Electronics Manufacturing Technical Articles

Article Design and Experiment of a Solder Paste Jetting System Driven by a Piezoelectric Stack

Dec 27, 2017 | Shoudong Gu, Xiaoyang Jiao, Jianfang Liu *, Zhigang Yang, Hai Jiang and Qingqing Lv

To compensate for the insufficiency and instability of solder paste dispensing and printing that are used in the SMT production process, a noncontact solder paste jetting system driven by a piezoelectric stack based on the principle of the nozzle-needle-system is introduced in this paper, in which a miniscule gap exists between the nozzle and needle during the jetting process....

Publisher: Jilin University

Printing and Curing of Conductive Ink Track on Curvature Substrate using Fluid Dispensing System and Oven

Dec 21, 2017 | Rd K . Khirotdin, Nurhafizzah Hassan, Hi H. Siang, Muhamad H. Zawahid

The present work concerns on the use of sensors to monitor the structural health of wind turbine . Conventionally the inspection was made using non-contact sensing during the turbine’s inoperable period hence loss occurred. A real -time monitoring system via embedded wireless sensor is preferred but the sensor could only be implanted using non-contact printing method due to most turbine blade s’ curved surface. Conductive ink associate d with non-contact printing method via fluid dispensing system are proposed since conductive inks are proven stretchable and fluid dispensing system enables printing on various substrates and works well with any materials......

Publisher: University of Tun Hussein Onn

PCB Sourcing Using PCQR 2

Dec 13, 2017 | Al Block, Naji Norder, Chris Joran

In a global market, it is often difficult to determine the best PCB suppliers for your technology needs, while also a chieving the lowest costs for your products. Considering each PCB supplier has their own niche in t erms of equipment, process, and performance, uniform test data from the IPC -9151D Process Capability, Quality, and Relative Reliability (PCQR 2 ) Benchmark Test Standard can help find the right source for the board based on its specific technology requirements. By using a data-based approach to vendor selection, this can remove the subjective nature of sourcing, reduce the need for PCB process experts to map suppliers into technologies, and eliminate irrational sourcing decisions....

Publisher: National Instruments

Cost effective solution in SMT production: AI and Big Data

Dec 12, 2017 | Alexei Shkolnik (Proventus Technologies)

In recent years, more and more companies with SMT production floor are trying to become more efficient and cut production costs. In most cases, the treatment was carried out problematic processes that visible and easy to find. Now these companies came to look problematic processes that are invisible and hard to find....

Publisher: Proventus Technologies

Contamination Profile of Printed Circuit Board Assemblies in Relation to Soldering Types and Conformal Coating

Dec 11, 2017 | Hélène Conseil, Morten S. Jellesen, Rajan Ambat

Typical printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) processed by reflow, wave, or selective wave soldering were analysed for typical levels of process related residues, resulting from a specific or combination of soldering process. Typical solder flux residue distribution pattern, composition, and concentration are profiled and reported. Presence of localized flux residues were visualized using a commercial Residue RAT gel test and chemical structure was identified by FT-IR, while the concentration was measured using ion chromatography, and the electrical properties of the extracts were determined by measuring the leak current using a twin platinum electrode setup. Localized extraction of residue was carried out using a commercial C3 extraction system. Results clearly show that the amount and distribution of flux residues are a function of the soldering process, and the level can be reduced by an appropriate cleaning. Selective soldering process generates significantly higher levels of residues compared to the wave and reflow process. For conformal coated PCBAs, the contamination levels generated from the tested wave and selective soldering process are found to be enough to generate blisters under exposure to high humidity levels....

Publisher: Technical University of Denmark

Utility of Dual Applicators for Non-Atomized Conformal Coating to Improve High-Volume Manufacturing Optimization

Dec 07, 2017 | Camille Sybert, Michael Szuch

Electronics manufacturers protect their circuit boards with conformal coatings. Conformal coatings serve as a barrier from environmental hazards and internal shorts, tin whiskers, and corrosion at the board level. Within conformal coatings different material chemistries specialize in shielding from an array of hazards and can be applied by multiple methods. The most common method is atomized spray which disperses the material into a fine mist. Alternatively, non-atomized coating controls the materials' dispense shape while maintaining the original liquid form. While some applications demand atomized spray and other scenarios overlap between atomized and non-atomized coating, this paper focuses on the circumstances where materials are ideally suited for non-atomized, selective coating....

Publisher: ASYMTEK Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

Guide to Light-Cure Conformal Coating

Nov 30, 2017 | Dymax Corporation

Each year the electronics industry is faced with new product designs that call for smaller printed circuit boards (PCBs) to function in more aggressive and rigorous service environments. As demands change, conformal coating is becoming increasingly adopted to ensure PCB reliability in environments where moisture, condensation, dust, dirt, salts, chemicals, abrasion, thermal shock, mechanical shock, and other factors can all affect circuit performance. This guide reviews the benefits of using light-cure conformal coatings as well as cost justification, typical processing guidelines and best practices, product selection criteria, data, and industry specifications. ...

Publisher: Dymax Corporation

Factors Affecting the Adhesion of Thin Film Copper on Polyimide

Nov 22, 2017 | David Ciufo, Hsin-Yi Tsai and Michael J. Carmody

The use of copper foils laminated to polyimide (PI) as flexible printed circuit board precursor is a standard practice in the PCB industry. We have previously described[1] an approach to very thin copper laminates of coating uniform layers of nano copper inks and converting them into conductive foils via photonic sintering with a multibulb conveyor system, which is consistent with roll-to-roll manufacturing. The copper thickness of these foils can be augmented by electroplating. Very thin copper layers enable etching fine lines in the flexible circuit. These films must adhere tenaciously to the polyimide substrate.

In this paper, we investigate the factors which improve and inhibit adhesion. It was found that the ink composition, photonic sintering conditions, substrate pretreatment, and the inclusion of layers (metal and organic) intermediate between the copper and the polyimide are important....

Publisher: Intrinsiq Materials Inc.

Controlling Voiding Mechanisms in the Reflow Soldering Process

Nov 15, 2017 | Keith Sweatman, Takatoshi Nishimura, Kenichiro Sugimoto, Akira Kita

While a significant level of voiding can be tolerated in solder joints where electrical conductivity is the main requirement, voiding at any level severely compromises thermal conductivity. For example, in LED lighting modules effective conduction of heat through the 1st level die attach to the substrate and then through the 2nd level attach to the heat sink is critical to performance so that voiding in the solder joints at both levels must be minimized. (...) In this paper, the authors will review the factors that influence the incidence of voids in small and large area solder joints that simulate, respectively, the 1st and 2nd level joints in LED modules and discuss mitigation strategies appropriate to each level. They will also report the results of a study on the effect on the incidence of voids of flux medium formulation and the optimization of the thermal profile to ensure that most of the volatiles are released early in the reflow process....

Publisher: Nihon Superior Co., Ltd.

Why Design PCB Assemblies with Testing in Mind?

Nov 14, 2017 | Tuan Tran

Can you put a product that hasn't been fully tested on the market? When it comes to Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly and manufacturing, most firms’ answer is neither a strict yes or no. ...

Publisher: Power Design Services