KIC to Feature KIC RPI and KIC Explorer RF at SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2009 in Nuremberg, Germany

(San Diego, CA -- April 16, 2009) : KIC, the leader of thermal process development and control products, and winner of multiple industry awards, announces that it will feature KIC‘s new RPI, Reflow Process Inspection system. KIC will also be showing the KIC Explorer Dual model which may be used as a datalogger or as a real-time profiler by means of radio frequency technology. KIC will be with distributor Multi Components GmbH, located in Hall 7, Booth 320, at the upcoming SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2009 exhibition, scheduled to take place May 5th - 7th, 2009 in the Messezentrum in Nuremberg.

While the standard KIC Explorer introduced plug-and-play profiling for quick and accurate temperature-time measurements, the RF version provides several additional benefits. The unproductive dead time typically associated with waiting for the profiler to exit is replaced by real-time process data, that instantly shows what is going on with the process. In addition to a more convenient and faster operation, there is less danger to the profiler or production board because any over-temperature situation is instantly revealed and corrective action can be taken.

The KIC Explorer RF also alerts the operator of the many possible pitfalls that can make profiling an unproductive task, including the following:
• Forgetting to turn the profiler on prior to a run
• A TC pops off
• Wrong oven recipe
• The profiler gets stuck in the oven tunnel

Also on display will be RPI - Reflow Process Inspection, which is an in-line process inspection system for SMT reflow ovens. The system is embedded inside the reflow oven and checks the profile for each and every product processed through the oven to verify whether the profile is in spec. On a daily basis, the system will generate two production charts: DPMO (Defects Per Million Opportunities) and Process Yield for the thermal process.

The industry, to a large degree, now relies on AOI systems to inspect their assemblies. The AOI system is not designed to look at joints hidden under the components body as in the case of BGA, PoP and other such components. Some companies use X-ray inspection on these components; the in-line systems tend to be extremely expensive, while the more popular off-line systems suffer from the slow speed and batch mode used in today‘s highly automated in-line SMT factory.
More importantly, however, is that neither of these systems detects defects associated with solder joints that have been processed out of spec. Examples include inadequate wetting, too large or too small grain structure, and even certain types of opens and cold soldered joints.

The RPI inspects the core of the issue that determines the joint quality or defects: Were the products processed within the relevant thermal process parameters? Finally, rather than overwhelm the manager or engineer with data, the RPI generates only two datapoints, (DPMO and Yield), in a simple chart to tell if the thermal process is healthy or not.

KIC -- Headquarter Office
16120 W Bernardo Dr
San Diego, CA  92127
Tel: +1(858)673-6050
Fax: +1(858)673-0085

Company Contact:   Bjorn Dahle <bjorn@kicmail.com>
Editorial Contact: Allene Bailey <allene@kicmail.com>