Assembly House Inc.'s Senior Manufacturing Engineer Ken Ghadia obtained certification as a trainer for the latest revision of the J-STD-001E standard, which is is recognized worldwide as the sole industry-consensus standard covering soldering materials and processes.

An evaluation of solder wettability and spreadability was conducted with lead-free flux cored solder wire of SN100C and SAC305 alloys on stranded wire used for speakers. SN100C wets and spreads faster than SAC305.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about what tin whiskers are, what causes them and what impact they have. The term evokes terror in electronics circles, it's almost like bird flu or swine flu, something that's going to wipe out the free world as we know it," said Sam Platt of Delphi.

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.

EMS007 Guest Editor Jasbir Bath grills Indium Corporation Vice President of Technology, Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee on what effects Mn or Ce doping has on the reliability of SAC lead-free solder joints. Find out what the latest cost and reliability results are when adding these doping agents to SAC alloy.

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.

Industry experts will shine a spotlight on recent revisions to key electronics manufacturing industry standards and guidelines during IPC's professional development program at Electronics Midwest.

Years after the introduction of RoHS, the battle over compliance continues. Krista Botsford, CEO and founder of Botsford EcoTech Partners, helps viewers navigate through the current state of RoHS and product compliance. She also offers insights into the the complex future of compliance.

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.

ITAR documents FCT's dedication to adhering to the regulations that control the import and export of defense-related articles and services on the United States Munitions List. FCT also updated its registration for ISO 9001:2008.

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.

EMS007 Guest Editor Jasbir Bath grills Indium Corporation Vice President of Technology, Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee on what effects Mn or Ce doping has on the reliability of SAC lead-free solder joints. Find out what the latest cost and reliability results are when adding these doping agents to SAC alloy.

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.

Many a company has learned the hard way that product reliability is directly related to the ionic cleanliness of a circuit board. 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.

Years after the introduction of RoHS, the battle over compliance continues. Krista Botsford, CEO and founder of Botsford EcoTech Partners, helps viewers navigate through the current state of RoHS and product compliance. She also offers insights into the the complex future of compliance.

This paper examines the thermal properties of various halogen-free laminates used in handheld electronic products and correlates these properties with manufacturing requirements. Thermal properties investigated include z-axis CTE, time to delamination at 260°C and 288°C and temperature to decomposition.

Each day of the Electronics Exhibition will feature even more free sessions and events on the show floor, augmenting the already complimentary attendance. SMTA member loyalty will also be rewarded this year with a free tutorial.

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.

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!

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.

EMS007 Guest Editor Jasbir Bath grills Indium Corporation Vice President of Technology, Dr. Ning-Cheng Lee on what effects Mn or Ce doping has on the reliability of SAC lead-free solder joints. Find out what the latest cost and reliability results are when adding these doping agents to SAC alloy.

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.

Many a company has learned the hard way that product reliability is directly related to the ionic cleanliness of a circuit board. 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.

In March 2007, a process industrial engineer was notified of whisker-like anomalies on a QFP. Optical inspection revealed a large quantity of anomalies that appeared to be tin whiskers. This paper details the investigation to determine the root cause and identification of the anomalies observed on the QFP during optical inspection.

To confidently use lead-free in high-reliability applications, especially considering the EU drive to impose RoHS on some areas currently exempt, it seems prudent to step back and determine where we are, how we got here and what remains to be done.

Components that work as expected, and when required, are very important in general, and especially in harsh environments. After all, electronic systems are being used everywhere, from many thousands of feet underground or underwater to outer space.

This paper examines the thermal properties of various halogen-free laminates used in handheld electronic products and correlates these properties with manufacturing requirements. Thermal properties investigated include z-axis CTE, time to delamination at 260°C and 288°C and temperature to decomposition.

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.

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.

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.

The North American PCB industry is stronger--in spite of appearances to the contrary. Industry strength will help secure its place in the next chapter. The challenge will be to survive the winding down of Moore's Law on silicon while other materials and processes emerge to make possible future electronics advancements.

InterNEPCON Japan was established as a trade show dedicated exclusively to manufacturers and vendors associated with circuit board assembly, but has since evolved into one of Asia's largest exhibitions for electronics packaging, including SMT assembly.

IPC's Technet offers a snapshot of the issues of the day as hundreds of engineers attempt to sort out the industry's latest technological challenges. Harvey Miller, PCB007 columnist and President of Fabfile Online, has agreed to gather a few of the latest Technet exchanges for our Tech Tuesday readers.

The list of replacements for eutectic tin-lead keeps growing, and now, over three years after implementation of the lead-free mandate, new alloys are still being developed. How do you cut through the clutter and find the right alloy?

As 2010 approaches, I-Connect007's European Editor, Pete Starkey, decided to take a look back at the year's top technical articles--compiling a list of the most popular articles across the site.

"Cool" is no longer about how fast a car goes or how great it looks, but, rather, what it can do to keep you connected while you're getting there. Some will still choose the "vroom," but more and more will opt to spend money on the electronics over the engine.