Gary, from the rumor side, it is a fact and not just rumor.  Glass supply 
will most likely be tight through the balance of 1996 with additional 
capacity appearing in 1997.  This was confirmed by several speakers at 
the IPC Fall 95 meeting in Providence.

As far as alternatives, and costs, others would be more appropriate to 
answer this. But for what its worth, Glasteel Industrial Laminates has a 
polyester/glass mix which I believe is cheaper than FR-4 but it still has 
a supply problem for the glass portion.  Composite laminates should also 
be cheaper, but there is not much (if any) production of this in the U.S.

Regards
Dave
***************************************************
David W. Bergman, Technical Director
IPC
2215 Sanders Road
Northbrook, IL  60062-6135
708-509-9700 x340 Phone
708-509-9798 Fax
email  [log in to unmask]
***************************************************


On Thu, 18 Jan 1996 [log in to unmask] wrote:

> 
> One of our buyers passed on an article from the January 2, 1996 issue of 
> Electronic Buyers' News purporting a projected shortage of fiberglass 
> laminate.  I would like to solicit comments on this subject.
> 
> 1.  Can the readership confirm or deny the veracity of this rumor?
> 
> 2.  What is the nearest non-fiberglass replacement for FR-4 material, 
> and what are the associated availability, performance and cost deltas 
> between FR-4 and this nearest replacement?
> 
> regards,
> 
> Gary Koven, PCB Designer
> Nellcor Puritan Bennett
> [log in to unmask]
> 
>