The Electronics Assembly Suppliers' Initiative (EASi) Line will feature twelve of the industry's top suppliers, with on-site experts available to talk about the EASi-Line's state-of-the-art processes, materials and equipment.

A statement from ROC Exhibitions reads: "Mexitronica 2010 will not take place as planned this October. The exposition failed to win the support of a representative mix of industry suppliers."

Solder paste printing is a critical step in surface mount manufacturing, as printing results directly affect the quality and yield of assembly. Good printing results rely on the "proper" solder paste theology in addition to the printing equipment and the printing operating process, including printer set-up and stencil design and selection.

"The shop will allow our customers to maintain the levels they need of high-quality spare parts, accessories and consumables," said Ton Cornelissen, General Manager for Sales in Europe.

In this study, the authors research low-residue and lead-free flux structures, identify solvent compositions that will dissolve these residue types and offer options for performing both bulk and site-specific ionic cleanliness testing methods. Don't miss Part II of this exciting research.

A new line of rework systems, ranging from manually assisted models for video game repair to versatile, fully automatic versions with split vision, can now be seen at manncorp/smt/rework.com.

Authors from Sandia National Laboratories investigate the solderability of current immersion Ag technology after exposure to conditions that simulate long-term storage followed by bake out environments prior to actual reflow assembly.

A framework has been developed for a new type of closed-form AF model for thermal cycling of soldered assemblies. The AF model is strain-energy-based, and was applied to SAC305, SAC387/396/405 and near-eutectic SnPb assemblies. The advantages and limitations of this model compared to other approaches in the reliability engineer's toolbox are also discussed.

The reviews are in--and we're not talking about the latest summer blockbuster. Just one month after acquiring SMT Magazine, I-Connect007 published its first issue of the magazine. The feedback from loyal SMT readers has been overwhelmingly positive. SMT Magazine is just one example of what we have planned for the future.

Computrol, Inc. announces that it will exhibit in booths #200 and #202 at the upcoming AmCon Design & Contract Manufacturing Expo, September 14-15, 2010, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The authors of this paper present new cost-efficient solder bumping and adapted assembly technologies for the processing of flip-chips with a pitch of 100 µm or less and solder ball diameters of 60 µm or 50 µm, respectively.

The Electronics Assembly Suppliers' Initiative (EASi) Line will feature twelve of the industry's top suppliers, with on-site experts available to talk about the EASi-Line's state-of-the-art processes, materials and equipment.

In this study, the authors research low-residue and lead-free flux structures, identify solvent compositions that will dissolve these residue types and offer options for performing both bulk and site-specific ionic cleanliness testing methods. Don't miss Part II of this exciting research.

Authors from Sandia National Laboratories investigate the solderability of current immersion Ag technology after exposure to conditions that simulate long-term storage followed by bake out environments prior to actual reflow assembly.

A framework has been developed for a new type of closed-form AF model for thermal cycling of soldered assemblies. The AF model is strain-energy-based, and was applied to SAC305, SAC387/396/405 and near-eutectic SnPb assemblies. The advantages and limitations of this model compared to other approaches in the reliability engineer's toolbox are also discussed.

Casey Cooper, Microelectronics Lab Manager at STI, talks about the company's various educational, training and technology offerings and provides an overview of the company's newly-developed and tested embedded die assembly. The new assembly is being evaluated by some military product developers for high-reliability applications.

Interconnect separation is usually expressed as a crack that propagates at the internal interconnection. This failure mode produces a crack that is wedge-shaped, with the large end on the side of the foil closest to the middle of the PWB. An interconnect failure frequently develops slowly over time, accumulating damage at a constant rate after onset.

For several years technologies have been developed for the embedding of chips in circuit boards to achieve 3-D packages using conventional processes from PCB manufacturing. Ultra-thin chips are suited to be integrated in rigid circuit boards, as well as on, and in, multilayer flexible substrates.

Werner Engelmaier, noted author and expert in all things reliability, discusses reliability issues related to lead-free and RoHS. He notes three failure modes he's seeing more of: Pad cratering, trace lifting/buckling and "eyebrow" cracking. Adjusting board cooling rates can help tackle such issues, but, sometimes, that's not enough.

This paper outlines the process associated with soldering stacked packages using dip flux and dip solder pastes specifically designed to overcome the incidence of package warp. Based on the process issues involved, inspection results are presented to better illustrate the challenges in implementing PoP into production.

The authors of this paper present new cost-efficient solder bumping and adapted assembly technologies for the processing of flip-chips with a pitch of 100 µm or less and solder ball diameters of 60 µm or 50 µm, respectively.

In this study, the authors research low-residue and lead-free flux structures, identify solvent compositions that will dissolve these residue types and offer options for performing both bulk and site-specific ionic cleanliness testing methods. Don't miss Part II of this exciting research.

Authors from Sandia National Laboratories investigate the solderability of current immersion Ag technology after exposure to conditions that simulate long-term storage followed by bake out environments prior to actual reflow assembly.

A framework has been developed for a new type of closed-form AF model for thermal cycling of soldered assemblies. The AF model is strain-energy-based, and was applied to SAC305, SAC387/396/405 and near-eutectic SnPb assemblies. The advantages and limitations of this model compared to other approaches in the reliability engineer's toolbox are also discussed.

Casey Cooper, Microelectronics Lab Manager at STI, talks about the company's various educational, training and technology offerings and provides an overview of the company's newly-developed and tested embedded die assembly. The new assembly is being evaluated by some military product developers for high-reliability applications.

Interconnect separation is usually expressed as a crack that propagates at the internal interconnection. This failure mode produces a crack that is wedge-shaped, with the large end on the side of the foil closest to the middle of the PWB. An interconnect failure frequently develops slowly over time, accumulating damage at a constant rate after onset.

These images of SMT defects and attributes were compiled by consultant Tom Clifford. Section 11 includes images of odd via-fill, fiber debris, lead-on-land, bridges, tombstoning, dead-shorts, "type G" defects and more. These images of SMT defects and attributes provide resources for training, quality control specs and standards and research.

Over the coming weeks in this column I will be highlighting the types of questions and answers discussed on TechNet and smart-e-link. This should give you a quick reality-check on the kinds of issues faced by the industry or individual engineers.

Surface mount has been a critical manufacturing technology for the electronics PCB assembly for three decades (plus or minus a couple years) and is expected to continually play an important role in the years to come. In parallel, solder paste will continue to be the most viable interconnecting material for circuit board level mass production. As an electronic material, solder paste is "old," as well as "new."

Werner Engelmaier, noted author and expert in all things reliability, discusses reliability issues related to lead-free and RoHS. He notes three failure modes he's seeing more of: Pad cratering, trace lifting/buckling and "eyebrow" cracking. Adjusting board cooling rates can help tackle such issues, but, sometimes, that's not enough.

Solder paste printing is a critical step in surface mount manufacturing, as printing results directly affect the quality and yield of assembly. Good printing results rely on the "proper" solder paste theology in addition to the printing equipment and the printing operating process, including printer set-up and stencil design and selection.

Interconnect separation is usually expressed as a crack that propagates at the internal interconnection. This failure mode produces a crack that is wedge-shaped, with the large end on the side of the foil closest to the middle of the PWB. An interconnect failure frequently develops slowly over time, accumulating damage at a constant rate after onset.

Over the coming weeks in this column I will be highlighting the types of questions and answers discussed on TechNet and smart-e-link. This should give you a quick reality-check on the kinds of issues faced by the industry or individual engineers.

Surface mount has been a critical manufacturing technology for the electronics PCB assembly for three decades (plus or minus a couple years) and is expected to continually play an important role in the years to come. In parallel, solder paste will continue to be the most viable interconnecting material for circuit board level mass production. As an electronic material, solder paste is "old," as well as "new."

Solder-free and 3-D assembly will help bridge the performance and density gaps needed to extend Moore's Law, as lithography on silicon runs out of steam. It will offer America the chance to restore her electronic manufacturing mojo and provide for her security. Please, America, don't miss this chance to leap-frog the rest of the world!

With proper planning, stiffeners can be designed to aid assembly through the designed manufacture of a flex circuit that can be handled as if it were a rigid circuit board. Such constructions can be accomplished by using any one of several methods.

Many Internet sources provide education and training in our respective fields. You just have to know where to look. It's not quite like attending a live training event, but you can improve your skill set through the Internet, and you can often do so free of charge.

Corner cracks are observed less often than barrel cracks, but with high-rel boards, we can't be too careful. Unlike barrel cracks, which can fail catastrophically, knee cracks tend to propagate over time. The damaged pad actually resembles a funnel and the warp and weft of the glass give the funnel an uneven, puckered shape.

No one likes to take tests, but passing the CID certification exam just might help you differentiate yourself the next time you're searching for employment. Here are some firsthand certification study tips from CID instructor Kate Mayer, a veteran PCB designer and consultant.

At this point, you should have mounting holes, tooling holes and fiducials placed, keepout areas defined and components with fixed locations placed and locked down. You've decided whether your design will be single-sided or double-sided. Now, let's get started placing components!