Electronica Azi SMT nr 2 - Aprilie, 2016

Martie/aprilie, 2016 - Nr. 2 Vol. 2 preĹŁ: 10 lei

SUMAR

ELECTRONICA AZI - SMT 2.2016

5 Defectul de “pernă” - Head on Pillow Vă propunem un defect care în ultimul timp l-am sesizat la asamblarea modulelor având capsule BGA fabricate de mai mulţi producători, dovadă că acest tip este destul de răspândit: “Head on Pillow”, HoP, “cap pe pernă”, sau “pernă”.

9 De ce să deveniți “IPC member” ?

10 OrCAD® PCB Productivity Toolbox Îmbunătățirea productivității şi eficienţei în proiectarea PCB OrCAD® PCB Productivity Toolbox este o suită vastă de utilităţi complet integrate cu OrCAD PCB Editor, care îmbunătăţeşte productivitatea şi eficienţa globală a proiectanţilor de plăci cu circuite imprimate. Aceasta pune la dispoziţia proiectanţilor PCB o colecţie de funcţii ce permit reducerea timpului necesar proiectării, dar şi funcţii de proiectare avansată care sporesc şi optimizează capabilităţile existente ale pachetelor OrCAD PCB Designer.

12 Ebso - Selective Solder platform The EBSO SPA-NC Selective Solder platform overcomes the soldering challenges by automatically transporting the PCB to each critical soldering step via an XYZ-axis carrier - Microdrop fluxer, bottom-side preheater and soldering modules.

14 Basic Principles of Polymer Thick Film Flexible Circuits Astăzi, circuitele flexibile sunt folosite în aproape orice tip de produs electric și electronic imaginabil, domeniul auto fiind unul din beneficiarii cei mai importanţi ai tehnologiei. Trendul ascendent nu a fost fără probleme, cel mai adesea fiind confruntaţi cu eșecul cei care au intrat în arena FCT nepregătiţi pe deplin.

16 Quo vadis PCB? Un interviu cu Andy Shaughnessy, Managing Editor la The PCB Design Magazine. Editorialistul Şef al prestigioasei publicaţii “The PCB Design Magazine” a avut amabilitatea de a răspunde unor întrebări formulate de o echipă a laboratorului Centrului de Electronică Tehnologică şi Tehnici de Interconectare, UPB – CETTI, formată din Prof. Paul Svasta şi Prof. Norocel Codreanu.

18 Premium Quality .... Just in Time!

LTHD CORPORATION, vă stă la dispoziţie, cu toate informaţiile de care aveţi nevoie ca profesionist implicat în procesul de identificare.

20 PRODUSE ESD 22 High Quality Die Cut 24 SMT House - Rent Your SMT Line 26 SEICA AUTOMATION - handling systems for the electronic production.

28 Simple PXI based Functional Test Solution using NI LabVIEW Functional Test (FCT) solutions can be found in diverse areas of the IT industry, usually among the last production line phases. Some of these applications require high level analysis and customization, some perform traditional measurements, some are completely automatized while others involve operator interaction.

32 Declaring War on Failure in Electronics 4

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

Defectul de “pernă” -

Head on Pillow Autor: Gaudenţiu Vărzaru

Începând cu acest număr al revistei Electronica Azi – SMT ne propunem să comentăm cu fiecare apariţie câte un tip de defect într-o abordare deloc exhaustivă, dar, sperăm, convingătoare şi utilă.

Pentru început vă propunem un defect pe care în ultimul timp l-am sesizat la asamblarea modulelor având capsule BGA fabricate de mai mulţi producători, dovadă că acest tip este destul de răspândit: “Head on Pillow”, HoP, “cap pe pernă”, sau “pernă”. Ortografiat de unii “Head-in-Pillow”, HiP[1], [2], [3] acest defect este raportat ca fiind în mare creştere poate şi pentru că diversitatea de circuite în capsule tip arii de bile este tot mai mare (memorii, FPGA, module multicip, module RF, socluri, figura 1). În Standardul IPC-T-50H (Terms and Definitions for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits), consultat gratuit online graţie calităţii de membru IPC, găsim următoarea definiţie:

A solder defect in which the solder sphere (ball) of an area array component and its associated solder have both melted and resolidified, but have not combined to form an integral solder joint.

Defectul HoP este greu de identificat în timpul inspecţiei optice obişnuite pe linia de asamblare, iar de multe ori trece şi de testul electric. El se poate manifesta la client prin nefuncţionarea modulului electronic (eventual constatarea funcţionării atunci când se apasă asupra componentei), sau desprinderea componentei de cablaj.

Să privim mai atent un astfel de defect (figura 2). Cele două imagini evidenţiază că nu a existat un amestec complet al celor două componente – sfera de aliaj a capsulei şi calota de aliaj lichid rezultat din topirea pastei de lipire – în timpul fazei de retopire a profilului termic. Cauzele pot fi calitatea suprafeţei bilelor de aliaj ale capsulei, activitatea chimică a fluxului din pastă, plasarea defectuoasă a componentei (dezalinieri), un profil termic neadecvat [2], [5].

Figura 1: Câteva tipuri de circuite în capsulă BGA: memorie, μSSD, modul GPS, soclu.

Aliajul topit din pastă înconjoară sfera, dar nu se contopeşte cu ea, coalescenţa nu este profundă rămânând separat în faza de răcire. Oxidarea accentuată a sferelor de aliaj poate fi favorizantă apariţiei HoP, de aceea un proces termic cu un grad foarte redus de oxigen (atmosferă de azot) a fost aplicat cu succes şi raportat ca diminuând considerabil incidenţa acestui defect. Ü

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT Ü

Un profil termic neadecvat este unul care în faza de activare a fluxului îl epuizează înainte de a se ajunge în faza de retopire şi rămâne insuficient pentru reducerea oxizilor; de asemenea, un profil cu parametrul TAL (Time Above Liquidus) prea mic nu conferă suficient timp pentru amestecul celor două aliaje. Mai multe surse, Karl Seeing[1], Bob Willis[4], incriminează abaterile de la coplanaritate datorate deformării capsulei

Figura 2: Detaliile defectului HoP în vizibil şi în secţiune.

(warpage, twisting) în timpul fazei de retopire. În acest caz, sfera se deformează şi apare o structură alungită care împiedică un amestec intim cu picătura de aliaj de pe pad. Dar şi deformarea cablajului poate duce la acelaşi rezultat, după cum o finisare HASL defectuoasă poate determina inegalităţi în cantităţile de aliaj topit provocând afectarea coplanarităţii. Firmele producătoare de componente BGA sunt preocupate de modul în care componentele lor sunt asamblate pentru asigurarea unei înalte fiabilităţi a produsului lor. O parte importantă a documentaţiei furnizate se adresează tehnologului: compoziţia sferelor de aliaj, dimensiunea lor, profilul termic recomandat, numărul de cicluri termice acceptate. Mai mult, o analiză a defectului HoP foarte detaliată este accesibilă pe siteul firmei Renesas[6] de unde a fost preluată ilustrarea mecanismului de formare (figura 3). Dacă separarea sferei de aliaj de depozitul de pastă, care apare iniţial datorită înmuierii acestuia, este accentuată din cauza necoplanarităţii (cablaj, componentă, depozite inegale de pastă, sfere inegale ca diametru) oxizii de pe suprafaţa sferei nu mai sunt curăţaţi de flux. Defectul propriu -zis apare în faza de răcire a profilului termic. În tabelul din pagina următoare se prezintă o sinteză a factorilor care pot duce la apariţia defectului HoP. În figura 4 observăm două manifestări diferite ale fenomenului pe aceeaşi componentă (soclu BGA): în situaţia a contactarea între bilă şi lamela soclului a fost

afectată, în situaţia b contactarea dintre bilă şi cablajul imprimat. Conexiunile au fost supuse unei solicitări mecanice de rutină în timpul fixării componentei în soclu care a dus la desprinderea capsulei de pe cablaj.

Figura 4: Consecinţele defectului HoP în cazul unor solicitări mecanice.

Remedierea corectă a acestui defect se face utilizând staţiile de reparare / reprocesare SMT/BGA; trebuie efectuate operaţiile de îndepărtare a capsulei BGA, curăţarea padurilor de aliaj, redepunerea de pastă de lipire şi relipirea unui nou circuit. Reballingul nu e o soluţie viabilă întotdeauna; unele circuite au în mod expres specificat în foaia de catalog că nu admit mai mult de un ciclu termic de lipire. Chiar şi în cazul când sunt admise mai multe cicluri, trebuie ţinut cont că repararea mai adaugă două solicitări termice. Depunerea pastei este dificilă necesitând construcţia unor mini-şabloane care să se plaseze direct pe modulul asamblat.

UPB-CETTI

www.cetti.ro

Referinţe [1] Karl Seeing – Head-in-Pillow BGA Defects, AIM, Cranston, Rhode Island, USA. [2] Ranjit Pandher, Rahul Raut, Michael

Figura 3: Mecanismul de formare a defectului HoP. 6

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

Faza procesului de asamblare Posibile cauze Depunerea pastei de contactare Printare prin şablon (stencil) Parametrii printării Plasarea componentelor Plasare incorectă Parametrii plasării Procesul de contactare prin Parametrii profilului termic retopire Mediul procesului de retopire Asamblări mixte

Cablajul imprimat Componenta Pasta de contactare Şablonul

Volumul depozitelor de pasta Presiunea racletei (squeegee); viteza de deplasare a racletei Dezaliniere Forţa de apăsare a capului în momentul plasării Timpul de activare (Soak), timpul deasupra fazei lichide (TAL), vârful de temperatură (Peak), panta de răcire (Cooling rate) Ambiant (în contrast cu mediul inert utilizând azot sau atmosfera de vapori în cazul contactării prin condensare, Vapor Phase Soldering) Utilizarea de aliaje diferite pentru sferele BGA faţă de pasta de contactare

Materiale Neplanaritatea cablajului, neplaritatea finisării (HASL), oxidarea padului, contaminarea padului, proiectarea padului Deformarea componentei, tipul aliajului sferelor, variaţii în dimensiunea sferelor, oxidarea sferelor Tipul fluxului, tipul aliajului, volumul de pastă depus, proprietatea de umectare Grosimea şablonului, proiectarea aperturii

Liberatore, Navendra Jodhan, Karen Tellefsen – A Procedure to Determine Head-In-Pillow Defect and Analysis of Contributing Factors, Cookson Electronics, South Plainfield, NJ, USA.

[3]

[4]

Jason Fullerton – The War on Soldering Defects under Area Array Packages: Head-in-Pillow and Non-Wet Open, SMT Magazine, August 2015, pg. 12-21. www.circuitinsight.com/programs/53362.html.

Ioan Plotog – Defecte pe liniile de asamblare, Electronica Azi – SMT, Nr.6, Noiembrie/Decembrie 2015, pag.7-8.

[6] http://am.renesas.com/products/package/manual/ 5/5_1/5_1_4/index.jsp.

[5]

THE FAMILY JUST GOT BIGGER WLP120

WLP75 EOS Power India Pvt. adds two more power ratings to the WLP range (currently 225 and 350W) with 75 and 100W nominal.

The major advantage of the product range – the low profile of 1” (25.4mm) for the 75W and 1” above PCB/1.18” (30.1mm) in total for the 120W – goes hand in hand the smaller footprint of tiny 2 × 3” (50.8 × 76.2mm).

The 2 × 3” standard was in jeopardy for a long time, as many suppliers were promoted on board modules for anything below 2 × 4”.

However, the higher power density due to increased efficiency at 93% typ. allows a migration from 2 × 4” to 2 × 3”.

The WLP range from EOS can do more however as the products are compliant to the ErP directive (2009/125/EC, standby power <0.3W). The 75 and the 120W versions come with optional screw terminals, in class I and II versions.

120W Evolution

Enhanced safety features like a thermal shutdown feature, cover now all overload conditions and make the power supply inherently safe. There is also a medical version of the product which is not only B(NC) rated but also BF (body floating) for direct patient contact with patient leakage current of max 100μA. Given the BF rating, the Class II version of this product can be used in portable devices, i.e. all homecare equipment. EOS has smartly approved the power supply to manufacture any output voltage between 12 and 58VDC without incremental cost.

The device can operate already from -40°C ambient temperature up to 70°C and delivers 75W (WLP75) and 100W (WLP120) with convection cooling only. The WLP120 has an auxiliary output with 12VDC to power a fan. This feature allows the WLP120 to support applications of 120W nominal.

More info: Andreas Hanausek, +43 1 86305 131 andreas.hanausek@codico.com www.codico.com

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Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

De ce să deveniți

?

Vă oferim pe scurt câteva repere care vă pot schimba afacerea într-o activitate și mai profitabilă.

Ce este IPC ?

IPC (Institute for Printed Circuits), în prezent sub denumirea oficială “Association Connecting Electronic Industries”, www.ipc.org, s-a dorit să fie o asociație profesională care să reunească, încă de la înființarea sa în anul 1957, participanții din industria electronică de la designeri de aplicații electronice, producători de PCB, companii de asamblare aplicații electronice, furnizori și producătorii de echipamente electronice. În prezent, mai mult de 3.500 de companii din întreaga lume depind de programele și serviciile IPC pentru a-și promova excelența prin competitivitate și succes financiar. Ca o organizație condusă de membrii săi, IPC sprijină diverse programe pentru a satisface nevoile unei industrii de electronice estimate la peste 2.000 de miliarde de dolari la nivel mondial prin faptul că este o sursă: de standarde industriale, de educație și de formare, de cercetare de piață și de promovare a politicilor publice.

Activitatea într-o rețea profesională Desfășurarea activității în rețea, într-o permanentă legătură, ca o resursă supremă regenerabilă, reprezintă “cheia de boltă” în calitatea de membru IPC. Membrii IPC au oportunități neegalate de a lucra într-o conexiune cu ceilalți colegi din industrie, cu experți și lideri, prin participarea la târguri comerciale organizate de IPC, ateliere, conferințe tehnice, programe de formare și de certificare, precum și printr-o comunicare online, cum ar fi forumuri IPC de discuții și mass-media sociale.

Acces la informații despre tehnologii

• Avantajul de avea acces la servicii “Rezervat Membrilor”.

Următoarele elemente sunt definitorii pentru calitatea informațiilor furnizate: • Programele tehnice IPC sunt elaborate de către membri pentru membri.

• Folosirea standardelor IPC, acceptate la nivel global, fluidizează comunicarea tehnică între furnizori, producători, furnizori de servicii și clienții lor.

• Mai mult de 100 de comitete voluntare creează/actualizează standarde și specificații printr-un consens al membrilor participanți în activități industriale.

• Accesarea online a unor documente și prezentări tehnice din librăria IPC. • Publicarea a mai mult de 2.800 documente tehnice și 300 de standarde.

• Existența unor forumuri tehnice online ajută participanții să beneficieze rapid de răspunsuri.

Creșteți afacerea dvs. prin: • Listarea companiei dumneavoastră în Registrul membrilor IPC și în cel de Furnizor de servicii și produse.

• Obținerea unui link gratuit de pe website-ul IPC pe cel al companiei.

• Participarea la programele lunare de anchete statistice și primirea de rapoarte gratuite.

• Invitații la întâlniri exclusive pentru directori de top din EMS, OEM și producția de PCB cu factori de decizie la nivel înalt din companiile membre.

• Acces la informații referitoare la cercetări de piață pentru informații eficiente și în timp util.

• Construirea unei forțe de muncă pregătită prin programe de formare și de certificare IPC. • Participarea la APEX EXPO® ca invitat sau expozant.

Membrii IPC au costuri mai mici pentru: • Publicații și materiale de instruire IPC, precum și pentru abonamente de documente achiziționate de la IHS. • O copie gratuită a fiecărui nou standard sau revizie în termen de 90 de zile de la data publicării.

• Participarea la întâlniri, conferințe tehnice, ateliere tutoriale și programe de certificare.

• Spațiile de expoziții la evenimente IPC. Membrii IPC primesc gratuități pentru: • Fiecare nou standard sau revizie în termen de 90 de zile de la data publicării.

• Abonament la E-newsletter-ul IPC și IPC Global Insight.

Membrii au un cont deschis la IPC. Comenzile de aprovizionare vor fi acceptate, expediate și facturate către site-uri membre ale IPC cu maximă promptitudine.

Pentru mai multe informații puteți contacta, la adresa pe site-ul www.lg-advice.ro, firma L&G Advice Serv SRL, membru IPC, distribuitor autorizat de programe de instruire și standarde IPC. Augustin Stan (Gus)

Tel/Fax: +4 021 242 1021 Mobile: +4 074 508 5227 +4 077 226 8793 Web: http://www.lg-advice.ro Provider IPC 600, 610, 620, 001, 7711/21 & CID programs

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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Îmbunătățirea productivității şi eficienţei în proiectarea PCB Autor: Şl. Dr. Ing. Marian Vlădescu

OrCAD® PCB Productivity Toolbox este o suită vastă de utilităţi complet integrate cu OrCAD PCB Editor, care îmbunătăţeşte productivitatea şi eficienţa globală a proiectanţilor de plăci cu circuite imprimate. Aceasta pune la dispoziţia proiectanţilor PCB o colecţie de funcţii ce permit reducerea timpului necesar proiectării, dar şi funcţii de proiectare avansată care sporesc şi optimizează capabilităţile existente ale pachetelor OrCAD PCB Designer.

• • • •

Caracteristici principale Conţine o colecție amplă de funcții ce furnizează capabilități suplimentare pentru proiectarea PCB și asigură productivitea proiectanţilor Este complet integrată în cadrul mediului de proiectare OrCAD PCB Editor Este disponibilă atât pentru utilizatorii pachetului OrCAD PCB Designer Professional, cât și pentru cei ai pachetului OrCAD PCB Designer Standard Îmbunătățește eficiența și productivitatea pachetelor OrCAD PCB Designer, reducând totodată timpul necesar realizării proiectului

Prezentare generală OrCAD® PCB Productivity Toolbox oferă un set de utilități axat pe îmbunătățirea productivității PCB Designer prin activarea şi eficientizarea a numeroase operații de proiectare uzuale sau recent apărute.

se axează pe îmbunătățirea modelelor de utilizare existente și reducerea numărului de comenzi necesare din partea proiectantului pe parcursul proiectării PCB.

Grila polară (Polar Grid) Utilitatea Polar Grid oferă capabilitatea de a administra rapid și cu ușurință amplasarea componentelor și rutarea în cazul plăcilor

Utilitățile setului de instrumente Productivity Toolbox sunt direct integrate în interfața grafică pentru utilizator (GUI) a mediului de proiectare OrCAD PCB Editor și în structura sa de comandă, modificările care apar față de varianta clasică a interfeţei grafice neafectând obişnuinţa proiectantului în a utiliza mediul de proiectare respectiv şi oferind totodată beneficii considerabile.

Funcții incluse Deşi au capabilități diferite, toate utilitățile din cadrul OrCAD PCB Productivity Toolbox 10

Figura 1: Utilitatea Polar Grid oferă un set de funcții deosebit de utile pentru plăcile cu circuite imprimate unde sunt necesare amplasarea și rutarea circulară.

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

PCB circulare – vezi figura 1. Polar Grid este o utilitate complexă ce poate fi considerată indispensabilă pentru proiectele care includ acest tip de plăci cu circuite imprimate.

adecvată a numelor acestora, pentru șablonul de inscripţionare prin serigrafie.

Pornind de la situația prezentată în figura 2, în care etichetele sunt imposibil de citit, pe baza setărilor efectuate de proiectant, se poate crea automat o versiune gata de fabricație prezentată în figura 3.

Funcțiile Toolbox Toolbox include şi o serie de alte utilități extrem de utile și eficiente:

Figura 2: Modul în care apar de obicei etichetele pe parcursul proiectării PCB.

• Assign Net to Existing Via (punerea în corespondență a rețelelor de conexiune cu găurile de trecere existente) – schimbă numele semnalului sau al rețelei de conexiune în relație cu o gaură de trecere existentă, fără a elimina și reintroduce gaura de trecere respectivă • Cross Copy – copiază elementele de pe un strat pe altul, păstrând funcțiile existente ale acestora

Figura 3: Rezultatul obținut prin intermediul utilității Label Tuning.

Ajustarea etichetelor (Label Tuning) Utilitatea Label Tuning realizează optimizarea automată a etichetelor componentelor, prin amplasarea, scalarea și rotirea

• Barcode – creează o reprezentare de tip cod de bare pentru numărul de referinţă al proiectului sau pentru alte informații definite de utilizator • Drafting Utility – creează forme care nu sunt bazate pe o grilă, ci pe intersectarea unor alte obiecte • Batch Plot – creează un set definit de documente pentru printarea ca document PDF într-un singur proces

• Padstack Finder – localizează și evidențiază în proiect, prin culori, seturile de pastile (pad-uri) separate de terminalele componentelor și de găurile de trecere • Post Processing – creează datele postprocesate necesare pentru fabricație ordonate pe categorii, alcătuind un set de informaţii care poate fi salvat şi reprodus cu uşurinţă, astfel încât să corespundă cerințelor fabricanţilor • Color by Netclass – Colorează distinct clasele de reţele de conexiune care necesită spaţiere, în vederea examinării și documentării acestora, fiind utilă în proiectele de circuite de viteză mare sau de tensiune/curent înalte • PCB Library Plot – introduce toate amprentele capsulelor PCB într-o bibliotecă pe care o tipărește pe baza unui șablon selectat • Quick Symbol Edit – editează/modifică local simbolurile specifice proiectului • Shape Utilities – oferă un set puternic de operații Booleene (OR, AND, ANDNOT, XOR) ce poate fi utilizat pentru realizarea formelor, inclusiv scalarea formei rezultante Pentru mai multe informaţii despre OrCAD® PCB Productivity Toolbox, puteți accesa următorul link: www.orcad.ro

Pachetele OrCAD disponibile în versiunea 16.6 – 2015 Tehnologiile OrCAD sunt grupate în diferite pachete (OrCAD Capture, OrCAD PSpice Designer sau OrCAD PCB Designer), pentru a asigura funcţionalitatea necesară diferitelor operaţii din fluxul de proiectare electronică (proiectarea schemei electrice, simularea circuitului şi proiectarea PCB). La aceste pachete pot fi adaugate diverse module opţionale, în funcţie de necesităţi.

OrCAD Lite OrCAD Capture

Versiune gratuită ce include toate caracteristicile şi funcţionalităţile principale ale tehnologiilor OrCAD, având însă limitări în ceea ce priveşte dimensiunea proiectelor ce pot fi realizate Un standard în industrie pentru proiectarea schemelor electrice

OrCAD PSpice Designer

O soluţie completă de proiectare a circuitelor electronice extrem de bine integrată, ce combină OrCAD Capture şi PSpice A/D într-un singur pachet

OrCAD PSpice Designer Plus

Include o suită de capabilități de analiză avansată care ajută proiectanții să maximizeze performanțele circuitului

OrCAD PCB Designer Standard

Versiunea de bază OrCAD. O soluţie de proiectare PCB uşor de utilizat, ce combină OrCAD Capture şi OrCAD PCB Editor într-un singur pachet

OrCAD PCB Designer Professional

Adaugă funcţionalităţi suplimentare pentru gestionarea constrângerilor, editarea avansată a PCB, plasarea îmbunăţită a componentelor şi rutarea automată

OrCAD PCB Designer Professional w/ PSpice

Adaugă PSpice A/D, un simulator analogic cu capabilităţi complete ce are suport pentru componente digitale

OrCAD PCB SI

O soluţie pentru verificarea integrităţii semnalelor, care ajută proiectanţii să testeze alternative ale proiectului PCB astfel încât să poată face compromisuri importante într-o fază incipientă a procesului de proiectare Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Ebso Selective Solder platform The Ebso SPA-NC Series is highly flexible, automatic selective soldering cell with manual load/unload. There are a number of PCBs that are assembled with thermal sensitive components and complex SMD layouts, which are challenging and likely unsuitable for processing in a traditional wave solder machine. To overcome the soldering challenges, some electronics manufacturers will use custom solder masks to cover the SMD components. But, this is an added assembly step that adds expensive and additional handling. The EBSO SPA-NC Selective Solder platform overcomes the soldering challenges by automatically transporting the PCB to each critical soldering step via an XYZaxis carrier - Microdrop fluxer, bottom-side preheater and soldering modules. The final result: Perfect solder joints and a reliable and repeatable process.

To reduce surface tension of the solder wave, and to achieve the highest quality soldering results, nitrogen is provided to the solder bath and solder pump unit.

The unique Fast Remove Pump System® designed by Ebso, enables maintenance personnel to access the pump within minutes. Using the special tool, the pump head is simply turned at 45° and easily lifted out of the bath while still secured in the maintenance. Furthermore, the solder bath and pump in the SPA-NC are made of Titanium, making the machine suitable for both lead and lead free production environments.

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All SPA-NC Selective Soldering machines include the EBSO Photo Editor, a Windows based software program.

Utilizing a “Point & Click” feature, soldering programs are easily created within minutes. Programming the SPA-NC is intuitive and easy. A scanned image of a bare PCB is all that is needed. Once the PCB is scanned, it is loaded into the editor, and appropriately scaled. For each flux and each solder point, the operator would use the mouse to point and click on the image to teach the soldering locations. The software automatically calculates the correct X and Y value.

Because the operator is looking at the PCB

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

image when creating the program, the operator can see all neighboring components to optimize the program and select the appropriate nozzle. This negates the requirement for expensive teach cameras.

The SPA-NC utilizes an CNC controller.

The controller is a black/white touch screen with I/O capabilities. The primary function is machine calibration (homing positions), turning on/off the N2 supply, turning on/off the solder pot, etc., and is the interface for the solder program when imported from the offline editor with FTP Network connection. www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT EqUIPMEnT

The machine offers • • • • • • • •

Soldering under 7° or 0° with Servo XYZ axis Dual Nozzle Dual Flux to double the throughput Wide range of different nozzles Wetable and Jet nozzles up to 60 mm in width.

Airless Drop Jet Fluxing with optional Drop control IR and Convection Preheat Buttom and Top Side Automatic Solder level control and Solder wire feeder Automatic Solder height control Top and Bottom Preheat incl. Pyrometer control

Ebso GmbH is a leading developer and manufacturer of selective wave solder machines, and is recognized globally as a market leader in Selective Soldering Technology.

Ebso has over 30 years of experience and hundreds of selective solder machine installed worldwide.

Adrian Iliescu InterElectronic

+36 30 402-1987 +40 74 898-7270

adrian.iliescu@interelectronic.net www.interelectronic.net

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Basic Principles of Polymer Thick Film Flexible Circuits

By Joseph Fjelstad, Verdant Electronics

Tehnologia circuitelor flexibile (Flexible Circuit Technology, FCT) reprezintă o piaţă de mai multe miliarde de dolari la nivel global şi este în continuă creştere. Astăzi, circuitele flexibile sunt folosite în aproape orice tip de produs electric și electronic imaginabil, domeniul auto fiind unul din beneficiarii cei mai importanţi ai tehnologiei. Trendul ascendent nu a fost fără probleme, cel mai adesea fiind confruntaţi cu eșecul cei care au intrat în arena FCT nepregătiţi pe deplin. Articolul de faţă poate constitui o introducere în principiile de bază ale circuitelor flexibile pe peliculă groasă din polimer, mai multe detalii putând fi obţinute din lucrarea Flexible Circuit Technology a aceluiaşi autor.

Polymer thick film (PTF) technologies have been used to manufacture printed circuits for decades. In fact, some of the very first circuits ever produced in volume were made by printing conductive inks patterned on an insulating substrate using a stencil. While the versatile nature of the materials used and the simplicity of the manufacturing process have made possible

its continued use for more than six decades. In more recent decades, the technology has seen extensive use in the manufacture of inexpensive, polyester filmbased membrane switches for electronic devices of every imaginable type, from hand-held calculators and computer keyboards to household appliances including microwave ovens and washers and dryers

and beyond. An example of such a prospective construction is shown in the cross section in Figure 1.

Polymer thick film circuits are similar in many ways to their rigid and flexible counterparts; however, because of the materials and processes, they have their own very specific design rules. Because most PTF processing is most commonly based on

Figure 1: The list of materials used in the manufacture of PTF circuits is a short one and a primary factor in their being one of the lowest cost of current flexible circuit solutions.

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www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

screen printing technology, the limits of design are intrinsically linked to the printed ink’s processing considerations and limitations. For example, there are the unique processing properties for conductive and resistive as well as insulating inks in terms of their thixotropy, which influence their printability. There is also the important consideration of the final values for the conductivity and/or resistivity of the ink used when cured. In addition, there are also the limits of the screen printing materials and the processes used. Traditional screen printing methods are typically limited to the production of relatively course features (e.g., 250 μm). However, very fine-featured screen printed circuit technology has been reported down to ranges closer to 125 μm.

For the foreseeable future, screen printing will remain an important technology for the manufacture of PTF circuits, both rigid and flexible. That said, inkjet printing is well positioned to augment time honored screen print methods. It also opens the door to realizing the possibility of producing circuits economically at a run unit of one, which has been one of the ideals of manufacturing. With respect to PTF inks, the particle size of the included conductor material (historically silver but with other conductor materials coming on line) and the polymer carrier, its rheology and flow characteristics will establish the limits of screen printing. Emerging nanotechnologies being applied to conductive particle production appear poised to greatly boost conductivity, possibly opening the door for much broader use of polymer thick film technology in areas once reserved for copper circuits. While PTF circuits are not generally considered suitable for dynamic applications, they can actually perform quite well in certain types of dynamic applications. Some experimenters have actually reported increases in conductivity with cycling. PTF membrane switches also provided historical witnesses to the efficacy of PTF as a flexing technology in the contact areas of dome switches.

Basic Circuit Design Considerations with PTF Among the most basic measures of any circuit manufacturing technology are feature sizes. These include circuit feature such as minimum hole sizes, conductor line and space limitations, and the base material’s performance limitations.

As mentioned above, minimum conductor width and spacing is considered to be in the range of 250–375 μm (0.010”–0.015”).

It is possible to produce finer lines and spaces using PTF inks as was also mentioned, however, circuit conductivity can become more of a design performance concern. In that regard, appreciation of ink conductivity is a key concern in designing PTF circuits. The circuits are typically lowpower with maximum current ratings of around 1/10 of an amp.

Current generation silver-based polymer thick film inks, under normal conditions can be expected to carry approximately 25% of the current of copper circuits for equivalent line widths and using a nominal PTF ink thickness. However improvements in materials are being made on a regular basis and there has been some suggestion that conductivities approaching that of copper metal are on the horizon. From a conductivity standpoint, values presently are nominally in the range of 5–20 milliohms/square/25 μm of ink thickness, however, patent literature reports values of 0.100 ohm/square/25 μm for copper particles plated with silver.

While conductive ink prices may run high owing to the price of silver, the overall processing cost should reduce the overall cost of production.

That aside, care should be used when attempting carry higher currents with metal filled polymers. Hot spots within the conductor/ polymer matrix can cause rapid degradation of the conductor and possible failure. Also in general, the operating temperature of the circuit should not exceed 90°C and the base material choice may suppress that limit even further depending on what material is used.

Screen printed resistors are familiar and fundamental devices commonly found incorporated into many PTF circuit designs. When planning to use them in a design, the resistors should be kept to a minimum of one or two bulk resistive values to facilitate processing. In general, resistors can be printed to within ±20% of desired value without trimming, however if tighter control of the tolerance of resistor value is required, laser or mechanical trimming of the resistor can be employed. It is also possible for the producer to mix resistive and conductive inks to tune the resistor value if desired, but this takes time and care to assure consistency.

When considering terminations, the design rules for circuit pads or lands for PTF circuits are similar to those used for rigid printed wiring boards, however, the termination features should be discussed with the manufacturer. Also while polymer thick film inks are not directly solderable, conductive adhesives can be successfully used to surface mount components. In such cases the component land design for surface mounting is basically the same as it is for traditional PCBs. Device attachment must be accurate, however, because the components will not center themselves in the same way that soldered components do when the solder melts during reflow.

As is the case with other more standard type flexible circuits, PTF flex circuits such as those used for membrane switches often have need for edge contacts which allow them to be plugged into connectors or mated to another surface. The finish of choice for PTF is commonly carbon. The thin graphite coating is both low friction and sufficiently conductive to carry power and signals at the higher voltages that are typically used where PTF technology can serve and it works well with the ZIF-type connectors that are commonly used with other types of flexible circuits.

Summary Polymer thick film technology is a very useful solution for the manufacture of flexible circuit designs which can take advantage of its benefits while tolerating its more limited abilities. It facilitates the production of highly cost-effective assemblies using simple processing methods and low cost materials. While PTF may not be suitable for every application, it should not be overlooked or automatically ruled out without having given it at least a moment of consideration whenever cost consideration is a high-level concern.

Verdant Electronics Founder and President Joseph (Joe) Fjelstad is a four-decade veteran of the electronics industry and an international authority and innovator in the field of electronic interconnection and packaging technologies. Fjelstad has more than 250 U.S. and international patents issued or pending and is the author of Flexible Circuit Technology.

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Quo vadis PCB? Un interviu cu Andy Shaughnessy, Managing Editor la The PCB Design Magazine Material realizat de Gaudenţiu Vărzaru

Editorialistul Şef al prestigioasei publicaţii “The PCB Design Magazine” a avut amabilitatea de a răspunde unor întrebări formulate de o echipă a laboratorului Centrului de Electronică Tehnologică şi Tehnici de Interconectare, UPB – CETTI, formată din Prof. Paul Svasta şi Prof. Norocel Codreanu. Având o experienţă de peste 15 ani în domeniul publicaţiilor tehnice tipărite şi digitale dedicate comunităţii globale implicate în proiectarea, fabricarea cablajelor imprimate şi asamblarea modulelor electronice, mai întâi ca Editor în cadrul UP Media Group, apoi ca Design Editor la PCB007, precum şi un background universitar, Andy Shaughnessy este un foarte bun cunoscător al domeniului packagingului electronic fiind o personalitate recunoscută şi competentă.

Luând contact cu un spaţiu care pentru domnia sa constituia încă o pată albă pe harta unei pieţe globalizate a electronicii, Andy a fost foarte receptiv să cunoască realizările în educaţia tinerelor generaţii pentru exigenţele impuse de evoluţia cunoaşterii şi şi-a manifestat interesul de a observa mai îndeaproape preocupările dezvoltării competenţelor studenţilor în domeniul proiectării cablajelor imprimate la cerinţele industriei prin confirmarea participării la viitoarea ediţie a TIE 2017.

Andy Shaughnessy is the editor of PCBDesign007 and the Inside Design newsletter, as well as managing editor of The PCB Design Magazine.

He has been covering PCB design and EDA issues since 1999.

Andy previously served as editor of Printed Circuit Design & Fabrication and conference chair for the PCB Design Conferences.

www.iconnect007.com/magazines/pcb-design-magazine

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He is also the author of a chapter on EDA tools in the newest edition of The Printed Circuits Handbook, published by Clyde F. Coombs and Happy Holden.

www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TEHNOLOGY

q. What is your perception regarding electronics development around the world?

A. This is an exciting time to be involved in electronics design and manufacturing.

Fabrication and assembly processes are evolving so fast that it’s difficult to get an accurate picture of what is “state of the art.”

For example, when I started covering this industry in the 1990s, HDI was still a dream, and flexible circuits were prohibitively expensive. Now, many US fabricators offer HDI services, and flex circuits have found their way into a lot of our everyday electronic devices. It’s an exciting time, but also a scary time for electronics manufacturers who are fighting for every penny and every job. Global competition and downturns in 2002 and 2008 have reduced the ranks of US PCB manufacturers from over 2,000 to about 300. But the remaining board shops have proven that they can adapt to change.

In this industry, if you don’t stay flexible, you’re going to go under. q. To what extent is SMT a current technology and how long will it be?

A. When SMT first appeared in the 1980s, everyone thought through-hole mounting would be made obsolete in short order.

SMT is certainly the dominant mounting process now, but through-hole mounting has remained stubbornly popular for military and aerospace, because of its reliability. But SMT is still overwhelmingly popular, and through-hole is seen as a secondary process. I don’t see anything replacing SMT any time soon, except perhaps Joe Fjelstad’s solderless Occam process. If we can get some boards designed and manufactured using the Occam process, who knows? After that, the sky’s the limit. q. What knowledge is needed by engineers involved in the designing of the printed circuit boards?

A. I think all degreed electrical engineers working in PCB design should also take classes in PCB design and layout. On the other hand, I also believe all PCB designers should have a basic understanding of engineering, especially signal integrity and transmission line theory. Recently, basic PCB design classes at DesignCon and PCB West have been full of degreed engineers, and I see that as a good sign. And more and more PCB designers are taking signal integrity and EMC classes at these conferences, because so much of the “rank and file” designer’s job now involves understanding issues that were primarily in the EE’s wheelhouse a decade ago.

q. Is it possible not to involve specialized people for designing PCBs at the current level of complexity of electronic modules?

A. It is possible. But is it the best idea? If you need a mixed-signal design, I think you should use a designer who is a specialist at mixed-signal. But I meet designers all the time who are thrown into unfamiliar design technologies. You see the questions on the IPC forums: “Help! I have to design an RF board and I have no idea what I’m doing.

Where do I start?” I get the feeling that this is more common than we think. q. How do you feel about the relationship between industry and academia regarding the proper training of the future engineers required by electronics industry?

A. There definitely needs to be more communication between the PCB industry and academia. Most high schools and colleges do not even know that the PCB industry exists as a career option. I talk to bright young people all the time who are considering a technology career, and they never mention PCBs or electronics manufacturing.

They want to be IT administrators. They want to design the next Tom Clancy video game, or design websites. Part of this is due to the fact that there is no four-year degree for PCB design. There’s no “critical path” to being a designer; the majority of my readers have one year of college or less. On the other hand, I don’t know too many other careers in which someone without a college degree can earn $90,000 or $100,000 a year, as many of my readers do. But students don’t know about our industry. We need to do a better job of getting our industry on the career counselors’ radar. IPC has been working on this problem for years, but it’s an ongoing issue. q. Do you see possible collaborative activities between companies in the US and Romania aimed at promoting the development of electronic products?

A. Absolutely. Romania boasts a variety of electronics companies, and events like TIE could help open up more collaboration between the two countries. The more our countries communicate, the better. q. Can you make a brief description of the achieved level of interconnection structures today?

A. If you ask 20 fabricators what they consider to be the highest level of manufacturable interconnect structures, you’ll probably get 20 different answers.

I’m not sure, but someone like Happy Holden could give you an exact answer. q. Does academia provide compatible curricula to the industrial environment requirements?

A. Well, I would say the results are mixed.

And again, this goes back to our industry’s lack of presence at high schools and colleges. I hear horror stories from CAD managers who have hired degreed engineers who have absolutely no clue about what they’re doing. It’s not the new engineer’s fault; he completed his four years of college and got a good job. But he likely didn’t get much actual PCB design instruction. Sure, there’s a learning curve for any grad entering the workplace, but I believe many colleges are letting down their electronics students, and it’s partly our industry’s fault for not communicating better with academia. q. Are IPC standards promoted in US academia?

A. I don’t think so. IPC could tell you, but I doubt it. I know some EE students in the US learn about the Federal Communications Commission regulations regarding EMC and radiation, but I don’t think IPC standards are part of our schools’ curriculum. q. How do you feel about the extremely high growth of interest in “software” versus “hardware” – which however has an extremely important part in the development of electronic products - among the young generation?

A. I think that the young people of today see software as cool and “sexy,” but hardware is considered “old school.” I think that colleges have been focusing on software for decades, so that’s all students hear about for four years. Again, this could change if we start working more closely with academia. q. What advice would you give to young people who are studying (or will study in the future) electronics in college?

A. Get out of the classroom and visit as many fabricators and assembly providers as you can. Visit a contract manufacturer and a PCB design bureau. One great thing about our industry is that we love to talk about our jobs. Ask these technologists a lot of questions, and I bet they’ll be happy to explain things to you. Stay in contact with them. You never know when you might need some advice. School is important, but some of the best technologists I know have never even seen a college.

UPB-CETTI

www.cetti.ro

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Premium Quality ....

LTHD CORPORATION, vă stă la dispoziţie, cu toate informaţiile de care aveţi nevoie ca profesionist implicat în procesul de identificare.

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• pentru a veni în întâmpinarea nevoilor clientului utilizăm diferite tipuri de materiale de la hârtie până la materiale speciale.

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Aplicaţii în industria electronică Identificarea plăcilor cu circuite integrate (PCB) şi a componentelor LTHD Corporation vă pune la dispoziţie mijloacele cele mai potrivite pentru a asigura lizibilitatea identităţii produsului dumneavoastră în timpul producţiei.

PCB Rework şi trasabilitate - Uneori, în procesul de asamblare al plăcilor electronice veţi avea nevoie să protejaţi anumite zone ale acestora pentru a evidenţia anumite probleme de calitate sau pentru a asigura o manipulare corespunzătoare protejând produsul împotriva descărcărilor electrostatice.

Aplicaţii în industria auto Compania noastră a dezvoltat o unitate de producţie capabilă de a veni în întâmpinarea cerinţelor specifice în industria auto. În Octombrie 2008 am fost certificaţi în sistemul de management al calităţii ISO/TS 16949.

Soluţii de identificare generale Identificarea obiectelor de inventar, plăcuţe de identificare - LTHD Corporation oferă materiale de înaltă calitate testate pentru a rezista în medii ostile, în aplicaţii industriale şi care asigură o identificare a produsului lizibilă pe timp îndelungat.

Etichete pentru inspecţia şi service-ul echipamentelor - Pentru aplicaţii de control şi mentenanţă, LTHD Corporation oferă etichete preprintate sau care pot fi inscripţionate sau printate.

Etichete pentru depozite - LTHD Corporation furnizează o gamă completă de etichete special dezvoltate pentru identificare în depozite.

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www.electronica-azi.ro

SOLUŢII ID

Aplicaţii speciale Pentru aplicaţii speciale furnizăm produse în strictă conformitate cu specificaţiile de material, dimensiuni şi alţi parametri solicitaţi de client.

Security Labels - toată gama de etichete distructibile, capabile de a evidenţia distrugerea sigiliului prin texte standard sau specificate de client.

Benzi de mascare - benzi rezistente la temperaturi înalte, produse din polymidă cu adeziv siliconic rezistent până la 500°C, ce poate fi îndepărtat fără a lăsa reziduuri. Disponibile într-o gamă largă de dimensiuni cum ar fi: grosime - 1mm, 2mm, 3mm şi lăţime 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 25mm.

Etichete cu rezistenţă mare la temperatură - o întreagă gamă de etichete rezistente la temperaturi ridicate, realizate din materiale speciale (polyimide, acrylat, Kapton® etc.) utilizate pentru identificarea componentelor în procesul de producţie.

Etichete standard şi inteligente - ca furnizor de servicii complete putem pune la dispoziţie etichete în orice formă, culoare, material, pentru orice tehnologie.

RFID Systems - vă punem la dispoziţie sisteme RFID complete incluzând şi proiectarea sistemului cu etichete inteligente, hardware şi software necesar.

Signalistica de siguranţă a muncii - LTHD Corporation este furnizor pentru toate tipurile de marcaje de protecţie şi siguranţă a muncii incluzând signalistica standard, de înaltă performanţă şi hardware şi software utilizat pentru producţia acestora.

Etichete printate - tehnologia digitală folosită de LTHD Corporation oferă posibilitatea realizării de etichete printate și preprintate conform cerințelor clienților. Tipărirea etichetelor se face în policromie, utilizând diverse tehnologii la o rezoluție de până la 1200 dpi.

LTHD Corporation a ajutat peste 500 de companii să-și poată satisface necesarul de soluții de identificare (etichete, riboane). Dispunem de materialele necesare, iar tehnologia pe care o folosim în debitarea etichetelor ne permite să executăm oricât de multe sau puține etichete și cel mai important, oricât de complicate ar fi ca design.

Este ceea ce noi facem cel mai bine.

Cu linia completă de echipamente de la LTHD Corporation puteti imprima, codifica și aplica etichetele așa cum doriti în mediul dvs. de lucru. Pentru a ajuta operațiile de manipulare legate de produse vă oferim de asemenea, o linie completă de cititoare de coduri de bare 1D și 2D, cât și cititoare RFID și unități de colectare portabile a informațiilor, etichete policromie 1200 dpi. O etichetă este de cele mai multe ori partea ce rămâne vizibilă și care reprezintă interfața între producătorul lor și clientul care are nevoie de ele. Pare banal, dar eticheta este cea care vinde produsul și prin care producătorul acestora se regăseşte în produsul final.

Dar acest lucru nu definește nici pe departe calitatea acestei etichete. O etichetă trebuie să fie folosită în mod practic scopului pentru care a fost produsă.

Astăzi, companiile folosesc etichete speciale pentru nenumărate aplicații: identificarea produselor, livrări de marfă, coduri de bare aplicaţii RFID, procese pe linia de producţie, control și inventariere, preţuri, promoţii și multe alte scopuri.

Pentru a satisfice pe deplin aceste aplicații, etichetele trebuie să adere la o varietate de suprafețe: aluminiu, carton, sticlă, oțel, plastic și multe altele.

Selectarea etichetei care vă este necesară este foarte importantă. Sperăm să putem să vă ajutam în luarea deciziilor corecte.

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

PRODUSE ESD LTHD Corporation, bazându-se pe flexibilitatea tehnologică de care dispune vine în întâmpinarea clienţilor din industria electronică oferindu-le produse speciale pentru ambalare şi depozitare.

Pungile protectoare ESD oferă un mediu sigur de ambalare pentru componentele şi subansamblele electronice sensibile la descărcări electrostatice. Datorită flexibilității de care dispunem, pungile antistatice nu au dimensiuni standard, acestea fiind produse în funcție de cerințele și necesitățile clienților noștri. LTHD Corporation satisface cerințele clienților săi indiferent de volumele cerute.

Pungile antistatice Moisture sunt pungi care pe lângă proprietatea de a proteja produsele împotriva descărcărilor electrostatice, mai protejează și împotriva umidității.

Datorită rigidității materialului din care sunt făcute, aceste pungi se videază, iar produsele aflate în pungă nu au niciun contact cu mediul înconjurător ceea ce duce la lungirea duratei de viață a produsului.

LTHD produce aceste pungi antistatice utilizând materii prime de calitate superioară 3M, compatibile cu cerințele RoHS și care corespund standardului IEC61340-5-1.

Din gama foarte diversificată de produse, LTHD Corporation mai produce și cutii din polipropilenă celulară cu proprietăți antistatice. Aceste cutii se pot utiliza pentru transportarea sau depozitarea produselor care necesită protecție împotriva descărcărilor electrostatice.

Materia primă folosită este conformă cu cerințele RoHS. Această polipropilenă antistatică poate fi de mai multe grosimi, iar cutiile sunt produse în funcție de cerințele clientului.

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Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

COnSUMABILE

•

Grosimea materialului din care se face cutia se alege în funcție de greutatea pe care trebuie să o susțină aceasta.

•

Dimensiunile cutiei sunt customizabile.

•

Din această polipropilenă se mai realizează și separatoare pentru a compartimenta o cutie și pentru a folosi tot spațiul de care se dispune.

•

Treptat, aceste cutii din polipropilenă antistatică vor înlocui cutiile de carton aflate la ora actuală pe piață deoarece acestea păstrează mediul de depozitare mult mai curat și lipsit de particulele de praf.

•

La livrare, clientul poate alege dacă produsul va fi asamblat sau desfășurat.

•

Materia primă pentru aceste produse este existentă tot timpul pe stoc în depozitul nostru din Timișoara.

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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High Quality Die Cut Utilizând o gamă largă de materiale combinate cu tehnologii digitale, LTHD Corporation, transformă materialele speciale în repere customizate asigurând rezultatul potrivit pentru necesităţile clientului. Experienţa acumulată în cei peste 15 ani de către personalul implicat în proiectarea şi producţia die-cut-urilor asigură un nivel de asistenţă ridicat în selectarea materialelor şi a adezivilor potriviţi, optarea pentru o tehnologie prin care să se realizeze reperul solicitat de client precum şi: • Asistenţă la proiectarea reperului • Realizarea de mostre - se pot produce într-un timp scurt mostre ale produsului dorit pentru a fi testat de client • Controlul calităţii LTHD Corporation este certificată ISO 9001:2008 şi ISO/TS 16949/2009.

Avantajele tehnologiilor digitale folosite asigură atât calitatea superioară a produselor obţinute printr-o calitate şi precizie constantă a tăieturilor cât şi, în acelaşi timp, reducerea la minim a costurilor rezultate din pregătirea producţiei (nu se utilizează matriţe sau dispozitive dedicate).

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Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

www.electronica-azi.ro

COnSUMABILE

Datorită flexibilităţii tehnologiilor utilizate nu există nicio limitare din punct de vedere al complexităţii produselor realizate: garnituri, kit-uri de etanşare, panouri de control, plăcuţe de identificare, folii de protecţie.

Diferitele tehnologii folosite în realizarea die-cut-urilor - printare, asamblare, decupare - fac ca produsele oferite de către LTHD Corporation să satisfacă cele mai diferite cerinţe ale clienţilor. Apariţia unui nou proiect, a unei noi solicitări din partea clienţilor este pentru echipa LTHD Corporation, o nouă provocare pe care cu ajutorul experienţei acumulate, a tehnologiilor utilizate şi a unei varietăţi mari de materiale speciale folosite, o finalizează cu succes, asigurând o calitate ridicată şi o livrare “Just in Time!” a produselor dorite de către clienţi.

Viteza de răspuns ridicată asigurată de tehnologiile digitale, se reflectă atât în realizarea cu uşurinţă şi fără costuri suplimentare a modificărilor produsului iniţial cât şi în timpul de pregătire al producţiei, astfel orice modificare apărută în proiectul iniţial este realizată şi trimisă într-un timp extrem de scurt clientului pentru testare şi omologare.

Gama de produse oferite de LTHD Corporation, cuprinde: l l l l l l l l

Garnituri Panouri de control printate Elemente de montare şi asamblare din materiale dublu adezive Spume de filtrare Kit-uri de etanşare Repere izolatoare Distanţiere Amortizoare de vibraţii

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Rent Your SMT Line Not having to spend a lot of money upfront can help your business manage its cash flow more effectively. Whether you’re starting out or expanding, renting is the smart option for your business.

Staying Ahead of the Game We live in a time of constant changes where every day we have to adapt to our customers’ needs. Either because of the new technological challenges, a focus on ROI “return on investment” or better productivity against new competition. The reasons can be many, and we believe we can help in providing the right solution.

Keeping up with the pace and always being a step ahead of your competitors is what we are all striving to. Today you can rent almost everything starting from airplanes and properties to cars and machines.

So, why not rent your next SMT equipment?

Advantages of Renting 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

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8.

It’s the right to use the equipment, and not the ownership, that creates revenue and profit for the company.

Rentals can be customized from 18 months, and to customer's needs: monthly, quarterly or annually.

Renting allows your company to “protect” your normal bank relationship.

Renting allows you to minimize your risk on big asset depreciation.

Renting does not affect a take away from the balance sheet as debt-financed assets; it has a positive effect on a number of key figures.

Cash Flow; payments are allocated over the period during which the equipment is used and generates profit. (When you have bought the equipment your cash is locked away) Renting strengthens the company’s competitiveness; use your cash where your returns are the greatest. (Production companies often choose to use their cash on new development, salaries or purchase of raw materials which equals the highest return on investment) Flexibility – you are not “stuck” with your SMD-Line. Renting provides you the possibility to change your equipment depending on your customer's demands and market requirements!

What equipment fits your business best?

To give you a choice in our rental concept, we have created two different product production lines. The first one is called the “PREMIUM SMT CONCEPT” and the second one is called “ECONOMIC SMT CONCEPT”.

PREMIUM SMT CONCEPT It contains all the premium brands you know such as Assembléon, DEK, Vitronics-Soltec, and others. Everything to make you feel secure with the machines that will deliver your client's products. Scalable from 9,000 to 165,000+ CPH.

ECONOMIC SMT CONCEPT Here we have selected the equipment that is of high quality and proven reliability and that gives you a competent and powerful alternative, that maintains a lower price image without compromising on quality and reliability, and with access to good service and support. Scalable from 8,000 to 80,000+ CPH.

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FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS FOR ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING Standard leasing solutions are restricted to any improvement / changes.

The financial solution of SMTHOUSE is tailored to the needs of electronic production environments and includes the following additional advantages. ￭ ￭ ￭ ￭ ￭ ￭ ￭

Choose your manufacturing equipment based on today’s and future need from market leading suppliers.

Total SMT line solutions or single machines Best competitive monthly rates based on contracts between 18-72 months Fixed rates including service, maintenance and spares SMTH Technology Guarantee allows you to swap your installed equipment during the contract period Additional options can be added into the running contract at any time Flexible options after the end of the contract based on your needs

Configure your SMT Lines upon your demands from world known manufacturers like KNS/Assembleon, Hanwa/Samsung, Mirae, DEK, Reprint, Vitronics Soltec, MEK, TRI and others.

Adapt it to your changing demands during the rental agreement and get your full flexibility regarding changing production demands.

PREMIUM LINE / 70 - 175.000 cph (IPC) Renting instead of buying from 13.995,- EUR per month Scalable output without the need to exchange machines COMPETITIVE LINE / 36.000 Bt/Std. (IPC) Highly flexible SMT Production line

Renting instead of buying from

4.995,-

EUR per month

ENTRY LINE / 15.000 Bt/Std. (IPC) Renting instead of buying from 2.495.- EUR per month Complete SMT Production Line for low volume and NPI

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SEICA AUTOMATIOn was founded to fulfill customer needs of handling systems for the electronic production.

The company can supply every kind of automation systems to complete production lines, from the easiest to the most elaborate ones.

Thanks to its engineering department, which uses themost advances tools for development and 3D design,SEICA AUTOMATION can offer high quality standards, fast conceiving times and a wide customization of the modules.

The internal production department assures the possibility to put on trial every single machine in its entire working cycle; systems development and later upgrades can be also available.

People with more of 20 years of experience in board handling gives Seica Automation team the necessary know-how to find always the most efficient solution and to solve any production issue.

SEICA AUTOMATION manufactures loaders, unloaders, conveyors, buffers, shuttles, and has a wide range of standard handling systems as well as an infinite number of other customized solutions.

An experience of more than 20 years gives to SEICA AUTOMATION the necessary know-how to find the efficient solution for customer board handling,traceability and custom automated solution, we propose to our customer the complete realization of turnkey assembly system.

SEICA AUTOMATION product portfolio include Board Handling, Traceability product like label applicators and laser marking, soldering line, press fit cell and many other custom products. The whole production flow is “MADE IN ITALY”, under the control of SEICA AUTOMATION R&D and quality dept, all European rules and laws are fully respected.

BOARD HANDLING Create your PCB line flow process with our proven, flexible and reliable handling system. Seica Automation is organized to design and manufacture our product lines and accessories to ensure the rapid response times needed to meet the demands of SMT manufacturers, providing solutions that are high performance, flexible and that have an optimum price/quality ratio. Each unit is equipped with its own control PLC and is fully SMEMA compliant. Our two different product lines, Flo and Flex, have been designed to satisfy every customer requirement.

FLO SERIES® Has a great price/performance ratio, and is the ideal solution for standard lines handling small to medium size PCBs. FLEX SERIES® Guarantees maximum performance for every handling requirement, thanks to its high level of flexibility and customization. We provide standardized solutions designed for your specific applications, such as traceability, testing, curing, cutting, and dispensing. High performance robots are equipped with specific tools to fulfill each application.

TRACEABILITY The traceability system enables the user to locate boards requiring verification or modifications. It is therefore possible to track, for each assembled PCB, every component used, as well as the operator responsible. Seica Automation has a wide range of both laser marking machines and labeling machines.

SOLDERING LINES Soldering lines can solve every PCB manufacturing cycle requirement involving manual assembly, by optimizing carrier logistics as well as handling of single boards.

The information made available through barcode readers and pin codes, enables carriers to be sent to specific areas, as well as the automatic selection of soldering programs and the implementation of customized assembly cycles. This structure enables the operators to work either in-line (sequential assembly) or in work areas of varied complexity. We can implement your project, whether it be a simple or very complex soldering line.

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SMT INDUSTRY NEWS

SMT Hybrid Packaging 2016: ideal platform for individual assembly production in micro electronics The countdown is on: In two weeks the SMT Hybrid Packaging 2016 will open its doors in Nuremberg, Germany and covers the whole process chain as the only trade fair in Europe: from the initial idea, throughout development and design up to the manufacturing of electronic assemblies. Numerous national and international exhibitors present a wide variety of System Integration in Micro Electronics from 26 – 28 April 2016.

Hall layout along the value chain The new hall layout introduced last year has been well-received. Due to its success, the concept will be continued on this path.

Providing a supporting guideline for all attendees, the priority areas following the value chain and are structured as follows: • In hall 6, the topics “System Development and Production Preparation” as well as “Materials and Components” will be presented.

• Hall 7, with its proximity to the thematically linked hall 7A, shows the visitors all about “Processes and Manufacturing”.

• The new hall 7A showcases the topics “Reliability and Test” and “Software and Production Control”. new: Rework Experience Area This year the SMT Hybrid Packaging make its debut with the “Rework Experience Area”.

The special interest platform focuses on

Rework and Repair and is organized by the IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries. Visitors have two choices to become active throughout the whole duration of the fair. On the one hand, interested persons can bring defect boards for discussion and get free advice and consultancy that makes it possible to carry out a targeted error analysis. On the other hand visitors have the chance to participate in the world’s first rework competition and directly compete against each other.

In a specified timeframe, the attendees repair the boards to allow inspection and electrical test.

For the second time, IPC is organizing a hand soldering competition at the SMT Hybrid Packaging. The participant with the best skills in hand soldering of complex printed board assemblies is to be rewarded at this competition.

Experience production steps “live” Yet another highlight at this year’s event is the production line called “Future Packaging”. It is organized by the Fraunhofer (IZM) in hall 6 and operating under the slogan: “Living the digital age: Work and home in a networked world”. It shows the challenges Industry 4.0 has to be managed when it comes to electronics assembly. It is important how the machines are perfectly networked to ensure an efficient production. A total, 17 machine and technology suppliers from various sectors implement their individual know-how along the value chain.

Three times each day, the audience can trace back individual production steps during the exhibition. Visitors have the chance to convince themselves of the efficiency of the machines under realistic conditions and find out more about the supporting technology behind directly on-site.

Exhibition forums and approved joint stands Vendor and company presentations as well as panel discussions in hall 7A, offer specific information about the latest topics and trends in the field of system integration in micro electronics. The “Services in EMS Initiative” by the German association ZVEI (The Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association) organizes several panel discussions at the EMS/ PCB Forum in hall 6. The topics focus on the current status of EMS. Further highlights include the joint stand “Optics meets Electronics” and “EMS-Intersection”, the special interest platform “High Tech PCB Area” as well as the career coaching of the advisory group Wirth and Partner.

Mesago mesago.com

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Simple PXI based Functional Test Solution using NI LabVIEW

By Raul Ionel, Applications Engineer ALFA TEST

Functional Test (FCT) solutions can be found in diverse areas of the IT industry, usually among the last production line phases. Their complexity is related to the product under test or Unit Under Test (UUT).

Some of these applications require high level analysis and customization, some perform traditional measurements, some are completely automatized while others involve operator interaction. Because of the diversity of existing solutions, the goal is not to discuss each type of proposed application but rather to present some general guidelines which can be considered when looking for such a system.

Standardization of FCT platforms involves the definition of a system architecture which comprises both software and hardware.

This type of solution is common for multinational companies. It can be deployed at various locations and with minimal changes (at software & hardware level) it must allow testing of a high mix of products. Designing and deploying a system demands extremely careful planning and great knowledge of current technology trends. However, standardization is considered the key element in obtaining a balanced distribution between volumes and mix of products.

The flexibility of the proposed FCT platform addresses the situation when the production line covers different types of products. In this case, the same instrumentation must be capable of testing each of these UUT models. In some situations it is recommended to try and implement parallel testing of multiple UUTs in order to obtain an improved throughput and thus optimize the production flow.

The supportability of the test system must also be considered. Leading companies which act in the test development 28

domain recommend that conditions of postdeployment support must not be ignored. It is often that such details are ignored and due to a series of unfortunate events the return on the investment in that particular test system cannot be fulfilled.

Ideally, the FCT system should have software framework and a hardware structure which allows usage across multiple product lines.

With minor changes on the software level engineers should be able to develop and extend test programs without the need to intervene on the hardware level. Such a solution is extremely powerful and cost feasible.

Careful planning when developing such a test system is a must. Any changes that are required after the deployment process (like adding supplementary test functions, adjusting delays, modifying loop timings, incorporating additional hardware) will require comprehensive effort impacting the test down time. When developing a test solution one might decide to use the bottom-up or top-down strategies. For complex products, testing of different modules which compose the ensemble could facilitate the engineering work.

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Testing on the bench is an alternative solution which works and aims at validating the test specifications. This activity supports the development of a completely automatized test solution. The instrumentation which is required during this phase is composed (in most cases) of traditional measurement devices like Power Supply, DMM and Oscilloscope. When discussing an automatized test solution we could consider instrumentation like Data Acquisition Tools, DMM, Switching (Matrix or Relay), Power Supply (with AC and/or DC capabilities), Signal Generation, Signal Attenuation, Digital I/O, Waveform Generation Tools, Counters/Timers, Loading Devices or Spectrum Analyzer.

Dedicated instruments like Device Programmers, LED Analyzers, CAN or LIN Communication Tools or Boundary Scan Devices.

A collection of both traditional and dedicated devices are interconnected in a Test Rack. These instruments communicate on different buses and protocols (most common are GPIB, RS232, USB, LAN, PCI, PXI or LXI). They are controlled by an Industrial PC www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

which runs the test software. In some cases this Host PC might be replaced by a real time unit which performs all required tasks.

The UUT is placed inside a Fixture which is used to connect the measurement points on the product to the instrumentation probes.

This connection is done via separate connectors or some form of Mass Interconnect.

Finally, when considering the implementation of a test system it is also recommended to consider the following: budget and implementation timeline, expected life of the test system, products volumes and diversity, operator skill level and additional test requirements.

Proposed Application Alfa Test has developed a simple example of automated test solution. This type of system provides a set of tests which are commonly found in many manufacturing facilities.

The test system is based on National Instruments LabVIEW and PXI platform.

Information regarding both LabVIEW and PXI products can be found at www.ni.com.

On the short, PXI (stands for PCI Extension for Instrumentation) is the industry standard for modular instrumentation. More than 60 vendors are part of the PXI Systems Alliance which has generated more than 1500 products/modules which can be used by engineers. In the most common architecture of the PXI system, all instrument modules are located in a dedicated chassis, they share the same power supply and are managed by the system controller. Of course different adjustments to this configuration can be discussed, however it is not the case with the present material.

We have chosen this type of approach because of different advantages.

First of all, based on our experience in working with NI products we have seen that the stages of instrumentation setup and software interaction facilitate longevity and customization of the test system. Next, the modularity of such a system is highly effective. The engineer can easily reorganize the test structure for increased efficiency. When test speed is of the essence, the PXI is definitely the solution providing high bandwidth and low latency. If the test application features advanced timing and synchronization, using the PXI based approach can save a lot of development time. This equipment allows you to update individual modules and components without replacing the entire system. Finally, system reuse and

familiarity of the software component make it attractive for a variety of data acquisition and testing solutions.

Figure 1 presents the test structure of the demo application while Figure 2 shows the actual test setup.

developed by Alfa Test and it is used for demonstration purposes in ICT, Flying Probe, Functional Testing, Optical Inspection, X-Ray Inspection and LCD image inspection.

• The Test Fixture has been developed by

Verify Instruments

Voltage, Current & PWM Signal Tests

FR PXI A3 Programming

Results Saving

XJTAG Boundary Scan Testing

FEASA LED Testing

Figure 1: Test Stages on the Alfa Test experimental demo setup.

Software Application Alfa Test Demo Board Test Fixture NI PXI Platform Figure 2: Alfa Test experimental demo setup.

Figure 3: User Interface after the Verify Instruments stage.

Some details regarding the test hardware and software functionality are presented in the following paragraphs.

• The tests are performed on the Alfa Test Demo Board Ver.1. This PCB has been

ATX, a leading test adapters manufacturer (www.atx-hardware.de).

• The PXI hardware includes the previously described architecture: Controller, Chassis and Instrumentation.

Electronica Azi SMT • March - April • 2.2016

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT Ü

For this particular test we are using the following modules: DMM NI PXI-4072, DC Power Supply NI PXI-4110, Relay SPST Switching NI PXI-2569, Oscilloscope NI PXI-5112, FR PXI A3 Programmer from SMH (www.smh-tech.com) and the PXI XJLink2 from XJTAG (www.xjtag.com).

• The FEASA LED Analyzer Module (www.feasa.ie) is connected via USB directly to the PXI Controller and it is placed on the fixture top plate. It uses three optical probes to perform the required tests for Color, Hue, Saturation and Intensity.

• The Verify Instruments stage only runs once, at the beginning of the test. It validates that all hardware is working. If there is a problem with one of the devices it will indicate the problem and invalidate the testing until that issue has been resolved. Figure 3 shows the user interface after this stage has been completed. Note the left side of the Panel showing the report regarding the instrumentation status. By pressing the Start Test button the user will trigger a new test flow for each PCB. Of course there are other options for starting such a test (scan a serial number, start on fixture close etc.) but we have chosen this approach because it best suits the demo features.

• The Voltage, Current & PWM Signal Tests uses the previously mentioned instruments to verify the power consumption of the Alfa Test Demo Board Ver.1 and to check some characteristics of a signal generated at an output of the PCB. • The FR PXI A3 Programming stage uses the PXI Programmer from SMH to flash the Freescale MC9S08LL64CLH µC. This programmer can flash 3 different or identical devices in parallel. Figure 4 presents this test. Notice that the previous stage has been completed and the test result is a Pass. Also notice that we have chosen to show each test on a centered window on top of the main Panel.

• Next comes the FEASA LED Testing. The actual user interface is presented in Figure 5.

We are measuring Color, Hue, Saturation and Intensity for three different components on the PCB. Please note that this is just a demo setup so we have not introduced a darkened enclosure for increased accuracy.

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• In the final step we are performing a Boundary Scan Test using the PXI XJLink2.

Two JTAG enabled devices are included in the Chain of the Alfa Test Demo Board Ver.1. Device 1 is a XC2C256 BGA CPLD while Device 2 is an ATMEGA32 µC.

These devices provide the access gates to more not JTAG enabled components.

So just by using the TAP port, via both JTAG enabled devices, a collection of other accessible devices can be tested (most important components being

Figure 4: Voltage, Current & PWM Signal Tests completed and FR PXI A3 Programming on going.

Figure 5: FEASA LED Testing.

Figure 6: Boundary Scan Test using the PXI XJLink2.

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SMT TECHNOLOGY

SRAM, EEPROM, FLASH, ADC, additional LEDs not tested with FEASA, LOGIC Devices, Switches etc.).

• One additional thing is that using the Boundary Scan tool we can program the ATMEGA32 µC during this test. Of course this method is not traditional. Usually a dedicated programmer will do the job in less time. However, for demonstration purposes it is possible to implement such a feature.

• When all tests are completed the user will be able to see all results and the test execution time. Figure 7 presents the situation when all tests are functioning and the total result is a Pass. Notice that the indicators for each test are colored in green and display the Pass text. On the left corner of the interface we have showed statistics referring to how many PCBs have been tested, how many have passed and how many have failed.

• The Alfa Test Demo Board Ver.1 allows introduction of different faults (simulated Shorts, Opens, Stuck High and Low). So Figures 8 and 9 show the case when such a defect has been identified during the Boundary Scan Stage and consequently the PCB has failed the test. Note that the board has passed all other tests, except the Boundary Scan. This is why the indicator is colored in red and displays the text Fail.

• Data saving is extremely important and for this reason the proposed application allows the user to generate two types of data files: ASCII and TDMS. The ASCII files are easily redistributable for other users and can be opened with many available applications. The TDMS files are specifically generated by NI software and can be explored using MS Excel. These files are created for storing test and measurement data and are appropriate for high speed accessing.

Conclusion FCT solutions present a large diversity involving multiple scenarios and requiring specific software and instrumentation.

What this material presents is a simple example of what a test flow might look like.

There are additional elements which can be discussed and that can contribute to diversify this application: – Test Data / Results Storage & Analysis – Test Configuration Management (User Levels, Tests Configuration etc.)

Figure 7: Final tests result for one PCB – result is PASS.

Figure 8: Failure of Open caught during the Boundary Scan Test.

Figure 9: Final tests result for one PCB – result is FAIL. – – – – –

Database Connectivity Parallel testing for improved test time Self-Test Diagnostic procedures Assembly in a 19” Test Rack And the list can go on according to your specific test needs

Consider this application as the starting point for discussing the characteristics of your required test system. For all inquiries and discussions please do not hesitate to contact the Alfa Test office. www.alfatest.ro

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TEHNOLOGIE SMT

Declaring War on Failure in Electronics

By Joseph Fjelstad, Verdant Electronics

Un punct de vedere contrar teoriilor lansate încă din anii ‘30 de un broker imobiliar şi un scriitor prestigios, ale căror consecinţe au fost, printre altele, dispariţia accentuată a acelei categorii de tehnicieni care îţi reparau tot – televizor, telefon, frigider, combină.

Proiectarea pentru uzura morală sau controlarea defectării sunt concepte care nu mai servesc viitoarelor nevoi ale planetei ale cărei resurse se diminuează, dar a cărei populaţie creşte vertiginos. Declarând război defectării în electronică (asta ar trebui să ne ducă la ideea de proiectare pentru zero-defecte) constatăm că principalul inamic este însuşi procesul de contactare …

Everything fails. Think of anything in the universe and the specter of failure is inevitably there at the end. On the positive side, every failure is arguably preceded by success. That success can be marked in the form of a beginning. The stars formed from the matter created in the Big Bang, and were each and every one a success story in their own right by having accreted hydrogen gas in sufficient quantity to explode into light. Evolution is another amazing success in terms of diversity of life on this planet over time. However, both stars and evolution have failed as well - both have done so uncountable times.

The simple truth about the end of everything is captured in the opening two-word sentence of this piece: “Everything fails.”

Clearly, it must be a fool’s errand to declare war on a foe that cannot be beaten. Or is it? Failure is a foe that needs to be taken on even though we know it will win in the end. Consider it more of a war within which many battles will be fought and any of those that are won against the foe named “failure” will advance and serve the needs of a global population.

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Some elaboration on that last thought is owed the reader. Think of this for a moment: In 2014, the world welcomed its seven billionth inhabitants. In 2020, just five years from now, that number will be 8 billion. Now comes the nexus: The electronics industry is producing somewhere between $1.5 and $2 trillion worth of products per year. The vast majority of those products are targeted to serve the 3 billion people at the top of the world’s economic pyramid while largely ignoring the needs of the 4 billion, soon to be 5 billion customers with similar needs. Withholding for a moment judgment as to the rightheadedness of this, let me just say that it seems that a bet is being missed.

Most companies focus on the near term and the needs of those with extra cash in their pockets looking for the next new thing.

Products have ever faster cycles of development along with their push to market, often with much fanfare. Avid consumers line up for the next tech fashion items, even before their old products have reached end of life.

It has been said that economics runs on the premise that wants exceed needs. Product

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

marketers do their best to convince the consumer that the things they want are truly needs. Does everyone who stands in line need that new device? No, they do not, but it serves the purpose of the marketers who really do not care much about failure because it is an opportunity to make and sell a replacement.

In 1932, Bernard London, author of “Ending the Depression through Planned Obsolescence,” prescribed destroying outdated products and castigated those who tried to get longer life from still serviceable items. In his time, it arguably made some sense. The times were definitely more egalitarian then. A contemporary of London was Aldous Huxley, who also wrote, interestingly enough, in 1932, “Brave New World,” but it was about a dystopian future, anything but egalitarian, where hypnopaedic messaging such as “Ending is better than mending” and “Less stitches means more riches” were broadcast to the populace to get them to toss out the old and buy the new. Ironically, Huxley offered up the same message as London did but having a grimmer, more www.electronica-azi.ro

SMT TECHNOLOGY

disparaging viewpoint. We are arguably in that time now to some degree as we are more accepting of failure. Who has not heard a friend or colleague say, “I wish my old phone would die so I can get a new one?” This attitude does not serve well the future needs of the planet, if everyone on the planet is to be served.

Think now of the individual in a developing nation, somewhere in the world, who is making $2 per day. When that individual purchases an electronic product or any other product for that matter, their fondest wish is that the product will last indefinitely (or at least until the end of their need) because, no matter the cost, it is necessarily viewed as a lifetime purchase. Moreover, the world needs them now more than ever to have those reliable products so they can lift themselves out of grinding poverty due to a lack of education. Handhelds and wireless communications are key to allowing them to get that education and perhaps bless the planet by allowing us to tap all of the untapped genius that goes unrealized and unused - a great pity and loss. The world’s poor are, ironically, much like those customers in military, aerospace, medical and automotive product markets. Failure is not an acceptable option if it can be avoided. To serve their needs a war on failure must be waged.

The Battleground Failure, in electronics, while not necessarily desired by either manufacturer or consumer, is expected. We are, in a sense, inured to failure. We expect problems.

This is not to say that the industry has not attempted to improve reliability. Much is being done in an effort to improve reliability with new solder alloys, new fluxes, new materials, new equipment and process parameters, etc. The problem with focusing on improving just reliability within the existing manufacturing paradigm is that it too often seeks ways to identify and treat symptoms while ignoring the disease. In electronics, one of the most prominent causes of defects and failure is found in the soldering process and the trillions of solder joints that are created annually. Soldering is a useful technology (and will likely be used in much product in the future as it has in the past) but it comes with many challenges, which have been exacerbated by the forced conversion to lead-free solder to meet needless EU mandates.

For evidence, look at any electronics industry journal or conference proceedings and one will find countless articles on solderrelated challenges and defects and how to remedy them.

The complexity of the soldering process and all of the expensive test and inspection equip ment add cost, but no true value.

They are much like medical tests used to detect disease in humans; they may alert one to the problem but they do nothing to treat it. Detection should not be confused with treatment, but too often it is. We applaud ourselves more for finding defects than for eliminating them. Clearly, soldering is an imperfect process and one that is unlikely to ever achieve perfection.

Moreover, it is cause for collateral damage to both components and PCB substrates because of the high temperatures required and the deleterious effects associated with those high temperatures. Even after the product is built, solder remains the weak link. Failed solder joints are a leading cause product failure in use.

Given the situation, how might one defeat such a formidable foe? Eliminate it. Solder is useful but not necessary for electronic assembly. Most electronic products can be built without solder today by simply reversing the manufacturing process. That is, rather than soldering components to circuit boards, create component boards and build up circuits on them. The manufacturing infrastructure exists; it simply needs to be repurposed. Most legacy components can be adapted, but some are better than others. However, the purpose of this brief piece is not to provide all of the details; the subject has been written about in numerous papers with references provided at the end. Rather, the purpose is to appeal to the reader’s reason by asking for their consideration of a few questions.

1. How much does it cost to procure equipment for and operate the soldering process?

2. How much does it cost to procure and use inspection equipment to support the soldering process?

3. How much does it cost to procure and use solder rework and repair equipment?

4. How much does it cost to service warranties against failure?

5. Could the monies spent in support of the solder process be better spent in making the product more robust while

using many fewer manufacturing, cleaning, inspection, and test steps?

There is an adage that goes like this: “First do the right thing, then do things right.”

The EMS industry appears to have declared a onesided truce with solder by continuing to use it, but solder continues to fight with the EMS industry. It is a Sisyphean effort to try to conquer such a foe; moreover, the definition of insanity left to us by Albert Einstein is, “to do the same thing over and over and expect different results.” Sadly, our species is prone to forming habits. It is easiest to do what we did yesterday. Unfortunately, the future demands adaptation and change from its survivors. In the words of Bob Dylan, “If you ain’t busy growing, you’re busy dying.” On the bright side, we have a choice. In summary, the electronics industry is in a continuing struggle with solder, whether or not it fully recognizes it or remains in denial. Failure is the enemy and solder is, unfortunately, the root cause.

There exists a potential to save many billions of dollars while making products that are, at once, more reliable and more environmentally benign by simply eliminating solder from the process. It is just a matter of will to enter into a war on failure.

References 1. Occam Process—Stanford University 2. Method for the Manufacture of an Aluminum Substrate PCB and its Advantages, Fjelstad, J., Circuit Insight.

3. The Case for Solderless Assembly, Connector + Cable Assembly Supplier, February 2015.

4. Is it SAFE Yet? Global SMT & Packaging, March 2014.

5. Aluminum: A Sustainable Substrate Alternative to FR4 in PCB Assemblies, IEEE.org.

Verdant Electronics Founder and President Joseph (Joe) Fjelstad is a four-decade veteran of the electronics industry and an international authority and innovator in the field of electronic interconnection and packaging technologies. Fjelstad has more than 250 U.S. and international patents issued or pending and is the author of Flexible Circuit Technology.

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SMT INDUSTRY NEWS

Alpha Announces Launch of Chinese and German Language Websites Alpha Assembly Solutions, the world leader in the production of electronic soldering and bonding materials, today announced the launch of AlphaAssembly.cn and AlphaAssembly.de, the first dedicated Chinese and German language sites in the company’s history.

The sites showcase ALPHA® product technologies and features a simplified navigation designed to guide users to various market, application or process solutions. In addition, the sites are responsive by design and thereby easy to view and navigate from mobile and hand-held devices.

“As a global materials provider, we are proud to strengthen our cultural presence in the electronics assembly space”, said Tom Hunsinger,

Vice President of Marketing for Alpha Assembly Solutions. “This innovation reflects our commitment to our Chinese and Germanspeaking customers and industry affiliates.”

As with the global site, visitors have access to Alpha’s document library which houses all reference material, including brochures, technical bulletins, whitepapers and troubleshooting guides.

Alpha will continue to maintain both the Chinese and German sites to ensure they reflect the current product offering and technical information.

Alpha Assembly Solutions www.AlphaAssembly.com Alpha Assembly Solutions, a MacDermid Performance Solutions Business, is the global leader in the development, manufacturing and sales of innovative specialty materials used in a wide range of industry segments, including electronics assembly, power electronics, die attach, LED lighting, photovoltaics, semiconductor packaging, automotive and others.

With a unique global presence in over 30 locations throughout the Asia Pacific, Americas and Europe regions, Alpha supplies a full line of ALPHA® electronics assembly material products, including Solder Paste, Exactalloy® Solder Preforms, Cored Solder Wire Solder, Wave Soldering Fluxes, Bar Solder Alloys, and Stencils. It offers die attach product technologies to the power electronics segment in its Argomax®, Atrox™ and Fortibond™ brands.

Colaboratori la această ediţie: Prof. Dr. Ing. Paul Mugur Svasta - paul.svasta@cetti.ro Prof. Dr. Ing. Norocel Codreanu - norocel.codreanu@cetti.ro Conf. Dr. Ing. Ioan Plotog - ioan.plotog@cetti.ro Şl. Dr. Ing. Marian Vlădescu - marian.vladescu@gmail.com Şl. Dr. Ing. Bogdan Grămescu - gramescu11@yahoo.com Ing. Gaudenţiu Vărzaru - gaudentiu.varzaru@cetti.ro Ing. Marius Toader - marius.toader@alfatest.ro Ing. Caius Tănasie - caius.tanasie@alfatest.ro Management Director General - Ionela Ganea Director Editorial - Gabriel Neagu Director Economic - Ioana Paraschiv Publicitate - Irina Ganea

O parte din articolele prezentate în această ediţie au fost realizate de către echipa laboratoarului Centrului de Electronică Tehnologică şi Tehnici de Interconectare al Universităţii “Politehnica” din Bucureşti (UPB-CETTI)

EURO STANDARD PRESS 2000 srl Contact editură: Mobil: 0722 707-254 office@esp2000.ro www.esp2000.ro CUI: RO3998003 J03/1371/1993

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www.cetti.ro Contact redacţie: Tel.: +40 (0) 31 8059955 Tel.: +40 (0) 31 8059887 office@electronica-azi.ro www.electronica-azi.ro

Electronica Azi SMT • Martie - Aprilie • 2.2016

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