FEATURES

• ESD Control
  Walking on Water
  Winter’s dry air means less humidity – and more static. High-pressure humidification systems can improve air quality and reduce energy costs.
  By Pierre Husson

• Cover Story
  Flux Selection for Lead-Free Wave Soldering
  This design of experiments clarifies the best types, best available flux within each type, and process limits for each, and also discusses the gaps between the capability of existing flux chemistries and requirements of Pb-free assembly, industry standards and customer expectations.
  By Douglas Watson, Jasbir Bath and Pan Wei Chi

• Component Inspection
  An A-to-Z Guide to X-Ray Inspection, Part II
  The second of a two-part article looks at practical recommendations for production sampling and viewing various part types.
  By Dr. David Bernard

• Productronica Recap
  Evolution in Action
  At Productronica, the most radical sight was the transit strike. But the venerable show didn’t disappoint.
  By Mike Buetow

• iNEMI’s Emerging Technologies
  Research Priorities for the Electronics Industry
  The merger of micro and nano, chemical, and other sensors with micro- and nano-electronics could mean disruption ahead.
  By Alan Rae, Ph.D., Robert C. Pfahl, Ph.D., and Charles Richardson

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Sanmina-SCI: Poised for recovery?
  Mike Buetow

• Talking Heads
  Syncro’s Ed Childress and why managing risk is essential to EMS companies.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• Focus on Business
  For EMS firms, finding the right trade show to reach customers is tricky business.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  The cycle continues.
  E. Jan Vardaman

• Screen Printing
  ‘Ware’ it well.
  Clive Ashmore

• Better Manufacturing
  Waiting for the revolution.
  Peter Grundy

• Selective Soldering
  Selective soldering with Pb-free alloys.
  Ursula Marquez de Tino

• Process Doctor
  Circuit board cleanliness.
  Terry Munson

• Pb-Free Lessons Learned
  The engineer’s guide to chemistry.
  Chrys Shea

• Materials World
  Solder spheres and packages.
  Dr. Renzhe Zhao

• Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Industry News
Market Watch
Product Spotlight
Ad Index
Assembly Insider

On the cover: A DoE studies wave-soldered SMDs and through-hole parts. (Cover photo by Vladimir Sazonoff)