The trend toward keeping ideas under wraps may slow adoption.

Early in my career cutting-edge technology was personified in hardware, such as a wire EDM machine for cutting metal used in dies for wire-to-wire terminals: for instance, forks, rings and spades. No one in those days associated software with technology. It was simply some magic the IT department created to generate reports.

Decades later, most people immediately think of software, firmware and apps as technology, while the devices themselves, regardless of how advanced, are more or less just hosts for the apps. In our industry, there is far more recognition of the technology that goes into hardware and an appreciation that the two are codependent to provide the desired end-application. In fact, many in our industry may well believe the real magic is in hardware that can withstand a variety of operating environments, while providing a stable and robust platform for software to operate.

Today, in some ways, technology is wearing two faces: one that enables and one that confounds!

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If the market is big enough, sooner or later Google will join it.

That much was laid bare in late June when the search giant cum OEM announced its latest venture, Visual Inspection AI, a new “purpose-built solution” designed to help businesses, including manufacturers, reduce defects and cut operational costs.

Now before you start doubting Google’s temerity to dive into technology that cuts across almost every industry imaginable, remember we’ve been here before.

While the company today still counts on its hugely successful targeted search marketing program for the bulk of its revenue and profits, several other businesses it has launched have made serious inroads in their respective markets. These include broadband; telecommunications; autonomous vehicles; and human health gambits (marketed under the Verily Life Sciences name). Acquisitions brought it Nest Labs, the maker of smart thermostats. Less front and center, but just as integral, are Google’s vast data centers, also known as server farms, which power its reach into just about every precipice known to man.

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Getting all the parts and processes aimed in the same direction.

Printed circuit board technology never sleeps. At this very moment, engineering teams are working out ways to increase circuit density with finer-pitch devices. When it comes to placing these components on a PCB, the margin of error shrinks along with the pin pitch. Let’s look at how we can enable these parts on the assembly line.

The first step in mass production of a PCB assembly is preparing the board to take components. The boards may be baked in an oven prior to starting the assembly process. Although they are packed in sealed containers with a little bag of desiccant, the sponge-like dielectric materials still absorb water one molecule at a time. Prebaking releases the steam that could interfere with reflow soldering.

Ideally, all parts on a board will use the same type of technology and will be roughly the same class of components in terms of pin-pitch and other physical aspects (FIGURE 1). Tall and heavy components plus small and light ones are not a good mix. Tall ones create so-called shadows where the surrounding area doesn’t get as hot during soldering.

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Soldering excursions can lead to visual process indicators.

This month we look at cracks in plated through-holes around the knee of the hole. FIGURE 1 shows very small via holes that were subjected to multiple lead-free soldering steps, then underwent thermal cycling with no failures but a little cracking.

The cracks visible in the microsection were found on via holes not after the initial two reflow steps and wave-soldering test boards, but after further temperature cycling at -55^o +125^oC. No electrical failures were detected, just the impact of repeated stressing of the copper. It is a good demonstration of how reliable a board can be, but all that stress does have some visual impact. Care must be taken during microsection preparation to see these indicators.

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