Component Management

Sailors in high performance racing yachts are the latest to benefit from advancements in electronics which allow them to monitor every aspect of their vessel's performance and the prevailing conditions. Many will have fitted their yacht with a Bravo Systems solution which has at its heart PCBs from Newbury Electronics.

Developed for a variety of bonding, sealing, potting and encapsulation applications, Master Bond's EP3RR-80 is a one component epoxy that offers user friendly handling with a moderate viscosity, good flow properties and an unlimited working life at ambient temperatures. The epoxy system can be stored at 4.5-10°C and does not require freezing.

The Technical Ceramics business of Morgan Advanced Materials has announced that it has expanded its capabilities in producing standard and customised high reflectance ceramic cavities in laser reflectors. High performance alumina-based ceramic reflectors for solid-state lasers are suitable for a wide variety of industrial and healthcare applications, including cutting and welding, marking, or even hair and tattoo removal. 

Offering quick operation with greater control, the DYMAX BlueWave QX4 from Intertronics brings together the benefits of LED UV curing in a small and compact package. The QX4 multi-wand UV spot curing system puts the high intensity LEDs and lenses close to the substrate in each emitting head, with lightweight flexible connecting leads in place of light guides.

Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology demystify the ferroelectric properties observed in hafnium-oxide-based thin films, revealing a potentially useful device material.

  Millimetre-sized crystals of high-quality graphene can be made in minutes instead of hours using a new scalable technique, Oxford University researchers have demonstrated.

Farnell element14 has introduced LOCTITE GC 10, the first-ever temperature stable solder paste, from Henkel. The paste is stable at 26.5°C for one year and at temperatures of up to 40°C for one month, providing benefits from shipping and receiving as well as printing and reflow.

The newly launched TCP091 silicone-free paste from Robnor Resins is now available from Ellsworth Adhesives Europe. The paste has been specially formulated to provide efficient and reliable heat transfer across the interface between electronic components. Developed to optimise performance, the paste is highly viscous, a property that helps prevent slumping.

As an extension to its portfolio of top-branded soldering tools RS Components has added the WellerFT fume-extraction systems, comprising versatile configurations and accessories that ensure a cleaner environment for up to four workplaces. The new ZERO SMOG 2 is an economical, portable extractor unit that can be placed under or next to the benchtop.

The project PluTO+, Plasma and Optical Technologies: increasing the Quality and Effect of Optical Coating Technologies was launched in October 2014 to research new production methods for the modern optics industry. This project unites industrial companies and research institutes and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with a total of €9.5m across a time span of three years.