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STI Electronics, Inc announces that it has been named a finalist for the Alabama Manufacturer of the Year contest, sponsored by the Business Council of Alabama and Alabama Technology Network.
 
The awards are determined by an independent panel of judges and presented in three categories to ensure the fair recognition of all applicants regardless of the size of their work force. The categories are based on the number of employees: small, 1-99; medium, 100-399; and large, 400 or more.
 
“With all of the great manufacturing companies in Alabama, it is truly an honor to be nominated for an award of this type.    It shows that STI’s efforts for continued improvements in technology, process and customer service are being recognized outside of our own company,” said David Raby, President & CEO.
 
The goal of STI is to meet or exceed any standards of workmanship demanded by its customers. No one in the industry is better prepared to meet the expanding standards of quality required in today’s competitive market than STI Electronics. The company protects customers’ proprietary designs and right to privacy, especially those relating to PCB assembly services for the military in which defense and security issues are key.
 
This marks the eleventh consecutive year BCA and ATN have come together with the National Association of Manufacturers and the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama to recognize the best of Alabama manufacturing. The program was developed to increase public awareness about the vital economic impact of manufacturing in Alabama, and to give well-deserved credit to companies that make world-class products, create good jobs, and make a real difference in their communities.

STI Electronics, Inc. announces that Casey H. Cooper, Electrical Engineering Manager will present a paper titled “Embedded Packaging Technologies: Imbedding Components to Meet Form, Fit, and Function” at the upcoming IPC/APEX conference and exhibition, scheduled to take place April 6-8, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas. The presentation will be held during Session S20, titled  ” Emerging Technology II: Embedded Actives,” which will take place Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 10:15- 11:45 a.m.
 
As the electronics industry moves toward smaller form and fit factors, advanced packaging technologies are needed to achieve these challenging design requirements.  Current design problems are not driven by circuit design capabilities, but by an inability to reliably package these circuits within the space constraints.  Innovative packaging techniques are required in order to meet the increasing size, weight, power, and reliability requirements of the industry without sacrificing electrical, mechanical, or thermal performance. 
 
Emerging technologies, such as those imbedding components within organic substrates, have proven capable of meeting and exceeding these design objectives.  Imbedded Component/Die Technology (IC/DT®) addresses these design challenges through imbedding both actives and passives into cavities within a multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) to decrease the surface area required to implement the circuit design and increase the robustness of the overall assembly.  A passive thermal management approach is implemented with an integrated thermal core imbedded within the multi-layer PCB to which high power components are mounted directly.
 
This paper discusses the design methodology, packaging processes, and technology demonstrations of prototypes packaged using this technology. The various prototypes designed and manufactured using this technology will be presented.
 

STI introduces Cable Assembly Kits and Cable Assembly  Training to support customers involved in cable and harness assembly.
 
STI’s Cable Assembly Kit addresses the majority of component types that are encountered in operational production. It utilizes Mil Spec style connectors that have two sizes of contacts, combined with the appropriate insertion/extraction tools. Additional terminals, solder sleeves, and crimp lug terminations are provided for broad skill development. Additionally, as a result of customer requests, STI has included a terminal soldering kit for enhanced soldering skill development.
 
The kit provides training advantages for the industry by creating the operator skill needed to be successful for cable and harness applications. In addition, the kit features an overlay and wire list for the student to use that is typical of those encountered in production operations. The Cable Assembly Kit is effectively used in STI’s NASA Cable and Harness Training program.
 
IPC/WHMA-A-620, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, is modeled after IPC-A-610; IPC’s most widely used standard with an international reputation as the source for end product acceptance criteria for consumer and high reliability printed circuit assemblies. IPC/WHMA-A-620 is the first industry consensus standard for cable and wire harness fabrication and installation. In addition to IPC/WHMA-A-620 courses, STI also offers Cable/Harness Assembly training to NASA/MSFC-8739.4, “Crimping, Interconnecting Cables, Harnesses, and Wiring”.
 
For more information about STI’s Cable Assembly Kit and Training Services, visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, has been awarded a contract with IPC to update the existing IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 training and certification programs from the D to the soon to be released E revision of the standards. 
 
STI has extensive experience in curriculum development and has worked with IPC numerous times in previous years to develop and/or update curriculum for IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, IPC-A-620 and IPC-7711/7721. The two program updates are being developed concurrently with betas to be conducted in April – June, 2010. 
 
“STI is excited about the opportunity to update the J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 Training and Certification programs for both CIT and CIS levels. The IPC committees have worked hard over the past couple of years to incorporate updated technology, etc. into the standards and STI is committed to providing the best possible training program for IPC and the industry at large.    STI is looking forward to working with IPC and Jack Crawford on this project,” said Diana Bradford, Vice President of Training Resources of STI Electronics, Inc.
 
STI is a total solutions partner when it comes to training resources. The company offers both training services and materials to better serve companies. 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’s updates, contact Pat Scott, Director of Training Resources at pscott@stielectronics.com.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that it has received certification in accordance with Nebb Procedural Standards per the requirements of ISO14644-1:1999 for ISO Class 6 (Class 1000) Manufacturing Cleanroom for Electronic Hardware.
 
STI’s 2,000 sq ft cleanroom facility has been added to produce military and medical devices that require cleanroom manufacturing standards and practices. This is another milestone and building block for STI’s growth to become a full-service provider of microelectronic assemblies and sensors as well as high-end standard and hybrid electronic assemblies for its customer base.
 
David Raby, President & CEO, said, “I am excited about our future and our commitment to excellence in electronics. This is another example of our commitment to our new and existing customers by investing in facilities and capital equipment needed to keep STI on the cutting edge of electronics manufacturing.”
 
This allows STI to expand its manufacturing capabilities and expertise, and gives its customers greater design solutions to meet future electronic system objectives. The room is certified to ISO Class 6 (Class 1000) air cleanliness standards but was built to maintain and operate at ISO Class 5 (Class 100) standards. With onsite high-accuracy temperature, humidity, and particle-counter monitors, STI is able to provide daily monitoring to ensure continuous compliance with the ISO14644-1:1999 cleanroom standards.
 
Mark McMeen, Vice President, stated, “This is our second cleanroom design. We are very proud of this addition and the further capabilities that we can now offer our customers by operating at a higher standard than is required for high-end microelectronic assemblies”.
 
STI Electronics is an ISO CERTIFIED 9001:2008 electronics manufacturing facility specializing in high-end circuit card assemblies and microelectronic/sensor modules.  STI has a patented Imbedded Component/Die Technology called IC/DT® that also will benefit from the increase in cleanroom size. STI’s IC/DT® packaging technology is a more reliable alternative to SMT to meet size, weight, and power (SWAP) requirements for critical, high-rel applications. IC/DT® integrates thermal management and imbeds unpackaged components and bare die in a 3-D laminate substrate, which reduces heat, increases reliability and meets small form-factor requirements.
 
E-mail or call Mark McMeen for more information on STI’s manufacturing capabilities at mmcmeen@stielectronicsinc.com or 256-705-5515.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, announces the appointment of Jessica Rheaume, to its Training Services department.
 
Jessica is qualified as a Master Training Specialist with experience in designing, developing, implementing, evaluating and revising training courses. Jessica previously worked as an instructor for the Navy’s 2M Repair and Module Test and Repair courses and was also instrumental in training other instructors for the 2M program.
 
Jessica has a tremendous amount of experience in maintenance, troubleshooting and repair of circuit card assemblies, electronic modules and various electronics equipment.  She will be spending the next couple of weeks getting qualified as a Master Instructor for all IPC courses and team teaching with STI’s seasoned instructors.
 
“We feel that Jessica’s extensive experience with electronic assemblies and her experience in the classroom will be a tremendous asset for the students and customers STI serves.  We are excited to have Jessica as part of our team and look forward to working with her,” said Diana Bradford, Vice President, Training Resources/Operations.
 
STI is a total solutions partner when it comes to training resources. The company offers both training services and materials to better support companies training needs. 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., visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 
 
 

STI Electronics’ Training Services Department Breaks All-Time Sales Records in 2009!
 
MADISON, AL — January 2010 — STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces that its Training Services Department has broken its year end sales records in 2009.
 
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 customer’s 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.
 
“We would like to thank all of our customers for entrusting STI with their training needs and I would like to thank Pat Scott, Director of Training Services and the rest of her staff for continually meeting and exceeding our customers expectations,” said Diana Bradford, Vice President, Training Resources/Operations.
 
STI is a total solutions partner when it comes to training resources. The company offers both training services and materials to better support companies training needs. 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., visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.

STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, has introduced a new Training Materials Catalog.
 
The catalog is available in hard copy and electronic format as well as on the web for viewing and/or downloading at http://www.stielectronicsinc.com/catalog/STI_Training.pdf.  The new Training Materials catalog includes solder training/process profiling kits, dummy/mechanical components, training aids, and training materials (specifically IPC standards and specifications). 
 
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 companies. STI’s technical and instructional staff is unsurpassed in knowledge and experience in the world of electronics assembly/solder training and specification requirements.
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To request a copy of the catalog, send an email to info@stielectronicsinc.com or go to the following link  http://www.stielectronicsinc.com/Pages/RequestCatalog.aspx.

STI Electronics, Inc. Celebrates Its 27th Anniversary
 
MADISON, AL — December 2009 — STI Electronics, Inc., a full service organization providing training, electronic and industrial distribution, consulting, laboratory analysis, prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB assembly, announces the 27-year anniversary of the company.
 
 
STI, founded by Jim D. Raby, P.E., began as a family operation in 1982 in San Dimas, CA with Jim, Ellen and David.  STI relocated to Madison, AL in 1993.  STI has grown to over 50 employees and expanded its focus from consulting and technical seminars to providing training, laboratory analysis, advanced research and development, microelectronics assembly (class 1000 cleanroom environment), prototyping, and small- to medium-volume PCB contract assembly for the electronics industry as well as electronic and industrial product distribution.
 
“STI began as a family owned business 27 years ago and continues to operate as such today (although there are over 50 of us now).  I’m not sure any of us thought 27 years into the future when we started but it sure has been a lot of fun and has kept me from having to get a real job.   Thanks to all of you for helping make it possible and I look forward to many more years,” said David Raby, President & CEO.
 
The goal of STI is to meet or exceed any standards of workmanship demanded by its customers. No company in the industry is better prepared than STI Electronics to meet the expanding standards of quality required in today’s competitive market.
 
For more information about STI Electronics, Inc., visit www.stielectronicsinc.com.
 

STI Electronics Inc. announces that it has been awarded a Global Technology Award in the category of Anti-Counterfeiting Services for its Chemical Decap Service. The award was presented to the company during a Tuesday, November 10, 2009 ceremony that took place at the New Munich Trade Fair Center in Munich, Germany.
STI Electronics performs a special chemical decap service for customers who want to see if they are receiving counterfeit parts from their supply chain vendors. STI also provides this same service to component manufacturers who want to verify if certain returned components are truly their original manufactured parts. This service provides the ability to chemically decap the integrated circuit from the overmold package and verify at the die level if the die inside the component package is the original manufacturers die. This is a good way to know without a shadow of a doubt if the component in question is counterfeit.
STI’s decap service verifies components, resulting in dramatically reduced scrap and tremendous cost savings. The quickest and most effective way to see what the die looks like inside the component packaging and what the markings are on the die itself is to chemically decap the part and expose the die for topography mapping and marking identification plus the added elemental analysis of the die material itself to make sure the die is not being copied illegally. This process gives three independent reviews to determine if the die is being used as a counterfeit component.
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.
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.