Articles/Papers
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…
Applying Real-Time SPC to Thermal Process Management
Overview Until recently, reflow ovens, vertical ovens, and wave solder machines have been difficult to include in an SPC program. Screen printers and pick & place machines have had the capability to output valid SPC data for years. Developments in…