate system known for its thermal stability, good chemical resistance, excellent mechanical properties, and exceptionally good heat resistance. The company evolved to become Arlon Electronic Materials Division after being purchased by Taiwan-based manufacturer EMC in 2020 to establish a base of operations in North America.
EMC was established in 1992 as a dedicated PCB base material manufacturer. Since 2013, EMC has become the largest worldwide manufacturer and supplier of Halogen-free and HDI materials. With a highly skilled Research and Development team, EMC has developed a number of high-speed and high-frequency products, from Mid Loss, Low Loss, Very Low Loss, Ultra Low Loss down to Extreme Low Loss categories. As a result, in 2022, EMC attained the number two worldwide market share position in the specialty laminate (high-speed, high-frequency, and IC substrate) space. These materials are designed for very complex PCBs, such as, for example, Any-layer build-up, mSAP, IC substrate, high layer count (HLC)/ high speed digital (HSD) and radio frequency (RF) products just to name a few.
Following EMC’s acquisition of Arlon, significant investments have been made in the Arlon business to date, with an eye on even greater investment towards continued improvement and expanding the operation in Southern California.
Speaking on behalf of EMC, Chairman Albert Tung commented, “We are pleased to achieve, across North America, logistic and support capability for our customers with this new opportunity with Insulectro. Insulectro has an outstanding reputation as the premier distributor of PCB materials throughout the U.S. and Canada. With this partnership, we have attained our goal of having a solid North America presence, and we aim to continue to expand our product portfolio in North America for years to come. We feel this is an extraordinary opportunity for all three companies.”
Ken Parent, Chief Operating Officer commented, “Arlon’s and EMC’s laminates and prepregs are top shelf materials for fabricators. They will be first-choice selections in such PCB markets as aerospace/defense, aircraft and avionics, automotive, and medical, as well as many industrial applications. We look forward to introducing these products to our customers and OEMs and expect an enthusiastic reception.
“Arlon/EMC’s polyimides, low-flow and epoxy prepregs expand our offerings in rigid, flex, and rigid/flex applications in addition to being compatible with DuPont’s Pyralux® flexible laminates. We expect to be more useful to our existing customers as well as to new customers,” Parent concluded.
MULINO, OR – Sunstone Circuits® is pleased to announce the promotion of Kevin Beattie to Production Manager. Beattie has an extensive and impressive 25+ year career in printed circuit board manufacturing, having spent time with both Sunstone Circuits and TTM Technologies. He brings valuable experience to the production manager position from process engineering, new process introductions, support of nearly every manufacturing process, and extensive knowledge of Continuous Improvement, ISO, IPC and various other industry requirements. Working with production teams and leading the charge in the name of improvement is what he does well.
"I'm truly honored to lead our team as we ramp up towards higher technology in PCB manufacturing. Together, let's embrace innovation, push boundaries, and create an incredible future in this exciting field." - Kevin Beattie
Matt Stevenson, Vice President of Sales/Marketing and Operations - "Kevin Beattie's outstanding contributions to Sunstone's quality assurance have been invaluable, and I have no doubt that he will excel in his new role as Production Manager. With his extensive knowledge and experience in the PCB industry, combined with his dedication to excellence, Kevin is the ideal candidate to lead our production team to new heights. I look forward to witnessing his continued success and the positive impact he will bring to Sunstone's production processes."
The role of Production Manager is a critical one in any manufacturing organization. This individual is responsible for overseeing the entire production process, from planning and scheduling to execution and delivery. They must ensure that production runs smoothly, efficiently, and within budget, while maintaining high levels of quality and safety standards. The Production Manager is also responsible for managing the production team, providing leadership, training, and support to ensure that employees have the tools and resources they need to perform their jobs effectively. Ultimately, the Production Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the organization's production goals are met, and products are delivered to customers on time and to their satisfaction.
WALTHAM, MA – Nano Dimension Ltd. (Nasdaq: NNDM, “Nano Dimension” or the “Company”), a leading supplier of Additively Manufactured Electronics (“AME”) and multi-dimensional polymer, metal & ceramic Additive Manufacturing (“AM”) 3D printers, announced today that it has sold its DragonFly® IV system to the University of Stuttgart.
Nano Dimension’s most advanced 3D printer for electronics will go to the University’s Institute of Smart Sensors (IIS) and 3rd Institute of Physics (PI3). The two groups are jointly working on the design and the integration of next-generation quantum devices as part of a government sponsored program known as Cluster4Future QSens (“QSens”). The University of Stuttgart groups are working together with 19 industrial partners and three research institutes to spearhead the industrial use of quantum sensors to target a large-scale market entry within the next three to five years.
The DragonFly® IV is a critical innovation enabler in specialty applications for High-Performance-Electronic-Devices (Hi-PEDs®) by simultaneously depositing proprietary conductive and dielectric substances, while integrating in-situ capacitors, antennas, coils, transformers, and electromechanical components. Such Hi-PEDs® are critical enablers for a range of applications, including autonomous intelligent drones, cars, satellites, smartphones, and in vivo medical devices. In addition, these products enable iterative development, IP safety, fast time-to-market, and device performance gains. In the context of quantum technologies, the 3D-electronic-integration capabilities of the Dragonfly® IV will enable entirely new possibilities for the microelectronic and photonic integration of the next generation of scalable quantum devices.
Professor Jens Anders, Institute Director of the IIS at the University of Stuttgart and spokesperson for QSens, shared, “We are excited to bring the DragonFly® IV with its worldwide unique capabilities into our research. The integration of qubits for quantum sensing and quantum computing is high-demanding in nature, requiring innovative, high-precision solutions; therefore, it is not often that we find technology that meets our challenging needs. Engaging with Nano Dimension will help us design and manufacture the next generation of scalable quantum devices, which will revolutionize our society with applications ranging from smart prostheses and smart breath sensors over pharmaceutical research to autonomous driving.”
Yoav Stern, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nano Dimension, added, “We look forward to supporting the University of Stuttgart and their Center of Applied Quantum Technology in their ever-critical work on quantum technology. Furthermore, we are pleased that another customer has come to appreciate the value of AME to drive innovation. This is particularly empowering when the work at-hand is the scalable integration of qubits for quantum sensing and computing. This field is perfect use case for our AME system, DragonFly® IV, which can be used to make specialty electronic devices with the design freedom and shorter innovation cycles of additive manufacturing.”
