THE THIRD EDITION OF PUMANEWS |
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As I see it. . .
The Printed Circuit Board Association of America is a consortium of companies, representatives, and enthusiasts who are advocating U.S. manufacture of printed circuit boards.
Insulectro is proud to support PCBAA's effort as a founding member.
I encourage you to not stand on the sidelines but get involved with PCBAA's three main mission objectives:
- Support the Domestic Production of PCBs
- Enhance Domestic Supply Chain Security
- Advocate for Initiatives that Create Fair Market Conditions
Look for a related article in this issue of PumaNews™ for more information and a link to inquire about membership.
Patrick Redfern
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LOOK FOR '1@5 FEATURED ARTICLE' FLAG ABOVE EACH OF THE BELOW STORIES.
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1@5 Quick Reliable Printed Electronics Pricing
2@5 DuPont Introduces New Electroplating Solutions
3@5 InduBond® Core Dispenser Perfect Complement
4@5 All Manufacturing Feeling Supply Chain Crunch
5@5 Copper-Steel-Copper Great Companion for InduBond® Press
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Focus on the Future!
INSULECTRO PROMOTES KEN PARENT, JASON SHUPPERT, AND FELIX MARTINEZ INTO KEY ROLES
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Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and printed electronics, has announced major changes in its corporate structure, effective today.
Twenty-one year Insulectro veteran Ken Parent has been promoted to a newly created position of Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for both sales and operations announced Patrick Redfern, Insulectro President and CEO.
“Ken has proven his ability to lead by example, speak up for those who have challenges, encourage his teammates to be their best, and develop talent from within as well as recruit from outside. His vision inspires everyone as he drives incredible results with passion and enthusiasm,” Redfern commented. “He is widely known and respected throughout our industry and has contributed significantly to the strategic direction of the company.
“Ken is the first guy to get on a plane to meet a customer or supplier partner. Currently, he is crisscrossing the United States on a 30-day tour to our distribution centers meeting with customers as he goes. He knows how our industry works at every level, and he is tireless in his work to make it better,” Patrick Redfern stated.
Prior to his promotion, Parent has led both the sales and product management teams.
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Redfern continued, “Our announcement today includes the upcoming retirement of Insulectro’s current Vice President of Operations Jeff Mason in February of 2022. Jeff, a twelve-year teammate, helped bring our operational visions to life and provided insight and expertise to drive our companies forward. He has demonstrated his drive for continuous improvement and his passion for people consistently during his time here and will be missed.”
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Succeeding Mason as Vice President of Operations is Jason Shuppert, current Head of Supply Chain. Since joining the Insulectro team three years ago, Shuppert has demonstrated continual success building a Supply Chain department focused on mitigating the negative impact of disruptions in supply and demand.
Shuppert’s extensive background in Supply Chain Planning includes Operations planning, Forecasting, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Inventory Management, and other facets of the supply chain. He has held senior leadership positions with several large companies including ARYZTA, LLC. Ventura Foods, Land O’Lakes, IPS, and Kimberly Clark before coming to Insulectro.
“Jason has built a strong team that has really benefited our customers. We both share the same vision for what ‘world-class manufacturing,’ operations, and supply chain should look like for our companies,” Redfern stated. “He has the pulse on what’s happening with product availability and understands our customers’ need to receive materials as rapidly as possible. In his new role, Jason will be able to further impact our service model. Shuppert will report to Ken Parent.”
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Assisting Shuppert, Felix Martinez has been promoted to National Director of Operations overseeing Insulectro’s operations in all our branches. Martinez has demonstrated strong leadership in the Lake Forest distribution centers as well as coordinating several transitions for recent acquisitions.
Redfern concluded, “Today’s announcements, all internal promotions, are another step forward for Insulectro, in enabling our customers to build better boards, faster. With such a great team, the future seems unlimited.”
Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by Isola, DuPont®, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, Focus Tech, JX Nippon, TADCO, EMD Performance Materials (Ormet®), Shikoku, Denkai America, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kemmer, InduBond®, and Shur-loc. These products are used by its customers to fabricate complex, multilayer circuit boards and to manufacture printed electronics components.
Insulectro serves a broad customer base manufacturing rigid, rigid/flex, and flexible circuit boards for applications in a variety of end markets including aeronautics, telecom, data communications, high-speed computing, mobile devices, military, and medical. Insulectro combines its premier product offering with local inventory across North America, fabrication capabilities and backed up by expert customer and technical support services.
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SALES & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT |
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Ken Parent Speaks Out!
TOUR 2021!
PCB America Upclose
JULY 2021
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The sights along the road from PCB Factory to Factory ranged from “Spectacular Nature” to “American Front Yard” to “Industrial History” to “Fourth of July Celebrations” to “Economic Situations” to “Our Towns” and Sally and I have enjoyed the journey.
The goal of PCB Tour 2021 was certainly to capture the beauty of America thrown in with an updated education of what are our customers, OEMs and suppliers are faced with as the world rebounds from the “Pandemic Economy”. A simple and up-to-date education. Most importantly however is to learn what can we do at Insulectro to best support you as we are moving into 2H2021!
I was educated. I hope I was able to share some lessons along the road. My number one lesson learned … We are all faced with the same overwhelming challenge. A mountain of opportunity at our doorstep and not enough people coming into the business to support our growth. I have been asked to help bridge this gap of moving opportunities to realized accomplishments.
I see an opportunity to work with our partners in these ways:
- Education of the next generation of leaders of our Industry.
- Automation to allow people to do things most vital and bring intellectual machines and process to the appropriate automatable tasks.
- Keep cost down while delivering materials faster than before the pandemic.
- Bring technology to the market that we know we need in America and help bring us back to the #1 spot in markets we have let slip away.
- Bridge gaps between great suppliers and fabricators of future circuits in both the obvious ways we have always worked together, but also with some of the out-of-the-box ideas some have challenged me with.
I thank you for helping me achieve a great PCB Tour 2021 as I near the end of my East Bound Trip. As I write this I am 4,261 miles behind us and 29 days since we left San Clemente overnighting at the Harvest Host DuPage Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Post #2164 in Wheaton Illinois. Heading East for a few more visits.
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Ken Parent's 6000 mi
Customer Road Trip
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Sally Parent and Ken celebrate the 4th of July weekend near Indianhead Mountain Resort in Wakefield, Michigan. Insulectro's flag from Lake Forest, CA headquarters is proudly displayed.
Ken & Sally
On the Road Again
"On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again
On the road again!"
"Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way
Is on the road again!"
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I leave you with this thought … "The great danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." –Michelangelo
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Ken Parent
Chief Operating Officer
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Insulectro 2020 MVP
Isola's Wendy Moss Exemplifies Customer Service
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As we moved out of Covid lock down and started traveling again, there were projects and action items built up over the 15 months working from my home office that could only be accomplished personally. Items such as seeing Isola’s new Arizona facility in operation and personally thanking the staffs at both the Chandler and Ridgeway facilities for all their hard work, dedication, and expertise.
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During my visit to Ridgeway, SC I also had the opportunity to personally thank Isola’s Customer Service Manager, Wendy Moss (shown RIGHT) for her tireless efforts on our behalf.
During the last two years as Isola transitioned their supply chain to Taiwan while building their advanced manufacturing site in Chandler. Wendy and her staff coordinated Insulectro’s demand tracking every line item from order placement through manufacture and shipments from Taiwan, Germany, and the US.
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Wendy, a native of North Carolina and very avid Clemson fan, attended college with an eye on becoming a teacher, a valuable skill set when dealing with laminate salespeople like me.
Luckily for us she accepted a position with Isola’s operations team and transitioned and excelled into her current role as Customer Service Manager.
So, on behalf of the Insulectro team, we recognize Wendy Moss as our 2020 Most Valuable Player.
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Norm Berry
Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing
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Advocating PCB Manufacture in USA
Printed Circuit Board Association of America
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PCBAA is a consortium of U.S.-based companies that support the domestic production of printed circuit boards. PCBs are critical microelectronics equivalent to the central nervous system for many technologies that power society and allow American soldiers to protect this nation.
They are the microelectronics responsible for making microchips functional and myriad systems operational. In essence, they are the backbone of microchips that power all things digital.
PCBAA seeks to promote an environment in which U.S.-based printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers can thrive. The organization values market fairness and a level playing field on which U.S. PCB manufacturers can compete against competitors subsidized by foreign governments.
PCBAA is proud to work with its several founding members (see ABOVE RIGHT).
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"We're back. . ."
As the US finds its way to some sense of normality, Insulectro Teammates check in with their observations.
In Silicon Valley
Opening Up Means Back to Bagels
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As California has started to “open back up” in June, so have many of my customers. Meetings “in-house” have started up again, business has picked up (record sales month for my accounts in June) and my customers are all begging for “morning bagels."
Many of the local printed circuit shops that saw a decline in business last year, have seen a significant increase in business in 2021, as major industries like aerospace/aeronautics are on the rebound. Another sure sign that our industry is getting healthy again is that several local shops are expanding or adding new equipment this year and there is a lot of activity regarding mergers and acquisitions (both actual and rumored).
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Hilton Hoyt
Technical Account Manager
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In the Northeast
Traffic Delays No Longer Seem Important
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It’s been over 2 month’s with all my accounts where we both have been able to be maskless together and things are really feeling a “new normalcy”. It is amazing how all the shop meetings now feel like 2019 again.
I am not complaining anymore for the NJ Turnpike backups and the North East Extension construction delays now adding so much more time to get to the customers. I am blessed to be doing this again and knowing “We made it thru this together”
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Paul DuFresne
Technical Account Manager
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In Chicagoland
As the saying goes…..
”It’s good to be normal!”
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When I have been used to connecting and supporting customers on-site for 20+ years and it comes to a screaming halt, this definitely throws ALL us TAMs for a loop.
It is great getting back to that connection again and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Customers are busy and look to us for that hands-on they’re used to getting from Insulectro. We worked through record-breaking cell phone minutes and am thankful for facetime, which helped us to assist in process issues and equipment troubleshooting when needed.
Through these Covid times, I’ve visited places throughout the Midwest and Northeast as both a TAM and an assistant for our service team and I can tell you, I was quite uncomfortable servicing a machine in a high-temperature environment with a mask on. Sweat rolling down my forehead into my safety glasses while breathing through a mask for 10 hours was not fun!
Several times I thought about what we all were living through and appreciate the good times we all were accustomed to.
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Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager & TAM
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PRINTED ELECTRONICS INKS & PASTES,
SUBSTRATES & FILMS
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PRINTED ELECTRONICS
Need Quick, Reliable Pricing? We Can Help!
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We’ve made it easier to get quick and reliable pricing for your printed electronics needs. Need pricing on DuPont inks? Coveme, Saint-Gobain, Chemours or Kodak films and substrates?
Visit our newest website Insulectro Printed Electronics: Conductive Inks & Advanced Substrates (insulectro-pe.com) Here you can make purchases, view pricing, or get inspired.
Have more questions? Please call us or drop an email.
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Insulectro offers full capability to convert master rolls of all advanced substrates to customized widths, and lengths.
We also have sheeting and tolling resources for all advanced substrate materials, all panel sizes up to 48” with or without slip sheet.
Tolling services available for your materials, let us know what you need. Custom packaging provided, specific to customer requests. On the LEFT are five reasons to call INSULECTRO for all your substrate needs.
Coming soon, our new Insulectro Clarity™ Polycarbonate line. We will offer gloss/gloss, velvet/matte, & hard coat. Various thicknesses from .007 to .020 mil. Details to follow!
Don’t see what you need on our website? Please call or email, we can help. We have a fully staffed printed electronics technical team to assist.
In today’s demanding market, Insulectro now carries a wide offering of items on the shelf available for immediate shipment.
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Meet Insulectro Clarity™ Polycarbonates
(sourced by Longhua)
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Please call us +1-855-995-0200. We are happy to help inform you of stock levels and lead time on all products. Drop us a line - pesales@insulectro.com .
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Cheryl Woodbury
ISM - Printed Electronics
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Chemistry Customers Open Up
DuPont Introduces
New Electroplating Solutions
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As we all work our way through the trials and tribulations of the pandemic, I thought I share a few observations about what I see as we approach mid-summer.
PCB & Industrial Finishing customers are slowly opening up to more supplier visits, though the trend is regionally based on local guidelines and restrictions, and often dependent on the level of technical sales & service support needed. Safety during visits is still paramount, but generally speaking, access to facilities has improved. With my increased travels in my new role, I’m reminded how important those in-person visits are to the relationships we develop.
As we continue to open up, even in the midst of new Covid-19 variants, I have had many discussions with customers about what things will look like six months or a year from now. Most have expressed that our industries won’t go back all the way to the way it was pre-Covid, but many did share that we might get closer to that normal than it looks right now.
On the chemistry front, DuPont ICS is introducing new metallization technologies for High-Density Interconnect (HDI) and High Throughput plating applications as they expand their portfolio to meet the ever-changing need to BUILD BETTER BOARDS FASTER.
In addition to their work to deliver next-generation electroplating solutions, Carl Colangelo, Principal Scientist and Engineer, is representing DuPont ICS on IPC’s Microvia Reliability Committee, along with other prominent industry experts. This group is working to identify the best process methodology to reliably fill various combinations of stacked via designs. As their work develops and evolves, I’ll be sharing more information in future columns.
New DuPont Electroplating Solutions:
COPPER GLEAM™ PPR-II Plating Solution:
Advantages
Excellent through-hole throwing power for high layer count boards
Excellent thermal reliability and deposit integrity
Compatible with Hoist and VCP plating equipment
Aspect ratios >22:1 with 80-100% throwing power at 10-20 ASF
ELECTROPOSIT™ EP-1600 Plating Solution:
Advantages
Formulated for high through-put, through-hole DC plating
Excellent through-hole throwing power on high aspect ratio boards and deep blind vias
Excellent copper deposit integrity
Aspect ratios of 13-16:1 with 90-95% throwing power at 10 ASF
For any questions or technical process needs, don’t hesitate to reach out to me:
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Paul Welter
Director of Sales, DuPont Chemistry
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At-A-Glance
The DuPont Chemistry Line
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With the acquisition of East Coast Electronic Material Supply (ECEMS) in late March, Insulectro has brought another best-in-class product line to our customers. The addition of the DuPont Electronics Imaging & Interconnect Solutions (ICS) chemistry line, which was legacy Dow Chemicals before the Dow-DuPont merger, adds a complimentary piece to an already robust Insulectro product offering.
DuPont ICS is innovating new metallization technologies across many platforms:
Electroplating Applications
HDI
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Microfill™ EVF-III for advanced via filling and through-hole plating
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Microfill™ LVF-IV for next generation SLP applications
MLB
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Copper Gleam™ PPR-II for high aspect ratio pulse plating
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Electroposit™ EP-1600 for high aspect ratio DC plating
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Copper Gleam™ HS-200 for horizontal DC plating in FPC applications
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Copper Gleam™ ST-920 for DC vertical continuous plating (VCP)
IC Package Substrate
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Microfill™ SFP-II & Microfill™ LVF-IV for advanced SAP applications
Making Holes Conductive
Electroless Copper Solutions:
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Circuposit™ 3350-1 Vertical Electroless Copper
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Circuposit™ 4000 Horizontal electroless copper for FPC/RFPC
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Circuposit™ 6700 Horizontal Ionic Catalyst for Advanced HDI applications
Direct Metallization Solutions:
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Next Generation Crimson™ & Conductron™ palladium-based systems
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Next Generation Graphite 2000™ carbon-based system
ENIG:
Duraposit™ SMT-88 & Aurolectroless™ SMT 520
Process Chemistries:
DuPont offers a full line of cleaners, developers, strippers and other ancillary products to support printed circuit applications.
General Metal Finishing:
Full line engineering, decorative and precious metal offerings
As you can see, through this addition of the DuPont ICS chemistry line, Insulectro is now providing chemistry and technical support to the general metal finishing, plating-on-plastics, and wire plating industries, which we see as an area of growth.
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"We're back. . ."
As the US finds its way to some sense of normality, Insulectro Teammates check in with their observations.
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CAC® Toll Processing in Chicago
20 Tons of Appliance Material
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As I reflect on my time working with Felix Martinez and Patrick Redfern, I want to share a couple of recent moments. It is no surprise that the expectation is GSD and they both support my team to GSD.
Business has been extremely busy lately. We recently set an historical record of processing 41,000 pounds of appliance material in one, 10-hour shift! Very exciting and satisfying.
Also, we picked up another end-user appliance customer adding to our product mix!
I am very happy and appreciative of my team's efforts and the support of Felix, helping me on a day-to-day basis. So thank you Felix for everything you do! You are very much a factor in our success.
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Matt Swanson
General Manager, Toll Processing
CAC®, Inc.
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Uncomfortable Flights
Customers Glad to See Us
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Traveling to Customers in 2021 vs. 2019
Customers are happy to see us again and appreciate the help and support they can get from Insulectro. For me, it's good to see the customer again and help them with issues face to face. Trying to fix or identify the problem over video or email is not the same as being there.
Airports are busy as compared to 2020, but not when compared to 2019. The mask rules at the airport are uncomfortable and having to sit on a plane for 5 hours wearing the mask and no alcohol, in most cases, can get very uncomfortable. The staffing at the airports is down as well as the staffing of airlines, so flights can be unpredictable. They can cancel your flight with very little notice.
Restaurants are better today but it was difficult to get food earlier so if you were traveling, you had to get it to go and eat it in your room. Today, most restaurants are open and you can get something to eat. Most hotels are now back to offering food and a bar if they had one, with limited hours.
Overall, traveling was never a great activity and you always had some delays or cancellations. I think because of 2020, getting used to no lines and only 20 people on the plane makes today look bad. These issues were always part of travel, so I really don’t see a lot of difference besides some of the limited availability of food choices at airports. The lower staffing at airports and on planes is noticeable, and just a part of the new reality.
Beyond having some restrictions and having to wear the masks, I don’t see a lot of change. Customers do appreciate you being there, and show more support to you when you are there. Nice to know that the support we provide is appreciated.
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Paul St. John
Director - Sales & Distribution
LCOA® & CAC®, Inc.
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Chemicals & Controllers
Focus Tech Chemicals
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Insulectro continues to offer Focus Tech processing chemistry for you PCB processing needs.
Products Offered
- Dryfilm Developing Chemistry
- Dryfilm Stripping Chemistry
- Tin Stripping
- Alternative Oxide
- Equipment Cleaners
- Waste Treatment Chemistry
- Plus, a variety of Process Chemistries
Control Equipment
Focus Tech offers chemistry control equipment to help manage the different chemical processes in the manufacturing process.
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Specific gravity controller
- Conductivity Controller
- Colorimeter controller
- Cupric Etch Controller
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Custom controllers with availability to connect to TrueChem software
Jeff Johnson
Product Manager - Dryfilm/Chemistry/Paste & FAE
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Chemplate Materials SL,
Producer of the InduBond® Systems, Distributed Puma style!
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The InduBond® CD (Core Dispenser) will complement the PLR system with semi-automation in the critical lamination room. |
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Last month, we covered the PLR system, now we focus on the Core Dispenser, CD system.
The InduBond® CD (Core Dispenser) is a very compact, smart and automatic storage system which optimizes the room in your lamination department.
It reduces handling time and avoids scratches on the Prepreg, cores or loose foil by having the required lay-up sequence available at the push of a foot pedal once the intuitive software is programed.
The 20-tray dispenser is fully compatible with either the PLR (pinless) or RFX (pin) registration systems and accommodates panels up to 30 x 24”.
- Automatic core & prepreg dispenser layup station
- Multiple stack-ups can be programed for quicker sequencing
- A QR code on the internal trolley notes the ingredients stored
- Tray capacity 35mm deepness or 300 cores of 0.1 mm thick
- Unit size 7.2 ft H x 3.6 ft D x 4 ft W
Contact your Territory Area Manager or myself for additional information.
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For more information, contact:
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil & CAC
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OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN |
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Getting Stuff Done!
Working Together More Tightly
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As we move into the back half of 2021, I reflect not only this year, but how we’ve moved through the pandemic era beginning in early 2020, into the present reopening of our country, and for us at Insulectro, the reopening of our office locations.
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While we’ve proven we can “Get Stuff Done” (GSD) for our customers as we worked remotely over the last 18 months, there’s power in how in sync and locked in as a team we can be when we’re physically back together. It’s been great to reconvene “live”, and to give fist bumps to folks I haven’t been around in a while. Life is truly getting back to normal!
I’ve shared in prior months how proud I am that our teams haven’t missed a beat during pandemic times, and in fact, have stepped up more than ever to ensure supply of critical materials to our customers. Everyone in Operations, Supply Chain, and Customer Service has shown how we GSD at Insulectro, and why it’s one of our Core values as a company.
No one would claim that we’re out of the woods yet with the seemingly endless global supply challenges. As evidence of this fact, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), the average lead time for production materials rose to almost 90 days in June. This is the highest figure since ISM began collecting data in 1987!
Also emphasized by ISM is that the biggest challenge continues to be recruitment and retention of labor, at both manufacturers and suppliers.
While we still have a tough stretch of road ahead, I wouldn’t want to be on this journey with anyone but my teammates at Insulectro, who continue to go above and beyond each day to ease the “pain” for our customers from the full effect of these global supply issues, to GSD!
We do this through:
- The dedication of our Manufacturing and Warehouse operations teams across the country that have continued to work safely, stay healthy, and show up daily to fulfill the order needs of our customers.
- The tireless efforts of Inside Sales teammates who work with our customers to expedite product to the best available dates, and/or find alternative options to reduce lead times.
- The ongoing focus of our Supply Chain team who has continued to ensure we keep our shelves stocked with the right inventory to meet our customers’ needs, despite extremely long lead times and supplier capacity/staffing challenges, etc.
Insulectro teammates are the REAL DEAL, true subject matter EXPERTS, who are passionate about delivering for our customers. They show up every day and GSD, no matter how tough the situation, or how much the external factor odds are stacked against us.
I’m EXTREMELY honored to now be given the opportunity to lead the extended Operations and Supply Chain team. We continue to improve and streamline communication and execution between functional groups to GSD even faster and more effectively.
Under Ken’s Parent’s leadership as COO, and the treasured mentorship of Jeff Mason’s “whatever it takes” Operational style, our efforts are 100% dialed in on working together even more tightly, together. Our mantra will always be “We” not “They”.
As we look forward, I’m also very excited about how we’ll grow as a World Class Manufacturing culture, with Safety, Quality, and Service, and a highly empowered and engaged team at the visible forefront of everything we do.
Great things lie ahead and I can’t wait to share more with you as things move along!
Welcome back everybody!
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Jason Shuppert
Vice President of Operations
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Supply Chain Issues Not Unique to Electronics
Lead Times at Record Highs
and 'Still Accelerating'
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TEMPE, Ariz., July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in June, with the overall economy notching a 13th consecutive month of growth, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.
The report was issued today by Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee:
"Business Survey Committee panelists reported that their companies and suppliers continue to struggle to meet increasing levels of demand. Record-long raw-material lead times, wide-scale shortages of critical basic materials, rising commodities prices and difficulties in transporting products are continuing to affect all segments of the manufacturing economy.
Worker absenteeism, short-term shutdowns due to parts shortages, and difficulties in filling open positions continue to be issues that limit manufacturing-growth potential.
Optimistic panel sentiment remained strong, with 16 positive comments for every cautious comment.
Consumption (measured by the Production and Employment indexes) improved in the period, posting a combined 1.3-percentage point increase to the Manufacturing PMI® calculation. The Employment Index, which held back further expansion, contracted after six straight months of expansion, as panelists continued to note significant difficulties in attracting and retaining labor at their companies' and suppliers' facilities.
The Prices Index expanded for the 13th consecutive month, indicating continued supplier pricing power and scarcity of supply chain goods.
"All of the six biggest manufacturing industries — Computer & Electronic Products; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; and Petroleum & Coal Products, in that order — registered moderate to strong growth in June.
"Manufacturing performed well for the 13th straight month, with demand, consumption and inputs registering growth compared to May. Panelists' companies and their supply chains continue to struggle to respond to strong demand due to the difficulty in hiring and retaining direct labor.
Continued high backlog levels, too low customers' inventories and record raw-materials lead times are being reported. Labor challenges across the entire value chain continue to be the major obstacles to increasing growth," says Fiore.
Seventeen of 18 manufacturing industries reported growth in June, in the following order: Furniture & Related Products; Machinery; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Computer & Electronic Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Chemical Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Transportation Equipment; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Textile Mills; Primary Metals; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Paper Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Wood Products; and Petroleum & Coal Products. No industry reported a decrease in June.
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A Super Matchup!
Make Your InduBond® Press
Sit Up & Take Notice
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Bacon and eggs. Black and tan. Mac and cheese. Bert and Ernie. InduBond® and Copper-Steel-Copper!
Bonded Copper foil including VLP profiles onto a Steel carrier ensures that not only the low-profile topography is protected but the surface is clean, free from causing signal integrity defects as all FOUR edges are sealed. It's a star performer in an InduBond® press!
Carrier foil is available from 1µm up to 5µm, now CSC bridges that gap offering foils from 6µm to 140µm.
CSC is available in 8 mil which has twice the image transfer resistance as 15 mil aluminum AND can replace up to SEVEN standard 62 mil steel separators. Those separators not only cause circuit surface imperfections impacting trace lines but reduce stack height allowing more panels per lamination cycle.
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I've got a lot to tell you about this matchup!
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil & CAC®
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In Arizona & Elsewhere
Sometimes Masked, Sometimes Not
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Over the past several months I’ve visited many states and customers. Much like the start of the pandemic, there continues to be many different rules and regulations in each state I visit.
Within those states, each customer has implemented its own set of rules. Most all customers require prior approval before a visit, which is not necessarily new but has been more enforced. Some continue to require a current Covid test to visit, while others have adopted a much more relaxed policy.
Having opted to get vaccinated, I anticipated it would help open the doors a little more, however, I have not seen a significant shift in policy as of yet. I recently visited an account and saw a mixture of employees with and without masks, when asking about the current policy, I was informed that if you were vaccinated you could go without a mask…unless you’re a visitor.
Regardless of the company policy, I take my cue from the customer I’m with. If they’re wearing a mask, so am I. We all have our own comfort levels with social interactions, and I look forward to the day when our lives return to a more normal (whatever that means) routine.
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Kent Jensen
Field Application Engineer
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Focus Tech CR-2180 (Half Etch)
Need Superior Etch Control?
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Do you micro etch copper foil down to meet wrap plating requirements? |
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If so you need a micro etch that delivers superior etch control along with etch uniformity across the panel. That’s where Focus Tech’s CR-2180 comes in. This is a proprietary hydrogen peroxide based micro etch that allows for maximum etch control along with high copper loading (up to 50g/L).
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Jeff Johnson
Product Manager - Dryfilm & Chemistry
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Tradeshows Return to Live!
DesignCon 2021 Is Back at the
San Jose Convention Center in August
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With a strong call-out to automotive electrification, DesignCon is back at a new home. All sessions and exhibits will be at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center on August 16 - 18, 2021. The event is usually staged at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Isola plans to exhibit its product portfolio at the show including its new laminate IS550H targeted for hostile, high-temperature applications found in automotive manufacturing. Find Isola at Booth 925.
Drive World + ESC (Embedded Systems Conference) join DesignCon bringing eight educational conference tracks targeting automotive electronics + intelligence and embedded systems + IoT.
DesignCon is the premier high-speed communications and system design conference, offering industry-critical engineering education in the heart of electronics innovation — Silicon Valley.
DesignCon, created by engineers for engineers, allows attendees to browse exhibits with hundreds of new products and technologies, and network with high-caliber industry professionals over the three-day event.
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The People Behind the Puma
Meet Felix Martinez
National Director of Operations
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BIO
Felix Martinez joined Insulectro in 2006 and was a key team member helping to set up CAC facility after the acquisition from Chandler, AZ.
Felix thrives when facing new challenges and leading a team to help achieve new goals. Most recently Felix has accepted a new role as National Director of Operations. His optimistic mindset and “get it done” attitude attributes to his valuable leadership to the organization.
Felix enjoys an active lifestyle in Orange County, California. He is proud to be living the American dream as an immigrant young boy from Venezuela who grew up in Georgia.
Spending time with his family is very important to him. With his wife Maria, kids - Felix Junior (15), Claudia (11), and Giselle (10), their priority is health and education. Often, they enjoy time together with their dog outdoors, relaxing at the beach, hiking trails, cooking, playing games, and watching sports.
You'll soon see why Felix is the real deal.
Congratulations on your recently announced promotion to National Director of Operations! How would describe your vision for this newly created position and what are you looking forward to the most?
First and foremost, I am looking forward to working with some of our team members with whom I haven’t had a chance to work. As far as the vision for my role, it is important to solicit ideas and listen to our operation teams. My goal is to find opportunities to facilitate change and help improve operational efficiencies as well as customer experience.
Looking back over your 15 years with the companies, name three things you think were game-changers that propelled Insulectro to where it is now.
So many to choose from, I would have to say recent acquisitions of Automated Chemical Solutions (now Focus Tech) and East Coast Electronic Material Supply (ECEMS), as well as the ABC copper acquisition and investment in Oracle® to name a few.
When you recruit prospects to the Insulectro team, what are your key selling points?
I like to find prospects who value joining a team, enjoy a great atmosphere, and have the mindset to work hard and play hard. Our company is family-style with a global reach, we contribute to innovative manufacturing, and value our strong reputation in our industry.
When you were in grade school, what did you see yourself growing up to become?
Some type of role in law enforcement Police Officer? FBI? I watched too many action movies as a kid.
How would your high school buddies describe you?
Fun, quick-witted, and always got them in trouble for breaking curfew. When you’re having a good time, who wants to go home!
What was most important to you back then: grades, cars, girls, sports, or . . . ?
My primary focus was on competing in sports. People who know me well, know that I am competitive in nature. Also, I figured out early on that when I earned good grades, I earned more freedom to have fun! Since my father was one of my high school teachers, all my teachers and coaches were highly accessible and more than willing to provide feedback.
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Any nicknames through the years?
Felix the Cat!
Describe your first day with the company. Were you confident, cautious, or loud?
WOW! Started in 2006, when Insulectro acquired CAC from Gould Electronics. I would say I was excited and cautious, moved from AZ to CA looking forward to new challenges and opportunities.
When you hire someone, what’s the one thing you look for to ensure a great fit?
Personality / demeanor needs to be the right fit. You can teach someone the skill sets required to perform the job they were hired to do, but I want to make sure they mesh well with the rest of the team.
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Describe a typical weekend at the Martinez’s household.
We love the beach, our typical weekend would include cruising the coast in my ‘72 Ford Bronco, with a cooler full of snacks and drinks while enjoying one of the wonderful beaches SoCal has to offer.
How would your kids and wife describe you?
Always joking around and having a good time.
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If you won the bazillion dollar lottery, name three things you would that were practical, and one you would do that would be frivolous.
Start out with the standard priorities, pay-off my home and possibly buy a few more, make sure family is taken care of financially, donate to several charities. Next would be frivolous spending - my garage would have several exotic cars, but the headliner would be - Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster.
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Speaking of cars, what was the most embarrassing car you ever owned?
1989 Mitsubishi Galant the first car I purchased in high school.
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What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy the outdoors, so kayaking, biking, hiking, hanging out at the beach, and goofing around with my kids.
Have you ever been asked a question and found yourself talking without a real answer in mind?
Yes, this one, nothing comes to mine.
What appeals to you most: a good book, a Netflix binge, or going out to movies (pre-pandemic)?
I am a movie junky. Also, I really like going to sports games and driving sports cars.
Beer, cocktail, or wine?
I definitely like to enjoy all three, depending on the event or party!
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What’s the craziest Halloween costume you ever wore?
I generally don’t get too crazy about Halloween but I did dress up as a werewolf once.
You hear the term “lead by example.” What’s that mean to you?
Be accountable, listen, and don’t ask others to do something you wouldn’t do.
How do you handle change?
Embrace it, it’s inevitable and you just have to adapt. Make the best of it.
How would you like to remembered at Insulectro?
Results-driven, helped implement effective improvements, but most important cared about his team and was always available.
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Insulectro Unleashes the
Incredible Power of 5
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Canada Still On Lockdown
Difficult 2021 So Far
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The Canadian PCB market has had to endure a lengthy government-mandated Covid shutdown. While PCB manufacturers have continued to work, supplier visits are sporadic and mostly occur when a face to face is absolutely essential.
Rules for visits vary by customer, overall there is an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of all. As of the last few weeks number of Covid cases in Ontario has dropped off significantly so the government has started a gradual return to business.
Stage three will be implemented on July 16th. The hope is that Canada will open up their borders to the US within the next 30-60 days, currently, access to Canada for non-Canadians is for essential needs only and subject to approval.
Canadian customers are now using the same Focus Tech part numbers as in the States, which will enable us to easily supply and move inventory as needed to meet customer demands. Standardization is a positive for all.
We have moved from a warehouse where DuPont Chemistry and Dryfilm used to be stored, to the same location as our Focus Tech Chemistry. This enables us to consolidate locations for all of these items and it is much closer to our customer base. We have already seen improvements in reduced response time and delivery for our customers.
Canada has had a very difficult year to date so far, but there are great things ahead and Insulectro is excited to be part of it.
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Geraldine Arseneau
Business Manager - Canada
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In the Heartland!
Summer is in Full Swing
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Local community summer events are back in full swing, farmers markets, fireworks shows, and outdoor live music have all been well attended recently.
Brandon Heller
ISM
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July Members Meeting in Washington, DC
USPAE Gives Electronics A Strong Voice
with the US Government
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USPAE will hold its first annual membership meeting july 29 and 30, 2021, at the Hotel Arlington in Arlington, Virginia and in the District of Columbia proper. Although the agenda isn't finalized, it is expected that each member will present a brief overview about their company.
Chief Operating Officer Ken Parent and VP of Technology Chris Hunrath will represent Insulectro at the meeting.
The U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) helps ensure the U.S. government (USG) has access to resilient and trusted electronics supply chains. An independent industry association, USPAE strengthens interactions between the USG and leaders in the electronics industry and academia. It facilitates collaboration on electronics innovations, helps solve government challenges, and accelerates the adoption of new technologies.
USPAE is a non-profit organization and its members are organized in the U.S. or its allied countries. They are leaders in researching and developing innovative technologies and experts in designing, prototyping and producing advanced electronics. All have committed to high standards in quality, cybersecurity, anti-counterfeiting and supply chain risk management, helping ensure they are resilient, trusted and secure.
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Innovative Technology Coming
Isola's TerraGreen® 400G
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In recent years Isola has focused not just on developing innovative products, but also on implementing a robust new product development (NPD) process. This NPD process begins with a deep understanding of the unmet needs and technical problems our customers are facing, and then translates those needs into a set of new product requirements.
While our NPD process utilizes a stage-gate methodology, we also recognize that certain base material performance characteristics can only truly be validated by building multilayer PCB test vehicles. Incorporating these test vehicles early in our development process allows us to target all critical properties in parallel, thereby avoiding the need for costly and time-consuming iterations in the NPD process when critical performance levels are not fully met.
TerraGreen® 400G, which will be introduced this year, is one of the new products that will have been developed from start to finish utilizing this NPD process. While the primary driver for this product is the need for exceptional electrical performance, supporting applications including 5G telecommunications, high-speed servers, storage and computing, and satellite broadband technologies, there are many other critical performance requirements that a product like TerraGreen® 400G must meet.
As with other products, thermal and mechanical properties must ensure high levels of reliability through multiple assembly processes and thermal cycles in the operating environment. And as the requirements for CAF resistance continue to become more stringent, new products must demonstrate superior and repeatable levels of CAF resistance across a range of PCB designs.
From lab-scale to pilot-scale to production scale, we have validated performance at each stage of our development process to make sure that TerraGreen® 400G truly meets our customers’ needs and solves technical problems.
But wait…there’s more! In addition to meeting all of these performance requirements, and with many of us being former PCB engineers, we are very focused on designing products that are as easy to use as possible. We understand the range and complexity of PCB designs that our customers build, and the need to encapsulate multiple layers of heavy copper in thick, high-layer count PCBs, in press cycles that do not kill manufacturing capacity, with drilling processes that do not break the bank, etc.! We consider all of these factors in our NPD process. Oh, and did I mention that TerraGreen® 400G is halogen-free!
We’re very excited about TerraGreen® 400G and would love the opportunity to tell you more about it!
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Contact your Insulectro or Isola sales representative for more information.
Norm Berry
Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing
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Become a Puma!
Help us map out the future of Printed Circuit Board and Printed Electronics!
Join our Puma team and be a part of our growth.
Business Development
Operations
Pricing
Production
Warehouse
Others
Click on the ad (left) to see various positions we are recruiting.
As advertised in i-connect007's PCB Magazine
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Insulectro Unleashes the
Incredible Power of 5
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PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE |
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Insulectro PumaNews™ will write, curate, and publish provocative articles on innovation, vision, and thought leadership in our industry spotlighting people who make a difference. |
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Current & Challenged
Meet Allison Herrera
Regional Account Manager
Royal Circuit Solutions
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I grew up in rural Oklahoma far from any electronics manufacturing. I went to school for International Business and Spanish, but I did not know what international opportunities would be found out between the pasture and the barn.
Most of the people I knew grew up to work in professions that kids dress up as: doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, etc. As far as I know, no one as a child has dreamed of selling circuit boards. However, I have found it to be quite an adventurous profession.
After college, I spent 3+ years in Mexico, which, along with sharpening my Spanish language skills, also taught me how to survive in a lot of unfamiliar situations. Learning to navigate a foreign country – traveling all over, using public transportation, finding rental properties, paying bills, hospital stays, and all the things that one learns as an adult in their home country – is further complicated when far from your home base.
However, it provided the necessary skill of “figuring it out” – which has proved quite helpful in a career for which I had no point of reference.
I often get asked how I am so calm in a high-stress industry where so many things can go wrong. I attribute that to my other job as, full-time mom. Motherhood is quite possibly the best training ground for project management: kids are unpredictable, unmanageable, and full of surprises. Much like any engineering project.
The thing I love most about my job is that I get to wear many hats: Inside Sales, Outside Sales, Program Manager, Shipping, Document Control, and occasionally my favorite hat, “Mom”.
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When customers call and erupt because something has not gone as perfectly as they’d hoped, I just put on my “Mom Hat” and remind them that life is full of surprises, many outside of our control. The only thing we can control is our attitude and how we respond.
As the industry continues to accelerate and change as a result of countless factors outside of our control: a rise in demand coupled with price increases and component and material shortages; we must remain calm and remember what we can control. The next 2 years will require the flexibility and “can do” attitude from all of us.
We must embrace our creative side and look for solutions in unexpected places.
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Geoff shouts: "Try this, not that!"
AG Could Stand for 'Always Great'
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With large amounts of Pyralux® AG in our warehouses this flexible copper clad is the right fit for you next project.
Certified to IPC 4204/11, Pyralux® AG exceeds many of the IPC specifications. Pyralux® AG has superior cyclical bending capabilities and is a great choice for cost conscious products.
Available as a roll clad or sheeted good this flexible clad will surely meet your next design needs.
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Pyralux® laminates are the only choice to enable high reliability, high density circuitry for flex applications. |
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Click-Out our
Pyralux® Flexible Laminates Selector Guide. . .
(click on product name)
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
Single sided flex copper clad substrate
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
An epoxy-based adhesive system demonstrating both low loss and high reliability, specifically designed for OEMs and PCB design manufacturers. Offered as coverlay and sheet adhesive.
High temperature flexible adhesive system with an MOT of 225C.
Teflon®/Laminate system offered as a clad laminate or bondply. Ideal for RF designs.
Embedded resistance double sided laminate
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Geoffrey Leeds
Flex Product Manager
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Insulectro Unleashes the
Incredible Power of 5
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It's Not Too Late!
Past OEM FORUMS Available for Viewing
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You probably know by now our one-hour OEM FORUMS have garnered rave reviews and great attendance. Have you missed one and want to catch up?
All OEM FORUMs from our library are available by clicking on the box to view our complete library on VIMEO.
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QUALITY CONCERNS (coming soon)
JUNE 24, 2021
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As A Replacement
PACO•CLUTCH™ - for the Lamination of Flexible & Multilayer Circuit Boards
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES is the world's leading manufacturer of products to enhance and assist the production and quality assurance process for the lamination and manufacture of printed circuit boards [PCB].
Pacothane services the worldwide PCB and Smart Card markets, which includes Rigid Multilayer, Rigid/Flex, Cover-layer Flex, Flexible Multilayer, Copper, and Un-Clad Laminates.
These circuit boards are integrated into a wide variety of applications and markets that include telecom, data communications, high-speed computing, mobile devices, military, smart cards, medical and effectively all electronic products.
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WE ARE COMMITTED TO INNOVATION AND EXCELLENCE
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We develop and produce consistent, dependable, functional products that help to eliminate the hidden variables in PCB manufacture, reducing scrap rates and reworks
- We provide uncompromising support to our distributors and their customers, through training, sales, and technical support
WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS
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We help customers select the correct product for their specific application
- We continuously improve functionality to reduce customers' finished product costs
WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE BEST SUPPORT AVAILABLE
Mike Carnarius (Southwest) and Pedro Rosales (Northwest) Insulectro Field Application Engineers are ready to assist customers with their lamination challenges through troubleshooting and making application based recommendations
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Mike Carnarius
Field Application Engineer Southwest
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Pedro Rosales,
Field Application Engineer
Silicon Valley
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PACOTHANE® TECHNOLOGIES offers products that give our customers the ability to produce PCBs by using our high-quality materials to obtain higher yields and enhance their bottom line! Less scrap means more profit for our Customers.
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES® Proudly Produced in the USA with American Labor and American Materials!
And, don't forget, recently published Pacothane® Product Sample Guide available. Contact me for details.
Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - Pacothane® Products
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@Mike Creeden
Laws of Supply & Demand
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The laws of supply and demand under normal conditions have some self-correcting motion that helps it to maintain its equilibrium in the everyday flow of business, industry, and macroeconomics of our society.
We have all witnessed or heard about the latest supply challenges of the last few years in our society and what a roller-coaster ride it is.
Functional Laws of Supply and Demand - Basics: (Has a self-correcting nature)
- As demand increases, the price proportionally increases, or alternative supply
- As price increases, the supply increases
- As supply increases, the price competitively decreases
- As prices decrease, this creates excess supply
- This fosters innovation…
Dis-functional Laws of Supply and Demand - Basics: (Has a chaos effect, for a season)
- When supply is low, and the demand is high - this creates disruption or innovation
- When supply is low, and the demand is high - this creates inflationary prices
With this situation we need to pay attention, not overreact, rather we need to innovate, plan, and be proactive.
Many of the current challenges of supply-side issues have occurred in our industry in the past, but now they have a new twist. To name a few affected areas, let's look at components, materials, and issues affecting our labor force of trained and skilled workers.
- Component supply allocation has been plaguing this industry for the better part of the last decade. This is subject to the larger Tier-1 corporations that plan ahead and buy up all the available inventories. This leaves the smaller companies to design around the issue or innovate a new solution. This has been greatly compounded by global business trends of off-shoring. This is Capitalism’s self-destructive nature forcing innovation or redirection. This has created opportunity for companies like Intel to open their doors to other fab-less semi companies to use their facilities as new on-shoring options are created.
- Material suppliers have had challenges and factors from the pandemic, affecting production, shipping, and inventory control. This prompts manufacturing factories to work closely with OEMs, distributors, and suppliers. Insulectro serves in this role to satisfy every fabricator and OEM need with distribution centers across the continent and a dedicated and committed service team to ensure success. Insulectro’s suppliers such as Isola and Dupont have made significant investment through new manufacturing plants and acquisitions to proactively overcome any challenges, we all face.
- Labor force challenges have now risen to the point of catching our attention at the highest levels. Demand for skilled labor exceeds the supply of available workers. This creates a rise in wages. But even with increased wages the recruiting, education, and training are all part of equipping a successful labor force. This concern has been ignored in our society and is now at the expense of our industry. The perfect storm is that the existing labor force is greying out at the same time technology advances are accelerating at such a rapid pace. This is met with a dismissive management approach that seeks a simple solution at the lowest cost. We invest in factories, innovation, automation but we have in many circumstances ignored the human investment. This is most concerning with the bluer color type of positions such as skilled technical labor vs. highly educated professional positions.
The solutions to the last bullet listed are perhaps the more difficult challenge for us as an industry. Insulectro has recognized this with its efforts for Design Education. We as an industry will need a collective approach to these challenges and we should each ask how we can contribute proactively.
At Insulectro, with our Design Education Program, we are eager to freely support signal-integrity reviews of design circuits prior to fabrication. Also, we are ready and eager to create one or several training sessions for the OEM or your fabrication team. These will be tailored to meet the exact needs of the audience, brought by a technically appropriate presenter, with specific content to further your team’s success and provide that edge to meet the needs of advancing technology trends.
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Stay safe, happy, and healthy! |
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Mike Creeden CID+ MIT
Technical Director, Insulectro Design & Education
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CAC® Inc
Superior surface quality,
supporting thinner foils
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The best and most economical solution for using difficult-to-handle thin, reverse treated & double treated copper foils. Important to producers of increasingly high technology PCBs.
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Improve efficiency - All 4 edges are sealed from the factory, ensuring a pristine surface
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Increase productivity - supported 6µm to 140µm foils, eliminate handling defects
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Superior finish – Reduce image transfer by x2 with 8 mil CSC
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Limit variation – CSC achieves a comparable heat rise & cool down rate in a traditional press with separators
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Supply chain simplification - North American sourced aluminum, steel & copper
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For additional information, please contact me.
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil & CAC®
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Drills, routers, endmills!
Let Kemmer Improve Your Board Quality
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One area that is often overlooked in PCB manufacturing is the fabrication department.
Insulectro carries the Kemmer GmBH line of routers and endmills to supply all your routing needs. Our technical team is standing by to evaluate your needs and assist you in lowering your overall total costs, assessing your pain points, and offering solutions, as well as providing top quality and performing tools.
Contact us today and we will be happy to meet with your team and get started on improving your quality and lowering your tool costs.
Insulectro has inventory in many Router and Endmill diameters for immediate delivery. We look forward to assisting you!
Please contact your local Insulectro branch for additional product information and availability.
Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - Drill & Business Development - Canada
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Chris Hunrath on Future Tech
Automation in PCB Fabrication
July 2021
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One issue that is impacting many industries these days is a lack of people. Hiring at all levels has become very challenging.
In PCB fab, increasing complexity along with fewer experienced “veterans” is a formula for late shipments or at the worst, scrap. Price pressures, highly customized PCB’s and thus processing along with limited investment all contributed to a lack of automation.
Often there are tough choices, work on automation, or get the production done. Automation requires both money and time investments, things that can be in short supply in a fast-paced world of domestic PCB fabrication.
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While this may sound dire, there is opportunity. Automation used to be either too complex or too expensive (think of the robots used in auto manufacture) for our industry.
That has been changing for a while with cheaper better hardware and software. Now more than ever it’s time to apply automation as much as possible.
This is especially true with wireless connectivity which makes this more feasible.
Traditionally, PCB process automation was mainly focused on horizontal chemical processing. There are places to do so much more, but certainly horizontal, or more specifically “conveyorized” is a good place to start.
While just about every PCB fab has conveyorized photoresist developing, copper etching, and resist stripping, I still see a lot of vertical manual processes.
In my travels, I have seen horizontal lines connected that take panels from drill to flash or panel plate (Desmear/electroless/electrolytic). Lines like this can be well over 100 feet long. While this does not sound too advanced, few shops in North America have this capability. This is partly because of the fact large lines like this need volume to run economically. The other issue is the US PCB supply based is built around and focused on very complex circuit boards requiring many special processes.
Recently, I have seen some good investment in the industry. I hope those in control take a serious look at automating more. One of my colleagues, Mike Creeden, used the phrase “Islands of Automation”. This makes sense as it gives you the flexibility that a large continuous automated line does not provide. Here are some suggestions of process “Islands” to look at and automate:
- Loaders and unloaders: This may sound very basic, but it seems many of the older systems have been removed. This may be due to their inability to handle thin cores, or the old systems are in disrepair. There are much better systems available.
- In-Line horizontal processing wherever possible. This can be very important for thin sub-panels where lots of handling can cause damage. DES and SES
- Lamination: This could be as simple as a core dispenser, indexing pin lay-up station, automatic plate cleaning. Press loading systems and more. There are many operations here that can be fully or partially automated.
- Drilling: Once again, there are “lights out” systems that can pull, drill and unload panels.
- Plating: Horizontal Desmear and electroless. Vertical conveyorized electroplate that provides not only less labor but much more uniform plating. Don’t forget automatic chemical replenishment.
- Soldermask: Spray systems, vertical and horizontal IR tack dry, and IR cure. Feed and bleed systems for pumice scrubbers.
- Via Fill application, cure planerization.
- Process control: remote data monitoring and collection of key process parameters of everything from photoresist lamination temperatures to rinse water pH to acid normality of the cupric etch. Imagine the power over overlaying that data with yields.
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There is so much more than the list above. These are just some key areas I see that are still very manual in operation. I haven’t even touched on imaging, inventory control, etc. I think each fabricator will have to look at what would bring the best value the quickest. I do know that this will be needed for the survival of a strong North American electronics manufacturing base.
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I hope to have some lively discussions with you soon on the topic of automation.
Chris Hunrath
Vice President of Technology
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Stop Bingeing on NETFLIX:
Feast on Our Virtual Power Chats, Training Sessions, & Product Education
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With in-person meetings nearly impossible, Insulectro has turned to virtual meetings, webinars, parking lot drop-offs to keep in touch. There's no doubt these are trying and uncertain times, but what we're finding is customers are welcoming the time to become more knowledgeable about products, their applications, and potential new markets.
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Here is a listing of Power Chat Seminars we can do for your team, all online. . .
Pyralux® Product Line Overview
Geoffrey Leeds, FLEX Product Manager
Laminate Manufacture and Selection
Norm Berry, Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing
Copper Foil Overview
Copper Foil for High Speed Digital
Mark Satchwell, Product Manager - Foils
High Speed Flex Materials
Geoffrey Leeds, FLEX Product Manager
Consider The Composite: HSD Material Attributes to
Mitigate Insertion Loss
Norm Berry, Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing
Design - Making Revision 1 Work
Michael Creeden, Technical Director, Insulectro Design Education
Material - the Science
Various Insulectro Subject Matter Experts
Material - the Process
Various Insulectro Subject Matter Experts
Material - Industry Application & Usage
Various Insulectro Subject Matter Experts
Design - Material Implementation (HDI, SI, High-Speed, RF)
Michael Creeden, Technical Director, Insulectro Design Education
Design - Advanced Placement and Routing
Michael Creeden, Technical Director, Insulectro Design Education
FocusTech Chemistry
Jeff Johnson, Product Manager - Dry Film/Chemistry/Paste & FAE
TADCO® Lamination Tooling
Paul St. John, Director of National Sales LCOA
Drilling and Routing
Paul St. John, Director of National Sales LCOA
Geraldine Arseneau, Product Manager - Drill, Business Development - Canada
Getting Started with Flex PCBs
Chris Hunrath, VP of Technology
Get to Know SlickBack® and Bullseye®
Paul St. John, Director of National Sales LCOA
Geraldine Arseneau, Product Manager - Drill, Business Development - Canada
Pacothane® – Pad & Release Products
Pacothane® – Conformable Products
Pacothane® – High Temp Lamination Products
Joe Bevan, Product Manager - Pacothane®
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Design Education - An Insulectro Priority
Insulectro Sponsors New Design Trade Association
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Printed Circuit Engineering Association™ (PCEA) is an international network of engineers, designers, fabricators, assemblers, and anyone related to printed circuit development.
Our mission is to promote printed circuit engineering as a profession by encouraging and facilitating the exchange of information and the integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, and workshops.
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If you are a professional serving in the printed circuit industry from any associated discipline, you are encouraged to join. Membership is free and you’re encouraged to be involved as we all seek to collaborate, educate and inspire one another. Visit the web-site at: www.pce-a.org
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As advertised in i-Connect 007's PCB Magazine.
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INSULECTRO'S COPPER & COPPER FOIL OFFERINGS |
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Not All Foil is Created Equal!
Copper - Steel - Copper from CAC® Inc.
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Bonded Copper foil including VLP profiles onto a Steel carrier ensures that not only the low-profile topography is protected but the surface is clean, free from causing signal integrity defects as all FOUR edges are sealed.
Carrier foil is available from 1µm up to 5µm, now CSC bridges that gap offering foils from 6µm to 140µm.
CSC is available in 8 mil which has twice the image transfer resistance as 15 mil aluminum AND can replace up to SEVEN standard 62 mil steel separators. Those separators not only cause circuit surface imperfections impacting trace lines but reduce stack height allowing more panels per lamination cycle.
Panel size options range from 12 x 18” up to 26 x 38”, in top, bottom or middle configurations.
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Reduce stack height - More panels per book per opening (#1 CSC 8 MIL replace #7 62 mil separator plates
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Eliminate surface defects as the factory finish copper surface is protected during layup
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Production Efficiency gains by reducing the overall mass to heat AND cool in a cycle
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Layup Efficiency – No separators to clean resurface or polish
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Consistency in stack mass CTE using CSC build
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Increase quality assurance as image impressions are FOD concerns minimized
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For additional information, please contact me.
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil & CAC®
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Fine-tuning Operations
Is Trying to “Stretch” the Most Out of Your Consumables Hurting You?
Shur-loc, IBC Brush and Equipment Service are being recognized by customers as key contributing factors in Insulectro helping them to increase their departments efficiencies in areas of their facility.
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Shurloc Frame Systems:
With a minimal cost and an immediate return on investment, the day you begin using the system and stretching……why wait?
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Being consistent on your mesh tension helps in keeping ink coverage consistent which ensures process reliability. |
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Call your local account manager for a system quote to see how quickly your return on investment will be! |
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“Customers are beginning to see the difference in having us assist their maintenance staff in the ever-important preventative maintenance programs needed to uphold an equipment’s performance.”
Remember that we can assist in your equipment needs through the following.
- Equipment Reviews and Audits
- Service and support
- Preventative Maintenance Programs
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Ruben really gets into his work! He looks forward to assisting you with your equipment.
Ruben Zambrano
Field Application Engineer
Cell: 847-345-3759
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Please reach out should you like to discuss any of these topics further.
Thank you.
Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager & TAM
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Today's Copper Foils
for Tomorrow’s Applications!
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Tailored to meet market trends such as compartment miniaturization, vehicle electrification and increased connectivity demands require improved characteristics of both wrought and ED foils.
Focus on wrought solutions such as:
- Low profile height (Rz) for signal integrity, as low as 0.4µm
- Consistent profile height across the web which does not change when ordering thicker foils
- Alloy foil with Increased tensile strengths which can exceed 700Mpa
- Grain structure in terms of large crystals and uniform orientation improves fatigue resistance and provides excellent vibration resistance.
- Thermal resistance to withstand hostile environments for automotive applications.
Wrought foils released to IPC 4562A in grade 5, grade 7 and grade 8.
Call us to find out more – we love to talk about this stuff!
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Give us a call to discuss how CAC can help you
make better circuits faster.
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Copper Foils
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Hard to Process Metals?
Our Beck's Light Gauge Process Is What You're Looking For
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We enjoy processing metals that most shy away from.
Our specialties include:
- 0 temper aluminum for deep drawing
- One Side Bright aluminum for the auto or name plate industry
- Clad Heat Treated Aluminum for the aerospace industry
- Litho Sheet for the printing industry
- Bright Annealed and Polished Stainless for the appliance industry
- Soft Copper
- Coated Products (aluminum or steel)
- Titanium
In other words “Jewelry”. We are a white glove, hand stacking operation giving us the ability to inspect each sheet or piece.
We have been qualified by many top Stainless and Aluminum producing mills as well as a long list of metal distributors. Many of our customers have their own cut to length equipment. Generally for a wide range of gauges.
Because our leveler was built for light gauge, we can correct flatness issues other larger roll levelers cannot. Quite often we get used to free up our customer’s line time by running the lighter gauges or more difficult time consuming jobs.
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Call Matt to find out more about our Beck's process and all that CAC® has to offer. |
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Matt Swanson
General Manager, Toll Processing
CAC®, Inc.
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Everyday Materials You Need, On Our Shelves Every Day
Insulectro recognizes the importance of maintaining adequate inventory to begin work. Designers know when you need it, you need it. Using the link getpumafast.com, you can see what PumaFast™ and standard materials we stock to get you up and running.
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Covid-19 has not stopped our ACT! initiatives!
We have successfully collaborated on many ACT! opportunities.
We are delivering on Technology, Design and Education while you can bank on the sales results!
We are virtually taking our ACT!
to another level!
Insulectro and our partners are moving the chains to help our customers exceed performance goals. Our team of professional and technical resources are now offering our customers access to design and education services.
This is a Game Changer!
Our ACT! Initiatives combined with our design and education services provide our customers a total solutions package with a one-stop-shop option.
Our customers now have total access to not only our Insulectro foot print, best in class products, materials on the shelf when you need them; but also the expertise to deliver solutions from design to delivery…FAST!
Call me and to set up a VIRTUAL ACT! with your customer.
There's a reason I'm smiling.
Ron Murdock
ACT! Manager & Technical Account Manager
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To be the easiest company to do business with. . .
Insulectro has a program for continual improvement, all designed to make ourselves as user-friendly as possible to our customers, their customers, and our suppliers. Speed Matters, so we focus a lot of attention on getting you the materials you need as quickly as possible.
Our PumaFast™ Program lists current inventory of everyday materials you need every day.
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Best-in-Class Materials
from our Premier Suppliers
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