Solder Failure Analysis
Failure analysis, physics of failure, design of experiments, and traceability are essential skills and systems needed to determine a root cause, a sol...
SMT Solder
Check Out Maggie Benson's Journey
Folks, Over ten years ago, I created the characters Patty and The Professor. The intent was to tell SMT assembly process improvement stories through t...
Test Your SMT IQ
Folks, Mary had worked at a small SMT “mom and pop” shop for 12 years. Business was always good and she moved up to CFO of the 60 per...
The Holy Grail of Soldering: Low-Temperature Reflow – High-Temperature Use
Folks, soldering enables modern electronics. Without solder, electronics would not exist. Copper melts at 1085°C, yet with solder we can bond copp...
Response to Pause: A Critical Solder Paste Parameter
A good solder paste should be able to remain in a paused position (i.e. not being printed) on the stencil, for more than an hour....
The Difference Between an SMT Reflow Profile and the Oven Settings
There is a big difference between a reflow profile and the oven settings. A cooking analogy can help explain the difference....
Reflow Profiling for Next Generation Solder Paste Alloys - SMTAi
This post discusses reflow profiling and the two different profiles that are commonly used in the SMT industry....
SMTA International 2017: Warpage-Induced Defects & Component Warpage Limits Panel Discussion
Brook Sandy-Smith will chair a panel on Warpage-Induced Defects & Component Warpage Limits at SMTAI 2017 ...
Achieving 8% Voiding When Soldering Bottom-Terminated Components (VIDEO)
A paper presented at SMTAI 2016 on reducing voids in bottom-terminated components......
Minimizing the Head-in-Pillow Defect in SMT Assembly
This video is for those in the SMT electronics assembly industry that want to minimize the head-in-pillow defect. It discusses the solder paste proper...
In Soldering, Understanding the Cause and Cure for NWO (Non-Wet Opens)
Non-Wet Opens (NWO): Understand the cause as well as the necessary flux technology to mitigate them....
In SMT Statistical Process Control, Cpk is King
In SMT Statistical Process Control, the bottom line is that Cpk is king. Here's the proof....