Technical Library | 2023-09-07 14:38:31.0
A repeat customer specializing in high-technology interconnect, sensor, and antenna solutions, partnered with us to dispense small volumes of solder paste (Indium 10.1 SAC305 T6SG 78%m) onto backplane connectors – gold pads 0.175mm x 0.225mm. We performed a test requiring 0.200mm diameter or smaller dots to demonstrate the dispensing capability required.
Technical Library | 2019-05-23 10:27:13.0
The technical tips have offered valuable details and techniques into various aspects of electronics manufacturing. This has been validated by the reader responses concurring with our assessments, offering additional insight, or in some rare cases, stating divergent points of view on any particular matter. In a bit of a strategic departure from the normal range of electronic manufacturing topics, ACI Technologies,Inc. would like our readers to consider the importance of being well prepared in the arena of designed experiments in order to properly qualify a manufacturing process. This particular topic has relevance because of the associated scope of work ACI Technologies encounters in numerous projects from material R&D to manufacturing process optimization, which require appropriate experimental designs to ascertain the significant data.
Technical Library | 2019-07-01 10:44:11.0
In the electronics industry of today, companies emphasize better quality, lower cost, and shorter lead time on their products in order to keep up with their competitors. ACI Technologies (ACI) has been utilizing Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing(CAM), and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) in its development of advanced electronics systems. CAD utilizes computer systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, and optimization of a design [1].
Technical Library | 2019-06-07 14:49:54.0
ACI Technologies was contacted in regards to poor solder joint reliability. The customer submitted an assembly that was exhibiting intermittent opens at multiple locations on a ball grid array (BGA) component. The assembly’s functionality did not survive international shipping, essentially shock and vibration failures, immediately making the quality of the solder joints suspect. The customer was asked about the contract manufacturer and the reflow oven profile as well as the solder paste and surface finish used. The ACI engineering staff evaluated the contract manufacturer’s technique and determined that they were competent in the methods they used for placing thermocouples in the proper locations and developing the reflow oven profile. The surface finish was unusual, but not unheard of, in that it was hard gold over hard nickel, rather than electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG). The customer was able to supply boundary scan testing data which showed a diagonal row of troublesome BGA pins.
Technical Library | 2019-08-08 10:23:51.0
High mix production is the mainstay of many electronics assembly plants. Lot sizes and board complexities vary and the boards are often mixed technology, comprising a blend of both surface mount and through-hole technology. Modularizing a production line enables a clear distinction between one type of assembly process and another. This article assumes a modern factory where a job can be routed to the selective soldering machine module, the hand assembly bench, or a combination of both. The decision rules of routing a circuit board through hand assembly versus automated selective soldering are discussed. Hand assembly soldering operations require no explanation.
Technical Library | 2020-04-01 14:24:56.0
It happens much too often; manufacturing engineers are brought into a NEW product design phase at the very end of a design and are asked to provide input that should have been provided much earlier. One needs to understand how the circuit board design and quality of the manufacturing process not only effects assembly yield and product reliability, but how it could also affect the results of any testing that is done to circuit packs during prototyping. It is important that any circuit pack (including prototypes) that will be used in reliability, performance and functional testing be designed with the proper features and assembled with a manufacturing process that has been developed to produce a high-quality assembly. If not, the results of any testing might not represent the actual characteristics of the design and provide miss-guidance to future changes.
Technical Library | 2020-07-01 19:45:04.0
A company approached ACI Technologies (ACI) for assistance with a new product that was about to undergo its initial proof-of-concept prototype build. This product was an item that was being furnished to the Department of Defense for a program designed to increase the technical capabilities of computer equipment issued to the war fighter. The requirements for this item specified the use of tin-lead solder during assembly of production units. One of the main responsibilities for ACI during this project was to assist the client in mitigating the risk introduced using commercial off-the-shelf materials that may be lead-free.
Technical Library | 2019-06-21 10:39:15.0
Recently, an ACI Technologies (ACI) customer called to discuss failures that they had observed with some through-hole capacitor parts. The components were experiencing failures following vibration and accelerated stress testing. Upon receipt of the samples, ACI performed three levels of inspection and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) testing to investigate the root cause of the failures. These analyses enabled ACI to verify the elements comprising the solder joints and make the following recommendations in order to prevent future occurrences. The first inspection was to investigate the capacitor leads using optical microscopy, and no anomalies were found that could indicate bad parts from the vendor or improper handling prior to assembly. However, vertical fill in the barrel of the plated through-holes was too close to the IPC-A-610 minimum specification of 75% to determine a pass/fail condition, and therefore required further investigation.
Technical Library | 2004-09-02 11:56:32.0
The main goal of this paper is to highlight the importance of interrelating the physics and the chemistry in wave soldering and soft soldering in general. Often we find the disciplines of chemistry and physics being analyzed distinct and separate. However in the quest for alternative ways for leading edge competitive and especially environmental friendly manufacturing, separating or ignoring this interrelationship is detrimental to the success of No-Residue soldering.
Technical Library | 2015-11-12 19:04:51.0
In order to provide the functionality in today’s electronics, printed circuit boards are approaching the complexity of semiconductors. For flexible circuits with 1 mil lines and spaces, this means no nodules, no pits, and excellent ductility with thinner deposits. One of the areas that has to change to get to this plateau of technology is acid copper plating. Acid copper systems have changed in minor increments since their introduction decades ago. However, the basic cell design using soluble anodes in slabs or baskets has for the most part remained the same. Soluble, phosphorized, copper anodes introduce particulate and limits the ability to control plating distribution.
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