| DO you know of an Industry Standard that describes solder paste geometries requirements? | Lyle: The industry standard that describes solder geometries requirement is IPC-A-610. There is no industry standard that describes how solder paste should be deposited to meet that standard. It's up to you to decide how to do it. You can do it any way you want. In some situations a hand "calking gun" style dispenser works great. In a few other situations, that tool may not be appropriate.
Where to start ...
1 Many stencil fabricators are kind and tolerant and will help on a basic level 2 EMPF published something on aperture design a few years ago 3 Several threads on stencil design are in the SMTnet and Technet archives 4 Trade journals like SMT Magazine, EP&P, and Circuits Assembly have printed articles on stencil design 5 Better stencil printing equipment suppliers have published guidelines 6 Better solder paste suppliers have published guidelines. 7 Authors like Prasad, Brinsky, and Blankenhorn have written texts that touch on stencil design, as well as other SMT process areas.
This information will cover the majority of your requirements. There are consultants and SMTneters for the remainder.
Good luck
Dave F
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