Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Fab News

Fab News

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Fab News; Published: 22 August 2008

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA– Arlon Materials for Electronics Division recently attained a significant safety milestone– 10 years of operation without one lost-time injury. The success for the company can be attributed to maintaining an open line of communication and to making safety a major priority, not to mention the top-notch employees, nearly 30% have been with Arlon for the company’s entire 10 years.

“Safety is an integral part of each employee’s contribution to the work environment. An injury-free workplace is a top priority for us, and 10 years without a lost-time injury is an extremely significant achievement. All our employees have done a fantastic job in reaching this milestone,” explains Bob Carini, president of Arlon.

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Fab News; Published: 22 August 2008

SHANGHAI–While consumers are becoming aware of the growing problems from electronic waste accumulating in landfills, chemists at Jiao Tong University may have developed a method that converts printed circuit board refuse into viable building material.

After valuable metals are recycled from PCBs, the debris, typically comprised of epoxy resin, glass fibers and metallic residue from laminate and plating, ends up in landfills. With the new process, chemists can turn the debris, or pulp, into a material suitable for a number of applications. First, the pulp is crushed and any residual metallic components are removed using an electrostatic separator. The fine powder is then mixed and kneaded with unsaturated polyester to form a dough-like substance that can be heated and pressed into shapes such as planks.

The recycled material has the properties consistent with construction materials, the scientists claim. “We tested the strength and hardness of our planks and showed that they have properties that are comparable with other building materials,” explains Zhenming Xu, leader of the research team. “We are confident that this material can be used for making products such as fences, sewer grates and park benches.”

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Fab News; Published: 21 August 2008

SYRACUSE, NY -- Anaren Microwave Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Unicircuit, Inc. of Littleton, CO for approximately $22.5 million. Net sales for Unicircuit in 2007 was approximately $18.7 million.

Details: Written by Staff; Category: Fab News; Published: 21 August 2008

REDMOND, WA– Prototron Circuits recently appointed Judy K. Gentry to manage the company’s sales efforts in the Upper Midwest.

Gentry has over 25 years of experience in the printed circuit board industry, including sales management and ownership positions with several companies including Nobel Industries, Wellbord and Multicircuits.

“Judy will be a great asset to Prototron’s national sales team. Her years of experience and knowledge of the PCB industry add a great deal of depth and intelligence to our sales team. We are thrilled to have someone of her strong identity and reputation representing Prototron in the Upper Midwest,” says Tom Carney, East Coast sales manager.

ENDICOTT, NY- Felicia Williams has been named vice president of human resources with Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. Williams has over 20 years of experience in administration and management, and prior to joining Endicott, she served as vice president of human resources for North American Global Components and held various leadership positions within Arrow Electronics.

Williams' experience includes performance management and development, strategic staffing and organization design. In her new role, she will assess the effectiveness of existing programs, determine strategic goals and evaluate the needs of the company.

"Felicia's broad and diverse HR experience will bring much added value to the company as we continue to focus the organization on growth and operational excellence," explains James J. McNamara, president and CEO.

BOSTON — Cimtek named Alex Bonham director of professional services, responsible for helping manufacturers leverage rich and relevant information gathered at product and functional test to make decisions throughout the product lifecycle.

He has 15 years' experience in designing hardware and software for product and functional test. Prior to joining Cimtek, Bonham was with Andigilog, where he spearheaded vertical market expansion and the development of the company’s thermal management test product line. He has also held test development and engineering positions at Myriad Systems Group, Cottonwood Technology Group and National Instruments.

“All too often, by the time the reality of product failure meets the warranty requirements, manufacturers have to take the loss and move on, pinning hope on the next new product and its ability to deliver enough revenue to lessen the pain,” said Stan Smith, Cimtek's CEO. “With Alex on board, we have the resources our customers need to put an end to that vicious cycle by ensuring that quality flaws have been completely analyzed and designed out.”

Bonham and his team will work with customers in automotive, avionics, medical and consumer electronics to analyze those vulnerabilities – and identify areas for immediate, and continual, quality improvements.