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STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that UP Media Group Inc. (UPMG), publisher of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazine, has opened the Jim D. Raby Hall of Fame for Electronics Assembly.
 
Jim is well-known through the industry for his work with soldering and high-reliability printed circuit assemblies. He has spent his 55-year career in electronics manufacturing, starting with the Saturn/Apollo rocket program. He is credited for developing the NASA and Navy (the famous China Lake) soldering schools, and was instrumental in developing the IPC soldering certification curriculum, used by the vast majority of the industry today. He initiated the Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (now known as the American Competitiveness Institute). Over his career, he has trained tens of thousands of engineers and operators.
 
“Jim Raby is as responsible as anyone for today’s soldering practices and standards, and he is likely the most influential person alive in electronics assembly,” said Mike Buetow, UPMG Vice President, Editorial and Production, and editor-in chief of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY. “We are thrilled to name the Hall of Fame for Electronics Assembly after a true industry legend.”
 
“I am so proud and appreciative of this honor from the kind folks at UP Media Group. Obviously I might be a little biased but I think Dad (Jim) is very deserving because of the long-term impact he has had, and continues to have on the technology and the people in the electronics assembly industry,” said STI Electronics’ President & CEO David Raby.
 
During his career, Jim has been issued patents for wave soldering and embedded components, and initiated the Zero Defect Program for wave soldering. He also was the driver of the “Lights Out Factory” concept that revolutionized the modern electronics manufacturing facility.
 
For more than 30 years, Jim has worked on industry standards, including DOD-STD-2000, MIL-STD-2000, J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610. He also helped write and implement standards for wire harnesses. He has been involved in the research for lead-free solder processes and materials. His seminal paper, “Standardization of Military Specifications,” was the roadmap for reducing some 219 specifications into a single four-document set known as MIL-STD-2000, the precursor to J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610. He has worked on more than a dozen standards and training programs, and chaired or vice-chaired committees on soldering, rework and repair, component mounting, and product assurance. Jim was instrumental in the writing of the curriculum and beta testing for J-STD-001, IPC-A-610D, IPC/WHMA-A-620, and IPC-7711/7721A, and received the IPC Presidents Award in 1984.
 
In addition to Jim, four other industry legends comprise the first induction class into the Hall of Fame: Moe Abramson and Stanislaus Danko, inventors of the first automated dip soldering process; George Devol, inventor of the first digitally programmable robot; and R. J. Klein Wassink, Philips lead technical engineer in the 1970s-90s and author of several leading works on electronics soldering and assembly. Visit the Jim D. Raby Hall of Fame at circuitsassembly.com/cms/hall-of-fame.
 
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About STI Electronics, Inc.
Since 1982, STI Electronics, Inc. (STI) has been the premier full service organization for training, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly in the electronics industry. STI also produces a complete line of solder training kits and training support products. Additionally, the company distributes products for the electronics and industrial markets. For more information, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 
About UP Media Group Inc.
UP Media Group Inc. (UPMG) (upmediagroup.com) serves the global PCB community through print, digital and online products, as well as live and virtual events. UPMG publishes PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB (pcdandf.com) and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY (circuitsassembly.com), as well as the PCB UPdate (pcbupdate.com) e-newsletter. UPMG also produces trade shows and conferences, including the industry-leading PCB West (pcbwest.com). UPMG also produces Printed Circuit University (printedcircuituniversity.com), an online e-learning and training resource, and home of PCB Chat (pcbchat.com).

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces the appointment of Dylan’s as its training materials distributor in France.
 
Dylan’s was established in February 2002 by Daniel Schollaert and Sylvie Poirot. The company is headquartered near Paris with an operating office in the Champagne area. Dylan’s primary focus is on importing products and equipment from the U.S. for the electronics and microelectronics, among other industries.
 
“STI and the Raby family have a long standing relationship with Dylan’s and specifically Daniel and Sylvie.  We are excited about the opportunities to sell our superior electronics assembly and solder training kits along with our full line of training materials and manufacturing support products throughout France.  We are confident that with Dylan’s and STI working together, that the customers in this region will benefit greatly from this arrangement,” commented David Raby, President & CEO.
 
In addition to its standardized training program support materials, STI Electronics provides unique or custom training materials ranging from chip scale and BGA to through-hole and terminal attachments. STI also provides cable and harness kits to support cable fabrication programs. Process development kits for machine applications provide an opportunity to evaluate operation capabilities for issues such as fine-pitch production and lead-free materials.
 
Dylan’s will represent STI’s complete line of training materials throughout France, Belgium and part of Switzerland. For more information about Dylan’s, contact President Daniel Schollaert at +03 25 21 42 62 or e-mail schollaert.daniel@microsa.com.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that Cortney Wright has joined its customer service team effective immediately.
 
Cortney is the company’s newest customer service representative. In her new role, Cortney is responsible for working with customers to determine what they need, whether it is consumable materials, equipment or any of the services that STI provides. Cortney serves both the electronics and industrial distribution department, supporting outside sales representatives as well as inside sales.
 
“I am so pleased to have Cortney join our team. She brings several years of experience in customer service and will be a tremendous asset to the Sales and Distribution Division. Cortney will be working directly with the sales team as Dottie transitions to full time outside sales,” commented David Raby, President & CEO.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that Dottie Grantham has been appointed as its new Outside Sales Representative for AL, MS, TN, and GA.

In her new role, Dottie is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with new customers in the region and for actively prospecting for new accounts. Additionally, she will maintain the company’s relationships with existing customers in her territory.
 
Dottie has been with the company for four years in customer service and inside sales roles. She brings a wealth of sales knowledge from her roles at Motorola, Trans Tron Limited, Adtran, and DRS Test & Energy Management.
 
“I’m very happy to have Dottie joining outside sales. She brings a fresh perspective that I believe customers will appreciate and benefit from. Dottie has experience in inside sales, so she understands STI’s total customer service philosophy, manufacturers, and how to best fill a customer’s needs.  She also has worked in manufacturing environments so she understands what the customer is trying to accomplish and can be sure that they are taking advantage of all of our resources,” commented David Raby, President & CEO.
 
For more information about STI Electronics Inc.’s products and services, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 

STI Electronics, Inc.’s Pat Scott Is Recognized with Two Distinguished Committee Service Award at the IPC APEX Expo
 
STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that Pat Scott has been awarded two IPC Distinguished Committee Service Awards.  The awards were presented to Pat  by IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® on behalf of the PCB and EMS industries, their suppliers and customers during the 2012 IPC APEX exhibition and conference.
 
Pat received the first award for her contributions to the development of the IPC-HDBK-001E, Handbook and Guide to Supplement J-STD-001. The second award was presented in appreciation and recognition of her contributions to the development of optional hands on training for the IPC/WHMA-A-620 Technical Training Program and the IPC/WHMA-A-620AS Space Addendum Training and Certification Course.
 
Pat is the Director of Training Services for STI Electronics, Inc. She joined STI’s training team in January 2001, coming from Electronics Training Advantage (ETA) as Director of Training. Pat has 20 years of experience in electronics manufacturing, technical instruction and instructional systems development.Pat gained her experience at Hughes Aircraft Co., Soldering Technology Training Facility (China Lake), and the Electronics Manufacturing Productivity Facility (EMPF). Pat is accredited by the IPC as a Master Instructor for IPC J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, IPC/WHMA-A-620 and IPC 7711/21.
 
For more information about STI Electronics Inc.’s products and services, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that Mel Parrish, FSO and Director of Training Materials, has been recognized with an award for his leadership during his two year term as IPC, TAEC Chair. IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® presented the award to Parrish for his participation in creating the IPC/WHMA-A-620AS Space Addendum Training and Certification program.
 
Mel continues to support the IPC as a General Chair for Product Assurance 7-30 and TAEC lifetime member. The product assurance team is responsible for many IPC technical documents including the newly released IPC-AJ-820 “Assembly Joining Handbook”, IPC-A-610, IPC-7711/21, IPC-A-600, IPC-A-620 and others. Mel is succeeded as the TAEC Chair by Doug Pauls of Rockwell Collins.
 
After retiring from his work as an electronics curriculum designer for the Air Force, Parrish continued to work with standards development and training as president of Manufacturing Technology Training Center (MTTC) and worked with the Navy at China Lake during the generation of WS-6536 through MIL-STD-2000. In addition to his IPC Master Instructor status for IPC-A-610, IPC-A-620, J-STD-001, Parrish has previous DoD certifications for WS-6536, DoD-STD-2000 and MIL-STD-2000.
 
Complementing his expertise in electronics manufacturing, Parrish has more than 30 years of experience in workforce development, skills standards, curriculum design and development, and management for electronic technology and production disciplines.

MADISON, AL — January 2012 — STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Casey Cooper, Electrical Engineering/Microelectronics Lab Manager.
 
“Casey came to STI as a young Auburn college graduate. She is truly one of the brightest young electrical engineers in the industry today and we are fortunate that she calls STI home. Casey is an important part of the future of STI and specifically the Microelectronics Lab. We look forward to what the next 10 years hold for STI with Casey at our side,” commented David Raby, President & CEO.
 
Casey is involved with the development of Imbedded Component/Die Technology (IC/DT®) at STI and its implementation into military, aerospace, and commercial applications. Mrs. Cooper has over nine years experience with microelectronics packaging beginning with her involvement at the Center for Advanced Vehicle Electronics (CAVE) as a co-op student while studying Electrical Engineering at Auburn University. She also served as an intern for the Microelectronics Technology group at Harris Corporation in Melbourne, FL, where she was involved with the redesign of a Multi-Chip Module LTCC layout. 
 
For more information about STI Electronics, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training services, electronic and industrial distribution, analytical and failure analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces its most successful year to date.
 
 “Thank you to all of our customers and staff members for your continued support in 2011. Financially, STI had our best year ever and we are looking forward to an even stronger 2012 as we approach our 30th year serving our customers and our industry,” commented David Raby, President & CEO of STI Electronics.

 
Over the past 30 years, the company, which started as a small family business with Jim, Ellen and David Raby, has grown to more than 60 employees and expanded its focus from consulting and technical seminars to providing electronic and industrial distribution with over 150 product lines, training services, analytical analysis, advanced research and development, microelectronics assembly (class 1000 Clean Room environment), prototyping, and small to medium volume PCB contract assembly for the electronics industry.
 
For more information about STI Electronics Inc.’s products and services, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 

STI  announces that it has been awarded a Global Technology Award in the category of Components for its Micro-Coil Spring Array. The award was presented to the company during a Tuesday, November 15, 2011 ceremony that took place at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Munich, Germany during Productronica 2011.
 
“STI is very proud of this award.  We strive daily to provide technological solutions to today’s electronics manufacturing challenges for our customers and this award is proof that we are headed in the right direction,” said David Raby, President/CEO.
 
The Micro-Coil Spring Array is an improved alternative to standard rigid arrays to replace the Column Grid Array (solder columns) commonly used on Integrated Circuits (IC) with a very high lead count. The Micro-Coil Spring Array was developed by NASA for a higher degree of reliability over conventional Column Grid Arrays and this technology was licensed to STI Electronics Inc. for its commercialization and production capability.
 
The Micro-Coil Spring Array is a drop-in replacement for BGA Column Grid Array packaging applications that require greater reliability and long-term robustness. Additionally, it is competitively priced to be lower than Column Grid Array solder columns. Production assembly costs also are lower than for manufacturing the Column Grid Array package.
 
Premiering in 2005, the Global Technology Awards program is an annual celebration of product excellence in electronics surface mount assembly. Premier products based on the finest examples of creative advancement in technology are chosen by a distinguished panel of industry experts.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, will feature its key products and services in Booth #2921 at the upcoming IPC APEX Expo, scheduled to take place February 28 – March 1, 2012 at the San Diego Convention Center in California.

STI’s Engineering Services Department will feature its IC/DT services. STI’s Engineering Services division is a multifaceted technical organization that provides engineering support in the field of electronics manufacturing. From product design and manufacturability analysis to pre-production prototype and development, STI’s Prototype and Development Lab is a full service design review and pre-production facility.
 
STI’s Training Resources Department will feature its training services and materials. STI Electronics, Inc. offers a wide variety of electronics assembly and solder training courses, ranging from commercial to high-reliability requirements including NASA for through-hole, surface mount, and cable/harness assembly, as well as staking and conformal coating. STI is an IPC Approved Certification center for all currently available courses (IPC-A-600, IPC-J-STD-001, IPC-A-610, IPC-7711/7721, IPC/WHMA-620).  Most courses can be customized to meet a specific need or requirement and can be conducted at STI’s facility in Madison, AL or at a customers’ site.
 
In addition to the standardized training program support materials, STI Electronics provides unique or custom training materials ranging from chip scale and BGA to through-hole and terminal attachments. STI also provides cable and harness kits to support cable fabrication programs. Process development kits for machine applications provide an opportunity to evaluate operation capabilities for issues such as fine-pitch production and lead-free materials.
 
STI is a total solutions partner when it comes to training resources. The company offers both training services and materials to better serve its customers. STI’s technical and instructional staff is unsurpassed in knowledge and experience in the world of electronics assembly/solder training and specification requirements.
 
For more information about STI Electronics Inc.’s products and services, stop by Booth #2921 at the show or visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.