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Folks, Let's check in on Patty……. Patty was intensely preparing a lecture on Bayes' Theorem. She always felt that this theorem was the most profound in probability and statistics.

SMT Optimization for Success Part 3: Flux Chemistry In our continued discussion on optimizing the stencil printing process (see Part 1, Part 2), the type of flux chemistry, specifically water-soluble

(See Part 1) When discussing success in solder paste stencil printing for SMT assembly, one of the most important tools in an engineer‘s “belt” is his solder paste inspection (SPI)

Folks, let’s see how Patty is doing at Ivy U….. Patty had to admit that she really liked being a professor at Ivy University. No, that wasn’t strong enough; she was ecstatic. The

Let's talk viscosity. Most of us are experienced with paint. Paint is a thick liquid that is applied to a surface and then, for the most part, remains where it was

SMT Optimization for Success in Printing Ultrafine Solder Paste Deposits The SMT industry widely accepts that ~60% of solder defects occur at the stencil printer. Figure 1 (below) depicts a very busy

Folks, Let's look at Patty's last day of class…… As she was driving north to teach her statistics class, Patty was sad to see her stint at Ivy U come to a close. She was even more

Folks, Let’s check in on how Patty is doing at Ivy U. Patty was nearing the end of her teaching stint at Ivy U. Only a few more classes remained. She had to admit that she was sad to see this

Folks, An obvious disadvantage of lead-free assembly is that the oven must be hotter and therefore will use more electricity. But is the extra amount of electricity significant? Bill O’’Leary

Folks, Some time ago I posted on “The Curse of the Early First Fail” and “Interpreting Weibull Plots.” Both of these posts related to using Weibull analysis to make sound engineering

Most SMT fluxes and solder pastes are either classified as RO or OR. Every once in a while one will see an occasional RE flux. People typically recognize ROL0 and ROL1 classified fluxes and solder

I just can’t get enough of a good thing. My last post mentioned donuts – one of my favorite treats. Allow me to continue reveling in the chewy sweet delight. On Saturdays the kids like to be

Folks, Let’s see how Patty is doing after teaching her first class at Ivy U… Patty arrived at home after teaching her first class at Ivy U and she couldn’t contain her

My colleagues and I have had several conversations with customers wanting to use indium against an aluminum surface, either for the sake of creating a compression seal or thermal path. A troubling

Folks, Let’s look in on Patty…. Patty was really nervous. As a matter of fact, there was no time she remembered being this nervous. The cause of her nervousness? She was going to teach a

The ball-attach process can be considered a trivial step when creating an FCBGA or similar package, but the final soldering step can be rather complex. There are several variables that impact the

Over the last few years, miniaturization, and the drive for increased yields and lower defect rates, have forced the electronics manufacturing industry to focus more on the printing process to obtain

While in South East Asia last summer, Indium's technical team and I had a chance to discuss flip-chip dipping processes with a major equipment

Folks, Pity the solder scientists of the late 1970s and early 1980s. SMT was an emerging technology and the world wanted to buy solder paste. However, the only experience many solder scientists had

Solderability and Wetting The wetting and spreading of solder onto surfaces is an essential part of forming a strong, reliable, conductive joint. The term "solderability"is a way of talking

Folks, My recent post on tin whiskers sparked the memory of tin pest in my mind. I have to admit, that with all of the legitimate reliability concerns related to tin whiskers, I am surprised that