Technical Library | 2023-09-15 10:06:49.0
Enhance your electronics manufacturing with our SMT On-line 3D Solder Paste Inspection Machine. Achieve unmatched precision and accuracy in solder paste inspection for optimal PCB assembly. Streamline your production process and minimize defects with cutting-edge 3D technology. Explore how this machine can revolutionize your soldering process and ensure top-quality electronics.
Technical Library | 2024-08-09 06:34:09.0
Quality control in conformal coating applications is vital for ensuring the reliability and longevity of electronic products. Conformal coatings protect printed circuit boards (PCBs) from environmental factors like moisture, dust, and chemicals. To maintain high standards, various inspection methods are employed throughout the coating process. Visual Inspection This is the first line of defense against defects. Inspectors look for uniform coverage, absence of bubbles, and proper curing. Training is essential to ensure that inspectors can identify subtle issues that may affect performance. UV Inspection Most conformal coatings contain a UV tracer, which makes the coating visible under ultraviolet light. UV inspection allows for easy detection of missed areas, ensuring complete coverage. This step is crucial for verifying that the coating has been applied correctly, especially in hard-to-see areas of the PCB. Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) AOI systems offer a more precise and consistent method for inspecting conformal coatings. They use cameras and specialized software to detect defects that might be missed by the human eye. AOI systems can inspect large volumes of PCBs quickly, making them ideal for high-production environments. Thickness Measurement The thickness of the conformal coating is critical for providing adequate protection without affecting the performance of the PCB. Tools such as micrometers, ultrasonic thickness gauges, and eddy current devices are used to measure the coating thickness. Consistent application is key to preventing issues like cracking or insufficient protection. Functional Testing Beyond visual and automated inspections, functional testing is necessary to ensure that the conformal coating does not interfere with the electrical performance of the PCB. This involves subjecting the coated PCB to environmental stress tests, such as thermal cycling, humidity, and salt spray, to assess its reliability in real-world conditions. Process Control and Documentation Implementing strict process controls is essential to maintaining quality. This includes regularly calibrating equipment, training operators, and documenting every step of the process. Proper documentation helps trace issues back to their source and prevents them from recurring. Conclusion Effective quality control in conformal coating applications ensures that PCBs are protected from environmental damage, thereby extending their lifespan and reliability. By employing a combination of visual, UV, and automated inspections, along with thickness measurement and functional testing, manufacturers can achieve the highest standards in coating quality.
Technical Library | 2009-10-29 11:45:52.0
The globalization of markets results in stronger competition with clearly noticeably cost pressure. For companies producing electronic equipment it is therefore of existential importance to reduce production costs whilst maintaining a consistently high quality level of the manufactured products. Manual repair soldering that is expensive, time-consuming and cost intensive is already unacceptable due to the required quality and the reproducibility of the whole manufacturing process.
Technical Library | 2014-03-27 14:50:01.0
Because of the phase out of CFC's and HCFC's, standard solder pastes and fluxes evolved from RA and RMA fluxes, to No-Clean, to low residue No-Clean, to very low residue No-Clean. Many companies came out with their cleaning solutions, aqueous and semi-aqueous, with each product release being more innovative than the previous one. Unfortunately for most of the suppliers of cleaners, two other trends appeared; lead-free soldering and the progressive miniaturization of electronic devices.
Technical Library | 2020-10-27 02:07:31.0
For companies that choose to take the Pb-free exemption under the European Union's RoHS Directive and continue to manufacture tin-lead (Sn-Pb) electronic products, there is a growing concern about the lack of Sn-Pb ball grid array (BGA) components. Many companies are compelled to use the Pb-free Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) BGA components in a Sn-Pb process, for which the assembly process and solder joint reliability have not yet been fully characterized. A careful experimental investigation was undertaken to evaluate the reliability of solder joints of SAC BGA components formed using Sn-Pb solder paste. This evaluation specifically looked at the impact of package size, solder ball volume, printed circuit board (PCB) surface finish, time above liquidus and peak temperature on reliability. Four different BGA package sizes (ranging from 8 to 45 mm2) were selected with ball-to-ball pitch size ranging from 0.5mm to 1.27mm. Two different PCB finishes were used: electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) and organic solderability preservative (OSP) on copper. Four different profiles were developed with the maximum peak temperatures of 210oC and 215oC and time above liquidus ranging from 60 to 120 seconds using Sn-Pb paste. One profile was generated for a lead-free control. A total of 60 boards were assembled. Some of the boards were subjected to an as assembled analysis while others were subjected to an accelerated thermal cycling (ATC) test in the temperature range of -40oC to 125oC for a maximum of 3500 cycles in accordance with IPC 9701A standard. Weibull plots were created and failure analysis performed. Analysis of as-assembled solder joints revealed that for a time above liquidus of 120 seconds and below, the degree of mixing between the BGA SAC ball alloy and the Sn-Pb solder paste was less than 100 percent for packages with a ball pitch of 0.8mm or greater. Depending on package size, the peak reflow temperature was observed to have a significant impact on the solder joint microstructural homogeneity. The influence of reflow process parameters on solder joint reliability was clearly manifested in the Weibull plots. This paper provides a discussion of the impact of various profiles' characteristics on the extent of mixing between SAC and Sn-Pb solder alloys and the associated thermal cyclic fatigue performance.
Technical Library | 2017-11-08 23:22:04.0
Due to the ongoing trend towards miniaturization of power components, the need for increased thermal conductivity of solder joints in SMT processes gains more and more importance. Therefore, the role of void free solder joints in power electronics becomes more central. Voids developed during soldering reduce the actual thermal transfer and can cause thermal damage of the power components up to their failure. For this reason, the company has developed a new technique to minimize the formation of these voids during the soldering process.
Technical Library | 2014-02-13 16:46:23.0
The high speed transmission applications in the electronic product become inevitable developing trend. The signal integrity becomes the most important issue in the electronics industry. The material suppliers, PCB manufacturers, OEM designers commonly face the serious issue "how to keep signal integrity operated in the high speed transmission" for the modern electronic application nowadays
Technical Library | 2009-04-16 22:38:55.0
The worldwide electronics industry has sales of $750 billion, two thirds of which is accounted for by PCB assembly. PCB manufacturing is characterised by an obsessive drive for increased productivity in the context of three significant industry drivers: shorter product lifecycles, more complexity, outsourcing
Technical Library | 2019-02-25 05:24:53.0
"The idea of the value chain is based on the process view of organizations, the idea of seeing a manufacturing (or service) organization as a system, made up of subsystems each with inputs, transformation processes and outputs".[1] The definition of a value-added chain by Michael E. Porter is one of many to be found in reference books, works and on websites. In principle, it involves a sequence of activities, executed by a manufacturing company to develop, produce, sell, ship, and maintain products or services. Three main parameters essentially influence a value-added chain: Direct activities − research, development, production, shipment etc. Indirect activities − maintenance, operation, occupational safety, environment etc. Quality assurance − monitoring, test/inspection; quality management etc. In particular, indirect activities and quality assurance generate a greater part of the costs in product manufacturing. This article principally focusses on the indirect activities, among them air purification.
Technical Library | 2016-11-30 15:53:15.0
The use of microvias in Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) for military hardware is increasing as technology drives us toward smaller pitches and denser circuitry. Along with the changes in technology, the industry has changed and captive manufacturing lines are few and far between. As PCBs get more complicated, the testing we perform to verify the material was manufactured to our requirements before they are used in an assembly needs to be reviewed to ensure that it is sufficient for the technology and meets industry needs to better screen for long-term reliability. The Interconnect Stress Testing (IST) protocol currently used to identify manufacturing issues in plated through holes, blind, or buried vias are not necessarily sufficient to identify problems with microvias. There is a need to review the current IST protocol to determine if it is adequate for finding bad microvias or if there is a more reliable test that will screen out manufacturing inconsistencies. The objective of this research is to analyze a large population of PCB IST coupons to determine if there is a more effective IST test to find less reliable microvias in electrically passing PCB product and to screen for manufacturing deficiencies. The proposed IST test procedure will be supported with visual inspection of corresponding microvia cross sections and Printed Wiring Assembly (PWA) acceptance test results. The proposed screening will be shown to only slightly affect PCB yield while showing a large benefit to screening before PCBs are used in an assembly.
Nordson Electronics Solutions makes reliable electronics an everyday reality. Our ASYMTEK, MARCH, and SELECT brands deliver precision fluid dispensing, conformal coating, plasma treatment and selective soldering equipment.
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