Estimated reading time: Less than a minute

The Short Scoop: Squeegee Blades

One often overlooked component of the soldering process is the squeegee blade, which is critical in solder paste application. The technology of the seemingly simple squeegee blade is as important as the stencil when it comes to the printing process. The application, type of stencil, and the printer set-up should all be determining factors in selecting the blade. Squeegee blades should:

• Provide consistent blade edge integrity over the blade life cycle;
• Prevent curtaining of solder paste; and
• Achieve high print speeds with tacky solder pastes.

Look for the life of the blade, the material it’s made of, the edge surface, the surface finish, and a blade design optimized to your stencil. You can have an excellent printer, stencil, and the correct solder paste, but if you have a blade that’s worn, or not optimally fabricated, it will have a significant effect on the end-of-line yield. The loss of profit involved in the downtime to diagnose and remedy the problem, plus rework, wasted solder paste, and low yield, can be considerable.Read the full column here.Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of SMT Magazine.