Design for Manufacturing (DFM): Verifying Component Selection

by New Age Technologies

Abstract: When qualifying any component for a RoHS design or conversion, it is important to document in the item
master record what processes the component can withstand and how many heat cycles it can endure. A low
ESR capacitor in an 1812 package may indeed be RoHS compliant but only be RoHS process compatible to
certain processes. The equipment used to process the design must also be taken into account. Re-flow ovens
that were well suited for lead processing may limit the options available for RoHS processing. Through-hole
component selection and thermal relief is much more critical with RoHS processing than it was with SN63.
It is critical to qualify each component or family of components to a defined process or set of processes to
avoid quality and reliability issues.

Published: 2008