TOKYO — Hitachi Chemical, one of the world's largest suppliers of PWB base materials, will increase prices of copper laminates and prepreg 10 to 15% starting Aug. 20.
The news was reported today by Dominque Numakura in his weekly newsletter.
TORONTO – Coretec Inc. reported sales of $21.8 million in the second quarter, a decrease of 4.5% compared both to the first quarter and the same period last year. The net loss was $600,000, reversing a gain of $400,000 last year and a decrease of 17% sequentially.
The company recorded an operating profit of $4.3 million, or 19.9% of sales, a decrease of 8.7% compared to first-quarter profit, and down 19.2% from profit year-over-year.
In a statement, president and CEO Paul Langston cited a general industry slowdown and rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar. He also noted the relocation of the company's manufacturing operations in Lawrence and operational challenges in Toronto related to the product mix and a defective chemical supply.
Coretec said the Lawrence facility shutdown was completed in May, and by the end of July all transferred processes will be fully operational. The firm plans to install new equipment in the current quarter to improve yields and capacity.
SANTA CLARA, CA – Agilent Technologies is offering a free three-part series of application notes on signal integrity analysis.
Part 1 covers time domain reflectometry (TDR); Part 2 covers 4-port TDR using vector network analyzers (VNAs) and physical layer test system (PLTS); Part 3 covers de-embedding.
These notes are tools for creating topology models, S parameter behavioral models, characterization of rise time degradation, interconnect bandwidth, near- and far-end cross talk, odd mode, even mode, differential and common impedance, mode conversion and complete differential channel characterization.
State College, PA – Chemcut Corporation announced that the company is celebrating 50 years in business in 2007. Chemcut, originally formed as the equipment manufacturing division of Centre Circuits, was founded in 1957. The company's first spray etching machine was sold one year later, establishing Chemcut at the forefront of technology and ushering in the era of mass-produced printed circuits.
MIGDAL HA'EMEK, Israel - Camtek Ltd. announced that it received a multi-million dollar order for automated optical inspection (AOI) systems from a leading PCB manufacturer based in Taiwan.
The order includes forty four of the new 3G family Dragon and Orion AOI systems recently presented to the market. In addition, the order includes upgrading thirty two of existing systems to 3G performance and more than 20 units of new CVR100 verification systems. The new systems will be installed at the customer's new plant in China and the revenues will be recognized during the third and fourth quarters of 2007.
PRACHIN BURI, THAILAND — CMK Corp. will reportedly invest four billion baht ($135 million) to increase capacity in its PCB factory in Thailand. The new equipment is scheduled to be installed by March 2008.
