DfR is Hiring!

DfR is looking for two senior members of the technical staff. The first should have 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience and an operational knowledge of Abacus modeling software. The second should have 10+ years of experience in a technical discipline, such as SMT, Solar, LED, etc. Both will be expected to manage and assist on DfR projects, write technical reports, make presentations at conferences, and provide guidance to staff engineers. Send your resume and cover letter to Tammy Smittenaar.

DfR is Looking for Volunteers to Staff our Newest Facility

In our continuing effort to lead the industry with regard to Physics-of-Failure analysis and support new locations, DfR is looking for volunteers to staff our newest facility. Warning: The commute is brutal.

Efficient Manufacturing in the US

Everyone is aware that getting their products produced in China should reduce costs. However, this article, addresses the fact that the support engineering activity is lacking. The military infrastructure in the US must maintain a level of critical resources for their products. Can this be applied to bring jobs back to the US in other sectors by maintaining a high level of expertise and infrastructure? Andy Grove talks about how Intel accomplished just that. Let DfR help you to define reliable manufacturing operations that reduce costs. For more information contact Cheryl Tulkoff.

Get on the Optical Bus

For many years, engineers have sought to transfer signals from chip to chip with photons. Photons are more than fast, and because they don't carry a charge, can't interfere with each other. For designers, however, the optoelectronic strategy has been hindered by the problem of channeling photons correctly. IBM has done some interesting research in this technological area. DfR engineers can provide insight into the reliability of optical interconnect technology. For more information contact Nathan Blattau.

0201-01005 "It's a Small World After All!"

First introduced in 2000, 0201 production ramped up in 2003 and now accounts for approximately 20% of chip component demand worldwide. Does this mean these parts are ready for your design? Before you make the wrong the decision, read our ground-breaking industry-wide survey on the implementation of this challenging technology. For more information, please contact Cheryl Tulkoff.

Where in the World is DfR?

DfR senior staff and management spend a lot of time on the road visiting customers and presenting at conferences worldwide. In 2010 alone, we visited more than 70 locations including Israel, England, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, China, Canada, and 28 US states. So, keep an eye on our upcoming events calendar in each newsletter and let us know when we can stop by your company and educate you and your colleagues on the latest in electronics technology, design, packaging, and reliability. To arrange a visit, please contact June Caswell, jcaswell@dfrsolutions.com

Managing Counterfeit Risk

DfR Solutions is known for being one of the leaders in counterfeit avoidance strategies and detection techniques. In recognition of our capability, Honeywell has selected DfR as one of the few organizations approved to perform counterfeit detection per SPOC 419. Trying to manage your counterfeit risks? Contact Ed Dodd today to learn more.

Trends in Material Substitution

The fear of RoHS is starting to lead to some fascinating material substitutions, including halogen-free flame retardants and a nickel-tungsten replacement for hexavalent chrome. But, RoHS is not the only environmental legislation OEMs need to worry about. Conflict minerals is fast becoming the legislation of concern, with several organizations trying to direct the industry response. Some DfR customers are even eliminating tantalum capacitors from future designs (legislative obsolescence?). Confused and concerned? Contact Randy Schueller for assistance.

Upgrading your Derating

In the early stages of product development (circuit schematic and part selection), effective design-for-reliability (DfR) can have a critical impact on final product integrity. To respond to this need, DfR has developed world-leading strategies on derating, one of the most popular DfR approaches for assuring that an individual component will operate robustly against major stress elements. To learn more, contact Greg Caswell.

DfR Service of the Month: Parts and Part Manufacturers

Our client base does not stop at OEMs. DfR is well-renowned for our expertise in electronic and electro-mechanical parts and we have assisted part manufacturers in variety of areas, such as application notes, finite element analysis (FEA), reliability prediction, FMEA of new technology, conflict resolution with customers, root-cause analysis, and part qualification and testing. If you are a part manufacturer looking for a partner that will help you succeed in the marketplace, please contact Nathan Blattau.

Lithium-Ion Battery Safety and Reliability: A New Approach

A major issue facing the utilization of lithium ion batteries is the problem associated with self discharge while in storage. There is a critical need to develop a rapid and cost-effective approach for determining the state of health (SOH) of a large number of batteries during storage. DfR has partnered with Exponent in proposing a revolutionary methodology for resolving this issue. For more information, contact Eli Aghassi.

RoHS II Has Arrived

Approved two weeks ago by the European Parliament, this major update to environmental legislation does not provide too many surprises. Key things in the document to be aware of: no new restricted substances; there are nine (9) exclusion categories - military, space, transportation (trains, planes, autos), fixed installation, large industrial tools, off-road machinery (i.e., bulldozers), implantable devices, solar panels, and R&D equipment; medical and monitoring and control have three years to be compliant, in-vitro medical has five years to be compliant, and industrial monitoring and control has six years to be compliant; all exemptions will die out in five to seven years, including telecom / enterprise and high lead (Pb); and you will need a CE mark. For more information on RoHS, including compliance and transition, please contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com.

DfR is hiring!

DfR is looking for two senior members of the technical staff. The first should have 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience and an operational knowledge of Abacus modeling software. The second should have 10+ years of experience in a technical discipline (SMT, Solar, LED, etc.). Both will be expected to manage and assist on DfR projects, write technical reports, make presentations at conferences, and provide guidance to staff engineers. In addition, DfR is looking for a staff engineer to support our laboratory team. Send your resume and cover letter to Tammy Smittenaar, tsmittenaar@dfrsolutions.com.