May 2015 • The PCB Magazine 71
5
Schmoll Keeping an Eye on
the Future—and on LDI
in this interview, Thomas Kunz, who has been at
the helm of schmoll Maschinen as president since
1993, discusses the company's lengthy history in
mechanical engineering (more than 70 years),
current global scope, and what he sees as a steady
progression in directions that make the most sense
to customers, which includes laser direct imaging.
6
Bernie Kessler: Pioneering
Spirit Then and Now
i-Connect007's Patty Goldman sat down with long
time friend and iPC Hall of Famer Bernie Kessler at
iPC aPex exPo 2015 in san Diego. among other
things, the two discussed the early days of iPC and
the origins of aPex exPo.
7
Manz: A Total Process
Solution
at the recent CPCa show in China, i-Connect007
Publisher Barry Matties had a chance to speak with
alex liu, the deputy general manager of the PCB
business unit for Manz. Manz has focused on cre-
ating a process from direct imaging to wet pro-
cessing. with more entrants into the direct imag-
ing arena, liu feels that this approach gives Manz
and their customers an advantage.
8
ESI's New Gemstone
Changing the rules for Laser
i-Connect007 Publisher Barry Matties sat down
at CPCa 2015 with esi's Mike Jennings, who ex-
plained the company's newest addition: Gem-
stone, an esi-designed and manufactured laser
system with 10,000 guaranteed hours, which is
poised to change the rules in flex and other print-
ed circuit processing.
9
Key PCB Makers Strategize
to Meet Industry Demands
The computer/peripheral application is expected
to witness the highest growth followed by the
communication applications. nippon Mektron,
Zhen Ding Technology Holding limited, young
Poong electronics Co. ltd., Unimicron Technol-
ogy Corp., and samsung electro-Mechanics are
among the major suppliers of PCBs.
J
N.A. PCB Book-to-Bill
ratio Strengthens
"although north american PCB sales continued
slightly below last year's levels in February, book-
ings strengthened," said sharon starr, iPC's direc-
tor of market research. "This increased the book-
to-bill ratio…it has been in positive territory for the
past five months, which is a positive indicator for
sales growth in the first half of 2015."
For the latest PCB news and
information, visit: PCB007.com
May 2015 • The PCB Magazine 71
