Articles/Papers
The Science Behind Conveyor Oven Thermal Profiling
The Science Behind Conveyor Oven Thermal Profiling By Philip Kazmierowicz Overview One of the main problems faced in Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly applications is the initial setting up, and the continuing control of the solder reflow process to obtain…
It Can’t Be That Easy!
By Frank MascettiPresidentTechnical Resources Corp.Boca Raton, FL It is rare that we witness a product that is truly revolutionary. My background is in electrical engineering, and I’ve held various manufacturing/test engineering jobs at Westinghouse and Racal-Milgo. I have been in…
Finding the Best Oven Recipe with the SlimKIC 2000 Using the Auto-Focus Software Option
Finding the Best Oven Recipe with the SlimKIC 2000 Using the Auto-Focus Software Option Ronald Chau, KIC, March 2003 Introduction The SlimKIC 2000™ is a tool that records the thermal profile of a product in a conveyorized thermal process such…
Profiling High-Reliability Assembly
Key features of an automated-reflow management system are product traceability and process documentation. The means: continuous and automatic thermal process monitoring. Paramit Corp. provides focused electronic manufacturing and test solutions to leading OEMs in various high technology industries. It has…
Wafer Bumping for Flip Chip Attach
There are five commonly used methods of wafer bumping for flip chip attach, three of which are challenging and expensive: Stud bumps formed by ball bonding using gold wire; plated gold bumps using electrolytic or electroless gold; and plating solder…
Production Migration: Do the Numbers Add Up?
PREVIEW By improving productivity and quality, North American electronics assemblers can better compete with China.Here’s how. The continuing economic downturn has shaken the North American electronics assembly industry, leaving in its wake massive plant closings and layoffs. Many…
The Case for Upgrading the Reflow Process
Automating and using readily available and affordable solutions can yield significant gains in quality and productivity. For the majority of assemblers, the solder reflow process has been free of innovation since the use of forced-air convection ovens more than 10…
PWI: Process Optimization Made Simple
Improving product quality in electronic assembly processes is important to profitability and is especially significant in the highly competitive electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry. In practical terms, the foundation step is choosing a process setup that minimizes defects. A process…
It’s All About Profitability!
Let’s face it, the electronics assembly industry is a low-value-added business. This does not mean that assemblers cannot be highly profitable. After squeezing material and equipment suppliers for lower prices and trimming the work force to run leaner, or moving…
Smart Profiling: Tips for Optimizing Thermal Process Performance
“When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is… unsatisfactory”–Lord Kelvin“Define, Measure, Improve”— GE Quality Approach Introduction Thermal profiling…
Increasing Profit Potential with Precision Control and Monitoring of the Reflow Process
Introduction The Electronics Industry is the most rapidly growing industry in the world, recently passing the $1 trillion per year mark, while averaging a rate of 6% compounded annual growth. Annual price reductions of approximately 6% a year make the…
A Comparison of Methods for Attaching Thermocouples to Printed Circuit Boards for Thermal Profiling
Finding A Quick And Reliable Method For Attaching Thermocouples As more PCB assemblers become aware of the value of regular process monitoring, the frequency of thermal profiling is increasing dramatically. High temperature solder is recognized in the SMT industry as…