Category: Uncategorized

LAKE FOREST, CA

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, ushers in its New Era of Laminates and Prepregs as it begins selling EMC copper clad laminates and Arlon polyimides beginning today.

“It’s been a long time coming but today is the day,” announced Insulectro Chief Operating Officer Ken Parent, “We are officially taking orders for Arlon and EMC high-performance laminates. These new products are truly gamechangers for our customers in North America with many being “drop in” solutions for most of the CCL laminates fabricators are currently purchasing from Insulectro or from our competitors. Our move to Arlon and EMC will position us well for the “Heart of the Range” laminates in the Lead-Free FR-4, Halogen Free FR-4, Polyimide, High Speed Digital, and other High Performance Laminates markets. Clearly, the future is now.”

Norm Berry, Insulectro Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing commented, “Arlon’s and EMC’s laminates and prepregs are world-class materials for fabricators. They will be first-choice selections in such PCB markets as aerospace/defense, aircraft and avionics, automotive, and medical, as well as many industrial applications. We look forward to taking orders beginning today for these products and expect an enthusiastic reception. There’s nothing else like these in the marketplace.”

Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by EMC, Arlon Electronic Materials, DuPont®, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, FOCUSTECH™, JX Metals Corporation, TADCO, EMD Electronics (Ormet®), Shikoku, Denkai America, ETI, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kyocera SGS Precision Tools, 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.

For further information, please contact:
John A. Lee
Vice President of Marketing & Brand Strategy
Insulectro
949.587.3326 [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – LAKE FOREST, CA

Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, has announced it will become the exclusive distributor for North America of Arlon copperclad laminates beginning September 4, 2023. Arlon is also the master distributor for Elite Materials Company (EMC) based in Taiwan bringing both product lines to Insulectro.

“Today, we welcome two new manufacturers to our World-class supplier/partner family,” announced Insulectro President and CEO Patrick Redfern, “Arlon and EMC offer a wide array of cutting-edge, high-performance laminates for mission critical printed circuit boards manufactured for high endurance and long-life programs. Plus, it allows us to offer California-sourced inventory for greater supply chain reliability.

“This is the beginning of a new era for Insulectro as new materials and relationships strengthen our presence in the PCB industry and prepare us for unprecedented growth. We continually monitor the marketplace to assess challenges and develop solutions. All to enable us to service our customers’ needs today and in the future,” Redfern added.

Arlon was founded in 1969 as Howe Industries and the company manufactured polyimide laminate and prepregs for the printed circuit board industry. Thermoset polyimide resin was the preferred high temperature laminate system known for its thermal stability, good chemical resistance, excellent mechanical properties, and exceptionally good heat resistance. The company evolved to become Arlon Electronic Materials Division after being purchased by Taiwan-based manufacturer EMC in 2020 to establish a base of operations in North America.

EMC was established in 1992 as a dedicated PCB base material manufacturer. Since 2013, EMC has become the largest worldwide manufacturer and supplier of Halogen-free and HDI materials. With a highly skilled Research and Development team, EMC has developed a number of high-speed and high-frequency products, from Mid Loss, Low Loss, Very Low Loss, Ultra Low Loss down to Extreme Low Loss categories. As a result, in 2022, EMC attained the number two worldwide market share position in the specialty laminate (high-speed, high-frequency, and IC substrate) space. These materials are designed for very complex PCBs, such as, for example, Any-layer build-up, mSAP, IC substrate, high layer count (HLC)/ high speed digital (HSD) and radio frequency (RF) products just to name a few.

Following EMC’s acquisition of Arlon, significant investments have been made in the Arlon business to date, with an eye on even greater investment towards continued improvement and expanding the operation in Southern California.

Speaking on behalf of EMC, Chairman Albert Tung commented, “We are pleased to achieve, across North America, logistic and support capability for our customers with this new opportunity with Insulectro. Insulectro has an outstanding reputation as the premier distributor of PCB materials throughout the U.S. and Canada. With this partnership, we have attained our goal of having a solid North America presence, and we aim to continue to expand our product portfolio in North America for years to come. We feel this is an extraordinary opportunity for all three companies.”

Ken Parent, Chief Operating Officer commented, “Arlon’s and EMC’s laminates and prepregs are top shelf materials for fabricators. They will be first-choice selections in such PCB markets as aerospace/defense, aircraft and avionics, automotive, and medical, as well as many industrial applications. We look forward to introducing these products to our customers and OEMs and expect an enthusiastic reception.

“Arlon/EMC’s polyimides, low-flow and epoxy prepregs expand our offerings in rigid, flex, and rigid/flex applications in addition to being compatible with DuPont’s Pyralux® flexible laminates. We expect to be more useful to our existing customers as well as to new customers,” Parent concluded.

Insulectro supplies advanced engineered materials manufactured by DuPont®, Arlon, EMC, LCOA®, CAC, Inc., Pacothane, FOCUSTECH™, JX Metals Corporation, TADCO, EMD Electronics (Ormet®), Shikoku, Denkai America, ETI, Industrial Brush Corporation, Kyocera SGS Precision Tools, 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.

Explore Arlon’s Supplier Page Here: ARLON ELECTRONIC MATERIALS – Insulectro

Explore EMC’s Supplier Page Here: EMC (ELITE MATERIALS COMPANY) – Insulectro

For more information, contact:
John A. Lee
Vice President of Marketing & Brand Strategy Insulectro
[email protected]
949.587.3326

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – LAKE FOREST, CA

Tempe, Arizona based FOCUSTECH™ announces a new website that focuses on its offering in specialty chemical and process control system manufacturing for the printed circuit board and general metal finishing industries. FOCUSTECH™ is the only supplier to the PCB industry that designs and manufactures both process chemicals and control systems.

“Focus Tech is proud to roll-out a new company website this week,” commented Scott Campbell, FOCUSTECH™ Founder and President. “The site www.focustechchem.com features over 50 product pages for a variety of chemicals we manufacture for a variety of applications. In two clicks, viewers will find technical information on what we offer. We designed it from the ground up to make it easy to access and navigate all our information.”

FOCUSTECH™ product lines include anti-foam, anti-tarnish, copper cleaners, etch chemicals, developers, strippers, as well as others commonly used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and general metal finishing. Focus Tech also manufactures process control equipment and offers a variety of services to PCB fabricators.

FOCUSTECH™ 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.

Campbell added, “Last year, we moved to a new 47,000 square-foot facility with significant capital investment to improve and streamline all operational, research & development, and manufacturing processes. This has allowed FOCUSTECH™ to expand its capabilities particularly in toll blending capabilities. One click on the website will take viewers to a robust overview of what we can do in chemical blendings, custom process controls, and services.

“Our new R&D laboratory allows various types of testing including wet titration, atomic absorption and UV/VIS spectroscopy, and cross sections. Our access to a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive x-ray analysis equipment round out our test services.”

A part of The Redfern Companies, FOCUSTECH’s products, equipment, and services are distributed by Insulectro leveraging the distributor’s sales team and 10 stocking locations in North America.

For more information, contact:
John A. Lee
Vice President of Marketing & Brand Strategy Insulectro
[email protected]
949.587.3326

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – LAKE FOREST, CA   Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of printed circuit boards and printed electronics, has opened a testing and development laboratory for Kyocera tools in its Lake Forest, CA headquarters. The Lab was created in association with backup and entry materials manufacturer LCOA™ in that company’s plant.   “I am pleased to announce that Insulectro, the exclusive North American distributor of drills, routers, endmills, and other cutting tools manufactured by Kyocera, will begin offering a variety of services from a new laboratory on our Lake Forest campus,” announced Geraldine Arseneau, Insulectro Product Manager for the Kyocera product line, “This will enable us to build on the synergy of Kyocera’s best-in-class tools and Insulectro’s dominance in drill room backup and entry products.” Arseneau joined Insulectro several years ago after a lengthy career with Kyocera.   The new Lab is expected to support new product design, troubleshoot field issues, and include design feature testing, DoE (Design of Experiments) studies, confirmation testing, and repoint cycling testing.   It will determine proper feed and speed parameters for common PCB applications, develop processing parameters for new industry materials to understand how new technologies affect product performance, and supply customers with complete solutions. The Lab will also support industry and competitor benchmark studies.   Joe Negron, Kyocera Sales Manager, enthused, “The Lab is a large next step for the Kyocera/Insulectro team. It vastly increases our capability to service our customers as technology changes.”   The Lab is equipped with a Schmoll Drill/Router (dual spindle drill with 160KRPM and router 50KRPM); a Microview CMM used to measure positional accuracy; and a Haas CM-1: compact CNC vertical machining center (50KRPM spindle, 5 HP motor).   It also includes a Struers Automated Polisher/Grinder for X-sections; an Olympus Toolmakers microscope; and a Metallograph to measure hole wall quality.   Insulectro Vice President of Product Management Michelle Walsh is also enthused about the additional capabilities, “This month we hosted a joint meeting of the Kyocera Team with Insulectro’s leadership and operations teams.   “We were all very excited not only about the Lab’s value for our existing customers but how we now have the capability to run studies to promote product offerings and qualifications requested by new customers. Fabricators can continue to count on Insulectro for the developing technological information.” Kyocera SGS designs and manufactures tight tolerance precision carbide cutting tools for PCB applications. Products include drills, routers, end mills, and specialized cutting tools ranging from 0.05mm to 6.70mm diameters (0.0020″ – 0.2638″).

Steve Piatt Achieves Half Century of Sales Excellence

Insulectro just commemorated a milestone never before celebrated; 50 years ago, a would-be geologist joined the Insulectro team and began cutting laminate. 50 years later, with geology far behind him, Steve Piatt celebrates an almost unimaginable accomplishment – a half a century as the most successful Insulectro Technical Account Manager we have ever had. The electronics industry was starting to emerge with new technologies in 1972 – an era that saw the invention of the VCR (video cassette recorder), the first floppy disk (8 inches in diameter), the first arcade game Pong, and the digital watch. A few years after Steve began work for our company, the electronics revolution picked up speed with the first home computers and cellular phones. Insulectro, with Steve’s help, pioneered these new technologies which radically changed how people lived and communicated. The revolution continues. All of us are honored to have known and worked with Steve entering the company at various points of those 50 years.      PERSONAL DEDICATIONS:   PATRICK REDFERN, PRESIDENT & CEO – INSULECTRO  “Speaking for the Redfern Family, I’d like to thank Steve for not only his unbelievable skill at sales and relationship building but for his personal performance, perseverance, and personality that have taken Insulectro to where it is today. On a personal note, I have learned so much about our business and its potential from Steve, plus a few things about Cabernet, steak, and doughnuts! From the entire Puma Family, thank you.” DON REDFERN, CHAIRMAN – INSULECTRO  “I met Steve in 1974. He had just transferred up from the El Segundo office to the Northern California office. I was the new finance guy coming into a sales and distribution company. I learned more from Steve Piatt over the years on what a unique sales and distribution organization Insulectro was than anyone else in the company or industry. We have been extremely fortunate to have Steve as part of our family. My brother and I have a lifetime of History and memories together.”   TIM REDFERN, MANAGING PARTNER – REDFERN PARTNERS “I have been very fortunate to have known Steve Piatt for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I went to work in sales at Insulectro that I had the opportunity to really know him and what made him so special. Steve created his own style of sales and customer service over the years and he stuck with it. From his self-effacing humor to his genuine generosity, it was hard not to love Steve. And for the few outliers, you could always count on him for delivering donuts with prepreg. Fifty years is an amazing milestone and nearly unheard of these days. Over those decades Steve has made an indelible mark on Insulectro and the culture that helps set us apart. “Thank you for your unwavering loyalty and support through thick and thin, Steve. You are a gem.”