BANGALORE, INDIA: element14 (formerly Farnell), the first electronic component distributor that fuses commerce and community, has tripled its inventory of Texas Instruments products.
element14 will provide the widest range of products, such as LED drivers, operational amplifiers, and power, to facilitate the growth of emerging technologies in Asia Pacific. This latest addition marks another milestone in the partnership between element14 and Texas Instruments, giving electronic and maintenance engineers in the region a huge boost towards more energy efficient lighting solutions.
LED technology is steadily gaining more importance from various electronic sectors, as industries and end-users focus more on energy efficient lighting solutions. According to a Gartner forecast in 2010, LEDs are likely to experience 30 percent compound annual growth through 2014.
Asian countries like Singapore have already initiated trials which, if successful, will pave the way to mass LED adoption. This trend is set to drive the demand for LEDs in Asia to new heights with lighting engineers continuously sourcing reliable and innovative solutions to help them overcome the evolving challenges in the region.
element14 offers Texas Instruments products via multiple channels with no minimum quantity and next day delivery to most destinations in Asia Pacific.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Air Force awards Optomec contract to extend fuel cell manufacturing technologies
ALBUQUERQUE, USA: Optomec announced a new $500,000 contract extension from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to enhance its Aerosol Jet system to enable the production of graded fuel cell structures in a single manufacturing step, versus current multiple step approaches.
The system will be used by AFRL to develop and prototype high efficiency solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on the Aerosol Jet technology’s unique material mixing capabilities. These advances will improve the electrical and mechanical performance of fuel cells, increase the material utilization rates, and substantially lower manufacturing and equipment costs.
Optomec’s Aerosol Jet solution is a fundamental building block for a range of fine feature printed electronics, including applications in solar cell manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging. Working together with AFRL, Optomec has extended Aerosol Jet capabilities to enable the printing of high performance fuel cells. For more information on Aerosol Jet technology, click here.
Commercialization of SOFC technology has been limited in part by the lack of processing methods suited for mass production. Commonly used approaches such as tape casting; screen printing; spray; and spin and dip coating have limitations due to the inability for easy scale-up and difficulties in obtaining layer uniformity and reproducible microstructures.
Alternative techniques based on physical vapor deposition involve high equipment and operating costs. Aerosol Jet systems provide a compelling alternative to these legacy methods, based on the systems' ability to cost-effectively print fuel cell components with exceptional uniformity, reproducibility and a greater utilization of active materials. Aerosol Jet systems also serve as an ideal development and prototyping tool due to their ability to readily and reproducibly alter cell architectures and material compositions.
Most notably, the Aerosol Jet solution has a unique ability to create graded interfaces between the fuel cell’s primary component layers: the anode, electrolyte and cathode. These graded “inter-layers” simultaneously increase cell performance by enlarging the reaction zone and improve mechanical stability by alleviating the mismatches in thermal expansion. Using this capability, AFRL has demonstrated the ability to increase SOFC power densities by more than 30 percent.
Under this contract extension, Optomec will further enhance the Aerosol Jet hardware to enable seamless, high throughput production of these unique high performance graded fuel cells.
The AFRL system and its enhancements will remain housed at the Propulsion Directorate Energy/Power/Thermal Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The system will continue to be primarily used to develop deposition processes for SOFCs.
Dr. Ryan Miller of the Thermal and Electrochemical branch states: “Optomec and AFRL continue to have a productive partnership, through the development of further enhancements to the Aerosol Jet system. It brings a unique capability to our lab in the area of thick film material deposition with a wide range of applications, in addition to solid oxide fuel cells.”
Optomec is the world-leading provider of additive manufacturing solutions for high-performance applications in the Electronics, Solar, Medical, and Aerospace & Defense markets. These systems utilize Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Printed Electronics technology and LENS powder-metal fabrication technology. The company has a global customer base of more than 100 users that includes many industry-leading manufacturers.
The system will be used by AFRL to develop and prototype high efficiency solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) based on the Aerosol Jet technology’s unique material mixing capabilities. These advances will improve the electrical and mechanical performance of fuel cells, increase the material utilization rates, and substantially lower manufacturing and equipment costs.
Optomec’s Aerosol Jet solution is a fundamental building block for a range of fine feature printed electronics, including applications in solar cell manufacturing and advanced semiconductor packaging. Working together with AFRL, Optomec has extended Aerosol Jet capabilities to enable the printing of high performance fuel cells. For more information on Aerosol Jet technology, click here.
Commercialization of SOFC technology has been limited in part by the lack of processing methods suited for mass production. Commonly used approaches such as tape casting; screen printing; spray; and spin and dip coating have limitations due to the inability for easy scale-up and difficulties in obtaining layer uniformity and reproducible microstructures.
Alternative techniques based on physical vapor deposition involve high equipment and operating costs. Aerosol Jet systems provide a compelling alternative to these legacy methods, based on the systems' ability to cost-effectively print fuel cell components with exceptional uniformity, reproducibility and a greater utilization of active materials. Aerosol Jet systems also serve as an ideal development and prototyping tool due to their ability to readily and reproducibly alter cell architectures and material compositions.
Most notably, the Aerosol Jet solution has a unique ability to create graded interfaces between the fuel cell’s primary component layers: the anode, electrolyte and cathode. These graded “inter-layers” simultaneously increase cell performance by enlarging the reaction zone and improve mechanical stability by alleviating the mismatches in thermal expansion. Using this capability, AFRL has demonstrated the ability to increase SOFC power densities by more than 30 percent.
Under this contract extension, Optomec will further enhance the Aerosol Jet hardware to enable seamless, high throughput production of these unique high performance graded fuel cells.
The AFRL system and its enhancements will remain housed at the Propulsion Directorate Energy/Power/Thermal Division at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The system will continue to be primarily used to develop deposition processes for SOFCs.
Dr. Ryan Miller of the Thermal and Electrochemical branch states: “Optomec and AFRL continue to have a productive partnership, through the development of further enhancements to the Aerosol Jet system. It brings a unique capability to our lab in the area of thick film material deposition with a wide range of applications, in addition to solid oxide fuel cells.”
Optomec is the world-leading provider of additive manufacturing solutions for high-performance applications in the Electronics, Solar, Medical, and Aerospace & Defense markets. These systems utilize Optomec’s patented Aerosol Jet Printed Electronics technology and LENS powder-metal fabrication technology. The company has a global customer base of more than 100 users that includes many industry-leading manufacturers.
Avnet Electronics Marketing adds embedded software from Micrium to Americas offering
PHOENIX, USA: Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, a business region of Avnet Inc. announced that it has added Micrium, a low-cost, real-time operating system (RTOS) embedded software developer, to its Americas offering. Micrium’s kernels and complete RTOS solutions are available by contacting an Avnet representative.
As the world’s largest distributor of electronic components and embedded solutions, Avnet Electronics Marketing is the engineering and purchasing professionals’ first source for technology to accelerate their time to market. Embedded engineers looking to build devices including microprocessors, microcontrollers and DSP-based devices will benefit from Micrium’s µC/OS-II and µC/OS-III kernels. Micrium RTOS components include µC/TCP-IP, µC/File System, µC/USB, µC/GUI, µC/MMU, µC/CAN, µC/Modbus, and support applications in military, aerospace, medical, nuclear, transportation and automotive applications.
“We are pleased to be represented by Avnet Electronics Marketing,” said Jean Labrosse, CEO and president of Micrium. “Our products perfectly augment the wide range of microcontrollers and DSPs that they carry. This relationship will cut time from our mutual customers’ design cycles and ensure project successes.”
“Micrium is a fresh and welcome addition to the Avnet Electronics Marketing line card,” said Alex Iuorio, senior VP of supplier marketing, Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas. “With our strong, mutual partnerships with leading silicon manufacturers, Avnet’s customers now have access to embedded software that works seamlessly with their preferred products. With a stronger software offering, Avnet now provides even more end-to-end solutions to our customers -- accelerating their time to market.”
As the world’s largest distributor of electronic components and embedded solutions, Avnet Electronics Marketing is the engineering and purchasing professionals’ first source for technology to accelerate their time to market. Embedded engineers looking to build devices including microprocessors, microcontrollers and DSP-based devices will benefit from Micrium’s µC/OS-II and µC/OS-III kernels. Micrium RTOS components include µC/TCP-IP, µC/File System, µC/USB, µC/GUI, µC/MMU, µC/CAN, µC/Modbus, and support applications in military, aerospace, medical, nuclear, transportation and automotive applications.
“We are pleased to be represented by Avnet Electronics Marketing,” said Jean Labrosse, CEO and president of Micrium. “Our products perfectly augment the wide range of microcontrollers and DSPs that they carry. This relationship will cut time from our mutual customers’ design cycles and ensure project successes.”
“Micrium is a fresh and welcome addition to the Avnet Electronics Marketing line card,” said Alex Iuorio, senior VP of supplier marketing, Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas. “With our strong, mutual partnerships with leading silicon manufacturers, Avnet’s customers now have access to embedded software that works seamlessly with their preferred products. With a stronger software offering, Avnet now provides even more end-to-end solutions to our customers -- accelerating their time to market.”
Semtech brings phase-shifted LED backlight drive to panel for first time for Ultrabook and Ultra-Thin notebooks
CAMARILLO, USA: Semtech Corp., a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, launched the first device in its innovative platform of phase-shifted boost LED drivers.
The new SC5010 is an 8-channel white LED driver with an innovative PWM phase-shift dimming control that uses very low-profile inductors, allowing LED drivers to be built directly into the LCD panel in Ultrabook PCs and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) for displays as thin as 4mm. It also enables ultra-thin LCD displays with longer battery life in tablet, automotive, and other mid-size display applications.
The SC5010 delivers higher efficiency when using the same size inductors as existing phase-shifted LED drivers, but unlike these devices, the SC5010 can operate with inductors that are up to 10X smaller while maintaining high efficiency. This enables LED drivers to be designed directly into the panel, even in ultra-thin applications.
This is due to the sophisticated control loop architecture, which allows the use of inductors as small as 2.2µH (1mm height). The phase-shifted technology in the SC5010 also minimizes demand on the input and output capacitance offering the high efficiency of conventional non-phase shifted switching regulators, with significantly lower noise, less EMI (electromagnetic interference), and no need for noise filtering components.
“Now, for the first time, Ultrabook PC manufacturers can place efficient, phase-shifted LED drivers where they prefer them – next to the display, which, until now, has been a roadblock for Ultrabook and other very small form factor PCs,” said Athar Zaidi, director of Marketing in Semtech’s Power Management Group. “The SC5010 offers a superior phase-shifted LED driver approach that significantly reduces the tradeoffs between inductor size and display efficiency.”
The SC5010 is an 8-channel boost LED driver that can power up to 112 LEDs, with currents up to 30mA per channel. The integrated control loop architecture of the device allows programmable switching frequencies as fast as 2.2MHz and is the key to enabling phase-shifted dimming using very small, low-profile inductors. Additionally, this approach reduces BOM size and cost by eliminating external compensation and noise filtering components.
Semtech’s innovative loop architecture also prevents display flicker and shutdown caused by line transients that can occur in automotive applications. This is achieved via the ultra-fast transient response of the SC5010, which allows it to handle line transients up to 10V/µs.
The SC5010 LED driver brings to market a rich feature set for the next generation of displays, including the flexibility of I2C and three PWM dimming control modes. It features a wide PWM input dimming range of 5000:1 at 200Hz and a dimming frequency range from 100Hz to 30kHz. The SC5010 also provides user-selectable 9- or 10-bit dimming resolution and a 5-bit analog dimming register that can be used in conjunction with PWM to increase the dimming resolution.
The phase-shifted PWM dimming turns the LED strings on and off at the same frequency and the same duty cycle, but at different and equally spaced, automatically calculated phases. This reduces demand on the input/output capacitance to decrease radiated switching current, which improves EMI performance and dimming linearity.
The SC5010 delivers accurate backlight color temperature and uniform brightness across the entire display, with +/-1 percent channel-to-channel current matching and accuracy of +/-1.5 percent. Full protection functions include open LED and programmable shorted LED, adjustable over-voltage (OVP), and over-temperature protections, as well as under-voltage lock out (UVLO) shutdown.
The new SC5010 is an 8-channel white LED driver with an innovative PWM phase-shift dimming control that uses very low-profile inductors, allowing LED drivers to be built directly into the LCD panel in Ultrabook PCs and ultra-mobile PCs (UMPC) for displays as thin as 4mm. It also enables ultra-thin LCD displays with longer battery life in tablet, automotive, and other mid-size display applications.
The SC5010 delivers higher efficiency when using the same size inductors as existing phase-shifted LED drivers, but unlike these devices, the SC5010 can operate with inductors that are up to 10X smaller while maintaining high efficiency. This enables LED drivers to be designed directly into the panel, even in ultra-thin applications.
This is due to the sophisticated control loop architecture, which allows the use of inductors as small as 2.2µH (1mm height). The phase-shifted technology in the SC5010 also minimizes demand on the input and output capacitance offering the high efficiency of conventional non-phase shifted switching regulators, with significantly lower noise, less EMI (electromagnetic interference), and no need for noise filtering components.
“Now, for the first time, Ultrabook PC manufacturers can place efficient, phase-shifted LED drivers where they prefer them – next to the display, which, until now, has been a roadblock for Ultrabook and other very small form factor PCs,” said Athar Zaidi, director of Marketing in Semtech’s Power Management Group. “The SC5010 offers a superior phase-shifted LED driver approach that significantly reduces the tradeoffs between inductor size and display efficiency.”
The SC5010 is an 8-channel boost LED driver that can power up to 112 LEDs, with currents up to 30mA per channel. The integrated control loop architecture of the device allows programmable switching frequencies as fast as 2.2MHz and is the key to enabling phase-shifted dimming using very small, low-profile inductors. Additionally, this approach reduces BOM size and cost by eliminating external compensation and noise filtering components.
Semtech’s innovative loop architecture also prevents display flicker and shutdown caused by line transients that can occur in automotive applications. This is achieved via the ultra-fast transient response of the SC5010, which allows it to handle line transients up to 10V/µs.
The SC5010 LED driver brings to market a rich feature set for the next generation of displays, including the flexibility of I2C and three PWM dimming control modes. It features a wide PWM input dimming range of 5000:1 at 200Hz and a dimming frequency range from 100Hz to 30kHz. The SC5010 also provides user-selectable 9- or 10-bit dimming resolution and a 5-bit analog dimming register that can be used in conjunction with PWM to increase the dimming resolution.
The phase-shifted PWM dimming turns the LED strings on and off at the same frequency and the same duty cycle, but at different and equally spaced, automatically calculated phases. This reduces demand on the input/output capacitance to decrease radiated switching current, which improves EMI performance and dimming linearity.
The SC5010 delivers accurate backlight color temperature and uniform brightness across the entire display, with +/-1 percent channel-to-channel current matching and accuracy of +/-1.5 percent. Full protection functions include open LED and programmable shorted LED, adjustable over-voltage (OVP), and over-temperature protections, as well as under-voltage lock out (UVLO) shutdown.
Emerson Network Power adds 25W series to portfolio of high efficiency power supplies for LED lighting
HONG KONG: Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson and the global leader in enabling Business-Critical Continuity, announced a new series of high efficiency power supplies for LED lighting, the LDS25 series.
The new 25 watt series joins the company’s LDS70 series 70 watt products for this fast-growing market. This off-the-shelf availability of high efficiency, pre-certified power solutions enables original equipment manufacturers and system installers to reduce their time-to-market significantly using reliable LED lighting drivers from one of the largest manufacturers of power supplies in the world.
Emerson Network Power’s new LDS25 series 25 watt LED power supplies have an input range of 120 to 277 Vac and can deliver up to 700 mA at 36 Vdc. Constant current and constant voltage output modes accommodate different LED application requirements.
Constant current mode operates from 36 V down to 26 V, while constant voltage mode operates with load currents from 300 to 700 mA or to the programmed current limit level – which can be set by a single resistor to any value within this range. Alternatively, the output current can be user adjusted over its full 0 to 700 mA range by an IEC 60929 compliant dimming function, controlled by a standard 0 to 10 V signal.
Active power factor correction enables the Emerson Network Power LDS25 power supplies to achieve a power factor of at least 0.9 and they have a high conversion efficiency of 86 percent typical. They are rated for operation over an ambient temperature range of minus 30 to 60 degrees Celsius or a case temperature range of minus 30 to 90 degree Celsius, with no need for forced air cooling.
Ideal for a wide range of indoor applications, the new LDS25 LED lighting power supplies are available in open-frame and IP20 rated cased versions for customer flexibility. The open frame model has a very small footprint of 5.8 x 1.6 inches (147 x 42 mm) and a height of just 1.1 inches (28 mm), while the IP20 cased model is 6.87 x 1.80 inches (174.5 x 45.6 mm) and is 1.26 inches (32 mm) high.
Emerson Network Power LDS25 series power supplies fully comply with the CISPR 15 requirement for EMI and meet FCC part 15 conducted noise standards. They are comprehensively protected against short-circuit, overvoltage and overtemperature conditions. The LDS25 series additionally features hot-wiring protection, which automatically limits the rate of increase of output current to prevent damage to the LED and driver circuits.
Critical safety specifications include EN 61347-2-13 and UL 8750, which are specific to LED related applications, and the LDS25 series also complies with CSA C22.2 No. 107.1 and CE LVD directives.
Sample quantities of the LDS25 series LED power supplies are available now.
The new 25 watt series joins the company’s LDS70 series 70 watt products for this fast-growing market. This off-the-shelf availability of high efficiency, pre-certified power solutions enables original equipment manufacturers and system installers to reduce their time-to-market significantly using reliable LED lighting drivers from one of the largest manufacturers of power supplies in the world.
Emerson Network Power’s new LDS25 series 25 watt LED power supplies have an input range of 120 to 277 Vac and can deliver up to 700 mA at 36 Vdc. Constant current and constant voltage output modes accommodate different LED application requirements.
Constant current mode operates from 36 V down to 26 V, while constant voltage mode operates with load currents from 300 to 700 mA or to the programmed current limit level – which can be set by a single resistor to any value within this range. Alternatively, the output current can be user adjusted over its full 0 to 700 mA range by an IEC 60929 compliant dimming function, controlled by a standard 0 to 10 V signal.
Active power factor correction enables the Emerson Network Power LDS25 power supplies to achieve a power factor of at least 0.9 and they have a high conversion efficiency of 86 percent typical. They are rated for operation over an ambient temperature range of minus 30 to 60 degrees Celsius or a case temperature range of minus 30 to 90 degree Celsius, with no need for forced air cooling.
Ideal for a wide range of indoor applications, the new LDS25 LED lighting power supplies are available in open-frame and IP20 rated cased versions for customer flexibility. The open frame model has a very small footprint of 5.8 x 1.6 inches (147 x 42 mm) and a height of just 1.1 inches (28 mm), while the IP20 cased model is 6.87 x 1.80 inches (174.5 x 45.6 mm) and is 1.26 inches (32 mm) high.
Emerson Network Power LDS25 series power supplies fully comply with the CISPR 15 requirement for EMI and meet FCC part 15 conducted noise standards. They are comprehensively protected against short-circuit, overvoltage and overtemperature conditions. The LDS25 series additionally features hot-wiring protection, which automatically limits the rate of increase of output current to prevent damage to the LED and driver circuits.
Critical safety specifications include EN 61347-2-13 and UL 8750, which are specific to LED related applications, and the LDS25 series also complies with CSA C22.2 No. 107.1 and CE LVD directives.
Sample quantities of the LDS25 series LED power supplies are available now.
Concord Keystone intros new battery pack for micro-USB smart phones
SUNRISE, USA: Concord Keystone Trading, a pioneer in smart phone charging solutions, today announced it will introduce its new Keystone ECO Booster portable battery pack for Micro USB smart phones, at IFA in Berlin (Hall 26 C Booth #826).
The portable Keystone ECO Booster charges and extends the battery power for smart phones and is the newest addition to the line of proven power performers from Concord Keystone, including AmigoCase, Solar/USB Power PAK and other charging units and accessories.
The Keystone ECO Booster has a built-in retractable Micro USB charging cable so no additional accessory is needed. The Booster has an adhesive gel pad hidden beneath a removable protective cover. After removing the protective cover, the Booster can be attached neatly to the back of the smart phone without slippage. The protective cover for the adhesive gel pad can be cleverly relocated to the back of the Booster to be used as a horizontal or vertical viewing stand while the phone is being charged.
The Keystone ECO Booster portable battery pack offers up to double the battery life for most Micro USB smart phones and is fitted with a battery check button & LED status indicator to show the charge level of the Booster.
The portable Keystone ECO Booster charges and extends the battery power for smart phones and is the newest addition to the line of proven power performers from Concord Keystone, including AmigoCase, Solar/USB Power PAK and other charging units and accessories.
The Keystone ECO Booster has a built-in retractable Micro USB charging cable so no additional accessory is needed. The Booster has an adhesive gel pad hidden beneath a removable protective cover. After removing the protective cover, the Booster can be attached neatly to the back of the smart phone without slippage. The protective cover for the adhesive gel pad can be cleverly relocated to the back of the Booster to be used as a horizontal or vertical viewing stand while the phone is being charged.
The Keystone ECO Booster portable battery pack offers up to double the battery life for most Micro USB smart phones and is fitted with a battery check button & LED status indicator to show the charge level of the Booster.
IPC releases PCB industry results for July 2011
BANNOCKBURN, USA: IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced the July findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.
PCB industry growth rates and Book-to-Bill ratios announced
Rigid PCB shipments were down 10.2 percent and bookings were down 17.0 percent in July 2011 from July 2010. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments increased 2.3 percent and bookings declined 10.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments decreased 24.8 percent and rigid bookings decreased 19.0 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in July 2011 remained near parity at 0.99.
Flexible circuit shipments in July 2011 were down 28.3 percent and bookings declined 4.5 percent compared to July 2010. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 3.2 percent and bookings also increased 8.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments decreased 17.8 percent and flex bookings fell 34.9 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in July 2011 jumped to 1.20.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in July 2011 decreased 12.1 percent from July 2010, as orders booked decreased 16.0 percent from July 2010. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 2.4 percent and bookings were down 8.5 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for July 2011 decreased 24.2 percent and bookings decreased 20.8 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in July 2011 climbed to just above parity at 1.01.
“July is typically a slower month than June for the PCB industry,” said IPC president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “Negative year-on-year growth rates in North American PCB sales and orders for July reflect slowing growth compared to the height of the recovery one year ago,” he added. “The good news is the book-to-bill ratio remains just above parity, largely due to the continued strength of flexible circuit orders.”
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.
Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production Report.
Role of domestic production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from US and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure US and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada).
In July 2011, 82 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82 percent of rigid PCB and 82 percent of flexible circuit shipments in July by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.
Bare circuits versus assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In July, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 48 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.
PCB industry growth rates and Book-to-Bill ratios announced
Rigid PCB shipments were down 10.2 percent and bookings were down 17.0 percent in July 2011 from July 2010. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments increased 2.3 percent and bookings declined 10.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments decreased 24.8 percent and rigid bookings decreased 19.0 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in July 2011 remained near parity at 0.99.
Flexible circuit shipments in July 2011 were down 28.3 percent and bookings declined 4.5 percent compared to July 2010. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 3.2 percent and bookings also increased 8.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments decreased 17.8 percent and flex bookings fell 34.9 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in July 2011 jumped to 1.20.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in July 2011 decreased 12.1 percent from July 2010, as orders booked decreased 16.0 percent from July 2010. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 2.4 percent and bookings were down 8.5 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for July 2011 decreased 24.2 percent and bookings decreased 20.8 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in July 2011 climbed to just above parity at 1.01.
“July is typically a slower month than June for the PCB industry,” said IPC president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “Negative year-on-year growth rates in North American PCB sales and orders for July reflect slowing growth compared to the height of the recovery one year ago,” he added. “The good news is the book-to-bill ratio remains just above parity, largely due to the continued strength of flexible circuit orders.”
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.
Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production Report.
Role of domestic production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from US and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure US and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada).
In July 2011, 82 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82 percent of rigid PCB and 82 percent of flexible circuit shipments in July by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.
Bare circuits versus assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In July, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 48 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.
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