-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Reliability vs. Failure
July 1, 2019 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Summer is officially underway here in the Northern Hemisphere, and just like the temperatures, we’re turning up the heat in this issue and getting technical. Enter “Reliability Man,” the hero who must persevere against all the challenges thrown in his path.
It should come as no surprise that solder and solder joints are often at the center of attention in electronics assembly when discussing failures and reliability. Failed components aren’t under the direct control of the assembly operation nor is a board failure. But the joining of the two? That’s all you, contract manufacturers.
Thankfully, there is a significant amount of ongoing research into the specialty of solder joint reliability. Lead-free initiatives continue to drive this research. Industry watchers might say that we’re just now beginning to understand a few of the long-term effects of removing lead from solder. Some space and mil-aero applications continue to specify tin-lead solder only. For these applications, one can argue that environmental impact is simply not a high-priority concern; their products are not generally destined for the landfill. But long-term reliability in an environment where repair is not an option and safety and survivability are critical is a high-priority concern.
But the solder evolution isn’t limited to electronics. My neighbor is a plumber. Every Monday, he stops by my house to pick up three dozen eggs—about a day’s production when one’s residence comes complete with 50 laying hens—so I asked him how he likes leadfree solder for pipefitting. “It works,” he said, “but it’s a completely different skill set to use lead-free solder. It doesn’t behave the same.” Readers who work in the assembly industry know exactly what he’s talking about.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not anti-RoHS. My point is that there is a great deal of ongoing research into materials, chemistries, thermal profiles, and precise process controls to create that completely different skill set my plumber neighbor had to teach himself. This is a time of great change and innovation for solders and conformal coatings.
As we put this issue together, it became clear that we needed technical papers on the cutting-edge of failure and reliability research. Not everyone dives deeply into the technical papers, but for those of us whose job it is to reliably deliver failure-free products, we should be aware of the latest findings. This issue brings you some of the most insightful technical research from IPC APEX EXPO 2019.
Dr. Jennie Hwang kicks the issue off with a piece titled “Learn From the Wise.” And Nihon Superior’s Keith Sweatman brings us his work on solder paste volume optimization for lowtemperature BGA reflow. Ray Prasad follows with his column, asking, “Would You Prefer Shorts or Opens in Your Products?”
Tony Lentz addresses solder powder size in his paper, “Size Matters: The Effects of Solder Powder Size on Solder Paste Performance.”Then, Eric Camden’s column discusses “The F Word”—failure. Following right behind is Rusty Osgood, et al., and their paper on “Lowtemperature SMT Solder Evaluation.”
Treating the surface of aluminum for lowtemperature soldering is the topic of discussion Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing.
This article originally appeared in July 2019 issue of SMT007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—The Pre-Manufacturing Process
05/08/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsI have been working with Nolan Johnson on a podcast series about designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. By sharing lessons learned over a long career in the PCB industry, we hope to shorten learning curves and help designers produce better boards with less hassle and rework. Episode 2 deals with the electronic pre-manufacturing process. Moving from CAD (computer-aided design) to CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) is a key step in PCB manufacturing. CAM turns digital designs into instructions that machines can use to actually build the PCB.
AIM Solder Signs Shinil Fl Ltd. as New Distributor for Korea
05/08/2024 | AIM SolderAIM Solder, a leading global manufacturer of solder assembly materials for the electronics industry, is pleased to announce a new distribution partnership with Shinil Fl Ltd., a prominent supplier of technological solutions in the SMT and semiconductor sectors.
Indium Corporation to Showcase HIA Materials at ECTC
05/07/2024 | Indium CorporationAs an industry leader in innovative materials solutions for semiconductor packaging and assembly, Indium Corporation® will feature its advanced products designed to meet the evolving challenges of heterogeneous integration and assembly (HIA) and fine-pitch system-in-package (SiP) applications at the 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), May 28‒31, in Denver, Colorado.
Indium Corporation Expert to Present on Pb-Free Solder for Die-Attach in Discrete Power Applications
04/30/2024 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Product Manager – Semiconductor Dean Payne will present at the Advanced Packaging for Power Electronics conference, hosted by IMAPS, held May 8-9 in Woburn, Massachusetts, USA.
Taiyo Circuit Automation Installs New DP3500 into Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia
04/25/2024 | Taiyo Circuit AutomationTaiyo Circuit Automation is proud to be partnered with Fuba Printed Circuits, Tunisia part of the OneTech Group of companies, a leading printed circuit board manufacturer based out of Bizerte, Tunisia, on their first installation of Taiyo Circuit Automation DP3500 coater.