Solder joint integrity may be compromised through mechanical shock,
particularity in portable electronics using area array devices with
solder balls for interconnections.
Lean Sigma, an approach that has been in practice for several years,
mixes the lean manufacturing concept and problem solving approach with
Six Sigma for a more efficient manufacturing process.
The expansion of business into alternative energy, green components and
energy-efficient components is having a significant impact on the
electronics and semiconductor industry.
EMS providers rely on component suppliers to ensure that the lead-free
transition on the component terminations is seamless to their soldering
processes, but that rarely happens.
Written by Robert F. Dervaes, Jeff Poulos, and Scott Williams
Friday, 08 May 2009
This article discusses new developments in stencil laser and material technology and shows how these advancements, when combined, provide comparable and cost-effective alternatives to traditional electroformed stencils. The results are improved yields, cycle time reductions and significant cost savings.
Written by Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd.
Friday, 08 May 2009
Although the advantages of hot air solder leveling (HASL) in providing
the most robust solderable finish for printed circuit boards are well
recognized, in the years leading up to the implementation of the EU
RoHS Directive in July 2006, the conventional wisdom was that it would
have no place in the new lead-free electronics manufacturing
technology.
Changes in the domestic printed circuit board assembly industry have
resulted in a dominant shift to a high-mix, low-volume (HMLV)
manufacturing environment resulting in a high frequency of line
changeovers.
Written by Stephen Tisdale, Gary B. Long, Roger Krabbenhoft, Kostas Papathomas, Ph.D., and Terry Fischer
Monday, 06 April 2009
The electronics industry is under pressure to eliminate brominated
flame retardants (BFRs) that were once widely used in electronics
housings and cases and are still used extensively in printed circuit
boards.
Written by Heather McCormick, Irene Sterian, Jimmy Chow, Mike Berry, Joel Trudell, Roden Cortero
Monday, 06 April 2009
While already in widespread use in the consumer market for handheld,
portable electronics, package on package (PoP) continues to gain in
popularity and seems likely to be implemented in other types of
electronic assemblies.
The concept for the introduction of an electrostatic discharge (ESD)
control system is expanded here to cover the most important topic at
the moment: static control requirements for machines and production
plants.
Bill Pasco with Garmin: Evaluating which process optimization software could quickly and accurately determine how to set up his oven for an in-spec profile while reducing oven changeover time.
This article describes a study recently conducted by Zestron for better
understanding the risks of cleaning lead-free and lead-containing
assemblies together in a single process.
While there are many rework processes outlined by both rework equipment
vendors and the IPC 7711/7721PCB rework and repair documents, there is
a lack of repositories of application notes for non-mainstream
laser-based PCB rework processes.
Written by Helen Holder, Gregory Henshall, Aileen Maloney et al
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Since the implementation of EU RoHS in 2006, the electronics industry
has seen a proliferation of Pb-free alloys for wave soldering, mini-pot
rework, BGA and CSP solder balls and, more recently, solder pastes for
mass reflow.
Jeff Timms, president of Microscan since 2007, has been focusing these
past two years on bringing the company to the forefront of the
precision data acquisition and control solutions industry.