Friday, December 30, 2011

Minnetronix Using DfR's Sherlock ADA Software

Minnetronix, a medical electronics and lifesciences design, development and manufacturing company has selected DfR's Sherlock ADA software to enhance the reliability of their Class III cardiovascular and monitoring systems. Rarely can medical electronics manufacturers afford to build the number of modules required for full reliability testing and Sherlock provides a means to analyze the thermal and mechanical stresses on an assembly and improve the design without repeated reliability testing. For more information on Sherlock, please contact Ed Dodd, edodd@dfrsolutions.com.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

DfR Awarded Navy SBIR for Shock and Vibration

DfR is proud to announce it has been awarded a Phase II SBIR grant by the US Navy to assess the impact of Shock and Vibration on advanced packaging technologies (BGAs, flip chip BGAs, CSPs, etc) coupled with Pb-free solders. AS Pb-free electronics are known to have issues with Shock and Vibration, DfR has been selected to examine this concern. This is the largest study ever funded in this critical area for high rel applications. For more information, please contact Joelle Arnold, jarnold@dfrsolutions.com.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Integrated Circuit (IC) Wearout

As transistors continue to shrink, the integrated circuit industry has highlighted some of the challenges in manufacturing this technology. More recently, DfR has highlighted some of the challenges in making this technology reliable. See who else agrees reliability of new IC's is an issue. For more information, contact Ed Wyrwas, ewyrwas@dfrsolutions.com.

Monday, December 26, 2011

China RoHS Update

China is just the next entity to update their environmental legislation. This article provides you and your company insight into what is necessary to interact with China with respect to RoHS. DfR can work with you to help resolve RoHS and Pb-free manufacturing questions. For more information, contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Message from the DfR Solutions CEO

As 2011 draws to a close, I want to thank all of our colleagues and customers for a very fruitful and dynamic year. DfR continues to grow rapidly and we believe our consistent success comes from a high number of returning customers, who recognize the quality and value of our services, and our continued expansion into new and exciting opportunities, including releasing our unrivaled Automated Design Analysis software and becoming a thought leader for the Department of Defense. We have been especially pleased at the recognition we are receiving in high growth markets such as solar power, LED lighting, and electric vehicles. Products can't be green unless they're safe and reliable!

Please enjoy this holiday season with your friends and family. Wish for a lot of snow (especially if you have three children under nine) and please be safe and healthy.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Obsolescence? What Obsolescence?

One of the more common challenges DfR helps resolve is dealing with obsolete parts (which, of course, drives counterfeits). However, this insightful graph from EDN turns common sense on its head. Three out of the top four integrated circuit (IC) technologies are 130nm, 180nm, and 500nm and volumes are expected to be relatively steady for most IC technologies. Can we finally expect our parts to be around for more than 3 years? For more information on obsolescence mitigation, please contact Walt Tomczykowski wtomczykowski@dfrsolutions.com.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Conformal Coating - Why, What, When and How

Conformal coating can be crucial in outdoor environments, but a number of our customers still struggle with when to coat, where to apply, how much, what material, and how to qualify. This white paper clearly provides a checklist to help identify the need and the right materials, processes, and equipment. For assistance with conformal coating, contact Greg Caswell, gcaswell@dfrsolutions.com.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Power Supply Design: Part 2

As part of an ongoing series, Dr. Ron Wunderlich continues to provide insight on successful power supply design. In this white paper, he covers the appropriate selection and use of magnetics in power supply design. For more information designing, reviewing, or qualifying power supplies, please contact Ron Wunderlich, rwunderlich@dfrsolutions.com.