Blog

Have you ever ordered something in the wrong size? It’s frustrating. Whether it’s a jacket that’s too tight or a refrigerator that is too big, the worst time to learn about the

Folks, Let’s check in on Patty…… Patty had to admit that she was getting annoyed. Two of the female engineering students were always going to her husband Rob’s office for

In a six-part SMT assembly series, we discussed the advantages of using fine powder solder pastes to improve process yields for stencil printing, especially in areas where the area ratio is below

Folks, Looks like Patty has been busy….. Patty couldn’t remember having a busier week. She just got back on Friday from serving on a review board for statistics projects that West Point

SigFolks, Let’s check in on Patty as she is about to wrestle with claims of a 10 Sigma Solder Paste Printing Process involving the world’s smallest electronics components, known as

SMT Optimization for Success Part 6: Solder Paste Particle Size and Its Effect on Stencil Printing Ultra-fine Solder Paste Deposits This final post in a series on the stencil printing aspect of SMT

Folks, As mentioned in the last post, it is a common problem with the PIP (pin-in-paste) process to struggle to get adequate solder

Part 5: Solder Mask Defined vs. Copper Defined (Non-Solder Mask Defined) Pads Figure

The title of this blog is a little misleading because it is actually going to focus on aninappropriatemethod that is sometimes used in wave solder flux evaluations. It is always desirable to identify

Folks, The pin-in-paste (PIP) process is often the best choice when the PCBA is a mixed SMT and through-hole board with a small number of through-hole components. However, assuring that the correct

In our continued investigation and quest to improve solder paste printing for fine-feature paste deposits, we also found that consistency (low standard deviation) favored the square apertures when

If you are attending SMTAI this year, you should not miss Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee’s professional development course on Properties and Applications of Low Temperature Solders. The course discusses

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