Author: Emily Bartlett

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in manufacture of printed circuit board and printed electronics, has announced it will distribute InduBond® lamination presses and supplies manufactured by Chemplate Materials SL of Barcelona, Spain.

“Today we are announcing Insulectro will begin distributing the complete InduBond® equipment product line in North America beginning today,” Insulectro Vice President of Sales and Product Management Ken Parent commented, “This is an exciting opportunity for us to bring these world-class presses to our customers – in particular the X-PRESS 360 lamination press which is Chemplate’s flagship offering. It is one more example of Insulectro’s laser focus on supplying our customers with the best product offerings – materials and equipment – available.”

InduBond® has long been respected for tight accuracy in registration, its lamination presses, automation (automatic loading/unloading), and its eco-friendly best practices.

InduBond® X-PRESS lamination presses utilize a different way of producing the heat required for lamination using standard pressing methods. The innovation of this technology is that it produces heat on the laminated material, and only the laminated material, of each layer of the press pack at the same time, at the same temperature level, without any thermal conduction.

That feature means the press pack heating is perfectly uniform in all directions. Consequently, all the layers of the laminates inside the press have the same temperature profile at the same time. With our induction technology, heating speed is increased, and high temperatures can be reached. Insulectro will also stock replacement parts and consumables for InduBond® equipment.

“Chemplate Materials SL looks forward to this new association with Insulectro in North America,” stated Victor Lazaro Gallego, Technical Director and InduBond® inventor at Chemplate Materials, S.L. “We find Insulectro’s innovative approach to sales and service to be a perfect match for our company’s values and products. The goal of our current strategy is the global market as a key element in the company`s growth. And that is why we want to keep innovating and providing the industry with new technologies that set us apart from our competitors and increase the knowledge and acceptance of the InduBond® commercial brand internationally.”

Chemplate Materials SL was established in 1986 in the electroplating business. Nowadays is a company focused on manufacturing equipment for registering PCB multilayers with an innovative process, covering the registry and the press process. They have developed a technology with a big growth potential and continuously upgrade it. They also sell chemical processes for electroplating and PCB manufacturing.

In 2020, IPC EXPO conferred an INNOVATION AWARD to the InduBond® X-PRESS line in the category of PCB FABRICATION for the concept in multilayer press technology of utilizing electromagnetic energy to heat stainless steel separator plates.

“Expect to hear more from us about this exciting new market opportunity for Insulectro and its customers” Ken Parent concluded, “World-class products from world-class suppliers, delivered at breakneck speed from regional distribution centers, coupled with ‘always there’ customer service – it’s all about enabling customers to build better circuits faster.”

Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by Isola, DuPont®, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, Focus Tech Chemicals, JX Nippon, TADCO, EMD Performance Materials, Shikoku, Denkai America, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kemmer, 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.

Insulectro will host an OEM FORUM on Thursday, November 5, at 11:05 am Pacific. The topic is ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENT WITH ACCURATE DESIGN DATA. The FORUM will be conducted on the ZOOM teleconferencing platform.

Join this 45 minute (or so) session to learn how timely PCB fabrication and assembly can maximize reliability and yield. The session is hosted by veteran technical account manager Ron Murdock and will feature Insulectro co-panelists Mike Creeden and Chris Hunrath.

An immensely popular team, Creeden (CID+  MIT and Technology Director for Design Education) will present the design argument while Vice President of Technology Chris Hunrath CID+ will reinforce with material science perspectives. Hunrath and Creeden have been teaming up for several recent webinars and lunch’n’learns gaining enthusiastic responses. They are Better Together!

This Forum should be of particular interest to OEMs, engineers, and designers looking for superior results from PCB materials. Registration is required to join the sessions and attendees will need to access the Zoom application or website to participate.

Phoenix, Arizona based Automated Chemical Solutions announces it will be acquired by The Redfern Companies. ACS is a leader in specialty chemical and process control manufacturing for the printed circuit board and general metal finishing industries.

“ACS looks forward to this next step in our evolution,” commented Scott Campbell, ACS founder and President. “The new ownership will bring unprecedented opportunity for growth and expansion. The Redfern Companies are very active in the PCB industry with an extensive portfolio of resources. I cannot imagine a more perfect fit for ACS and our employees. I look forward to personally continuing with the new company; helping it continue to grow and provide cutting edge solutions to our industry.”

ACS was founded on the belief that chemicals and control systems must work together to provide the most consistent and efficient manufacturing processes and has always taken a process control approach when formulating chemical products. Today, ACS is the only supplier to the PCB industry that designs and manufactures both process chemicals and control systems. Products include cleaners, etchants, developers, and strippers, among others, as well as all associated control systems.

ACS is known for responding quickly to customer needs and evolving technology by providing custom chemical formulations and controller designs tailored to the specific requirements of a given process. ACS manufactures products under both the ACS and Focus Tech brand names.

“I am excited to welcome the ACS team to our family. Scott, who will remain President, has been a respected leader in chemical process controls for over 30 years,” stated Patrick Redfern. “This acquisition provides a platform for growth in specialty chemicals and demonstrates our long-term commitment to PCB imaging. We are passionate about helping our customers build better boards faster.”

Campbell concluded, “The best teams have great chemistry! Glad to be joining Team Redfern!”

Automated Chemical Solutions’ process chemicals and control equipment are distributed by Insulectro, the leading distributor in North America of materials used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and printed electronics.

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in manufacture of printed circuit board and printed electronics, has just rolled out its new on-line shopping center for conductive inks and pastes <www.insulectro-pe.com> plus advanced substrates and films.

“Insulectro takes a major step in its digital transformation with the launch of a brand-new e-Commerce website developed from the ground up and launched during the COVID-19 pandemic,” announced Tim Redfern, President of Insulectro Printed Electronics, “New customers will now be able to navigate our full offering of Printed Electronics materials, get detailed product data, search by material composition and/or application. Once a product(s) is selected a customer can then choose quantity and desired format (sheets, rolls, container size) and add the product into their virtual shopping cart.”

The company offers products from such premium brands as DuPont, Coveme, Kodak, 3M, Saint-Gobain, TCI, Sabic, and Chemours. Products include a diverse array of polyester materials, polycarbonate, polyimide, FEP, PTFE, and PFA.

“Insulectro also will distribute DuPont’s renowned portfolio of conductive inks and pastes organized on our site by application and composition,” add Kevin Miller, Vice President of Sales for Insulectro’s PE efforts. “A customer looking for silver inks suitable for touch membranes switches can find and place an order in two clicks. Applications vary from RFID to high stretch applications (wearables) and in-mold electronics.

“Customers will see immediate pricing, volume discounts, shipping costs, taxes, after finetuning their purchases using drop down menus from which they can select quantities or sheet or rolls if shopping for substrates,” Miller added.“

Insulectro Printed Electronics distributes products in addition to PE materials such as DuPont™ Tedlar® PVF films used to protect surfaces exposed to harsh environments. Getting attention due to the pandemic is Sabic’s Lexan™ thermoplastic polycarbonates easily shaped and molded into many applications including PPE (personal protection equipment) like face shields. Insulectro will also offer a new sourced line of materials – Insulectro Clarity™ Polycarbonates significantly expanding its offerings.

“The website is designed to be user friendly, informative, and easy to navigate,” Tim Redfern stated. “The site aims to balance having detailed product and market data, important to engineers with educational content and visually pleasing graphics of our products in real-world applications. Like many in our line of business you may expect a very industrial looking site that is stark or sterile. But what you’ll find is innovative design that breaks new ground. I invite you to explore the site and enjoy its unique attributes.

“And purchasing on the site is secure. Purchase transactions will be processed by Shopify®, a global leader in managing internet transactions and known for being fully compliant with all regulations and secured credit card transactions,” Redfern continued.

“Our e-commerce site <insulectro-pe.com> is one example of how Insulectro is looking to the future using technology to streamline and automate our distribution processes. You will be hearing much more about things we are developing and implementing to help our customers enhance their businesses,” Redfern concluded.

In addition to inks and substrates, Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by Isola, DuPont®, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, Focus Tech Chemicals, JX Nippon, TADCO, EMD Performance Materials, Shikoku, Denkai America, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kemmer, 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.

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in manufacture of printed circuit board and printed electronics, has announced it will distribute the Shur-loc screening printing product line effective immediately. It marks the third supplier added to Insulectro’s product portfolio in as many months.

“Today we are announcing Insulectro will begin distributing the Shur-loc screening printing product line in North America,” Insulectro Director of Product Management Michelle Walsh commented, “The addition of Shur-loc is a potent addition to our best-in-class product portfolio. It is one more example of Insulectro’s laser focus on supplying our customers with the best product offerings available.”

“It is our pleasure to announce that effective immediately, we will be welcoming Insulectro as our new exclusive North American Distributor for our PCB product lines, ” commented Shur-loc VP David Larson, “We believe our customers will benefit from Insulectro’s expansive industry and technical knowledge as well as their supply and logistics expertise. In addition, they have will have multiple stocking locations for shur-loc products.”

“Shur-loc is a great opportunity to broaden our product offerings to our PCB fabricators,” said Kevin Barrett, Insulectro Technical Account Manager and Product Manager for the Shur-loc line.

“Shur-loc has been innovating screen printing products over the last 30 years and enhancing the performance in screen printing within the PCB market for the last 15 years,” Barrett added. “At Shur-loc, their product line is not just another system. It is an art form that has been perfected over time by highly-skilled employees, some of whom have been with this family owned company since the beginning.”

The Shur-loc patented frame and one-piece mesh stretching system makes what is a labor-intensive part of screen printing a quick and easy way to build screen frames in just minutes and ready for production immediately! Their laser cut design ensures the precise mesh angle and optimal tension throughout the life of the mesh panel. Various size frames and mesh count sizes are available from hand tables to larger format automatic printers.

“Expect to hear more from us about Shur-loc and its high-quality line of screening products” Michelle Walsh concluded, “It’s all about enabling customers to build better circuits faster.”

Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by Isola, DuPont®, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, Focus Tech Chemicals, JX Nippon, TADCO, EMD Performance Materials, Shikoku, Denkai America, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kemmer, 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.

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the printed circuit board and printed electronics industries, will host its first OEM FORUM on Thursday, August 20, at 11:05 am Pacific. The FORUM will be conducted on the ZOOM teleconferencing platform.

“With the demands of today’s highly advanced circuit board designs, it is more important than ever to not only pick the best materials but to optimize their use” commented Insulectro Technical Director for Design Education Michael Creeden. “Join this 45 minute virtual forum, plus Q&A, as we explore the need for technically correct material selections. Materials play a functional part of our high-speed and RF circuit performance. Learn how correct material selections also improve the manufacturability and reliability of our products.”

Creeden CID+  MIT will be a major presenter on the design side while Insulectro Vice President of Technology Chris Hunrath CID+ will present the science around material selection. Technical Account Manager Ron Murdock will host the session.

This Forum should be of particular interest to OEMs, engineers, and designers looking for superior results from PCB materials. Registration is required to join the sessions and attendees will need to access the Zoom application or website to participate.

Insulectro, has announced it will distribute IBC printed circuit board and pumice scrubber brushes effective immediately.

“Today we are announcing Insulectro will begin distributing Industrial Brush Corporation brush products in North America,” Insulectro Director of Product Management Michelle Walsh commented, “The addition of IBC is a welcome addition to our best-in-class product portfolio.”

“We are excited to broaden our product offerings to our PCB fabricators,” said Kevin Barrett, Insulectro Technical Account Manager and Product Manager for the IBC line, “IBC is a pioneer in brush manufacture serving a wide variety of industries with roots dating back to 1896. At IBC, brushes are not simply a commodity manufactured by a machine. They are an art form that has been perfected over time by highly-skilled employees, some of whom have been with the company for twenty to thirty years or more.”

IBC circuit board brushes feature optimal aluminum construction for maximum durability without excess weight. The spiral-wound design permanently locks brush filaments into a channel to prevent filament loss. Brushes are precision trimmed to maintain uniform surface finishes. To meet the increasing surface preparation requirements of the PCB industry, IBC also offers a complete range of impregnated nylon filament in grit sizes from 180 to 500.

Their pumice scrubber brushes are manufactured with precision-trimmed, fine-diameter nylon filament to ensure even and consistent brushing action. For fine line circuitry, optimum surface preparation can be achieved even on thin inner layers.

“Expect to hear more from us about IBC and its high-quality line of industrial brushes,” Michelle Walsh concluded, “Expanding our world-class product line card is just another example of Insulectro’s pledge to enable its customers to build better circuits faster.”

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the printed circuit board and printed electronics industries, has announced the appointment of industry veteran John Odom to its advisory board.

Odom retired from DuPont in 2019 where he had held global leadership roles in printed circuit materials, semiconductor materials, and photovoltaic materials businesses. He had also served on the boards of DA NanoMaterials and HD MicroSystems, leading suppliers of proprietary materials to the semiconductor industry.  While at DuPont, Odom also led numerous M&A initiatives and had extensive electronic materials business experience in Asia.  During his career Odom has been active in IPC and SEMI, where he chaired the Chemicals and Gases Manufacturers Group and the Strategic Materials Conference.

Odom is a graduate of Clemson University in Chemical Engineering and he received Executive Education at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“John is highly regarded in the electronic materials industry for his market and business expertise, strong customer focus, and personal values,” remarked Insulectro President and CEO, Patrick Redfern.  “Insulectro and DuPont have an extensive history and together our companies have led the industry. Through John’s experiences and skills, he brings critical insight and perspective to our Advisory Board, and we are excited to welcome him to the Insulectro team.”

Insulectro (www.insulectro.com), the largest distributor of materials for use in the printed circuit board and printed electronics industries, has announced a blow-out schedule of its highly anticipated 13.5-minute power chats in cooperation with DuPont, and EMD Performance Materials during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the San Diego Convention Center, February 4-6, 2020.

With top DuPont execs and engineers presenting on such breakthrough topics as 5G, Automotive, and Highly Reliable Films and Laminates, the Insulectro Power Chats, branded ipc@IPC, will be presented in a brand-new three-quarter round theatre presentation in Insulectro’s new 1800 square foot mega-booth – #625, the largest exhibit in the suppliers and materials section.

“We are pleased to take our ipc@IPC – Insulectro Power Chats, to the next level with our valued supplier, DuPont,” commented Ken Parent, Vice President of Sales & Product Management, “DuPont has developed six amazing presentations that should be of top interest to fabricators and OEMs. The Chats are topical, short, info-packed learning sessions presented by experts in the field during IPC APEX EXPO. In 13.5 minutes per Chat, attendees will learn the WHAT/WHY/HOW of these industry game changers.”

 “DuPont is leading the pack with cutting edge engineering on new technologies that are expected to have a major impact on everyone’s life,” stated Michelle Walsh, Insulectro Director of Product Management, who also moderates the sessions, “to accommodate the demand these sessions are likely to generate, we’ve increased our exhibit space substantially to create a theatrical environment for presenter and audience alike.

“We’re delighted to bring the presenters and topics to IPC, for the first time, to explore both the far-reaching vision and new processes that are being developed by the New DuPont. It’s a great chance to experience how an industry pioneer thinks about the future. Over the past seven years our IPC Power Chats have been enormously popular. Often times, it’s standing room only. That’s due to the intriguing topics we spotlight in our chats and in our booth. This year promises to be no exception,” Walsh concluded.

 

IPC@IPC DuPont Power Chats Schedule for Booth #625:

(Business Card drawing for Amazon Echo Dot at conclusion of each session)

Design Without Compromise: High Reliability Pyralux® Applications

(January 29: 11:00am; January 30: 10:00am, 4:00pm; January 31: 10:00am)

From space orbit to the operating room, advanced systems are made possible by Kapton® Films.

Matt Guise, DuPont Global Marketing & Business Development Leader

Dave Reichert, DuPont Global Business Development

Design Without Compromise: Specialty Kapton® Applications

(January 29: 2:30pm; January 30 2:00 pm)

Aircraft, undersea platforms, and power electronics: advanced packaging solutions enabled by

Pyralux® laminates and high-performance thermal substrates.

Matt Guise, DuPont Global Marketing & Business Development Leader

Tim Scott, DuPont Global Business Development

 

5G. What It Means to You

(January 29: 4:30pm; January 30: 1:00pm; January 31: 11:00am)

The eco-structure of 5G and How DuPont can help.

Brian Amos, DuPont Global Technical Marketing

 

5G. High Frequency Flex

(January 29: 5:00pm; January 30: 1:30pm; January 31: 11:30am)

Materials matter.

Jonathan Weldon, DuPont RF Applications Engineer

It’s Hot under the Hood

(January 29: 1:30pm; January 30: 11:00am, 5:00pm)

Flexible Laminates for Harsh Automotive Environment – TCU

Romaine Delorme, DuPont Global Marketing & BD Leader – Automotive

 

Automotive Electronics – It’s a Tough Job

(January 29: 3:30pm; January 30: 3:00 pm)

High Performance Thermal Conductive Substrates for Reliable Power Module Packaging

Romaine Delorme, DuPont Global Marketing & BD Leader – Automotive

All Power Chats are in Space #625 at IPC APEX EXPO. No sign-up required, and topics are repeated by your convenience. Printed schedules available in Insulectro Booth #625 or by download from www.insulectro.com