Circuits Assembly - December 2008
Circuits Assembly - December 2008
Circuits Assembly - December 2008
34
Plexus
on the Move
A Look Inside Our
EMS Company of the Year
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N Very high HDT and low CTE
Fortron® PPS
Inherently flame resistant
To learn more:
www.ticona.com/halogenfree or call: 1.800.833.4882
Ticona Engineering Polymers, 8040 Dixie Highway, Florence, KY USA 41042
© 2008 Ticona. Except as otherwise noted, trademarks are owned by Ticona or its affiliates.
Fortron is a registered trademark of Fortron Industries LLC. Ticona is a business of Celanese Corporation.
...thinking globally
ITAR
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Over the past 5 years, 70,000 prototypes have been
successfully delivered from overseas to over 5000 customers
847-806-0003 www.PCBnet.com email: [email protected]
Plexus
on the Move
A Look Inside Our
EMS Company of the Year
DECEMBER 2008 – Vol. 19 No. 12
Flux’s Role in HIP Defects
42 Getting Lean
Predicting outcomes.
Robert Hemmant
DEPARTMENTS
43 Eastern Advances
Soldering terminations, part 2. 8 Industry News 46 Ad Index
Sanqiang Cai 16 Market Watch 47 Assembly Insider
48 Technical Abstracts 44 Product Spotlight
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Industry
NEWS Edited by Chelsey Drysdale
ALPHA® SAC305
SACX®
At Cookson Electronics, we’ve engineered a range of lead-free alloys that have the
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Many studies* have demonstrated that ALPHA® SACX® low-Ag alloys deliver these
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• lower solder pot temperature
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© 2008 Cookson Electronics
EMS firm Enics (enics.com) could lay off IPC Criticizes TBBPA Inclusion in RoHS Draft
more than 185 workers in Varkuas, Finland, BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC (ipc.org) is taking issue with the inclusion of the flame retardant chemical
as it moves operations to other company known as Tetrabromobisphenol A on a draft list of substances that could be added to the EU RoHS
factories. The company is engaged in nego- Directive, firing off a letter requesting the EU commissioners “reconsider” its potential ban.
tiations with workers over the layoffs. It
The trade group had previously made its case to the Öko-Institut (oeko.de), which was charged
currently employs 500 in Finland and 2,700
with drafting the list.
worldwide.
TBBPA, a reactive flame retardant used in most printed circuit board laminates, has been reported
to be included among five substances for priority assessment and potential inclusion in RoHS by media
Adeptron Technologies (adeptron.
who claimed to have seen the proposal. It is reportedly used in more than two-thirds of electrical and
com) will provide $15 million a year in
electronics appliances.
electronics manufacturing services to an
Citing the strong body of technical evidence, IPC claims TBBPA is not a risk and should not be
undisclosed Canada-based OEM. The deal
included in future RoHS documents. “TBBPA has already undergone a comprehensive EU Risk Assess-
also has “the potential to increase signifi-
ment and, therefore, is not expected to be subject to authorization under REACH,” IPC said in the
cantly.” Full ramp is expected to take place
during the first quarter 2009. letter. “The recommendation for priority review of TBBPA under RoHS seemingly undermines the EU’s
emerging chemicals policy and law under REACH. We urge the commission to reconsider the inclusion
BPM Microsystems (bpmmicro.com) of TBBPA in its list of ‘priority review’ substances under RoHS.”
named Lynxtron Inc. its representative in Following interagency review of the proposal, the EU Commission will present the proposed RoHS
southern Wisconsin, Indiana and northern Revision to the European Parliament. – Mike Buetow
Illinois.
H.I.G. Chemicals Holdings Acquires Petroferm
Vicor Corp. (vicr.com) recently added GURNEE IL – H.I.G. Chemicals Holdings Corp. (higcapital.com) has acquired Petroferm Inc. Terms of the
Koh Young Technology benchtop and transaction were not disclosed.
inline solder paste inspection capability. Petroferm (petroferm.com), a specialty SMT In PICTurES
chemical manufacturer and formulator,
EMS provider Scanfil (scanfil.com) has had been privately held.
begun a 70,000 sq. ft. expansion to its The acquisition by the private equity
Hangzhou, China, production facilities. The
firm includes Petroferm’s operations in
company’s China subsidiaries account for
Gurnee, IL and Fernandina Beach, FL. The
36% of its overall sales.
Joseph Storey (UK) division will be spun
off to Petroferm shareholders.
PartnerTech’s (partnertech.fi) Norfolk,
H.I.G. acquired the North American
England, manufacturing facility has received
oleochemical business Uniqema Americas
ISO 13485:2003 medical certification. The
earlier this year. The firm plans to maintain
firm, the largest EMS company in Scandina-
the two as distinct operating subsidiaries.
via, also reduced headcount by 65 during
The two businesses will have combined
the September quarter.
sales in excess of $300 million, the firm
Flex Interconnect Technologies (fit- says. – Chelsey Drysdale
4flex.com) has received International Traffic
in Arms Regulations (ITAR) registration from Newview EMS Has
the US Department of State.
Shades of Past
The Eagle Group named Bliss Indus- WOBURN, MA – From the ashes of
tries (blissindustries.com) to represent its MassTech EMS and Neo Nano Electronics
has come a new electronics manufacturing Ovation Product’s Grid-Lok substrate sup-
line of wire carts for ESD electronics and port, shown on an Assembléon MX placement
general material handling. company, Newview EMS Corp.
machine.
Paul Walker, former founder and CEO
Sunburst Electronics hired Ken Votruba Ayrshire Electronics Buys ACT Plant in Corinth
as manager of sales and service in Ohio. CORINTH, MI – Ayrshire Electronics (ayrshireusa.com) has acquired ACT Electronics' facility here for
an undisclosed amount.
Krayden appointed Eric Monson sales- In doing so, Ayrshire saved the largest EMS factory in the US – some 350,000 sq. ft. – and the jobs
man for Utah, Idaho and New Mexico, of about 200 full-time workers and 50 more part-timers.
and Ken Vitale as sales representative in In a statement, the office of Gov. Haley Barbour said, "Ayrshire Electronics ... is expected to keep
Richmond, VA. 200-plus workers on the job under the umbrella of a new corporate structure and new management
effective as early as (today)."
J. Mike Sapienti joined Sanmina-SCI ACT put the plant, formerly owned by ITT, up for sale in September. It also closed a site in Hudson,
as PCB senior business development man- MA. The phone at its San Jose site, the former GSS Array, has been disconnected. Calls to the com-
ager for defense and aerospace. He has 25 pany's Hudson site were not returned.
years’ experience in manufacturing, defense Ayrshire operates five plants in the Midwest and Mexico. – Mike Buetow
and aerospace to Sanmina-SCI, including at
Intrinsix Corp., Zycon, Parlex and Teradyne. Orbotech Pulling Out of Assembly AOI Biz
YAVNE, ISRAEL – Beset by losses, Orbotech (orbotech.com) in mid November announced plans to drop
Axis Electronics promoted Paul Jackson out of the PCB AOI equipment business and reduce its workforce by 15%.
to manufacturing director and Chris nye to Starting in the third quarter, the company began scaling back its activities in the assembled PCB
materials director. business. By year-end, the company will no longer develop and market assembled PCB equipment, but
will continue to service its installed base of products.
AdoptSMT Group AOI for assemblies make up a small portion of Orbotech's revenues. Sales for the segment were
appointed Barry Clark $3.9 million during the September quarter, down 31.6%. Orbotech reported overall sales of $94.8
managing director for its million for the period.
London-based Alterna- Among the charges taken by the company were a one-time charge of $5.4 million to write off
tiveSMT group. He was remaining goodwill within its PCB assembly business, and $3.7 million in restructuring charges.
previously with Universal Orbotech also announced plans to cut about 15% of its worldwide workforce in the third and
Instruments Corp. fourth quarters, a 15% reduction in corporate management salaries, smaller reductions in other sala-
ries, and other cost-cutting measures. – Mike Buetow
Synchronized Manufacturing Technolo-
gies named Jolene Schofield program
manager and Steve Cahalane operations
Nanowires Ideal for EMS, Say Researchers
manager. Schofield has 20 years’ experi- YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY – IBM (ibm.com) and Purdue University (purdue.edu) researchers have
ence, including her tenure with Sanmina- discovered tiny silicon nanowires might be ideal for manufacturing in computers and consumer elec-
SCI. Cahalane has been an engineer, materi- tronics because the structures repeatedly form the same way.
als and operations manager at Wang and According to a Purdue spokesperson, the researchers used a transmission electron microscope to
Celestica. observe nanowires made of nucleate. Silicon nanowires form from gold nanoparticles ranging in size
from 10 to 40 nm.
Unisem promoted Mike Griffin to cor- This is the first time researchers have made such precise measurements of the nucleation process
porate vice president of marketing and in nanowires, a participating researcher said, according to published reports.
business development, Gil Chiu to vice The researchers studied silicon; however, the findings could be applied to manufacturing nano-
president and region head of business wires made from other semiconducting materials, published reports say.
development for North America, and S.C. Nanowires could aid the semiconductor industry’s ongoing need to place more transistors in
Lim to vice president and region head of smaller spaces. The challenge will be to replace gold with other metals used in electronics, according
business development for Asia. to the researchers.
The National Science Foundation is funding the program. – Chelsey Drysdale
Root problems tend to be everyday business issues. So why do some parties give up?
any of the less successful electronics manu-
Deadly Sin
Superbia
(pride)
Outsourcing
Equivalent
Self-
righteousness
Holy Virtue
Humility
Outsourcing
Equivalent
Openness
Sins. In the old days, when good character was consid- Avaritia
Asymmetry Liberality Reciprocation
ered an essential part of civilized behavior (and was (greed)
that such a bad thing? Listen up, bankers!), a helpful Luxuria (lust) Lavishness Chastity Conservation
mnemonic device was designed to help us remember Invidia (envy) Imitation Kindness Innovation
The Plexus Rx
For its operational excellence and financial performance, Plexus is our first EMS Company of the Year.
By Mike Buetow
uick: Name the best-performing publicly held EMS com- manufacturing technology and quality Steve di Loreto says. “From
nurturing the accounts, while market sector VPs (MSVPs) are the and perhaps additional capacity in Mexico. Romania, Poland and
“hunters,” working closely with customer managers to refine ser- Slovakia are current contenders, while the Czech Republic has
vice and support needs and define market opportunities. been ruled out as “overbuilt.” Says di Loreto, “We’re walking the
Those hunters have been working overtime. For its fiscal year balance between where labor is low cost – but not the lowest – but
ended Sept. 27, Plexus’ revenue jumped 19% to $1.84 billion, focused on customer service.” The company estimates a worldwide
bringing its five-year organic revenue CAGR to 18%. The return footprint of 2.6 million sq. ft. by 2012, up about 44% over 2007.
on invested capital was 20.1%. Embedded in that estimate are 250,000 sq. ft. in Eastern Europe
Yet for a company whose revenue has grown $600 million and 1.4 million sq. ft. in Asia-Pacific.
over the past three years, the customer base is practically going South of the border, some longtime employment struggles have
the opposite direction. The big switch came in 2003, after Plexus been worked out. Turnover has dropped from 10% per month to
recorded a net loss of $68 million. The number of customers 1%. A decision will be made in the next six to 12 months whether
dropped from 238 in fiscal 2002 to 107 in fiscal 2006, when it to add capacity in Mexico, di Loreto says.
recorded sales of $884 million. The sales per customer, however, It very well may be that placed programs tend to stay in one
jumped almost fourfold to $13.3 million during that time. Today, spot. But at Plexus, designs fly around the globe. Over the course
Plexus is on track to generate an average $14.1 million per cus- of a day, the company has in-process coverage for about 20 hours,
tomer, based on about 131 accounts, primarily in the networking, six to seven days a week. ASIC designs have given way to FPGA,
wireless infrastructure, defense and security, aerospace, and of primarily Xtera and Xilinx. Libraries are designed to retain cus-
course, medical sectors. Growth has traditionally been organic, tomer “building blocks” to encourage design reuse. The smallest
not via acquisition. Stanford professor and business author Jim piece would be component footprints and geometries. On top of
Collins, who teaches focus and execution are keys to long-term that would be process and DfM guidelines. The next level of reuse
success, is a strong influence, company executives say. is more of a fine line. “We looked at it from a technical and legal
Like Jabil and Benchmark, and unlike most other large Tier standpoint to be able to reuse these [process technology] build-
EMS players, the majority of Plexus’ manufacturing space remains ing blocks without getting into confidentiality problems. We don’t
in North America, where it hosts seven of its 13 sites (not includ- cross-pollinate engineers,” says Van Dreel. Design teams are kept
ing the just-shuttered plant in Ayer, MA). About 56% of the com-
pany’s 2.1 million sq. ft. of plant space is in the US and another 5%
in Mexico, versus 35% in Asia and 4% in Europe. And most of the
Asia capacity is not in China but in Malaysia, where the firm has
696,087 sq. ft. across three sites. Plexus signed a lease in September
to bring a plant online in Hangzhou, its second in China; the addi-
tional 106,000 sq. ft. will bring its Asian footprint to 948,000 sq. ft.
Production is expected to begin late in January 2009.
Relative to other top-tier EMS companies, Plexus’ disinterest
in China is noteworthy. Why hasn’t Plexus followed the herd East?
Ultimately, the mix didn’t match the locale. While every Top Tier
EMS firm was under pressure from customers and Wall Street to
offer a China "solution," for a low-volume, high-mix company like
Plexus the math doesn't always work. Several competitors suffered
deeply trying to establish local supply chains in Southeast Asia.
Plexus navigated those obstacles with the skill of a brain surgeon,
focusing on more established, lower risk areas like Malaysia. As
logistics and other costs rose, the EMS firm looks more and more
prescient. Over time the trend for products where IP protections
are paramount or end-product weight is a factor – in short, Plexus’
main markets – has become to build product close to where it will
be consumed, putting Plexus in a great competitive position.
“We really need to think about the customer,” adds Kirk Van
Dreel, global process owner, PCBA. “You can sacrifice customer
service [when you move programs around] if not managed and
executed effectively. We utilize a dedicated transition team and
process to ensure we maintain customer service levels during these
types of transitions.”
Expansion is inevitable, although the locations being con-
sidered aren’t so easily predictable. Besides the new factory in
Hangzhou, Plexus is considering various sites in Eastern Europe
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Figure 2. An SMT line at Plexus' Neenah campus. Figure 3. A subassembly line in Building 5.
separate to ensure the security of customer IP. “We pride ourselves and Agile ERP systems, coupled with homegrown MES tools,
on keeping that information separate.” round out the picture. The organic supply chain management
Reuse is important to the medical OEMs that make up more tools develop sourcing solutions based on such factors as compo-
than 20% of Plexus’ annual sales. (Plexus has a long history as an nent cost, variability and lead times.
EMS to medical OEMs, although Juniper Networks is the firm’s Equipment evaluations are performed all over the world. How-
largest customer, at 19% of sales.) These OEMs take the platform ever, there is limited variation from plant to plant. For example,
approach whereby a concept can be leveraged and reused across Plexus’ Buffalo Grove, IL, site uses Assembléon A5 placement
various products.
Test strategies are a collaborative effort between manufacturing
engineers and customers, as well as the test equipment OEMs.
The Plexus workcell approach is a sight to behold. Don’t expect
long, parallel SMT lines. In Building 5 at the company’s Neenah,
WI, headquarters, the layout is such that within the 100,000 sq. ft.
manufacturing plant are four distinct factories – each complete
with an SMT line (Figure 1). (Staff must swipe their employee
Mission Possible.
badges before passing ESD testing and entering the factory floor,
only the second time in 17 years I’ve seen that clever setup.) Versatility that beats complexity.
Inside, banners outline each “factory’s” borders. “We blended a It’s not just a promise, it’s a fact!
dedicated factory with a cellular model,” explains Kim Debenack, assembleon.com/facts
engineering manager. “This model makes us less rigid because we
can run product anywhere, on any line. What we are going for is
product velocity, not just velocity of placement.” Building 5 han-
dles 10,000 part numbers across five to six customers, at a rate of
15,000 assemblies per month. Nearly everything built is a system
with direct order fulfillment. Debenack says board build cycle time
has dropped to two days from 21 since this novel setup was imple-
mented several years ago. A separate focused factory is integrated
into Building 5 to handle repair services. Adds Buseman, “We’re
assembleon.com/facts
looking at what the next level of service would be.”
Process optimization across Plexus’ far-flung operations is
driven by Van Dreel. Twice a year, he organizes summits involving
representatives from engineering and quality. The group has two
goals: to prioritize needed activities and processes, then formalize
them into projects and execute them around the globe.
Flexibility is key. The number of engineering change orders in
Building 5 tops 100 per month. The Neenah site uses DEK print-
ers, Universal placement, Electrovert reflow, Vitronics Delta-Max
selective solder, Agilent 3070 and Teradyne test equipment. Oracle
The Pan Pacific Tabletop Exhibition puts you in contact with global
key decision makers and provides access and international visibility
for your company and products.
sponsored by
SMTA
Surface Mount Technology Association
Figure 4. Vertical storage units adjacent to SMT lines support full line-
side stocking for Lean manufacturing.
In Memoriam
Remembering friends and colleagues who passed away in 2008.
Our reputation along with our partners is solid in Asia and Japan, and now
it’s time the West discovers what the East already knows – our advanced
machinery and materials for the electronics industry.
L
A
By Karl Seelig
ead-in-pillow (HIP), also known as head-on-pillow This unprotected solder sphere forms a new oxide layer. As
Figure 4b. EDS spectrum no. 8, matte ball of BGA 4 (Sn, Si and C).
Figure 3. BGA (top), b) matte BGA (middle) and c) spotted BGA (bottom). Figure 4c. Spotted with Sn, Ag and C.
per). Many varieties of SAC 105 include a fourth element, (Figure 3). (As a point of clarification, the large dimples on
often referred to as a dopant, such as antimony, magnesium, the ball surfaces are from test probes that easily penetrated
nickel, cobalt or indium. These additives create finer grain any of the surface irregularities or containments during
boundaries and reduce the intermetallic formations of the component testing by the manufacturer.)
tin with silver or copper, resulting in a more reproducible The spectrums of the BGA balls also are different (Fig-
grain, as well as a more uniform grain formation in the ure 4). On this single BGA there exist three different grain
Pb-free alloy. These also yield a different oxide and surface structures and surface elements. One theory explains this is
condition, depending on the element used and cooling rate caused by variations in cooling rates when the solder ball
during assembly. This different oxide and surface condition was initially formed.
can cause issues with the flux activity and impact solder wet- We developed a test procedure to understand the interac-
ting and complete joint formation of the BGA. tion of these elements with specific paste chemistries. This
Solder sphere (ball) issues. Figures 2 and 3 are analyses permitted a classification of reactivity levels of some of these
of BGAs known to have had HIP problems. Using SEM, dopants. It was discovered very low levels of magnesium
it was determined there are very distinct grain structure (in the 30 ppm level) directly affect standard solder paste
variations within the balls (Figure 2). Inspecting these flux chemistries, while indium affects them in the 500 ppm
components reveals three distinct classifications of balls on range, nickel and cobalt in the 400 ppm range, and antimony
the component; these were labeled shiny, matte and spotted in the 1000 ppm range. Although the grain structures all
Figure 5b. Void-reducing profile for Pb-free pastes with BGAs and CSPs.
Figure
7. A joint formed with a high-temper-
Figure 5a. Ramp-soak-spike recommended profile. ature activation system; no evidence of HOP.
appeared similar, the flux interaction was different. This dif- random cases of HIP, depending on the component tested.
ference was determined by a viscosity test conducted while Solder paste chemistry was the next factor tested to
the paste medium was in contact with the solder alloy doped determine impact on HIP. During this experiment, it was
with the aforementioned elements. found solder paste chemistry appears to have the single
Other factors that appear to influence HIP include types greatest effect on the HIP defect. When changing from an
of reflow, reflow profiles and solder paste chemistry. 1,2 Some older Pb-free solder paste to a new higher-temperature acti-
data obtained suggest vapor phase reflow may result in more vation paste, the defect, in many cases, was eliminated. In
HIP defects than convection reflow. It is not clear whether other cases, it was more difficult to remove. However, in the
this is truly related, however, as it has only been seen as a experiment run, the solder paste chemistry appears to have
trend. the largest impact on HIP.
An experiment was performed to measure the impact of An experiment was conducted using various solder paste
reflow profile on HIP solder joint formation. The experi- chemistries to measure their effect on HIP incidents. It was
ment utilized two different reflow profiles. The first profile determined that, regardless of the reflow profile used, the novel
was a standard ramp-soak-spike (Figure 5a). The second solder paste eliminated HIP. Although this solder paste is halide-
profile (Figure 5b) included a hotter soak zone and longer free, a solder paste containing >0.5% halide also was used in
dwell time at liquidus. There was no perceived difference in this experiment, and the defect was once again eliminated.
the defect rate, depending on the profile; each resulted in
Continued on pg. 46
the Chain
How a grassroots organization can help get managers on board.
very company always looks to improve their bottom test – regardless of quality of the design. Understanding the
250 (A1)
1.8 (B1)
Level 2
260 (A2)
3 (B2)
Level 3
275 (A3)
4.2 (B3)
It’s a good practice to design this experi-
proper experiments and analyze ment. The Preheat
90 (C1) 110 (C2) 130 (C3)
Temperature (˚C)
their results to help determine output char- Flux Amount
355 (D1) 474 (D2) 639 (D3)
these settings. When the num- acteristic was (mg/cm2)
ber of test boards and compo- the number of
nents for experimentation are pins without
limited, use of Partial Factorial, bridges (maxi-
Taguchi or Response Surface mum 200 pins/
Experiments makes for a good board) and
approach. These techniques through-hole
permit end-users to understand penetration
the process by minimizing time, (2 = 100%,
resources and cost. 1 = partially
The objective of these experi- wetted, 0 = Figure 1. Taguchi analysis for bridging. Higher scores are
ments is to determine the fac- not wetted). better.
tors and their levels that mini- This experi-
mize the variation of a product ment used an
around a target response. The L9 orthogonal
champion settings will result array design,
in robust products resistant which means
to change in operational and nine experi-
environmental conditions. mental runs
The experiment begins with a with four fac-
brainstorming session where tors and three
Figure 2.Taguchi analysis for through-hole penetration.
the problem is stated; the fac- levels investi-
Higher scores are better.
tors are selected; the measur- gated (Table
able output is chosen, and the 1).
experimental design is select- Ma te r i a l s used for are shown in Figures 1 and
ed. Then the experiment is run this ex p er i m en t were 2, respectively. In both analy-
and output measured. Data are SnAg3.8Cu0.7Sb0.25% alloy ses, higher scores meant bet-
Ursula Marquez de analyzed and the best settings with a VOC-free flux (<2% ter results. (Table 1 also shows
Tino is a process and are identified. It is important solids). The test board was codes used in the graphics.)
research engineer at to schedule confirmation runs double-sided (160 x 100 x 1.6 For bridging, contact time
Vitronics Soltec, based based on the champion settings; mm) with plated through-holes and preheat temperature were
in the Unovis SMT Lab if these results are good, the set- and Cu OSP Entek Plus surface more important, while for
(vitronics-soltec.com); tings can be implemented into finish. A Delta wave soldering through-hole penetration, pre-
[email protected]. production. machine equipped with a spray heat temperature was the main
To illustrate the concept, a nozzle fluxer, three bottom side contributor. The optimal set-
Taguchi experiment was used to preheaters, and nitrogen was tings are not the same for bridg-
develop a robust process for Pb- used. ing and through-hole penetra-
free wave soldering. The control Eighteen boards were run tion. Therefore, some sacrifices
factors selected were solder tem- (nine runs with one repeti- must be made. For our analysis,
perature, contact time, preheat tion). The results for bridging through-hole penetration was
temperature and flux amount. and through-hole penetration more important.
Terry Munson is
with Foresite Inc.
(residues.com);
tm_foresite@
residues.com. This
column appears
monthly.
Figure 2. This EDX scan fails to show chloride and succinic acid, which would limit
its usefulness as an analytical tool for
process-related residues.
Solder Pastes
The HIP epidemic proliferates, but the cure must not create new problems.
arlier this year I reported on the head-in- are sufficiently thermally robust to perform in the
What happens when paste residues and cleaning solvents are incompatible?
s debuted in these pages last month, the National also been through a standard immersion cleanliness
ink with some areas Flammability Yes Yes Yes No 3.6.3 None UL94
of direct metal con- FTIR Yes Yes Yes Yes 3.2.3.1 None –
Environmental
tact between electrical Compliance
AABUS AABUS AABUS AABUS 3.12 None –
nodes. *AABUS: As agreed between user and supplier.
If a task is performed different ways, the process – and therefore the result –
is unpredictable.
hy should people follow a process? So they Kaizen, the “change for the better.”
这篇文章从10月2008日问题继续。 的最小化
当设计失误时,防堵的临时对策大至有以下几 出于rework后可靠性方面的考虑,PTH不宜作为零
种: 件孔。但当晶振(金属外壳卧式)、中周、微动开
从焊接面以高温胶纸封住PAD。 关、直插的PLCC插座等用于波峰焊工艺,并且助焊
从元件面插入护孔工装(如高温塑料排针、塗硅 剂涂覆方式是发泡时,NPTH当是唯一选择。从生产
胶的镙钉)。 实践及客户反馈可看到,焊接终止面的助焊剂残余
单面板时,可在元件面用透明胶带封孔。 不会像焊接初始面的助焊剂那样,在经过250℃4秒
从焊接面点阻焊胶封住PAD及孔。 的加热后,其中的助焊物质已基本挥发。它会在环
从焊接面印蓝胶封住PAD及孔。 境(湿度、盐雾、高温、尘土…)的作用下,影响
做PCB托盘工装过波峰焊。 电路绝缘阻抗或使触点不可靠。此时的临时对策首
以上方法中生产成本自低到高大至是 选是在元件面预涂助焊剂阻断剂,此方法在实用上
C、E、B、A、D、F,值得一提的是印蓝胶工艺。由 效果极佳,且费用低、省工时,缺点是此法对PTH无
于是采用印刷方式涂覆,预留孔越多,性价比越 效。当助焊剂的涂覆形式是喷雾时,助焊剂量虽可
高。当使用点胶机完成红胶工艺或PCB印胶面与印焊 控制,但如卧式晶振插入PCB后,当引脚PAD元件面
膏面不是同一平面时,蓝胶固化与红胶固化或焊膏 环宽偏大,且孔径与引脚的⊿T也大时,引脚PAD会
回流可同时完成,使采用蓝胶保护PAD的成本相对较 与外壳短路,此种不良设计对于EMS厂来说,并不少
低。 见。即使短路未发生,由于PAD与外壳的间隙偏小,
二、可靠性方面的考虑 助焊剂残余也容易导致功能性缺陷。当一定要使用
1、PTH的焊锡垂直填充率 PTH时,解决方案是使元件面PAD环宽为零,就是用
a)隔热设计是保证垂直填充率最重要条件,除PCB 阻焊或白油墨覆盖PAD。图Figure 16是一款电器产
的表面线路外与PTH相连的各层铜箔线路,都要以“ 品的 PCB,采用了焊接起始面与焊接终止面PAD环
花PAD”的形式与PTH相连,以提高热阻。需关注的 宽差异设计,尤其是X301位置,元件面环宽为零。还
是相当多的设计者对此领悟有误,其细节是,焊 有一种常见的设计失误是LED紧贴板面插装,且采用
接起始面的PAD不可作隔热设计,且PAD环宽尽可能 PTH。一般LED要求焊点距本体应≥2mm,常见的LED
大,以利于热量吸收,同时焊接终止面的PAD应尽可 亮度不稳定或不亮时重焊后就可改善,多数是没有
能小,且是“花PAD”。这对质量大、热容量大的器 遵守上述要求,当采用NPTH时,PCB厚度可起到防呆
件是成功焊接的关键,参考一失败的案例,如图Fig- 型的焊接安全距离的作用。无铅化后,PAD环宽最小
ure 14。此款产品的设计上,在焊接起始面错用“ 化及NPTH的额外好处是极大地减少Lift-off发生的可
花PAD”,使热量吸收受阻,如图Figure 15。焊热终 能。
止面的“花PAD”形成的热阻又不足够大。元件是卧 b) 零件孔(焊点)尽可能少地承受元件的重量
式电解,其负极铝外壳有良好的散热性,且跨距设 以往我们的工艺审查项有一条是当元件重量大于9
计过短(应加10mm)、使引线热阻过小,导致外壳 克时,其重量不能仅由焊点承受。在实际工作中,
的散热性被强化,结果此类PTH的填充率都较差。 数次见过典型的失效案例,外因多与震动相关,内
b) 无铅工艺导入后的填充率,当PCB厚度>1.6mm 因多为元件过重,且除焊接点外无其他对元件的支
时,按IPC-A-610D的II、III级的要求,焊接时的 撑。当产品与手持或车载相关时,这一点尤为重
填充率应≥75%,在某些情况下是很难实现的,一 要。
些大品牌公司,从分析填充率与可靠性的关系入 c) 双径孔形状如图Figure 17,多为PTH,除保证
手制定了具有可操作性的企业标准,实验结果是 焊点的可靠外,还可使焊点不高于PCB表面,在电源
可靠性仅与焊锡垂直填充高度密切相关,当其达到 模块或手持产品中多有采用。孔径大的一面一般为
1.6mm*75%=1.2mm时,对厚度是2.5或3.3mm的PCB,焊 焊接起始面,基于这个特点,孔径大的一面设为元
点强度没有问题,这对引入无铅工艺后的EMS厂是个 件面时,若用在手工插件的通孔回流焊工艺中,可
利好消息。 提高焊膏量并使手插易于操作。
c)孔径对填充率的影响也是要关注的,我们定 3、导通孔无铅化后的设计理念
义孔径与插件引脚的尺寸差为⊿T。一般有铅工艺 在无铅波峰焊接中铜蚀现象是个比较严重的问
时,⊿T一般取0.2~0.3mm,当用冲孔工艺满足插件 题。波峰焊接用PCB应把所有导通孔以阻焊覆盖,杜
机时,孔应是锥型。若NC钻孔时应取略大些。无铅 绝铜蚀产生。图Figure 18是一种无铅化的汽车的电
工艺导入后,⊿T还应稍大,板厚增加时,⊿T也 子产品用PCB,其导通孔直径选得较大,这样可降低 Sanqiang Cai is an
应加大,以保证填充率。一般取0.25~0.4mm。无铅 对PCB材料的过高要求,如Z向的CTE。对PCB制造厂 engineer with Beijing
时,较大的⊿T使空洞减少,较小的⊿T可使缩痕减 而言,厚板的小孔电镀一直是个质量难题,在可能 Brio (brio-tech.com/
弱,当然把锡银铜焊料换成锡铜,也可使缩痕改 情况下,导通孔径的变大是保证可靠性最经济的解 egsjg.htm). Contact:
善。 决方案。 Amy Dai; amydai@
2、零件孔: brio-tech.ca.
a) NPTH的优先采用原则与PTH焊接终止面PAD环宽 Continued on pg. 47
400-lb. Loader/Unloader
BlissLift now has a wider base for
assembly applications. Reportedly doubles
the speed of repetitive load/unload tasks. Fast-Setup Selective Soldering
Permits loading of 19” rackmount chassis Rhythm EX offers a selective soldering range of 24 x 24”; no
into a 19” rack on a shipping pallet; legs manual rotation or adjustment is required. Offers closed-loop
straddle the pallet. Is said to be ideal for servo-driven X, Y, and Z-axis motion that articulates the solder
loading chassis onto storage carts and wave and flux beneath the PCB. Designed for high-mix or high-
racks. Lifts loads up to 400 lb. volume production. Reportedly programs in minutes. Includes
Bliss Industries, blissindustries.com independently heated and programmable nitrogen inertion
and quick-change solder nozzles for keep-away (less than
FPD, CRY Display Tester 1.5 mm) and lead protrusion clearance (6 mm). Wave height
U8101A display tester is for custom management, system standby and startup, conveyor width and
setups for visual testing of up to five major vision are automated.
display formats. For testing FPD and CRT rPS Automation LLC, rpsautomation.com
displays, and LCD panels in PC and TV
manufacturing. Is said to support all major
analog and digital interfaces and permits
future upgrades. Has multiple plug-in card
slots to customize instrument configura- Rework, Re-solder Unit
tion. Uses a 5.7” color LCD display and PC-controlled Martin “Expert” Pb-free rework station ver-
Windows-based GUI. Can select different sion 9.6 is said to automatically accomplish any stage of SMT
display formats, test configurations and repair, from removal to replacement, as well as the re-solder
other frequently used functions on front of BGAs, CSPs, µBGAs and other SMDs. A high-res camera
panel. Has capability to recall up to 16 test combined with auto-vision placement controls component
sequences and patterns. positioning in full and continuous view of the operator. IR
Agilent Technologies, agilent.com underheating unit adjusts to exact board size.
Manncorp, manncorp.com
Company Page No. This indicates solder pastes with an activation system able to provide sustainable high-temperature
Assembléon, www.assembleon.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 23, 25
fluxing activity are capable of creating a homogenous connection beyond the ball and the paste
alloy interface. Figure 6 shows a HIP formed using a lower-temperature activation system. Figure
Bare Board Group, www.bareboard.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 7 is a joint formed with a high-temperature activation system; no evidence of HIP is seen.
Based on these experiments, Table 1 was generated to show the relative impact of variable(s)
BEST, Inc., www.solder.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 that contribute to HIP, rated on a scale of one to 10, with 10 as the most likely to eliminate the
issue.
Charlie Barnhart & Associates, www.charliebarnhart.com . . . . . 39
Grid-Lok, www.grid-lok.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4
References
Imagineering, Inc., www.pcbnet.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. Chrys Shea, “HOP-ping Mad,” CirCuits Assembly, July 2008.
2. American Competitiveness Institute, “Stop the HOP,” CirCuits Assembly, August 2008.
Indium Corporation of America, www.indium.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
持或车载产品中屡见不鲜,要正确应
6-Layer
对,设立元器件避让区。 $149.99 1st piece
d) 安装孔是PTH时,且被借用于定 $99.99 up to 5th piece
allow 9 working days
位。当定位销是用于丝印的平顶销
时,过盈的配合会产生刮挤下的铜屑 Based on standard specifications.
See the HOME page and Calculate for other options.
制成短路,我公司加工的某款产品在
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这方面造成了非常大的麻烦。
e) 安装孔需手工补焊的加强PAD,
应有如图Figure 19的设计。
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当能对大品牌公司的Know-How略窥一
斑,其次是关注失败,不论是他人的
还是自己的,力求涉及根本原因,并
制定有效的不重犯对策,希望今后在
上述两方面与同行们多做交流,共同
进步。
例证是可利用的在 circuitsas-
sembly.com/cms/images/stories/
ArticleImages/0810/0810eastern_
online.pdf n
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