Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling During an Economic Downturn
Marcy’s Musings: Can You Hear the Voices?
MacDermid’s Research Team Talks New Cyanide-free Immersion Gold at SMTAI
December 14, 2015 | Patty Goldman, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
While at SMTAI in Chicago recently, I met with two of MacDermid’s research team, Jun Nable, research project manager, who has been with MacDermid since 2007, and Cherry Santos, associate research fellow responsible for formulation work for metal plating solutions. We talked about the posters they were presenting and why they chose SMTAI.
Patty Goldman: I understand that you both presented posters here at SMTA, so why don’t you tell us a little about them.
Jun Nable: The poster that I presented is about a new cyanide-free immersion gold that's suitable for PCB surface finishes. What makes this different is it is cyanide-free. It's more environmentally-friendly, it's easier to handle, and has the advantage of simplified operating parameters. The majority of conventional immersion gold in use right now contains cyanide. When you hear the word cyanide, you know it's toxic. We need to take special precautions when handling it.
Santos: And there are requirements for waste treatment.
Nable: Right, like waste permits and things like that. So, that's the conventional immersion gold generally in use in the industry. We are providing an alternative to that without compromising the performance of the surface finish.
Goldman: That's very important. There must be a lot of interest in cyanide-free. How thick is the final gold finish?
Nable: For ENIG purposes, the target is around two micro-inches. In terms of plating performance like plating rate, the cyanide-free immersion gold is comparable to the conventional immersion gold. It's comparable, if not better in solderability, appearance and uniformity.
Goldman: And how about the controls and lifetime of the bath, things like that?
Nable: I mentioned earlier about simplifying the operating parameters. The advantage of this cyanide-free immersion gold is we can operate at 40°C. Conventional immersion gold operates at a much higher temperature of 80°C. Also the pH is near neutral for this cyanide-free bath. So, it's much more simplified. Not to mention the energy savings as well, by not having to get to that high temperature.
Goldman: That has got to be a nice selling point. A lot of people here are with EMS companies. Has there been a lot of interest in your new process?
Nable: There has been some interest. Every time you give an alternative that has new features, of course, it has to be further qualified.
Santos: There's always that skepticism with any new finish. It has to go through a rigorous qualification process.
Goldman: So, in order for a PCB fabricator to begin using this, it still has to be qualified by their customers?
Santos: Yes, it has to go to trial production and get OEM approval. The customer needs to assess the performance and ensure that it meets the specified standard for their target application. Does the alternative finish perform similarly or better than the current finish?
Page 1 of 4
Share on:
Suggested Items
KYZEN Focuses on Aqueous Cleaning and Stencil Cleaning at SMTA Wisconsin
04/24/2025 | KYZEN'KYZEN, the global leader in innovative environmentally responsible cleaning chemistries, will exhibit at the SMTA Wisconsin Expo and Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Tuesday, May 6 at the Crowne Plaza Milwaukee Airport. KYZEN will be on-site to provide attendees with information about aqueous cleaning chemistry AQUANOX A4618 and stencil cleaner KYZEN E5631J.
SMTA Bridging the Skills Gap in Arizona
04/24/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007One area where SMTA really excels is through its local chapters. On April 16, 2025, I-Connect007's Marcy LaRont attended the Workforce Breakfast during the SMTA Arizona Expo & Tech Forum in Mesa, which featured more than 50 electronics professionals from the local area, including defense OEMs, and others who were attending for the first time. Blackfox and Hyrel Technologies sponsored the event. The keynote presentation featured Sean Denny, a professor at Estrella Mountain Community College, who emphasized a clear need for skilled hand soldering technicians.
IPC Releases Version 2.0 of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange, with Expanded Device Coverage and Smarter Data
04/23/2025 | IPCIPC announces the release of IPC-2591, Connected Factory Exchange (CFX), Version 2.0, the global standard for plug-and-play, machine-to-machine, and machine-to-system communication for digital manufacturing.
ViTrox Marks 25 Years of Innovation with Cutting-Edge Solutions at NEPCON China 2025 in Shanghai
04/18/2025 | ViTrox TechnologiesViTrox, which aims to be the World’s Most Trusted Technology Company, is proud to announce its participation in NEPCON China 2025, taking place from April 22–24, 2025, at Booth #1E45, Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre (SWEECC).
Indium Experts to Present on Power Electronics at PCIM Europe 2025
04/17/2025 | Indium CorporationAs one of the leading materials providers to the power electronics assembly and e-Mobility industries, Indium Corporation experts will share their technical insight and knowledge on a variety of industry-related topics throughout PCIM Europe, May 6-8, in Nuremberg, Germany.