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Viasystems Awarded Patent for Thermal Management Technology in Printed Circuit Boards

^{Published on 2010-12-20 05:06:05 - Market Wire}
 

ST. LOUIS--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Viasystems Corporation, a subsidiary of Viasystems Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAS), has been awarded a patent for an innovative thermal management solution for printed circuit boards (PCBs). The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Viasystems Patent #7,741,566 B2 for aMicroelectronic Substrates with Thermally Conductive Pathways and Methods of Making Same.a In the patented process, Viasystems incorporates a copper heatsink as an integral part of the board rather than as an attachment.

"Viasystems has successfully deployed embedded heatsink technology at production volumes for customers in the telecommunications industry, and we continue to work on innovative TMS in high-volume with the intent to scale up in our low-cost manufacturing facilities"

aAs electronic products become smaller and denser, and as higher speed devices populate our printed circuit boards, our customersa™ heat dissipation requirements become increasingly challenging. Viasystems has invested in thermal management technology over a period of several years and now offers a spectrum of thermal management solutions (TMS) that range from basic to leading edge,a said Craig Davidson, Ph.D., Viasystemsa™ Vice President of Engineering and Technology.

Earlier methods for dissipating heat through a PCB involved avia farms,a or arrays of vias (copper-lined holes), that allowed heat to pass out of the boards. As electronic miniaturization increased and PCBs became more densely populated, via farms were no longer effective. Coin-attached heatsinks made of copper have been an important technical solution which Viasystems supplies at high-volume from its low-cost plants in China for several end-use markets.

aWith this new generation of embedded heatsinks, we believe Viasystems has the industrya™s most comprehensive set of PCB thermal management solutions,a Davidson continued. aViasystems has successfully deployed embedded heatsink technology at production volumes for customers in the telecommunications industry, and we continue to work on innovative TMS in high-volume with the intent to scale up in our low-cost manufacturing facilities,a he concluded.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this communication may constitute aforward-looking statementsa within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Viasystems regarding future events and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Viasystems undertakes no obligation to update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result from a variety of factors, including but not limited to: legal or regulatory proceedings; any actions taken by the Company, including but not limited to, restructuring or strategic initiatives (including capital investments or asset acquisitions or dispositions); or developments beyond the Companya™s control, including but not limited to, changes in domestic or global economic conditions, competitive conditions and consumer preferences, adverse weather conditions or natural disasters, health concerns, international, political or military developments, and technological developments. Additional factors that may cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading aItem 1A. Risk Factors,a in the annual report on form 10-K filed by Viasystems with the SEC on February25, 2010 and in Viasystemsa™ other filings made from time to time with the SEC and available at the SECa™s website, [ www.sec.gov ].

About Viasystems

Viasystems Group, Inc. is a technology leader and a worldwide provider of complex multi-layer, printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electro-mechanical solutions (E-M Solutions). Its PCBs serve as the aelectronic backbonea of electronic equipment, and its E-M Solutions products and services integrate PCBs and other components into electronic equipment, including metal enclosures, cabinets, racks and sub-racks, backplanes, cable assemblies and busbars. Viasystemsa™ 15,400 employees around the world serve more than 800 customers in the automotive, telecom, industrial and instrumentation, computer/datacom and military/aerospace end markets. For additional information about Viasystems, please visit the Companya™s website at [ www.viasystems.com ].