San Jose, CA - July 20, 1992 - The Surface Mount International Conference and Exhibition, which will take place here August 31-September 3, is focused solely on surface mount technology (SMT). Martin Barton, conference director, calls SMT "The glue that binds the entire electronics industry. Its significance reaches every household and business in America, and most every one in the world." Barton pointed out that the show is the only one in the world dedicated only to SMT, focusing on technical, professional and managerial growth. "We've structured the show to keep electronics manufacturers abreast of issues, technologies and provide real tools to help them survive, improve and grow in these economically troubled times," he said. "The show is unique in that most of the issue-oriented keynote, forums and sessions are free, in addition to a full technical and educational program for paying attendees. "The show is highly technical, but its implications will affect our lives through the end of the century, They impact producers and consumers both, in ways that are broad, diverse and profound." SMT is the methodology that takes ever-smaller integrated circuits and puts them into tiny packages for mounting on the surface of a printed circuit board, rather than on leads that extend through the board, called through-hole technology. "SMT allows components to be much, much smaller, which means that printed circuit boards can be much smaller, which makes the final product much smaller. We are already awed by what kind of functions can be contained in tiny packages. Well, I'm telling you that 'you ain't seen nothing yet!' As SMT also demands automation of electronic assemblies, the combination of size reduction and enormous volumes means lower prices, which means more and more electronics are within reach of the most modest pocket book. "From a business standpoint, SMT makes for a level playing ground. Everyone must buy the same equipment, and since SMT is ideal for automation, the added labor content is very small, which keeps costs low." Barton addressed the increasing consumer awareness and sophistication regarding quality. "Automation, when combined with high quality at the Baldrige Award level, or six sigma, means more of what we have come to expect when we buy TVs, cameras, VCRs, cellular phones, not to speak of personal computers and all their peripherals: smaller and smaller products at lower prices with higher and higher quality. This is the perfect product --and it's only possible due to SMT!" APPLICATIONS - HOMES, BUSINESSES AND EVERYTHING ELSE Between now and the end of the decade, SMT will penetrate virtually every aspect of electronics. This will range from computers whose user-friendliness will only become possible through greater integration and smaller sized components, including the greater usage of software on silicon, as the more user friendly, the more software required. Automobiles will be greatly affected, with more reliance on self-diagnostic and self-repair capability using redundant circuits, made possible only through SMT. Monitoring devices will check tire pressure, tire balance and vehicle temperatures. Navigation and communication devices will be built into vehicles, including faxes, cellular phones, and databases reflecting the car and owner needs preferences. Telecommunications is the world's largest industry and the largest user of electronics. The enormous potential for SMT will be fully realized when newer switching circuitry will utilize SMT with regard to cost and reliability, not to speak of functionality. Videophones, now bulky and very expensive, will be part of business and home usage by the end of the 90's. These national and international communication networks, linked via satellites (themselves with vastly increased functionality and reliability), will revolutionize global communications. The home will perhaps benefit the most from this revolution. Consumers, already dazzled by modern VCRs, cameras, phones and audio systems, will have greater choices in the future with respect to type, size and functionality. SMT will allow the home to be truly "electronic," from the interconnection of all systems - video, audio, security, appliances, telephones, lighting and environment - into small, easy to use inexpensive packages. PROJECTED GROWTH OF SMT USAGE The Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits (IPC), says that based on a recent survey of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), that almost 50% of the product dollar value was based on SMT. It points the way to the future when surface mount could be the only interconnect technology, and its impact upon size and product cost will be even greater. Already, IPC says, 61% of the dollar value of all printed wiring boards (PWBs) produced by independent manufactures were for surface mount applications. The history of growth in surface mount applications shows that in 198617% of all PWBs had SMT applications compared to 70% in 1992. Independent assembly companies also reflect the dramatic increase in SMT assembly: with nearly 60% of their production devoted to SMT in 1991. The economic impact cannot be underestimated, as this affects all existing and future electronics products. All consumer, computer, equipment, avionics, telecommunication, audio and video products are impacted. Undreamed of products, now nascent, such as Apple's Newton personal organizer, cannot exist without SMT. For new products, the greater the integration of function onto smaller and smaller chips, means a greater number of leads to connect to the PWB. These high lead count devices can only be built using surface mount techniques, which is where the semiconductor industry is leading. For example, a paper on a 1024-lead device (!) will be delivered at the Surface Mount International Conference. The rule for greater device size reductions is that the more integrated the device in terms of function, the lower the cost. For example, Intel has announced its next generation of microprocessors - again, greater functionality at decreasing cost. The result is more than a 100:1 change in the size of the early 286 device. Intel microprocessor integration Device No. of transistors Year ------ ------------------ ---- 286 130,000 1988 386 500,000 1990 486 1.2 million 1991 586 3 million 1993 686 7 million 1994 786 20 million 1996 This implosive size decrease will be reflected in SMT devices, traditionally half the size of conventional components. This is expected to fuel developments of new applications now only dreamed of, from mainframe-sized computers in credit card-sized packages to integrated home and business electronic centers in packages the size of a deck of cards. SURFACE MOUNT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION The Surface Mount International Conference and Exhibition is the largest event in the world dedicated solely to surface mount and related technologies. The show is focused on being the primary contact for engineers and engineering managers for education, technical data, new products and information relating to surface mount and associated advanced interconnect technologies. The theme of the second annual show is "Your Passport to Excellence," which points to the twin motifs of quality and competition. The two are inextricably linked to excellence, not only by the demands of the world economy, but also proven in practice by this year's three winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, all members of the electronics industry (Marlow Industries, Solectron Corp,, and Zytec Corp.). Surface Mount International has the only technical conference jointly developed by the industry's leading trade associations, all non-profit organizations. These are the Electronic Industries Association (EIA), Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits (IPC), and the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA), along with the trade show division of Miller Freeman, Inc. This partnership ensures an unparalleled conference program dedicated to education, training and information on every aspect of SMT, from basic- to cutting-edge technology. Surface Mount International takes place yearly in San Jose, California, the nation's "Silicon Valley," the nation's most vital high technology area. The area's pre-eminence is based on the number of seminal markets, key people, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and thriving companies, most of them involved with, employing or deriving benefits from surface mount technology as users or manufacturers. The first Surface Mount International took place last year in San Jose to positive reviews, attracting over 5,500 people from 30 countries. At the show, over 412 booths displayed SMT products and equipment, and over 1050 professionals attended the technical conference. This year the show is much larger, with 550 exhibits, and expected attendance of 8,000, with 1500 attending the technical conference. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | From the America Online New Product Information Services | +===============================================================+ | This information was processed with OmniPage Professional OCR | | software (from Caere Corp) & a Canon IX-30 scanner from data | | provided by the above mentioned company. For additional info, | | contact the company at the address or phone# indicated above. | | All submissions for this service should be addressed to | | BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------+