UofM Solar Car Team Wins National Championship

Hail to the Victors
Wolverines North American Solar Challenge Champs
The University of Michigan Solar Car Team took this years North American Solar Challenge and Saturn Electronics Corporation, PCB Manufacturing firm located in Romulus, Mi, was proud to supply the bare boards for the Michigan Solar Car team as they geared up for the 2008 showdown.

As the University of Michigan Solar Car Team fervently primed for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge, Saturn Electronics Corporation was proud to be a co-sponsor for the 2008 University of Michigan Solar Car Team. The race was a 10-day, 2500 mile trek starting in the American Southwest and ending on the other side of the Canadian border.

About the Challenge
The 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC2008) is a competition to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country time/distance rally event. Teams compete in a 2400 mile drive from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.

Saturn’s Obligation
In March 2008, Saturn VP (and UofM Grad) Yash Sutariya contacted his alma mater to inquire if Saturn could be of assistance to the solar car team. The team's vehicle, Continuum, had been involved in a crash on the first day of racing in the 2007 WSC in Australia and would have to be rebuilt from the ground up. The resilient young team buoyantly took the task of redesigning the entire car. Sutariya encouraged them to send over the most advanced boards for quick-turns.

Sutariya told the team, which was founded in 1989 and has won four national championships, to send over as many gerber files as necessary and to make them as nasty as necessary and not to worry about anything but winning.

“I was proud to contribute our services to this motivated fraternity of Wolverines,” said Sutariya. "We had worked with the team in the past, and when I spoke to them about what they needed, I resolved to help them in every capacity Saturn has at its disposal.”
Continuum is the ninth solar car the team has built since its inception.

For more information on the team, click here: University of Michigan Solar Car Team

For more information on the race, click here: 2008 North American Solar Car Challenge

About Saturn Electronics Corporation, Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing Firm (MBE)
Saturn Electronics Corporation, Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer is a Minority Owned Business Enterprise located in Romulus, Mi. As a leading manufacturer of high-reliability and technologically advanced bare Printed Circuit Boards, such as Thermal Management for Heavy Copper PCBs, Saturn is an industry leader in the latest technological research as evident in last summer's Lead Free Cost Reduction Webinar.

PCB Manufacturing Capabilites
Dedicated to quality since our inception, Saturn delivers steadfast manufacturing with PWB Capabilties that range from quick-turning elaborate PCB prototypes to scheduled principal volume-production while maintaining a flexible capacity for Printed Circuit Board production.

Bare Board Quality
Saturn’s adherence to circuit board quality resulted in being the first Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer in North America to achieve TS16949 certification. Saturn’s obligation to fiscal prudence makes it a debt-free, financially strong Corporation allocating profit for expansion, improved capabilities, and reduced cost.

SN100CL
In addition, Saturn's industry setting criteria for the SN100CL process has been a valued asset to both customers and competitors alike. Saturn offers a free SN100CL Minimum Thickness Guidelines coupon in its RoHS Lead Free Resource Center.

Providing solutions while lowering costs is the reason Saturn can meet all your Printed Circuit Board needs.

For more information about Saturn Electronics Corporation, Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing firm, click here: Saturn Electronics Corporation

Saturn Electronics Corp. to Present at PCB West

Saturn Electronics Corp. to Present at PCB West

PCB Fabricator to Take Industry-Leading Lead Free Knowledge on the Road

Romulus, MI – June 18, 2008 – SATURN ELECTRONICS CORP. will be presenting their Lead Free Cost Reduction seminar at the PCB West 2008 in Santa Clara, CA this September.

About the Seminar

The purpose of the presentation is to educate the electronic products community (purchasing, engineering, and operations) on the latest product information. Not only will the PCB Fabricator demonstrate--via lab and practical testing--how to reduce cost, but also (and more importantly), how to ensure higher levels of quality and reliability pertaining to Lead Free bare printed circuit boards.
These necessary implementations are two-fold and Saturn has worked in conjunction with their respective suppliers at each-and-every isolated step of the controlled process to include the industry criteria they helped set pertaining to SN100CL.

About the Speaker

Yash Sutariya received his BBA from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration. After graduation he worked in Valuation and Bankruptcy/Turnaround Consulting.

He is currently a member of Saturn Electronics Corporation’s senior management team. Since joining this team, Saturn has successfully navigated from a low-mix, high volume, automotive supplier to a high-mix, medium-to-high volume diversified supplier. As a result of the company’s transformation, manufacturing capabilities now range from quick-turn prototypes to scheduled volume production while attending a broad cross-section of industries to include: industrial controls, telecommunications, aerospace, and power supply industries.
For more information on the PCB West 2008, please click on the link:

www.pcbwest.com

www.saturnelectronics.com

Saturn Electronics Corporation to attend AmCon Grand Rapids

Visit Saturn during the AmCon Grand Rapids Show at booth 239

Romulus, MI--Saturn Electronics Corporation will be present at the AmCon Grand Rapids show in Michigan September 17-18. Check out their booth for more information about high volume, lead free (SN100CL) and prototype printed circuit board manufacturing.

Click here to read more

www.saturnelectronics.com

SN100CL Minimum Thickness Guidelines

Saturn Electronics Corporation Suggested PWB Fabrication Notes
SN100CL Minimum Thickness Guidelines

Currently, there are no set requirements for minimum lead free solder finish requirements. Many companies who have run this solder coating process in the tin-lead version know that thickness varies dramatically based on pad size. Furthermore, minimum coating thickness is more critical to the solderability of SN100CL more than it is to standard tin-lead finish. Combining these two facts, it is all the more important to create a new standard by pad area.

Pb-Free Minimum Thickness Coupon
After studying literally thousands of panels and the subsequent solderability results, Saturn Electronics Corporation has established a coupon and general guidelines for this finish. Having this coupon on the actual board / array removes the variation in acceptability measurements between the supplier and the customer by standardizing not only the location of the measurement, but also the thickness by applicable pad geometry.

Also, customers can request a gerber format of this coupon to insert into the waste area of their PCB boards. Additionally, Saturn will send the suggested minimum thickness requirements resulting from the study.

For more information on Saturn's Lead-Free HASL and Laminates for PCBs visit the SN100CL Minimum Thickness Guidelines page as well as the IPC Lead Free Material Specification Sheets in the Suggested Fab Notes section of our RoHS / Lead Free Resource Center.

If you have any further inquiries, contact Saturn Electronics Corporation, Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing firm, to speak with an engineer regarding any further technical matters.

Saturn Electronics Corporation is a Minority Owned Business Enterprise and proud member of the Michigan Minority Business Development Council (MMBDC)