INDUSTRY NEWS
The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (INEMI; Herndon, VA, USA) is launching a project designed to assess the reliability of electronic components used in medical devices. The project will develop guidelines to determine when testing should be performed, what kind of testing is required, and how to apply test results. The group plans on collaborating with regulatory bodies to implement the guidelines they propose.
Headed by the consortium’s recently formed Medical Technology Integration Group, the programme will consider the dependability of medical electronics in light of their ever-expanding role in medical equipment. “Several of our members told us they would like INEMI to address the issues related to medical electronic components for implantable applications,” notes INEMI CEO Jim McElroy. “In response, we organized the Medical Technology Integration Group and are developing new collaborative efforts in this area.” McElroy reports that the programme has attracted new members from the medical electronics field.
In addition to implanted electronics, the group will focus on portable medical device components and large-scale imaging electronics. The team has defined four areas of concentration: discrete components, which include surface-mount multilayer chip capacitors, surface-mount tantalum capacitors, surface-mount resistors, and surface-mount inductors; array packages; substrates and interconnects; and hybrids. A separate project has been formed to establish the reliability of circuit boards.
INEMI is an industry-led consortium of approximately 70 electronics manufacturers, suppliers, and related organizations.
For more information, contact INEMI, 2214 Rock Hill Rd., Ste. 110, Herndon, VA 20170, USA; phone: +1 703 8340330; fax: +1 703 8342735; e- mail: info@inemi.org; Internet: www.inemi.org.
