MBX developed special production, picking, tracking and staffing procedures and built proprietary software to improve scheduling, balance workload distribution, and perform other manufacturing tasks.

View full post on All Automation World content

ABB and GM test Chevrolet electric vehicle batteries for storage and back-up power uses as well as selling power back to the grid. 

View full post on All Automation World content

Learn what is needed to become a Six Sigma White Belt with this introduction video from SixSigmaTV.Net

IPC’s World PCB Production Report for the Year 2009 was published today. It shows that worldwide PCB production declined 13 percent in 2009 over the previous year, based on estimates in U.S. dollars developed by the IPC World Market Consensus Committee. World PCB production was estimated at $44.22 billion in 2009. Production in North America, estimated at $3.43 billion, declined nearly 17 percent in 2009. The tide began to turn in mid-2009, however, and analysts are predicting 12 percent growth in the worldwide PCB market in 2010.

The World PCB Production Report presents estimates of PCB production in U.S. dollars and local currencies by country and by 10 product types. Metal core boards were added to the report for the first time this year, along with the committee’s forecasts of significant growth in this product market.

Asia’s share of PCB production has grown to 86 percent of the world total. China is the world’s top PCB producer with a 34 percent share. China has taken some of its share growth from other Asian countries, most of which saw their shares reduced in 2009. North America now produces 8 percent of the world’s PCBs based on value.

This year’s report features special commentary on China by Dr. Hayao Nakahara, and a special analysis of market demand for high-speed PCBs by Mark Hutton of BPA Consulting. They are members of the IPC World Market Consensus Committee along with Phil Plonski of Prismark and Michael Gasch, an independent consultant in Europe. Working with their own data and data from IPC and other sources, the IPC committee developed the estimates in the report through a consensus process.

The World PCB Production Report is published annually for IPC members. To read or download the report, members can follow this link to a log-in page and then to the report: www.ipc.org/World-Report-2009. It can also be found in the members-only area of the IPC website on the market research page.

Filed under: Boards Tagged: PCB industry data, world production

View full post on IPC Blog

Industry expert Bob Willis explains the impact of flux and solder mask on solder ball defects in this video based on the  National Physical Laboratory Defect Database.

The defect database allows engineers to search through a range of defects covering components, printed circuit boards, solder joints and assembly problems. The aim is to add more defects each month to complement the online submissions with further support from the industry to make this a global resource to industry. It is available at no charge to allow engineers to submit defects online with full details and solutions to current problems.

Additional defect videos and more are available on the IPC YouTube Channel.

Filed under: Assembly, Technical Tagged: electronics assembly, solder ball defects, solder flux, solder mask

View full post on IPC Blog

Manufacturing equipment for sale is available in all shapes, sizes, styles and prices. It all depends on what you are looking for. With sellers going out of business or cutting back or getting rid of surplus equipment, there are many types of machinery on the market for someone who is looking for a deal.

When you are looking for something specific, it is sometimes difficult to find it because it is defined in a different way or is listed under a subheading that you didn’t find. Some of the major types of industrial machinery and equipment include:

Electrical and electronic components such as:

• Bar code devices such as scanners or verifiers that are used to read the bar codes
• Batteries and accessories such as chemical or physical that includes solar cell or thermal
• Connectors such as electrical or optical that conduct or transfer signals from cable to cable
• Circuit protection devices such as protection from voltage or current surges
• Data input devices such as a mouse or keyboard
• Meters, readouts and indicators such as panel meters or digital readouts
• Passive electronic components such as inductors or capacitors

Material handling and packaging equipment such as:

• Material handling equipment such as forklifts, conveyors or winches
• Packaging and labeling equipment such as labeling or packaging as part of automation
• Web handling and processing equipment such as plastic films or metal sheets

Test and measurement equipment such as:

• Analytical instruments such as equipment to analyze material samples or record data
• Calibration instruments such as precision instruments or accuracy meters
• Multimeters and electrical test meters such as ammeters or voltmeters to measure electrical signals
• Recorders and loggers such as digital or analog sensors
• Sensing and measurement instruments such as measurement of variables such as humidity or temperature

These are just a fraction of the thousands of types of equipment, machinery and instruments that are used in various types of manufacturing processes. There are manufacturers devoted to building and construction, imaging and video equipment, laboratory equipment and scientific instruments as well as mechanical components or more complex optical components and optics. Others include data acquisition and signal conditioning, fluid power components or sensors, transducers and detectors.

Some equipment is very simple to manufacture and easy to operate, while others are much more complicated not only to create, but their operation many times requires skilled personnel who have been required to acquire specialized training to run the equipment. This is especially true with medical and hospital equipment and others that are used for detailed analysis.

Whatever you are looking for, it can be found but only if you know where to go to look for it. Our specialized service will provide you will a free place to look for the equipment and then allow you access to the seller so that you can negotiate your own terms. If you need financing, we can provide that at a low cost for equipment over $250,000 if you are a United States resident. Why not give it a try – all you have to do is register what you are looking for.

For more information please visit our web site at www.businessbuyersregistry.com

Amplicon has gained an unrivalled experience over the past 33 years in the design, manufacture and distribution of computer products, systems and solutions for industrial applications. They have the ability to tailor systems to meet application and environmental requirements across a wide range of industries. Their equipment would typically be destined for use in factories, transport, warehousing, laboratories and military COTS. Like all Amplicon products, their industrial computing systems are manufactured under strict quality management procedures certified to ISO9001:2000.

The first step in designing an industrial computing system is to be aware what product standards and directives have to be met. Industrial computing products would typically be covered by areas related to safety and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). If the product is to be put onto the European Market, it will need to be CE Marked to indicate that it has complied with all associated directives.

In designing a computing system, there are a number of main building components that influence the look, feel, performance, reliability, repeatability and robustness of the end product. These include the storage drives (HDD, Solid State, CompactFlash, CD drives and FDD), Memory, Central Processing Unit (CPU), processor cooler, Power Supply Unit (PSU) or redundant PSU, Motherboard or Single Board Computer (SBC) and Backplane combination, total chassis cooling mechanism and finally the Chassis.

A standard 4U chassis is highly scaleable and its versatility lends itself to many end applications and environments. Hence, in building a computing system, the industry and application in question have to be taken into consideration. Different applications may also require different IP ratings and certifications.

For the most extreme conditions and out-of-the-office applications, rugged mobile computer systems provide the ultimate in notebook and tablet computing. Rugged mobile computers feature protection against dust, debris and water by using the latest materials and sealing techniques. The rugged mobile computers offered are largely based on Intel’s 855GME chipset. This highly efficient chipset and associate component subsets, including processor and memory offer the performance to allow efficient fully sealed fanless rugged computers to be produced. Furthermore, flexible design techniques allow their rugged mobile computers to support plug-in PCI or ISA expansion cards. In this design, mobile application processors and associate fanless coolers are used; and for space conservation, a 2.5” HDD is used. This greatly improves the device shock and vibration tolerance.

For automotive applications, the computing system will be exposed to a lot of vibration and dust; hence it needs to be more robust in its total design. Any computing device made for use in the automotive industry needs e mark certification. The recommended design would be an embedded, fanless solution. Using a fully enclosed device, where the chassis acts as a cooling mechanism for the device

For medical, pharmaceutical and food applications the high tech modular industrial PC design is recommended. This can be easily configured to meet customer needs by including a touch screen and expansion slots for plug-in boards to further expand the system and provide additional features. The system can be operated using a touchscreen or via a rugged IP54/65 rated keyboard. The completely sealed stainless steel housing makes the system meet the IP specified protection norms and requirements for these industries.

Generally when designing an industrial computing system, a single board computer (SBC) solution will offer greater repeatability (typically 5 years). These products have a more versatile range of options and are revision controlled with a longer life cycle than motherboards. For projects requiring repeatability in excess of 5 years, spares requirements are calculated to support the product over its desired life cycle.

The PSU unit selection is dependant on the sum of the individual component power requirements, as well as the required availability of the device. It is also important to allow for any future increase in power demands, due to expansion of the original system. Industrial computing devices are designed for 24/7 use and in some cases a redundant PSU is required. These comprise of a minimum of two independent PSU modules housed in a single cage. The device needs to be capable of running effectively with just one of the modules operating. During normal mode there will be load sharing between both modules. When a module becomes defective an audible and visual alarm will indicate which module requires replacement.

Once the right components are put together to produce an end prototype unit, tests are carried out to ensure that the device gets the CE Mark.

After ensuring that components and hence the end product as a whole conforms to the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive, the product then can undergo conformance testing. All associated Amplicon products fully conform to the RoHS Directives.

Amplicon owns an extensive purpose-built EMC and conformance laboratory. Using the latest test equipment, they ensure all products conform to relevant international standards.

The primary objective of the CE Mark and associated product assessment is to provide the customer and enforcement bodies with the evidence that the devices placed on the market conform to the essential requirements of all associated directives.

For most electrical devices the safety is covered by the Low Voltage Directive (LVD). This applies to nearly all electrical equipment designed for use between 50V and 1000V AC or between 75V and 1500V DC. This refers to the electrical input or output voltages, not just the supply voltage powering the device. This directive has a huge scope and applies to industrial, domestic and many other environments.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a serious and increasing form of environmental pollution. Its effects could range from minor crackles on broadcast reception to potential fatal accidents due to corruption of safety critical monitoring and control systems. Various forms of EMI can cause electrical and electronic malfunctions and may even have a direct effect on human tissue. The EMC Directive’s main objective is to minimise the effect caused by EMI from electrical and electronic devices.

Shock and vibration tests are also carried out on the range of products recommended for use in applications under extreme ambient conditions. Once the pre-conformance tests and modifications are made to produce a certified design, the product is then manufactured.

All of Amplicon’s industrial computing systems are revision controlled and undergo an extensive soak-test before shipment. This eliminates the shipment of faulty or incomplete systems.

A successful industry, whether it is the Aerospace or Power Generation, Petrochemical or Paper & Pulp and Automotive or Pharmaceutical, has to continue its operations round the clock, generally 365 days in the year. The system of periodic and routine inspection has to be built in so that the industry does not have to shut down. No matter which method is used, such routine inspections involve nondestructive testing (NDT) tools that could use ultrasonic testing, eddy current and magnetic testing among others.

However, there are occasions when destructive tests have to be carried out to confirm that the manufactured component will not fail while it performs within the envelope prescribed for it. Such testing comes under the purview of materials testing. There are occasions when it might become necessary to go deeper into the structure of the material in order to define its constituents, the standard of alloying or heat treatment and stress corrosion, extent of fatigue among others. This methodology is called materials analysis.

Materials testing is carried out in a metallurgical laboratory using sophisticated test equipment. The types of materials that could be tested include metals and their alloys, both ferrous and non-ferrous, ceramics and polymers. Generally such testing is destructive in nature and the results are compared with anticipated values. Thus the undercarriage of an aircraft could be subjected to repeated cyclic loading to confirm the point of failure under fatigue. A turbine blade sample could be placed under high temperature conditions to assess its resistance to creep. Similarly, materials testing could be carried out to assess the material’s properties of stress, impact, bendability UTS, weldability, proof load values and hardness among others.

Materials analysis on the other hand is a deeper form of testing and could involve the use of gas chromatography, electron microscope and spectroscopy among others. The simpler form of such analysis is carried out in a chemical or metallurgical laboratory where the material is analyzed to reveal its composition. Besides wet chemistry optical emission spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma spectrometer and other improved techniques of materials analysis could be used to achieve accurate figures.

Have you ever come across power problem where once you switch on the power supply and the fuse blow? You have checked all the components in the power (primary) and secondary section and all the components seems to be ok! Where is the fault? A fuse blown are usually caused by a shorted bridge rectifier, defective posistor, power transistor or FET, shorted primary winding of switch mode power transformer, shorted secondary diode and etc. But in this article I’m gone to show you another secret of electronic troubleshooting tips.

I got frustrated as to where is the cause of power problem. Every time when i switch on the power supply the fuse blow immediately (the fuse became dark color and this indicate that there is a major short circuit in the power supply). I have checked all the components in the power supply and can’t find the culprit! What i do is i desoldered all the suspected parts one by one and replaced with a known good component. I eventually found the caused of the power supply problem. Guess what? It was the main filter capacitor (220 microfarad 400 volt). After replacing the filter cap the power supply worked perfectly fine. I begin my detective work to find out why this capacitor can caused the fuse to blow even though i already confirmed it ok with my meters.

The meters that i used to check the filter cap were analog meter, digital capacitance meter and esr meter. In this article i will not explain about how to check capacitor or testing capacitor and how capacitor work. I believed most of you know how to check capacitors and also generally using this type of meters. Measured with analog it showed capacitor charging and discharge, with digital capacitor tester it showed around 220 microfarad and with esr meter it showed low esr reading!

This proved that the bad capacitor breakdown when under full operating voltage. Then, how do i confirm that this filter capacitor is faulty? By using an analog insulation tester. When i connect the faulty cap to the meter and press the go button-it showed a very low resistance and this is the proved of short circuit between the plate when voltage applied! There is nothing to do with bad electrolyte. A good capacitor will just showed a charge and discharge in the insulation meter just like you are checking a capacitor using analog multimeter. In the market there is quite a number of ranges that you can buy. It has the range of 50v, 100v, 250v, 500v, 1000v and even 5000v! If you want to test a capacitor of 100 microfarad 160v then you have to select 100v. If you select 250v, it will blow your capacitor that is under test.

If you have the SENCORE TEST EQUIPMENT such as the sencore lc meter LC102 OR LC103, these meters have the capabilities of checking any type of capacitors with four tests:

-testing for capacitor values

-checking for leakage

-equivalent series resistance (ESR) and

-Dielectric absorption

It can check aluminum electrolytic capacitor, film capacitor, ceramic, high voltage capacitor and etc.

Conclusion-Different capacitor manufacturer produced different type of quality of a capacitor. Perhaps the bad capacitor that I encountered are from the lowest grade one. A capacitor failure when under load is very rare. Using ESR capacitor meter alone can solve most of the electrolytic capacitor problem.

If you plan to upgrade your workshop into an Authorized Service Center, this should guarantee plenty of work and a secure future. Setting up from scratch as an Authorized Service Center is not an easy job. Your workshop needs to meet the manufacturers’ requirement first before they can appoint your company as an Authorized Service Center.

• Good track record – Manufacturer expect a company to have a good track record in the trade and have been around for a long time.

• Accessibility – Easy for a manufacturer to deliver products to you for repair besides it save time.

• Space – A company must have enough space to store their product. A light industrial unit will be fine for them.

• Security – An alarm system is essential, door and windows must be protected so they are difficult to force. Any break in will cause you to lose business.

• Reception Area – A proper reception area, neat and tidy workshop will reflect on them as well. First impression count a lot.

• Tools and Test Equipment – The variety of tools and test equipment available will be taken into account. An oscilloscope, frequency counter, SMD rework station is a certain requirement. The work bench should be of decent size and comes with a fluorescent lighting.

• Employee – There must be enough of employee to cope up with the work of repair.

Prolong or continuous delay of repair will make them to reconsider of changing to another service center.

To run an Authorized Service Center needs total dedication, but it will bring you into contact with a lot of people, some of who can be quite influential. It can also widen the product range that comes your way…