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FEATURES

Documentation
Automating the Documentation Process
“Documentation is much bigger than just design, fab and assembly,” experts say. A look at best-in-class processes that reduce the amount of time spent on drawings and notes by creating a “living” document.
by Mike Buetow

DfM
Best Practices for Double-Sided Mixed-Technology Boards
Plated through-hole assembly remains in use for some heavy power connectors, transformers and other devices where strong mechanical bonds are required. Reason: Heavy parts are prone to falling off during soldering.
by George Henning

COVER STORY
A Critique of IPC-A-610E
The industry standard for visual acceptance criteria for post-assembly soldering and mechanical assembly requirements has been revised. A master trainer assesses the revised guidelines, looking at the many changes to package-on-package and leadless device packages, flex circuits, board-in-board connections and newer style SMT terminations.
by Bob Wettermann

Solder Materials
Present and Future Solder Technologies
Next-gen product relies on advanced powder technologies, better flux formulations, and dual-function materials such as epoxy fluxes. How powders, activator chemistries and fluxes are evolving for production use.
by Neil Poole, Ph.D., and Brian Toleno, Ph.D.

SMT Cleaning
Post-Reflow Residue Results Following pH-Neutral Cleaner Application
A study of 40 leaded and Pb-free solders compares alkaline to pH-neutral cleaning agents.
by Harald Wack, Ph.D., Joachim Becht, Ph.D., Michael McCutchen and Umut Tosun

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Overreach?
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• Sherman’s Market
  Foxconn’s suicide cluster, in context.
  Randall Sherman

• Global Sourcing
  Low cost: the death of innovation.
  Richard Platt

• ROI
  Standard mistakes.
  Peter Bigelow

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  LEDs’ bright future.
  E. Jan Vardaman

• Selective Soldering
  A primer on nozzle types.
  Alan Cable

• Tech Tips
  Ball attachment with preforms.
  ACI Technologies Inc.

• Test and Inspection
  Eight steps to great ICT coverage.
  Jun Balangue

• SMT Troubleshooting
  Reflow-related bridging.
  Paul Lotosky

• Defects Database
  Finer powders, more solder balling?
  Dr. Davide Di Maio
  

• Process Doctor
  Cleaning’s building blocks.
  Dr. Harald Wack

• Solar Technologies
  The solar show circuit.
  Andy Ure

• Materials World
  Soured by graping?
  Jie Bai

• Technical Abstracts
  In Case You Missed It.
  Mike Buetow

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FEATURES

Electrical Test
Capacitor Testing Challenges and Solutions
Capacitors are widely used for bypassing, coupling, filtering and tunneling electronic circuits. However, to be useful, their capacitance value, voltage rating, temperature coefficient and leakage resistance must be characterized. Although capacitor manufacturers perform these tests, many electronics assemblers also perform some of these tests as quality checks. A look at the challenges associated with capacitor testing, and some of the test techniques used.
by Dale Cigoy

Cover Story
Under-Component Cleaning: How Low Can You Go?
Preventing field failures due to electrochemical migration used to be relatively easy: Use a water-soluble flux and clean the board after soldering. This solution no longer holds true, and sometimes causes more problems than it prevents.
by Harald Wack, Ph.D., Umut Tosun, Joachim Becht, Ph.D., Helmut Schweigart, Ph.D., and Chrys Shea

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Use proper protection.
  Mike Buetow

• Talking Heads
  In a Flash.
  AsteelFlash’s Georges Garic.
  Mike Buetow

• Database
  Not a standard opinion.
  Pete Waddell

MONEY MATTERS

• Global Sourcing
  Can high-mix, low-volume production succeed in China?
  Carl Hung

• ROI
  Certifiable.
  Peter Bigelow

• Focus on Business
  Why one size doesn’t fit all.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• Designer’s Notebook
  DfM, properly applied.
  Max Clark
  

• Screen Printing
  Climate check.
  Clive Ashmore

• Defects Database
  Excess flux and PoP.
  Dr. Davide Di Maio

• Getting Lean
  When metrics fail.
  Tony Bellito

• SMT Troubleshooting
  A bridge from the printer.
  Paul Lotosky

• Tech Tips
  Show me your papers.
  ACI Technologies Inc.

• Technical Abstracts
  In case you missed it.

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FEATURES

DfF
Are Your PCB Data Unprepared?
It is great to have a fabricator that can provide its “secret sauce” to make the design work, but be ready to get locked into that supplier, because another fabricator’s recipe will be different. As a designer, is that a risk you want to take?
by Jeff Champa

ESD
Why it is Necessary to Change the IC ESD Target Specification Levels
Since the mid 1980s, it has been industry practice to supply ICs with ESD protection, where possible, to meet 2kV HBM ESD. While IC suppliers make every effort to meet these established levels, customers tend to expect these same levels without exception for product qualification. However, numerous products have been shipped with ESD protection on some pins at lower levels to achieve desired performance. Despite this, field returns have not been observed to be different from the products shipped at, or exceeding, the normal target ESD levels. These observations clearly indicate the target ESD levels must be considerably higher than necessary. After 20 “static” years, more realistic measures are needed.
by Dr. Charvaka Duvvury, Dr. Harald Gossner and Dr. Jeremy Smallwood

Component Placement
High Accuracy 01005 Placement
To place 01005 components, the pick process must be very stable. As component spacing will be very narrow, the pickup point of the nozzle must be in the center of the component. Using laser alignment and novel placement force control, accuracy of 50 µm at 4-Sigma is achievable.
by Satoshi Kataoka and Eric Klaver

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Apple’s rotten core.
  Mike Buetow

• Talking Heads
  iNEMI’s Bill Bader.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• Sherman’s Market
  Migrational shifts.
  Randall Sherman

• Global Sourcing
  China’s labor shortage.
  Tom Coghlan

• ROI
  Hello? Anyone there?
  Peter Bigelow

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  Packaging over chips.
  E. Jan Vardaman

• Better Manufacturing
  The missing link.
  James Fuller

• Selective Soldering
  The iconic (and ionic) residual flux.
  Al Cable

• Tech Tips
  Can DoD crack RoHS plating armor?
  ACI Technologies Inc.

• SMT Troubleshooting
  A bridge too far.
  Paul Lotosky

• Defects Database
  Parylene, under the (UV) light.
  Dr. Davide Di Maio

• Materials World
  Phase-change TIM technology.
  Jie Bai

• Technical Abstracts
  In case you missed it.