-
-
News
News Highlights
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
Voices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
A Conversation (and Day) with Joe Fjelstad, Part 1
May 3, 2015 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
So presently, if you want to build military product, you choose a component that you want with the knowledge that it's going to come with a lead-free termination. Using a BGA as an example to track what happens to that component thermally, you find that it goes through one high-temp thermal excursion to put the balls on the BGA and another high-temp thermal excursion to remove them; then there is yet another thermal excursion to replace the lead-free balls with tin lead solder balls, a fourth thermal excursion when you mount the device to the printed circuit, a fifth excursion if the board requires two-sided assembly and potentially a sixth excursion if rework or repair is required on the device.
So you have multiple excursions at high temperature, and as the reliability experts continue to tell us, there's an inverse relationship between long-term reliability and thermal excursions. This is insane and yet we as an industry are saddled with this problem, all because of what? Perhaps, if one follows the money and looks for the greatest beneficiary, the tin industry looks extremely prominent. It is my understanding that the tin industry advised or perhaps lobbied the EU Parliament suggesting that there were lead-free solutions that were drop-in replacements ready to go. ‘Got the perfect solution for you; all you have to do is buy it.’ Sadly, it appears it was largely about money, politics and business as usual.
While they often nod at each other from across the street, politics and morality are not necessarily bedfellows. More often they don't line up with each other. In that regard, it's another sad fact that war is incredibly profitable. As a Vietnam veteran, when I listen to the arguments relative to matters of defense that are ongoing in the media on a regular basis, I find myself very disheartened. The present Congress doesn't want to stop spending on defense but they're more than willing to stop spending on education, infrastructure and other things that matter very much to the future of the nation. I find that unbelievably mind-numbing. I'm not going to live forever, but I worry for those of future generations who will have to deal with the legacy of this one.
One nice thing about getting older is summed up in a quote from the Swedish film director, Ingmar Bergman: "Growing old is a lot like climbing a mountain. The higher on the mountain you get, the more tired and breathless you become. But the views, the perspective, become much more extensive." To which I would add, and well worth the effort. You have a much better comprehension of what you see happening when you get to look back through the prism of time. I'm looking at these younger players now like Ted Cruz, and I sense this guy hasn't got a clue. I'm not saying he's not smart or that he hasn't read and doesn't understand the U.S. Constitution, even though he might be a bit off in his interpretation, in my opinion. What he lacks is the perspective of age and it seems a good deal of common sense—although, intelligence and common sense are not necessarily lined up, either. In fact, somebody said, “Common sense isn't all that common.” Fortunately, I don't think he'll make the cut. His personality is just too abrasive and his ego much too great.
Matties: That remains to be seen of course, but I definitely think you are on to something.
Next: Part 2—The Future of Electronics, the Role of Software and (gasp) Liberalism vs. Conservatism!
Page 2 of 2Suggested Items
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.
Hands-On Demos Now Available for Apollo Seiko’s EF and AF Selective Soldering Lines
06/30/2025 | Apollo SeikoApollo Seiko, a leading innovator in soldering technology, is excited to spotlight its expanded lineup of EF and AF Series Selective Soldering Systems, now available for live demonstrations in its newly dedicated demo room.
Indium Corporation Expert to Present on Automotive and Industrial Solder Bonding Solutions at Global Electronics Association Workshop
06/26/2025 | IndiumIndium Corporation Principal Engineer, Advanced Materials, Andy Mackie, Ph.D., MSc, will deliver a technical presentation on innovative solder bonding solutions for automotive and industrial applications at the Global Electronics A
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
06/26/2025 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsMicro components have redefined what is possible in PCB design. With package sizes like 01005 and 0201 becoming more common in high-density layouts, designers are now expected to pack more performance into smaller spaces than ever before. While these advancements support miniaturization and functionality, they introduce new assembly challenges, particularly with traditional solder mask and legend application processes.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
06/25/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileTin whiskers are slender, hair-like metallic growths that can develop on the surface of tin-plated electronic components. Typically measuring a few micrometers in diameter and growing several millimeters in length, they form through an electrochemical process influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, mechanical or compressive stress, and the aging of solder alloys.