Electronics Manufacturing Technical Articles

Surface Treatment Enabling Low Temperature Soldering to Aluminum

Jul 29, 2020 | Divyakant Kadiwala

The majority of flexible circuits are made by patterning copper metal that is laminated to a flexible substrate, which is usually polyimide film of varying thickness. An increasingly popular method to meet the need for lower cost circuitry is the use of aluminum on Polyester (Al-PET) substrates. This material is gaining popularity and has found wide use in RFID tags, low cost LED lighting and other single-layer circuits. However, both aluminum and PET have their own constraints and require special processing to make finished circuits. Aluminum is not easy to solder components to at low temperatures and PET cannot withstand high temperatures. Soldering to these materials requires either an additional surface treatment or the use of conductive epoxy to attach components. Surface treatment of aluminum includes the likes of Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold plating (ENIG), which is extensive wet-chemistry and cost-prohibitive for mass adoption. Conductive adhesives, including Anisotropic Conductive Paste (ACP), are another alternate to soldering components. These result in component substrate interfaces that are inferior to conventional solders in terms of performance and reliability. An advanced surface treatment technology will be presented that addresses all these constraints. Once applied on Aluminum surfaces using conventional printing techniques such as screen, stencil, etc., it is cured thermally in a convection oven at low temperatures. This surface treatment is non-conductive. To attach a component, a solder bump on the component or solder printed on the treated pad is needed before placing the component. The Aluminum circuit will pass through a reflow oven, as is commonly done in PCB manufacturing. This allows for the formation of a true metal to metal bond between the solder and the aluminum on the pads. This process paves the way for large scale, low cost manufacturing of Al-PET circuits. We will also discuss details of the process used to make functional aluminum circuits, study the resultant solder-aluminum bond, shear results and SEM/ EDS analysis....

Publisher: Averatek Corporation

Averatek Corporation

Averatek Corporation is a high tech company based in Santa Clara, CA that provides custom design services and patterned circuit board materials manufactured through the use of an innovative, proprietary process.

Santa Clara, California, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer

Impact of Assembly Cycles on Copper Wrap Plating

Jul 22, 2020 | Hardeep Heer, Ryan Wong, et al

The PWB industry needs to complete reliability testing in order to define the minimum copper wrap plating thickness requirement for confirming the reliability of PTH structures. Predicting reliability must ensure that the failure mechanism is demonstrated as a wear-out failure mode because a plating wrap failure is unpredictable. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of various copper wrap plating thicknesses through IST testing followed by micro sectioning to determine the failure mechanism and identify the minimum copper wrap thickness required for a reliable PWB. Minimum copper wrap plating thickness has become an even a bigger concern since designers started designing HDI products with buried vias, microvias and through filled vias all in one design. PWBs go through multiple plating cycles requiring planarization after each plating cycle to keep the surface copper to a manageable thickness for etching. The companies started a project to study the relationship between Copper wrap plating thickness and via reliability. The project had two phases. This paper will present findings from both Phase 1 and Phase 2....

Publisher: Firan Technology Group

Firan Technology Group

FTG is a leading North American manufacturer of high technology printed circuit boards and precision illuminated display systems.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Soft, Wireless Periocular Wearable Electronics For Real-Time Detection Of Eye Vergence In A Virtual Reality Toward Mobile Eye Therapies

Jul 22, 2020 | Saswat Mishra et al

Recent advancements in electronic packaging and image processing techniques have opened the possibility for optics-based portable eye tracking approaches, but technical and safety hurdles limit safe implementation toward wearable applications. Here, we introduce a fully wearable, wireless soft electronic system that offers a portable, highly sensitive tracking of eye movements (vergence) via the combination of skin-conformal sensors and a virtual reality system. Advancement of material processing and printing technologies based on aerosol jet printing enables reliable manufacturing of skin-like sensors, while the flexible hybrid circuit based on elastomer and chip integration allows comfortable integration with a user's head. Analytical and computational study of a data classification algorithm provides a highly accurate tool for real-time detection and classification of ocular motions. In vivo demonstration with 14 human subjects captures the potential of the wearable electronics as a portable therapy system, whose minimized form factor facilitates seamless interplay with traditional wearable hardware....

Publisher: Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology

Center for Board Assembly Research CBAR- advanced research on board assembly processes and systems

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG

Via Filling Applications in Practice

Jul 15, 2020 | Stefan Keller

Via Filling • Through Hole Vias - IPC-4761 – Plugging – Filling – Filled & Capped • MicroviaFilling and Stacked Vias...

Publisher: Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG

We produce circuit boards from your specifications in various designs.

Niedernhall, Germany

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer

Via In Pad - Conductive Fill or Non-Conductive Fill?

Jul 15, 2020 | Tech Talk for Techies

In the early 2000s the first fine-pitch ball grid array devices became popular with designers looking to pack as much horsepower into as small a space as possible. "Smaller is better" became the rule and with that the mechanical drilling world became severely impacted by available drill bit sizes, aspect ratios, and plating methodologies. First of all, the diameter of the drill needed to be in the 0.006" or smaller range due to the reduction of pad size and spacing pitch. Secondly, the aspect ratio (depth to diameter) became limited by drill flute length, positional accuracy, rigidity of the tools (to prevent breakage), and the throwing power of acid copper plating systems. And lastly, the plating needed to close up the hole as much as possible, which led to problems with voiding, incomplete fill, and gas/solution entrapment....

Publisher: Advanced Circuits

Advanced Circuits

One-Stop Solution for PCB & Prototype Assembly Expanded PCB manufacturing capabilities to support advanced designs with demanding requirements including laser-drilled microvias, cavity boards, heavy copper up to 20 oz., via-in-pad

Aurora, Colorado, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer, Training Provider

Creating Reusable Manufacturing Tests for High-Speed I/O with Synthetic Instruments

Jul 08, 2020 | Louis Y. Ungar, Neil G. Jacobson, T.M. Mak

There is a compelling need for functional testing of high-speed input/output signals on circuit boards ranging from 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to several hundred Gbps. While manufacturing tests such as Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI) and In-Circuit Test (ICT) are useful in identifying catastrophic defects, most high-speed signals require more scrutiny for failure modes that arise due to high-speed conditions, such as jitter. Functional ATE is seldom fast enough to measure high-speed signals and interpret results automatically. Additionally, to measure these adverse effects it is necessary to have the tester connections very close to the unit under test (UUT) as lead wires connecting the instruments can distort the signal. The solution we describe here involves the use of a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to implement the test instrument called a synthetic instrument (SI). SIs can be designed using VHDL or Verilog descriptions and "synthesized" into an FPGA. A variety of general-purpose instruments, such as signal generators, voltmeters, waveform analyzers can thus be synthesized, but the FPGA approach need not be limited to instruments with traditional instrument equivalents. Rather, more complex and peculiar test functions that pertain to high-speed I/O applications, such as bit error rate tests, SerDes tests, even USB 3.0 (running at 5 Gbps) protocol tests can be programmed and synthesized within an FPGA. By using specific-purpose test mechanisms for high-speed I/O the test engineer can reduce test development time. The synthetic instruments as well as the tests themselves can find applications in several UUTs. In some cases, the same test can be reused without any alteration. For example, a USB 3.0 bus is ubiquitous, and a test aimed at fault detection and diagnoses can be used as part of the test of any UUT that uses this bus. Additionally, parts of the test set may be reused for testing another high-speed I/O. It is reasonable to utilize some of the test routines used in a USB 3.0 test, in the development of a USB 3.1 (running at 10 Gbps), even if the latter has substantial differences in protocol. Many of the SI developed for one protocol can be reused as is, while other SIs may need to undergo modifications before reuse. The modifications will likely take less time and effort than starting from scratch. This paper illustrates an example of high-speed I/O testing, generalizes failure modes that are likely to occur in high-speed I/O, and offers a strategy for testing them with SIs within FPGAs. This strategy offers several advantages besides reusability, including tester proximity to the UUT, test modularization, standardization approaching an ATE-agnostic test development process, overcoming physical limitations of general-purpose test instruments, and utilization of specific-purpose test instruments. Additionally, test instrument obsolescence can be overcome by upgrading to ever-faster and larger FPGAs without losing any previously developed design effort. With SIs and tests scalable and upward compatible, the test engineer need not start test development for high-speed I/O from scratch, which will substantially reduce time and effort....

Publisher: A.T.E. Solutions, Inc.

A.T.E. Solutions, Inc.

The leading Test, ATE and Testability consulting and educational firm, offering various test related courses. Maintains the BestTest Directory, a test community knowledge base. Publishes The BestTest eNewsletter.

Los Angeles, California, USA

Using Rheology Measurement As A Potentially Predictive Tool For Solder Paste Transfer Efficiency And Print Volume Consistency

Jul 02, 2020 | Mitch Holtzer, Karen Tellefsen and Westin Bent

Industry standards such as J-STD-005 and JIS Z 3284-1994 call for the use of viscosity measurement(s) as a quality assurance test method for solder paste. Almost all solder paste produced and sold use a viscosity range at a single shear rate as part of the pass-fail criteria for shipment and customer acceptance respectively. As had been reported many times, an estimated 80% of the defects associated with the surface mount technology process involve defects created during the printing process. Viscosity at a single shear rate could predict a fatal flaw in the printability of a solder paste sample. However, false positive single shear rate viscosity readings are not unknown....

Publisher: Alpha Assembly Solutions

Alpha Assembly Solutions

Alpha Assembly Solutions is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and sales of innovative materials used in the assembly electronics, industrial joining and Photo Voltaic market places.

South Plainfield, New Jersey, USA

Holland Shielding Systems BV

101 EMI Shielding Tips and Tricks

Jul 02, 2020 | Holland Shielding Systems BV

Principle of shielding 1 The principle of shielding is creating a conductive layer completely surrounding the object you want to shield. This was invented by Michael Faraday and this system is known as a Faraday Cage. 2 Ideally, the shielding layer will be made up of conductive sheets or layers of metal that are connected by means of welding or soldering, without any interruptions. The shielding is perfect when there is no difference in conductivity between the used materials. When dealing with frequencies below 30 MHz, the metal thickness affects shielding effectiveness. We also offer a range of shielding methods for plastic enclosures. A complete absence of interruptions is not a realistic goal since the Faraday cage will have to be opened from time to time so electronics, equipment or people can be moved in or out. Openings are also needed for displays, ventilation, cooling, power supply, signals etc. 3 Shielding works in both directions, items inside the shielded room are shielded from outside influences. (Fig. 3.1)...

Publisher: Holland Shielding Systems BV

Worldwide leading manufacturer of EMC (electromagnetic compatibility), EMI (electromagnetic interference), RFI (radio frequency interference), & EMP (electromagnetic pulse) shielding solutions. Our EMC experts will work ...

Dordrecht, Netherlands

Other

A PROCEDURE TO DETERMINE HEAD-IN-PILLOW DEFECT AND ANALYSIS OF CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Jul 02, 2020 | Ranjit Pandher, Rahul Raut, Michael Liberatore, Navendra Jodhan, and Karen Tellefsen

Head-in-Pillow (HIP) defects are a growing concern in the electronics industry. These defects are usually believed to be the result of several factors, individually or in combination. Some of the major contributing factors include: surface quality of the BGA spheres, activity of the paste flux, improper placement / misalignment of the components, a non-optimal reflow profile, and warpage of the components. To understand the role of each of these factors in producing head-in-pillow defects and to find ways to mitigate them, we have developed two in-house tests....

Publisher: Cookson Electronics

Cookson Electronics

Leading materials science company that provides high performance materials, chemistry and technology solutions to the electronics and surface finishing industries worldwide.

Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

Lead-Free Risk Mitigation -- A Case Study

Jul 01, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

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....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Using Metal Core Printed Circuit Board (MCPCB) as a Solution for Thermal Management

Jun 19, 2020 | Winco K.C. Yung, PhD

The designs of electronic devices and systems are being continuously improved by becoming smaller in size and faster in communication speed. The potential risk associated with these specific design improvements will be an increase in power density and, consequently, a greater risk of thermal problems and failures. At the same time, the prevailing use of circuit boards integrated with power devices such as motor controllers and drivers, light-emitting diode (LED) lighting modules, power supplies, and amplifiers, and regulators for TV, etc., drive to the use of a proper thermal management system while designing these kinds of printed circuit board (PCB)....

Publisher: Hong Kong Polytechnic University [The]

Hong Kong Polytechnic University [The]

With 80 years of proud tradition, PolyU is a world-class research university, ranking among the world's top 100 institutions. Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is a home for educating thinkers, communicators, and discovers.

Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Consultant / Service Provider

COVID-19 - Managing Supply Chain Risk and Disruption

Jun 12, 2020 | Jim Kilpatrick and Lee Barter

Responding to the immediate challenge While COVID-19 may be the catalyst for companies to revisit their global supply chain strategy and accelerate the adoption of Digital Supply Network models and capabilities, short-term actions need to be made to respond to the immediate challenge....

Publisher: Deloitte

Deloitte

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is a multinational professional services network. Deloitte is one of the "Big Four" accounting organizations and the largest professional services network in the

New York, New York, USA

Smart and Connected Bioelectronics for Seamless Health Monitoring and Persistent Human-Machine Interfaces

Jun 10, 2020 | Yun-Soung Kim and Woon-Hong Yeo

Recent advancement of flexible wearable electronics allows significant enhancement of portable, continuous health monitoring and persistent human-machine interfaces. Enabled by flexible electronic systems, smart and connected bioelectronics are accelerating the integration of innovative information science and engineering strategies, ultimately driving the rapid transformation of healthcare and medicine. Recent progress in the development and engineering of soft materials has provided various opportunities to design different types of mechanically deformable systems towards smart and connected bioelectronics....

Publisher: Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology

Center for Board Assembly Research CBAR- advanced research on board assembly processes and systems

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Lead-Free Control Plan

Jun 02, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

A commercial systems manufacturer working on a major defense program contacted the Helpline for urgent assistance with an issue of failed parts during reliability testing. They were attempting to incorporate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computer-related hardware into a battlefield system and were experiencing reliability issues. It was noted that the parts were labeled by the vendor as "compliant to military (or MIL) standards" but not clearly identified as tin-lead or lead-free. ACI Technologies has supported a number of customers with lead-free issues and we assisted the customer in developing a short term and long-term solution to their problem....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

7 Benefits of Choosing Professional PCB Manufacturers and Assemblers

May 28, 2020 | Allen

Properly functioning printed circuit boards are essential for both manufacturers of electronic devices and also the developers if the overall intent is for the electronic device to function at high capacity. From designing the schematics of the printed circuit boards to testing the products, there is no process of PCB manufacturing and/or assembly that can be taken for granted. While it's true that you can attempt this process on your own, especially if you are in possession of a large scale manufacturing facility, here are a few reasons why it would be a better option to opt for a professional company for PCB manufacturing and assembly. 1. Variety A professional printed circuit boards manufacturing company will be able to offer you a huge variety. You will be able to choose from rigid, flexible, or rigid-flex. What's more, the PCBs will be customized as per the need of the application. 2. Quality Professional and good printed circuit board manufacturing and assembling companies might cost you just a little bit extra but they also guarantee to produce the best results and offer very high quality products. In the end, it is quality that will make the difference between mediocre and a high functioning PCB. 3. Cost Efficiency Since you don't have to waste time or resources on buying equipment to produce the best PCBs or hiring staff to oversee the process, you can actually end up saving money. You can even save on PCB assembly cost by hiring this job out. All you have to do is to negotiate the quote and sit back, relax, and wait for the PCBs to be delivered to you. 4. Eliminate Design Flaws Design engineers hired by PCB manufacturing and assembling companies use the best graphic software to develop and test the schematics of PCBs. This increases the chances of eliminating flaws in the printed circuit boards during the initial design phase. 5. Multilayer PCB Manufacturing and Assembly The process of manufacturing and assembling multilayer PCBs is as intricate as it sounds. All processes of manufacturing and assembling multilayer PCBs require the best machines and trained technicians to pass the quality and functionality tests. Manufacturing and assembling multilayer printed circuit boards yourself is going to cost you a lot. Even the smallest of mistakes during the manufacturing and assembling process might render the entire PCB entirely useless. 6. Save Time PCBs are just a single part of the electronic device. To complete the device, many more pieces would be needed. The manufacturers of the electronic device can hire out the job of manufacturing or assembling the PCBs, which will mean they will have one less chore to do. This, in turn, will save you a lot of time which could be spent on elevating the quality of the product. 7. Experience Experience makes all the difference. It is what makes the name of any company reliable in the market. Long experience of manufacturing and assembling printed circuit boards makes the company well versed in the process and it also makes it an expert to identify design, manufacturing, assembling, and testing needs of certain applications We, at Asia Pacific Circuits, offer these benefits and so much more. For quick turn PCB assembly, PCB manufacturing and PCB designing, you can contact us anytime....

Publisher: Asia Pacific Circuits Co., Ltd

Asia Pacific Circuits Co., Ltd

Asia Pacific Circuits is one of Asia's leading Electronic Manufacturing Services companies, committed to providing high quality PCB and PCBA Contract Electronics Manufacturing Services.

Shenzhen, China

Head-on-Pillow Defect Detection – X-ray Inspection Limitations

May 26, 2020 | Lars Bruno and Benny Gustafson

Both the number and the variants of Ball Grid Array packages (BGAs) are tending to increase on network Printed Board Assemblies (PBAs)with sizes ranging from a few mm die size Wafer Level Packages (WLPs) with low ball count up to large multi-die System-in-Package (SiP) BGAs with 60-70 mm side lengths and thousands of I/Os....

Publisher: Ericsson AB

Ericsson AB

Ericsson AB manufactures and markets radio and television communication equipment. The company was formerly known as Ericsson Radio Systems AB. Ericsson AB (Sweden) operates as a subsidiary of Ericsson.

Stockholm, Sweden

Other

1CLICKSMT Conformal Coating System -- Solution for photoelectric devices assembly

May 21, 2020 | 1clicksmt

1CLICKSMT has recently installed a conformal coating line for a photoelectric devices manufacturer in Thailand....

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

Pad Cratering

May 08, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

A customer contacted the Helpline to perform analysis on a lead-free assembly which exhibited intermittent functionality. The lead-free assembly exhibiting intermittent functionality when pressure was applied to the ball grid array (BGA) packages. Industrial adaptation of a Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant solder standard has created a new host of failure modes observed in lead-free assemblies. Pad cratering occurs when fractures propagate along the epoxy resin layer on the underside of the BGA connecting pads. While originating from process, design, and end use conditions, it is the combination of a rigid lead-free solder with inflexible printed circuit board (PCB) laminates that has advanced the prevalence of this condition. Pad cratering is simply the result of mechanical stress exceeding material limitations....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Solutions for Selective Soldering of High Thermal Mass and Fine-Pitch Components

May 07, 2020 | Bob Klenke, Technical Consultant, Nordson SELECT

The selective soldering process has evolved to become a standard production process within the electronics assembly industry, and now accommodates a wide variety of through-hole component formats in numerous applications. Most through-hole components can be easily soldered with the selective soldering process without difficulty, however some types of challenging components require additional attention to ensure optimum quality control is maintained. Several high thermal mass components can place demands on the selective soldering process, while the use of specialized solder fixtures and/or pallets often places an additional thermal demand on the preheating process. Fine-pitch through-hole components and connectors place a different set of demands on the selective soldering process and typically require special attention to lead projection and traverse speed to minimize bridging between adjacent pins. Dual in-line memory module (DIMM) connectors, compact peripheral component interface (cPCI) connectors, coax connectors and other high thermal mass components as well as fine-pitch microconnectors,can present challenges when soldered into backplanes or multilayer printed circuit board assemblies. Adding to this challenge, compact peripheral component interface connectors can present additional solderability issues due to their beryllium copper termination pins....

Publisher: SELECT Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

SELECT Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

Selective Soldering Equipment and Solutions for Printed Circuit Board Assembly

Carlsbad, California, USA

1CLICKSMT Odd form Component inserting System -- Solution for security products assembly

Apr 29, 2020 | 1Clicksmt

1CLICKSMT has recently installed a odd form component inserting and wave soldering line for a security products manufacturer....

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Flexible Bioelectronics For Physiological Signals Sensing And Disease Treatment

Apr 22, 2020 | Guang Yao, Chenhui Yin, Qian Wang, Tianyao Zhang, Sihong Chen, Chang Lu, Taisong Pan, Min Gao, Yuan Lin

Flexible bioelectronics, including wearable and implantable electronics, have revolutionized the way of human-machine interaction due to the fact that they can provide natural and seamless interactions with humans and keep stable and durable at strained states. As sensor elements or biomimetic actuators, flexible bioelectronics can dynamically sense and monitor physiological signals, reveal real-time physical health information and provide timely precise stimulations or treatments. Thus, the flexible bioelectronics are playing increasingly important roles in human-health monitoring and disease treatment, which will significantly change the future of healthcare as well as our relationships with electronics. This review summarizes recent major progress in the development of flexible substrates or encapsulation materials, sensors, circuits and energy-autonomous powers toward digital healthcare monitoring, emphasizing its role in biomedical applications in vivo and problems in practical applications. A future perspective into the challenges and opportunities in emerging flexible bioelectronics designs for the next-generation healthcare monitoring systems is also presented....

Publisher: University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

UESTC is a national key multidisciplinary university specialized in electronic engineering and information science and technology with a harmonious integration of science, engineering, management and liberal arts.

Chengdu, China

NEWS! Independent dual Z-axis selective soldering machine

Apr 16, 2020 | 1clicksmt

Based on the dual pot, we developed an independent dual z-axis control dual pot for FLEX-i2! There are 5 operation modes available with the independent dual Z axis: only solder pot1, only solder pot2, first solder pot 1 then solder pot2, first solder pot2 then solder pot1, solder pot1 and solder pot2 together. In specific applications, solder pot1 can be selected with large nozzle soldering heat-absorbing large parts, solder pot2 use small nozzle soldering heat-absorbing small parts, so as to achieve both soldering effect and productivity. Also can use same nozzle, dual axis simultaneously solder two same plate to increase productivity. To get the maximum flexibility and productivity! FLEX-i2 is a compact in line selective soldering machine, equipped with high precision servo control system, jet valve, live-on camera, upper preheating etc, which can provide a high flexibility and efficiency soldering process. The maximum soldering size can reach 420mm*490mm!...

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

Reliable Selective Soldering For High Volume Assemblies

Apr 14, 2020 | Gerjan Diepstraten

The number of through hole connections on a circuit assembly are decreasing with the drive toward miniaturization. When these assemblies are manufactured in high volumes the most convenient method is selective soldering. Although selective soldering is very well introduced in automotive and industrial applications it can also be a very efficient method to solder high volume consumer products....

Publisher: ITW EAE

ITW EAE

ITW EAE is a manufacturer of equipment used in the electronic assembly and semiconductor industries. The group brings together world-class products from Camalot, Despatch, Electrovert, MPM, and Vitronics Soltec.

Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

Stencil Printing 008004/0201 Aperture Components

Apr 14, 2020 | Edward C. Nauss, Michael Butler

This paper will focus on the application requirements of solder printing small aperture designs, concentrating on 008004 (inch) / 0201 (metric) size components, and the results of a design of experiment printing these challenging apertures. As Moore's law continues to be applied to component miniaturization, the next installment of reduced packaging has arrived in the form of the 008004/0201 for resistors and capacitors. Component size roughly the size of a grain of sand presents specific challenges to the solder printing process. To address these challenges, each aspect of the printing process will need be examined. This includes essential machine requirements, including correct squeegee blades, tooling support, and calibrations, to meet the demanding specifications. The correct match and design of materials will be addressed, focusing on the stencil and substrate design along with solder paste and cleaning solvent requirements. A design of experiment will be reviewed that applies the machine and materials discussed, including the printer and Solder Paste Inspection (SPI) setup and the specific machine parameters used. The results of these DOE's will then be closely examined....

Publisher: ITW EAE

ITW EAE

ITW EAE is a manufacturer of equipment used in the electronic assembly and semiconductor industries. The group brings together world-class products from Camalot, Despatch, Electrovert, MPM, and Vitronics Soltec.

Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

Selective Solder Fine Pitch Components On High Thermal Mass Assembly

Apr 14, 2020 | Gerjan Diepstraten

The number of through-hole components on printed circuit boards (PCB) has declined significantly over the last decade. Miniaturization in electronics has resulted in less THT (through-hole technology) and leads with a finer pitch. For this reason, the soldering of these components has also changed from wave soldering to Point-to-point selective soldering. Soldering these small, fine-pitch components is a challenge when surface mount components (SMD) are positioned very close to THT components on the PCB layout. This study, done in cooperation with a large automotive EMS customer, defines the process windows for through-hole technology for fine-pitch components. It determines what is feasible to solder and defines layout design parameter that make soldering possible with SMD areas and other components on the assembly....

Publisher: ITW EAE

ITW EAE

ITW EAE is a manufacturer of equipment used in the electronic assembly and semiconductor industries. The group brings together world-class products from Camalot, Despatch, Electrovert, MPM, and Vitronics Soltec.

Lakeville, Minnesota, USA

Washington State Magazine

Soft Material-Enabled, Flexible Hybrid Electronics for Medicine, Healthcare, and Human-Machine Interfaces

Apr 08, 2020 | Robert Herbert, Jong-Hoon Kim, Yun Soung Kim, HyeMoon Lee,Woon-Hong Yeo

Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), designed in wearable and implantable configurations, have enormous applications in advanced healthcare, rapid disease diagnostics, and persistent human-machine interfaces. Soft, contoured geometries and time-dynamic deformation of the targeted tissues require high flexibility and stretchability of the integrated bioelectronics. Recent progress in developing and engineering soft materials has provided a unique opportunity to design various types of mechanically compliant and deformable systems. Here, we summarize the required properties of soft materials and their characteristics for configuring sensing and substrate components in wearable and implantable devices and systems. Details of functionality and sensitivity of the recently developed FHE are discussed with the application areas in medicine, healthcare, and machine interactions. This review concludes with a discussion on limitations of current materials, key requirements for next generation materials, and new application areas....

Publisher: Washington State Magazine

WSM is published by the Board of Regents of Washington State University.

Pullman, Washington, USA

Low Temperature Soldering Using SN-BI Alloys

Apr 01, 2020 | Morgana Ribas, Ph.D., Anil Kumar, Divya Kosuri, Raghu R. Rangaraju, Pritha Choudhury, Ph.D., Suresh Telu, Ph.D., Siuli Sarkar, Ph.D.

Low temperature solder alloys are preferred for the assembly of temperature-sensitive components and substrates. The alloys in this category are required to reflow between 170 and 200oC soldering temperatures. Lower soldering temperatures result in lower thermal stresses and defects, such as warping during assembly, and permit use of lower cost substrates. Sn-Bi alloys have lower melting temperatures, but some of its performance drawbacks can be seen as deterrent for its use in electronics devices.Here we show that non-eutectic Sn-Bi alloys can be used to improve these properties and further align them with the electronics industry specific needs. The physical properties and drop shock performance of various alloys are evaluated, and their results are analysed in terms of the alloy composition, including Bi content and alloying additions....

Publisher: Alpha Assembly Solutions

Alpha Assembly Solutions

Alpha Assembly Solutions is a world leader in the development, manufacturing, and sales of innovative materials used in the assembly electronics, industrial joining and Photo Voltaic market places.

South Plainfield, New Jersey, USA

Product Design and Early Manufacturing Involvement

Apr 01, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

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....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

1Click SMT Made Successful Installation and Training For Thai Customer!

Apr 01, 2020 | 1Clicksmt

Recently, our engineer Peter went to Thailand to provide after-sales support for our customer. In these days, we had installed a SC-900 selective coating line . Moreover, Peter gave patience and meticulous training to their staff, make sure they master the machine usage .Customer and agent are satisfied with our support and give their affirmation to us. SC-900 is a high Performance 4 axis Selective Coating Machine ,which is equipped with high precision servo control system , various valves , CCD system ,material tank weight detecting system etc, which can provide a high efficiency conformal coating process .The maximum coating size can reach 400mm*450mm with SC-900. So far, we've installed several dozen conformal coating line all over the world. It have excellent stability and performance. Check below link to get more info!...

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

New High-Speed 3D Surface Imaging Technology in Electronics Manufacturing Applications

Mar 26, 2020 | Juha Saily

This paper introduces line confocal technology that was recently developed to characterize 3D features of various surface and material types at sub-micron resolution. It enables automatic microtopographic 3D imaging of challenging objects that are difficult or impossible to scan with traditional methods, such as machine vision or laser triangulation.Examples of well-suited applications for line confocal technology include glossy, mirror-like, transparent and multi-layered surfaces made of metals (connector pins, conductor traces, solder bumps etc.), polymers (adhesives, enclosures, coatings, etc.), ceramics (components, substrates, etc.) and glass (display panels, etc.). Line confocal sensors operate at high speed and can be used to scan fast-moving surfaces in real-time as well as stationary product samples in the laboratory. The operational principle of the line confocal method and its strengths and limitations are discussed.Three metrology applications for the technology in electronics product manufacturing are examined: 1. 3D imaging of etched PCBs for micro-etched copper surface roughness and cross-sectional profile and width of etched traces/pads. 2. Thickness, width and surface roughness measurement of conductive ink features and substrates in printed electronics applications. 3. 3D imaging of adhesive dots and lines for shape, dimensions and volume in PCB and product assembly applications....

Publisher: FocalSpec, Inc.

FocalSpec, Inc.

Offers bare sensors for system integration, offline benchtop tools and online scanners for metrology and inspection applications.

Santa Clara, California, USA

DA-1200 THT automated inspection system service report

Mar 24, 2020 | 1clicksmt

Installing time : November 24 to December 2 ,2019 Participants： Customer from (Elaraby , Egypt) Service engineer：Peter (1 Click SMT)...

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

Robust Reliability Testing For Drop-on-Demand Jet Printing

Mar 19, 2020 | Gustaf Mårtensson, Patrik Mirzai

In this study, the question was how to perform statistically reliable robust- ness tests for the non-contact drop-on-demand printing of functional fluids, such as solder paste and conductive adhesives. The goal of this study was to develop a general method for hypothesis testing when robustness tests are performed. The main problem was to determine if there was a statistical difference between two means or proportions of jet printing devices. In this study, an example of jetting quality variation was used when comparing two jet printing ejector types that differ slightly in design. We wanted to understand if the difference in ejector design can impact jetting quality by performing robustness tests. and thus answer the question, "Can jetting differences be seen between ejector design 1 and design 2"?...

Publisher: Mycronic AB

Mycronic AB

Mycronic's High Flex division offers SMT equipment and solutions to high-mix electronics manufacturers with a requirement for quick changeover, high quality and high equipment utilization rate.

Täby, STOCKHOLM, Sweden

Consultant / Service Provider, Marketing Agency, Media / Publisher / Online Resource, Other

IPC Apex Expo 2020 Remarks

Mar 12, 2020 | Roland Girouard

IPC's APEX EXPO is always exciting & always fun and, most importantly, always beneficial to those who exhibit and attend. From technical conferences to standards committees to new and exciting things on the show floor - APEX 2020 was indeed a success...

Publisher: SMTnet

SMTnet

Helping businesses find each other.

Portland, Maine, USA

Filling of Microvias and Through Holes by Electrolytic Copper Plating –Current Status and Future Outlook

Mar 12, 2020 | Mustafa Özkök, Sven Lamprecht, Akif Özkök, Dolly Akingbohungbe, Moody Dreiza - Atotech Deutschland GmbH, Alex Stepinski - GreenSource Fabrication LLC

The electronics industry is further progressing in terms of smaller, faster, smarter and more efficient electronic devices. This continuous evolving environment caused the development on various electrolytic copper processes for different applications over the past several decades. (...) This paper describes the reasons for development and a roadmap of dimensions for copper filled through holes, microvias and other copper plated structures on PCBs....

Publisher: Atotech

Atotech

One of the world's leading suppliers of integrated production systems, chemistry, equipment, know-how and service for electroplating, semiconductor and printed circuit board manufacturing.

Berlin, Germany

Cleaning No-Clean Fluxes Prior to Conformal Coating

Mar 09, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

A customer called the Helpline seeking advice for cleaning no-clean fluxes prior to applying a conformal coating. The customer's assemblies were manufactured with a no-clean rosin based solder paste (ROL0) and were cleaned with an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) wash. After cleaning, a white residue was sometimes found in areas with high paste concentrations and was interfering with the adhesion of the conformal coating (Figure 1). For conformal coatings to adhere properly, the printed circuit board (PCB) surface must be clean of fluxes and other residues. In addition, ionic contamination left by flux residues can lead to corrosion and dendrite growth, two common causes of electronic opens and shorts. Other residues can lead to unwanted impedance and physical interference with moving parts....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Lubrication Grease Selection Guide

Mar 08, 2020 | Mike Sondalini

Lubrication Grease, use the right one for the job. Insight into lubrication classification. selection and application of greases. Compare the properties of greases and check those used in your equipment that are suited to the service....

Publisher: Business Industrial Network

Business Industrial Network

Offers training software, simulators, and videos. Also, on-site training qualifies for CEUs for maintenance, engineering, and management professionals.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Distributor, Media / Publisher / Online Resource, Research Institute / Laboratory / School, Training Provider

Maintenance Policies and Procedures

Mar 08, 2020 | Larry Bush

A sample for Larry Bush's Maintenance Policies and Procedures - 2nd Edition (A 415-page book in PDF format. Those who purchase also receive 150 support files in editable format to customize and use as samples and templates.)...

Publisher: Business Industrial Network

Business Industrial Network

Offers training software, simulators, and videos. Also, on-site training qualifies for CEUs for maintenance, engineering, and management professionals.

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Distributor, Media / Publisher / Online Resource, Research Institute / Laboratory / School, Training Provider

IoT for Real-Time Measurement of High-Throughput Liquid Dispensing in Laboratory Environments

Mar 04, 2020 | Justin Shumate, Pierre Baillargeon, Timothy P. Spicer, and Louis Scampavia

Critical to maintaining quality control in high-throughput screening is the need for constant monitoring of liquid-dispensing fidelity. Traditional methods involve operator intervention with gravimetric analysis to monitor the gross accuracy of full plate dispenses, visual verification of contents, or dedicated weigh stations on screening platforms that introduce potential bottlenecks and increase the plate-processing cycle time. We present a unique solution using open-source hardware, software, and 3D printing to automate dispenser accuracy determination by providing real-time dispense weight measurements via a network-connected precision balance. This system uses an Arduino microcontroller to connect a precision balance to a local network. By integrating the precision balance as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, it gains the ability to provide real-time gravimetric summaries of dispensing, generate timely alerts when problems are detected, and capture historical dispensing data for future analysis. All collected data can then be accessed via a web interface for reviewing alerts and dispensing information in real time or remotely for timely intervention of dispense errors. The development of this system also leveraged 3D printing to rapidly prototype sensor brackets, mounting solutions, and component enclosures....

Publisher: SLAS Technology

SLAS Technology

SLAS Technology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening in partnership with SAGE Publications

Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Media / Publisher / Online Resource

Through-Hole Soldering Defects And The Solutions

Mar 01, 2020 | Will Bai, CTO in 1CLICK SMT

For though hole soldering, no matter it's wave soldering or selective soldering, the process is same formed by fluxing,preheating,soldering. How these 3 process will change the soldering result? When you face the soldering defects, what could be the reasons caused these and how to debug them? With below information you may get some hints....

Manufacturer of selective soldering machine, soldering robot, reflow oven, wave solder machine, pcb handling machine. Distributing for Turnkey line include SMT line, conformal coating lines, through hole line.

Dongguan City, China

ASYMTEK Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

Dispensing EMI Shielding Materials: An Alternative to Sputtering

Feb 26, 2020 | Garrett Wong, Jinu Choi

Shielding electronic systems against electromagnetic interference (EMI) has become a hot topic. Technological advancements toward 5G standards, wireless charging of mobile electronics, in-package antenna integration, and system-inpackage (SiP) adoption are driving the need to apply more effective EMI shielding and isolation to component packages and larger modules. For conformal shielding, EMI shielding materials for exterior package surfaces have mostly been applied with a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process of sputtering, leveraging front-end packaging technologies to back-end packaging applications. However, sputtering technology challenges in scalability and cost along with advancements in dispensable materials are driving considerations for alternative dispensing techniques for EMI shielding....

Publisher: ASYMTEK Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

A leader in automated fluid dispensing, jetting, and conformal coating. Products include stand-alone dispensing workstations and fully automated, in-line conveyorized systems with advanced process controls.

Carlsbad, California, USA

Integrated Microwave Packaging Antennas and Circuits Technology (IMPACT) Lab

Coat-and-Print Patterning of Silver Nanowires for Flexible and Transparent Electronics

Feb 19, 2020 | Weiwei Li, Azat Meredov, Atif Shamim

Silver nanowires (Ag NWs) possess excellent optoelectronic properties, which have led to many technology-focused applications of transparent and flexible electronics. Many of these applications require patterning of Ag NWs into desired shapes, for which mask-based and printing-based techniques have been developed and widely used. However, there are still several limitations associated to these techniques. These limitations, such as complicated patterning procedures, limited patterning area, and compromised optical transparency, hamper the efficient fabrication of high-performance Ag NW patterns. Here, we propose a coat-and-print approach for effectively patterning Ag NWs....

Publisher: Integrated Microwave Packaging Antennas and Circuits Technology (IMPACT) Lab

IMPACT lab is focused on cutting-edge research in innovative antenna designs, RF circuits, and sensors.

Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

Selective protection for PCBs

Feb 18, 2020 | Scheugenpflug

Glob Top, Dam and Fill & Flit Chip Underfill To protect PCBs from damaging outside influences, they are coated with a thin layer of casting resin or protective finish during the conformal coating process. In addition to sealing the entire circuit board, it is possible to pot only sections or individual components on the substrate. Different methods ranging from "glob top" to "dam and fill" and "flip chip underfill" have been developed for this purpose....

Publisher: Scheugenpflug Inc.

Scheugenpflug Inc.

Producer of bonding, dispensing and potting solutions with outstanding expertise in automation. As part of the Atlas Copco Group, we have a worldwide sales & service network and access to the Group's extensive technology portfolio

Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

Process Engineering - Why is preparation of adhesive bonding and potting materials necessary?

Feb 14, 2020 | Scheugenpflug

To meet the steady increase in technical requirements for electronic components, potting media properties must be extremely precise. Rheology, viscosity, filler content and curing behavior are only a few of the factors that play a role in their practical use. However, the growing complexity of materials often negatively impacts the ability to process or dispense them. In this case, material preparation and feeding systems specially designed for this purpose are required. These systems optimally prepare the material for the actual application and ensure homogeneous feeding to the dispensing system....

Publisher: Scheugenpflug Inc.

Scheugenpflug Inc.

Producer of bonding, dispensing and potting solutions with outstanding expertise in automation. As part of the Atlas Copco Group, we have a worldwide sales & service network and access to the Group's extensive technology portfolio

Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

How to achieve optimum results in automated dispensing

Feb 13, 2020 | Scheugenpflug

Efficient bonding, sealing and potting has a major influence on the sustainable function and safety of electronic components. The key to success here lies in the comprehensive view and control of process engineering. Here it pays to seek collaboration with the systems and the material manufacturer during the very early stages of the project. This is because dispensing systems must be selected for compatibility with the workpiece and the adhesive, sealant or potting compound used. And there are also other factors that play an important role in designing the optimum dispensing system:...

Publisher: Scheugenpflug Inc.

Scheugenpflug Inc.

Producer of bonding, dispensing and potting solutions with outstanding expertise in automation. As part of the Atlas Copco Group, we have a worldwide sales & service network and access to the Group's extensive technology portfolio

Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

DfR Solutions (acquired by ANSYS Inc)

Accurately Capturing System-Level Failure of Solder Joints

Feb 05, 2020 | Maxim Serebreni

Consortium Projects - Thermal Cycling Reliability <ul> <li>Consortium projects allow for joint research to investigate the reliability of multiple solder alloys under a variety of environmental stress conditions. </li> <li>Project jointly sponsored by iNEMI and HDP User Group and including CALCE and Universal consortium currently assessing 15 third-generation solder alloys..</li> </ul>...

Publisher: DfR Solutions (acquired by ANSYS Inc)

DfR Solutions has world-renowned expertise in applying the science of Reliability Physics to electrical and electronics technologies, and is a leading provider of quality, reliability, and durability (QRD) research and consulting

College Park,

Consultant / Service Provider

Mechanical Drop Shock Testing

Feb 03, 2020 | ACI Technologies, Inc.

Accurate impact testing is a key component to establishing that a product is not only reliable, but durable in an end-use environment. ACI Technologies tested a high-g circuit board to demonstrate component durability and ruggedization for guided munitions. The Lansmont Model 23 Shock Test System customized with a Dual Mass Shock Amplifier was used for this testing (Figure 1)....

Publisher: ACI Technologies, Inc.

Consultant / Service Provider, Standards Setting / Certification, Training Provider

ACI, an authorized IPC Training Center operating the National Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence providing analytical testing, manufacturing and repair services to the electronics industry.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Key Advances in Void Reduction in the Reflow Process Using Multi-Stage Controlled Vacuum

Jan 28, 2020 | Heller Industries

This paper explores new advances in the reflow soldering process including vacuum technology and warpage mitigation systems. The first topic for discussion will be the implementation of a vacuum process directly in a conventional inline soldering system. The second topic presented is the mitigation of warpage on substrates or wafers....

Publisher: Heller Industries Inc.

Heller Industries Inc.

Reflow ovens for automated SMT PCB assembly, specializing in lead free processing and nitrogen reflow. The best convection reflow ovens on the market.

Florham Park, New Jersey, USA

Consultant / Service Provider

Analysis of Inspection of DPA Test Requirements Applied To Flip Chip Technologies

Jan 22, 2020 | Gonzalo Fernandez, Ana Collado

Flip chip assembly techniques bring a wide range of benefits: <ul> <li>Reduced parasitic interconnection between the semiconductor die and package.</li> <li>Provides a high final assembly integrity density.</li> <li>Minimize the interconnection length, providing better electrical performances, especially for high speed signals.</li> <li>Reduce the device size and weight,…, etc.</li> </ul> But there is no dedicated inspection requirements nor DPA standard which address all the necessary aspects associated to this construction type or only cover partially the topics to be inspected....

Publisher: ALTER TECHNOLOGY

ALTER TECHNOLOGY

A leading company in the fields of engineering, procurement and testing of high reliability components and electronic equipment within the space and other high reliability markets.

41092, Spain

Ultra-Thin Chips For High-Performance Flexible Electronics

Jan 15, 2020 | Shoubhik Gupta, William Taube Navaraj, Leandro Lorenzelli, Ravinder Dahiya

Flexible electronics has significantly advanced over the last few years, as devices and circuits from nanoscale structures to printed thin films have started to appear. Simultaneously, the demand for high-performance electronics has also increased because flexible and compact integrated circuits are needed to obtain fully flexible electronic systems. It is challenging to obtain flexible and compact integrated circuits as the silicon based CMOS electronics, which is currently the industry standard for high-performance, is planar and the brittle nature of silicon makes bendability difficult. For this reason, the ultra-thin chips from silicon is gaining interest. This review provides an in-depth analysis of various approaches for obtaining ultra-thin chips from rigid silicon wafer. The comprehensive study presented here includes analysis of ultra-thin chips properties such as the electrical, thermal, optical and mechanical properties, stress modelling, and packaging techniques. The underpinning advances in areas such as sensing, computing, data storage, and energy have been discussed along with several emerging applications (e.g., wearable systems, m-Health, smart cities and Internet of Things etc.) they will enable. This paper is targeted to the readers working in the field of integrated circuits on thin and bendable silicon; but it can be of broad interest to everyone working in the field of flexible electronics....

Publisher: Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST)

Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST)

Our research revolves around the development of high-performance electronics and sensing systems on large area flexible substrates.

Glasgow, United Kingdom