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Is it Possible to Pay US Wages and Compete with Low Wage Countries?

Folks, The adventuresofPatty and Rob continue…….. “No way Rob. I can’t buy this one,” shouted Phil. “I’m telling you I did all of the calculations. I know it

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An SMT PCB Assembly Competency Screening Quiz

Folks, Patty and Rob return from their honeymoon……. Patty had just finished some emails and was ready to head off to meet Rob and some of their buddies for

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Solder Powder Types 3 4 5 6 7…

My friend and colleague, Eric Bastow, got back last month from an IPC standards meeting with some interesting news for those of us who supply and use solder

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Indium 101 – Earth Abundant Material or Rare?

Wandering through the references to indium metalon the internet, I sometimes see it referred to as, "that 'rare'

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Patty Tackles Graping in China

Folks, After a bit of a break, the adventures of Patty, Rob, and The Professor continue: The plane droned on as it made its slow march from Detroit to Tokyo. Patty looked down at Rob as he slumbered

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Unique Solderspheres

Solderspheres or solder spheres, or even solder balls: whatever you call them, Indium Corporation has been making them for years and has rightly acquired the reputation for doing whatever it takes to

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Halogen-free High-Lead(Pb) Die-Attach Solder Paste: Not an Oxymoron

I mentioned in a previous a blog posting that the primary driver for halogen-free electronics is ostensibly environmental, but that the confusion about “which halogens and which molecules and

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Are Solder-Related Tin Whiskers Implicated in Toyota Sudden Acceleration Issues?

Folks, After my recent post on the fact that there was no data linking tin whiskers to the Toyota sudden acceleration issues, there continue to be more posts saying things like “Tin Whiskers

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Solder Reflow Profiling Tips – Graping

Graping is a phenomenon which appears as un-reflowed solder particles, typically seen on the surface of the solder joint. The graping phenomena has become more common due to some of the following

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NanoFoil® Basics: Activation Part I

At the heart of it, NanoFoil ® is simply the aluminum and nickel chemical reaction just waiting to happen. A lot of energy and a lot of heat strapped into thousands of alternating layers of

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Patty, Pete, The Professor, and Rob Head for China

Patty was checking her email. She noticed a note from someone who had attended last night’s SMTA meeting. Patty had just been elected chapter president, after giving a talk on the head-in-pillow

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Profiling Basics – Reflow Phases

Reflow profiling can be broken down into several phases. I generally use the following; Preheat Pre-reflow Reflow Cooling Preheat Phase preconditions the PCB assembly prior to actual reflow, removes

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Disruptive Electronics Assembly Process Technologies Face Big Hurdles in Implementation

Folks, Every so often a new electronics assembly technology comes along, and I am asked my opinion about it. The latest “new” technology for assembly is RF Activated “Green” Nano

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Patty, Pete and John Confront “The Big O”

Patty, Pete, and John prepare to do battle with "The Big O." Patty and Pete were able to squeeze in 9 holes of golf, though it was really stressful for Patty.Pete was a good golfer, but not

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Solder Shelf Life as Explained by Eric Bastow

Shelf life of solder is a concern that is raised by customers on a somewhat regular basis. Solder pastes typically have a well defined shelf life, however the useable life of a solid form of solder

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Pb-Free Bar Solder Dilemma: Price vs. Performance

Many consumer electronics transitioned to Pb-Free 4-5 years ago. However, there are still a substantial number of electronics being built with Sn/Pb solder. As some of these products begin to

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Patty and Pete: An Audit on Their Own

Folks, Patty was eating her lunch at her desk while reading Golf Digest. She had been training with weights, performing stretches, and getting lessons from a long drive pro in Grantham, NH. It was a

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Forming Gas I: What is it?

Forming gas is a complicated topic, so I will provide some preliminary background in this section, then get into the soldering part next time. Don't you mean "formic"? Forming gas is a

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Galvanic Corrosion of Unusual Solder Alloys

I have been asked on numerous occasions to calculate the potential for galvanic corrosion between metals.Most times, when I am approached with this, the concern stems from an application in which the

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The Professor, Patty and Pete Find the Lost Profit

Folks, Our trio continue on their adventure: As Patty, The Professor, and Pete maneuvered around the partially completed product, Patty noticed signs everywhere that proclaimed: “Being Responsive

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Patty and The Professor Searching for Lost Profit

After just finishing her department’s monthly activity report, Patty took a break to stare out of her window, admiring the beauty of last night’s fresh snowfall.Her mind quickly went to

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