FEATURES

• Cover Story
  Surface Oxidation as a Tin Whisker Growth Mechanism
  This study found that oxidation of tin coatings accelerates whisker formation. This may be related to a change in the state of stress in the surface. Moreover, a little bit of humidity can go a long way toward increasing the rate of whisker growth.
  W. John Wolfgong, Ph.D., Bob Ogden, Robert Champaign and Barbara Waller

• Dispensing
  Gauging True Speed and Accuracy
  Accuracy specifications rarely give a solid feel for what platforms are capable of or how tests are run. Proposed: new standards for measuring throughput based on production floor environments.
  Hugh Read

• Pb-Free Transition
  Switching to Pb-Free: Reflow Soldering
  Unlike wave soldering systems, which directly contact Pb-free solder alloys, changing reflow, selective soldering and hand soldering equipment is easier. But it is not necessarily easy.
  Markus Walter

• Antenna Materials
  Novel Conductive Inks for Smart Label Applications
  A new family of highly conductive silver inks for smart card and label antennas achieve significantly better and more stable electrical performance, using lower antenna profiles.
  Paul Berry, Marjorie Dwane, Greg Butch and Denley Baghurst

• Equipment Sourcing
  Purchasing Manufacturing Process Equipment
  One man's hypotheses on the procurement process, and why buyers are not only purchasing the equipment but the supplier.
  Joe Belmonte

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Measuring accuracy.
  Mike Buetow

• Talking Heads
  Hover-Davis' John Hover.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• Global Sourcing
  A new model for comparing equipment.
  Shean R. Dalton

TECH TALK

• Screen Printing
  Enclosed print heads face their pros and cons.
  Joe Belmonte

• Better Manufacturing
  The SMTA difference.
  Phil Zarrow

• Soldering Tips
  Finally time for low-lead-content SnPb finish?
  American Competitiveness Institute

• Wave Soldering
  Flux: The determinant factor?
  Gerjan Diepstraten

• Countdown to Pb-Free
  Managing your whiskers.
  Joe Smetana and Ron Gedney

• Process Doctor
  Why flux likes a long reflow profile.
  Terry Munson

• ESD Basics
  Setting up an ESD work area.
  David E. Swenson

• Equipment Advances
  Teradyne's 3-D x-ray inspection system.

• Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Industry News
Market Watch
Assembly Insider
Ad Index
Product Spotlight

On the cover: Tin whiskers protruding from a tin-plated surface. (Photo courtesy Raytheon)

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