Krassy Petkov Interview Inside - Milara, Inc.

www.globalsmt.net 

The Global Assembly Journal for SMT and 

Advanced Packaging Professionals 

Hot air solder leveling 

in tHe lead-free era 

vapor pHase vs. convection reflow in 

roHs-compliant assembly 

conquering smt stencil printing 

cHallenges witH today’s miniature 

components 

Volume 9 Number 4 April 2009 

ISSN 1474 - 0893 

Krassy Petkov 

Interview Inside 

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Can a HASL finish provide PCBs 

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Contents 

! 

2 The end is near 

Trevor Galbraith 

TechNology Focus 

10 Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free !"*+,-.) era 

Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd 

20 Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant 

assembly 

Dan Coada, EPIC Technologies 

30 Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with 

today’s miniature components 

Robert F. Dervaes, Fine Line Stencil, Inc.; Jeff Poulos, Alternative 

Solutions, Inc.; and Scott Williams, Ed Fagan, Inc. 

speciAl FeATures 

38 Interview: Krassy Petkov—Milara, Inc. 

40 APEX preview 

REGULAR COLUMNS 

4 Conformal coating process control and 

inspection 

Bob Willis 

24 Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight? 

Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai 

10 

20 

38 

OThER REGULAR FEATURES 

5 Global SMT online 

6 Industry News 

42 New Products 

50 Association News 

52 International Diary 

Contents 

Volume 9, No. 4 

April 2009 

European edition 

!"#$%&'() 

Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 1

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Editor-in-Chief 

The end is near 

Don’t worry—I’m not predicting Armageddon, 

but according to statistics from 

our resident guru, Walt Custer, there is a 

glimmer of light on the horizon—LEDs to 

be specific. The LED street lights market 

is predicted to grow at over 224% in 2009. 

This and some other areas of more modest 

growth are the nascent signs of a fragile 

recovery starting in China, of all places. 

Why China? This is where the first 

signs of the economic slide took effect last 

year when the Chinese manufacturers did 

not receive the orders they expected for 

the 2008 Christmas market in the west. 

It is also the region of the world that has 

suffered the biggest fallout in terms of electronic 

manufacturing. According to some 

estimates, almost 50% of the factories in 

the Shenzhen and Guandong regions have 

closed. Likewise, 50% of the electronics 

trade magazines have ‘taken a holiday’ due 

to the downturn in business. 

That said, many other parts of the 

Chinese economy remain strong, and 

the country’s balance sheet is extremely 

healthy. Looking closer at the reasons for 

the optimistic upturn in electronics manufacturing, 

it is clearly the government’s 

stimulus bill to get people back to work. 

Unlike western democracies, where the 

legislation gets mired in months and weeks 

of debate through Congress and the Senate, 

only to emerge laden with billions of 

dollars of pet projects tacked onto the bill, 

the Chinese have a much faster and leaner 

decision-making process. 

All this is good news and perfect timing 

for the upcoming Nepcon Shanghai 

exhibition in April, where I hope the 

mood will be more positive and a return to 

some of the energy that usually permeates 

Chinese shows. 

Let’s hope this is an early indicator of 

things to come in the west. The recently 

announced stimulus plans in the US and a 

cohesive and determined effort by the G20 

nations at their meeting in London this 

month should avert this recession from 

developing into stagnation or a depression. 

Next month, we will be reporting 

on the mood and developments on the 

ground at APEX, SMT/PCB Nepcon 

Korea and Nepcon Shanghai—a global 

snapshot of the industry that only Global 

SMT & Packaging can bring you. 

Trevor Galbraith. 

2 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net

Title 

Conformal coating process control and inspection 

Bob Willis 

Conformal coating process 

control and inspection 

There is definitely an increasing interest 

in conformal coating for electronics. This 

is based on recent workshop and seminars 

run by the SMART Group in the UK and 

other organisations worldwide. Over the 

last 12 months your columnist has been 

rekindling his interest and knowledge on 

the subject for a workshop session at SMT 

Nuremberg. Things have moved on a long 

way since my time as an apprentice using 

brush and manual spray coating techniques 

within GEC. Producing operator 

instructions and inspection criteria for the 

number of brush hairs allowed in a coated 

seems like a lifetime ago. 

Some of the most common process 

defects include: 

Non or de-wetting 

Delamination 

Coating contamination 

Mask de-wetting 

Coating bubbles 

Simple process control checks can be 

invaluable during conformal coating. 

These may vary depending on the type of 

product, material, volume, application and 

design density. Checking the wet coating 

thickness on the surface of the board after 

application, or alternatively a blank panel, 

will make measurement simpler. Using a 

wet depth gauge, check the coating in two 

or three areas on a sample board. Ideally 

check more than one sample in a batch. 

Record the reading, location, material and 

process parameters for future reference. 

Coating a blank test board prior to 

running production or using a proprietary 

matrix test card like that used by Nordson/ 

Asymtech is a good way of checking spray 

process parameters. The test board or card 

can be inspected with a long wave UV light 

for coating definition, overspray or coating 

run on. Process parameters like solids 

content, temperature, nozzle type, speed, 

height and pressure can be recorded with 

the sample and retained for reference 

Dry coating measurement can be 

performed on a test label applied to the 

surface of a board prior to coating. The 

thickness of the dry label can be recorded 

prior to coating; subtracting the thickness 

of the label provides the coating thickness 

in that location. The label can be retained 

for future reference and is ideal for 

engineers to review during process audits. 

Digital thickness measuring systems are 

available for logging data for SPC. 

With care, coated boards can be 

examined directly after spray coating, using 

a UV light source on an out-feed conveyor. 

Care needs to be taken to avoid contamination 

and disturbance of the coating. 

Surface contamination with hairs, fibres or 

other particulates can be a problem with a 

delay before curing. The recent introduction 

of automatic optical inspection (AOI) 

specifically designed for coated boards can 

be used as off-line or in-line inspection 

with software which has been specifically 


Figure 1. A test card from Nordson is shown with and without UV light illumination on spray patterns. 

developed for coating defects. 

When coated boards are cured in a 

convection or IR oven, the temperature 

profile must be established based on the 

material supplier’s recommendations. The 

profile must also be considered in relation 

to the coating thickness. Temperature 

profiling procedures should follow the 

techniques used for reflow soldering with 

the correct attachment of thermocouples. 

Attempts to speed up the curing cycle are 

common causes of failure 

Inspect sample boards under UV 

lighting for complete coating coverage. 

Check areas of the board after removal of 

any masking for contamination or lifting 

of the coating at the masking interface. 

The coating should be compared with any 

work instructions, alternatively a golden 

coated board assembly should be available 

for reference. Obviously in high volume is 

where AOI systems will have an impact in 

the future 

During sample inspection of boards, 

2009 

call 

for 

papers 


touch up of the coating must be recorded 

for future review. Inspection should be 

based on documented inspection criteria 

or customer specification. Where new 

defects or PCB design specific issues are 

seen they should be photographed and 

added to inspection criteria or training 

updates or included with customer specific 

instructions 

Having images of common process 

defects and examples of satisfactory coating 

Conformal coating process control and inspection 

to include in PowerPoint training modules 

or for onsite work instructions is an ideal 

resource for process and quality engineers 

tasked with training sessions. This type of 

reference material is available online. 

Bob Willis is a process engineer working in the 

electronics industry, providing training, consultancy 

and product failure analysis. He will be 

running a Conformal Coating Workshop at 

SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING in Nuremberg, 

Germany. Bob also offers workshops on conventional 

and lead-free on site for customers. He 

sets up and optimises production lines for users 

and suppliers at exhibitions and also provides 

conferences and workshops worldwide. For 

further information on counterfeit avoidance 

procedures, lead-free training workshops at ITRI 

in Europe, training materials, lead-free and 

process support visit www.ASKbobwillis.com. 

Do you have a process or technology or a really strong case 

study that you want to share with Global SMT & Packaging’s 

readers? Global SMT & Packaging is currently seeking technical 

articles and case studies for publication in its print magazines 

and website. We are specifically looking for papers that offer a 

‘real’ manufacturing solution and that have not been previously 

published in another magazine or journal. For editorial 

guidelines, contact editor@globalsmt.net. 


Title Industry News 

Industry News 

european semiconductor industry 

leading indicator fell in December 

Economic research firm e-forecasting.com 

reports that the European semiconductor 

sales leading indicator fell in December 

by 0.9 percent to a reading of 152.0, after 

falling 1.1 percent in November. The index 

was set to average 100 in 2000. 

“The European semiconductor industry 

leading indicator has fallen the last six 

readings. Based on the lead time of the 

indicator, we can conjecture that the industry 

is now in recession and it will last at 

least six more months, more perhaps based 

depending of course on future readings. 

The monthly update takes into account 

adjustments due to annual benchmarking 

and annual update of seasonal factors performed 

by official data sources,” said CEO 

Maria Simos. www.e-forecasting.com 

popular consumer and mobile products 

fuel MeMs boom 

From the gyroscope in your PlayStation 

3 game controller, to the accelerometer 

in your iPhone, microelectromechanical 

systems (MEMS) are making major inroads 

in the consumer and mobile electronics 

worlds, causing market revenue in this area 

to nearly triple from 2006 to 2012, according 

to iSuppli Corp. Global revenue from 

shipments of MEMS for consumer and 

mobile electronics is expected to rise to 

$2.6 billion in 2012, up from $1.1 billion 

in 2006. STMicroelectronics took the lead 

in the global consumer/mobile MEMS 

market in 2008, rising from second place 

to displace the former No. 1 player, Texas 

Instruments Inc. The company’s share of 

global consumer/mobile MEMS revenue 

rose to 18 percent in 2008, up from 9.7 

percent in 2007. www.isuppli.com 

ZesTroN appoints general 

manager china 

ZESTRON promoted John Shen to general 

manager of ZESTRON’s China Corp. 

In his new position Mr. Shen will be 

focusing on the expansion of ZESTRON’s 

position as leading supplier of cleaning solutions 

in China as well as the North Asian 

region. www.zestron.com 

ruWel gmbh files insolvency 

petition 

RUWEL GmbH, one of the biggest 

European manufacturers of printed 

circuit boards for the electronics industry 

worldwide, has filed an insolvency petition 

at the local court in Kleve. In June 

2006 RUWEL had been taken over by 

American financial investors who have now 

been severely hit themselves by the global 

crisis in the financial world. In addition, 

RUWEL’s main sales (58%) are with car 

component suppliers who are currently 

experiencing their worst crisis worldwide. 

At the Geldern plant, which is almost entirely 

specialised in customers from the car 

components supplying industry, the level 

of production capacity utilization has fallen 

to below 50%. The Pfullingen plant, which 

has a different customer structure mainly 

from the industrial and medical electronics 

sectors, has a 70% capacity utilization. 

www.ruwel.com 

Aqueous Technologies acquires 

Austin American Technology’s 

MicroJet defluxing systems 

Effective immediately, Aqueous Technologies 

will assume all marketing, sales, 

distribution and new equipment service 

of MicroJet, MicroJet EC, and MicroJet 

FC inline defluxing systems from Austin 

American Technology. Aqueous Technologies 

is the exclusive worldwide distributor 

of these products. Under the multi-year 

exclusive distribution agreement, Austin 

American Technology will no longer manufacture 

inline defluxing systems for sale to 

the public. www.aqueoustech.com 

ipc survey shows reverse trend in 

regional sourcing 

Forty-two percent of responding companies 

cited changes in their customers’ sourcing 

patterns from Asia back to North America 

or Europe in the past two years, according 

to the results of a survey conducted by 

IPC—Association Connecting Electronics 

Industries®. Fifty companies responded to 

the survey. The respondents estimated that 

an average of 2.5 percent growth in their 

2007 and 2008 business was attributable 

to this trend. The issue that was cited most 

often as the primary driver of this trend 

was quality concerns. Other key contributors 

were transportation costs, currency 

exchange rates, long supply lines and 

communication difficulties. The report, A 

Reverse Trend in Regional Sourcing in the 

Worldwide Electronic Interconnect Industry, 

is available in the members-only area of 

IPC’s Web site at www.ipc.org. 

Digi-Key, Measurement specialties 

sign distribution agreement 

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key 

Corporation and Measurement Specialties, 

Inc., a global designer of sensors and 

sensor-based systems, have entered into 

an agreement for the worldwide distribution 

of Measurement Specialties products, 

including its its force, piezo, position, pressure, 

and vibration sensors. 

www.digikey.com, www.meas-spec.com 

Demonstration of JuKi’s FX-3 

mounter leaves an impression in 

russia 

Juki Automation Systems AG and their 

distributor in Russia, Sovtest ATE, recently 

installed a new high-speed FX-3 modular 

mounter in Moscow for INCOTEX Holding 

Company, one of the biggest manufacturers 

of electronics in Russia. The new 

mounter was put into the current technological 

line, increasing its capacity by over 

50%. The company also held a demonstration 

of the installed FX-3 from September 

1st – 4th, with more than 25 specialists 

from different companies, including mass 

media representatives, in attendence. High 

placement speed together with the “compactness” 

of the machine made a good 

impression on everybody. 

www.sovtest.ru, www.incotex.com 



Title 


Industry News 

Appointments 

Dr. harald Wack named 

president, ZesTroN Worldwide 

ZESTRON appointed 

Dr. Harald Wack as 

president of worldwide 

operations. 

“I am extremely 

proud to transfer the 

global responsibility 

to my son effective,” 

said Dr. O. K. Wack during a recent 

interview. “During the last seven years, 

he has shown the ability to run this 

company after building ZESTRON 

America’s operation almost from the 

ground up.” 

henkel names new global sales 

director for semiconductor 

materials 

Henkel appointed 

Luc Godefroid as 

the company’s global 

sales director for its 

Semiconductor Group. 

A key member of 

Henkel’s electronics 

sales team since 2001, 

Godefroid’s new role sees him building 

on his previous success and directing 

the global sales efforts of Henkel’s 

worldwide team and expanded product 

portfolio. www.henkel.com/electronics 

Dr. ingo Bretthauer appointed 

ceo of lpKF 

As of February, Dr. Ingo Bretthauer has 

taken the role of CEO for LPKF Laser 

& Electronics AG. Bretthauer previously 

worked for AEG and Deutsche 

Bahn. He was CEO and sole managing 

director of a medium-sized mechanical 

and plant engineering company from 

2001 to 2007. 

Kic appoint A.e. Arrows engineering 

as distributor for italy 

KIC has named A.E. Arrows Engineering 

s.r.l. as its distributor in Italy. A.E. Arrows 

Engineering was founded in 2005 by Mr. 

Francesco Pisoni and Mr. Riccardo Pisoni. 

Mr. Achille Vegetti later joined as a partner 

and shares the management and sales 

responsibilities. A.E. Arrows’ product offering 

covers the SMT assembly line including 

solder reflow ovens and wave solder machines 

by Speedline, which complements 

KIC’s profiling and thermal process tools. 

Other lines include Pillarhouse, Feinfocus, 

Asscon and Cencorp. www.arrows-eng.com, 

www.kicthermal.com 

essemtec names siNerJi as its 

distributor for Turkey 

ESSEMTEC Switzerland has signed a distribution 

contract for Turkey with SINERJI 

GRUP, Istanbul, Turkey. SINERJI is located 

only 5 km from Istanbul city centre and 

provides a local show and training room 

for machine demonstration and evaluation. 

The company provides countrywide 

sales, support and service for its customers. 

The new distributor also will support 

installed equipment from Essemtec. 

www.sinerji-grup.com, www.essemtec.com 

etek europe ltd adds to customer 

support team 

Sandor Kun recently joined ETEK Europe 

from a Global CEM and brings with him 

a wealth of hands-on process engineering 

experience and front-to-back soldering 

knowledge. Kun will be predominantly 

supporting the company’s Eastern European 

customers. He can be contacted on 

skun@etek-europe.com or on his mobile 

+380 974 990 998. www.etek-europe.com 

siemens electronics Assembly 

systems carve-out completed 

Right on schedule, Siemens Electronics 

Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG 

(SEAS) became operational on January 1, 

2009, as a legally separate company within 

the Siemens technology conglomerate. 

TAt the same time, the Siplace Excellence 

restructuring program, which was begun in 

2007, is entering into a second phase that 

involves making certain volume-driven adjustments. 

Plans call for further streamlining 

of the company’s global processes and 

the consolidation of its development and 

manufacturing capacities. www.siplace.com 

sMT/hyBriD/pAcKAgiNg 2009 

SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2009, 

Europe’s leading event focused on system 

integration in microelectronics, takes place 

in Nuremberg, Germany, May 5-7. The 

exhibition will provide a comprehensive 

overview of a range of topics, including 

design and development, PCB production, 

components, placement technologies and 

test equipment all under one roof. The 

combination of exhibition and application 

oriented conference provides all attendees 

with an ideal overall platform. Suppliers, 

scientists and experts from all over the 

world will display and explain how today’s 

burning issues of production in the highly 

miniaturised electronics world may be 

solved in an economic approach. 

www.smt-exhibition.com 

Jabil installs seratel’s reel aMounts 

in hungary, china and Malaysia 

Jabil has implemented the Reel aMounts 

component counting and labelling system 

from Seratel in its plants in Tiszaújváros, 

Hungary and Huangpu, China and in 

both plants in Penang, Malaysia. The Reel 

aMounts allows these plants to replace traditional, 

electro-mechanical counting systems, 

bringing greatly improved efficiency 

and reduced costs in materials handling. 

The system also provides benefits and savings 

in material availability and inventory 

control. www.ReelaMounts.com 

sMh Technologies announces a 

new sales office for poland 

SMH Technologies appointed PCB Service 

Sp. z o.o., based in Gdansk, as a sales office 

for Poland. PCB Service has worked in the 

field of test equipment and solutions for 

printed circuit assemblies and bare-boards 

for ten years. www.pcb.com.pl 

cherry becomes ZF 

Following the acquisition last year of Cherry 

Corp by the ZF Group, the UK arm of 

the switches, sensors and CID (computer 

input devices) company, Cherry Electrical 

Products Ltd will now trade as ZF Electronics 

UK Limited. www.cherry.de 

src & iMec sign a Mou 

Semiconductor Research Corporation 

(SRC) and IMEC intend to set up an international 

collaboration aimed at creation of 

novel processes and materials for advanced 

semiconductor manufacturing. The memorandum 

of understanding (MOU) calls 

for the consortia to apply their more than 

50 years of combined expertise to finding 

more environmentally friendly ways to 

make chips for use by the worldwide electronics 

industry. www.src.org, www.imec.be 



Global SMT & Packaging Title Online 


Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era 

Hot air solder leveling 

in the lead-free era 

by Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan 

Although the advantages of 

hot air solder leveling (HASL) 

in providing the most robust 

solderable finish for printed 

circuit boards are well recognized, 

in the years leading up to 

the implementation of the EU 

RoHS Directive in July 2006, 

the conventional wisdom was 

that it would have no place in 

the new lead-free electronics 

manufacturing technology. 

By July 2006, however, 

there were nearly 200 lead-free 

HASL lines running in Europe, 

and that number has continued 

to increase since then. In the 

more than 5 years in which 

the lead-free HASL process 

has been used in commercial 

mass product, much has been 

learned about the operation of 

the process on the optimization 

of results. In this paper the 

author will report on current 

best practice on the operation 

of lead-free HASL lines and the 

properties that can be expected 

of a properly applied lead-free 

HASL finish. 

Keywords: HASL, Lead-Free 

This paper was originally presented at the IPC 

APEX Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

introduction 

The wisdom traditionally expressed by advocates 

of the hot air solder leveled (HASL) 

finish when the solder used was a tin-lead 

alloy—‘nothing solders like solder’—remains 

equally valid in the lead-free era. A strong 

case can be made that when properly 

applied, a HASL finish provides a printed 

circuit board with the most robust guarantee 

of solderability currently available. 

However, the statement ‘nothing solders 

like solder’ requires some expansion. 

A fundamental requirement of a solder 

joint is metallurgical continuity between 

the copper pad of the printed circuit board 

and the termination of the component (Figure 

1). Components terminations can have 

a wide variety of metallurgies that create issues 

that are beyond the scope of this paper 

so that all that will be considered here is 

that part of the solder joint that is the connection 

to the printed circuit board. For 

the current conventional technology that 

pad is electrodeposited copper, so the short 

form justification for a HASL finish could 

be stated more fully as ‘nothing solders like 

copper that has been pre-wetted with solder.’ 

That statement of the key advantage of 

HASL is more technically correct because 

what this finish delivers is not so much 

the solder that is visible but the wetted 

interface that lies beneath the surface of 

Figure 1. The essential features of a solder joint that 

provide metallurgical continuity. 

that solder at its interface with the copper. 

Because, when a tin-containing solder 

wets copper an intermetallic compound, 

Cu 6 Sn 5 , forms almost instantaneously, the 

evidence that wetting has been achieved is 

provided by the presence of that interfacial 

intermetallic compound (Figure 1). Thus a 

short form characterization of the benefits 

of the HASL finish could be that ‘half the 

solder joint has already been made.’ 

The term used to describe the ease with 

which solder, with the help of an appropriate 

flux, can wet a substrate is ‘solderability.’ 

With wetting already established, the 

HASL finish delivers solderability unequalled 

by any of the alternative printed 

circuit board finishes that do not contain 

tin. The additional benefit not mentioned 

in any of the foregoing characterizations 

of the HASL finish is that when properly 

applied it can preserve solderability for a 

very long period of time without the need 

for additional protection from the environment 

or special storage conditions. There 

are many anecdotal reports of printed 

circuit boards with a HASL finish soldering 

easily after many years of uncontrolled 

storage 1 . 

The place of hAsl in pcB finishing 

Until the electronics industry was forced 

by the EU RoHS Directive 2 to consider 

the prospect of eliminating lead tin-lead 

eutectic solder (nominally Sn-37Pb) applied 

by the HASL process was the most 

widely used (in terms of the area of panels 

processed) printed circuit board finish 

in North America and Europe 3 . HASL 

was also widely used in Asia, but the 

market share was smaller because of the 

dominance in those markets of consumer 

electronics. For the consumer electronics 

industry, the short time between manufacture 

and soldering that resulted from 

the effective application of ‘just in time’ 

inventory management systems meant that 

the solderability of copper pads could be 

satisfactorily ensured with an OSP finish. 

In the period leading up to the 

implementation of the RoHS Directive 


Figure 2. Voids in laminate resin due to excessive 

exposure to heat. 

in July 2006, the view that was most 

widely expressed was that the HASL finish 

would disappear as the industry moved 

to lead-free technologies4. The justification 

for this prediction was problems with 

the HASL process that were claimed to 

include: 

• Damage to the printed circuit 

board by the additional thermal 

excursion (Figure 2). 

• Coplanarity problems caused by 

pad to pad variation in the coating 

thickness (Figure 3). 

• Stencil gasketing problems during 

paste printing associated with the 

variation in coating thickness and 

‘mushroom cap’ profile of the coating 

on small pads (Figure 4). 

• The heat and fumes associated 

with the process that were considered 

out of place in a modern PCB 

shop. 

In practice these potential problems have 

not been realized to the extent expected, 

and lead-free HASL has been in widespread 

use, initially in Europe, since 2002, 

with many millions of boards successfully 

soldered and put into long-term service. 

Data collected by the author’s company 

indicates that there are more than 400 

lead-free HASL lines currently in commercial 

production around the world, with 

more being commissioned every month to 

meet the growing demand. This number 

has grown by 45% since the last quarter 

of 2006. To have achieved that growth, an 

average of more than five new lines would 

have been commissioned each month, and 

that number is consistent with the practical 

experience within the industry over 

that period. More than half of these lines 

are in Europe, but about a quarter are now 

in China as the volume of boards ordered 

with this finish by European and American 

OEM increases. 

Unless the panel is passed through the 

HASL process more than twice and/or a 

solder temperature higher than necessary is 

used the expected, damage to the laminate 

has not been observed, even with CEM-1, 

CEM-2 and FR-2 grades of laminate. The 


! 

Figure 3. Potential coplanarity issue with a HASL 

finish. 

likelihood of damage is being further 

reduced as more heat-resistant grades of 

laminate are introduced to accommodate 

other requirements of lead-free processing. 

The variation in the solder coating 

thickness of a properly applied lead-free 

HASL finish is typically about half that of 

the tin-lead HASL finish it replaces. And 

the coplanarity has been found to be good 

enough for the finish to be used on boards 

with large area array components. 

And on the issue of heat and fume, 

modern HASL lines have been designed 

to provide operating conditions consistent 

with those of any other equipment in a 

modern printed circuit board shop (Figure 

5). 

hAsl alternatives 

If the problems attributed to the HASL 

process were indeed the reason for not 

using this finish, it would have disappeared 

long before the implementation of leadfree 

since the printed circuit board finishes 

now promoted on the basis of their being 

lead-free—OSP, immersion silver, immersion 

tin and electroless nickel/immersion 

gold (ENIG) were already available. While 

all of these finishes found some application 

prior to the need to eliminate lead 

from electronic assemblies, the HASL finish 

maintained its dominant market share. 

All of the mentioned alternatives offer 

a degree of coplanarity that cannot be 

matched by even the best HASL finish, 

but the process maintained its dominance 

because none of the alternatives offer a 

solution that is problem-free. For many applications, 

HASL offers the best compromise, 

particularly when robust solderability 

is the main requirement. 

The protection that can 

be provided by the 

thin organic film 

of the OSP finish, 

albeit chemically 

bonded to the copper, 

is limited 

particularly under 

conditions of heat, 

humidity and air 

pollution. Even 

if solderability is 

good enough for 

the first stage of 

! 


Figure 4. Paste bleed due to problem of stencil gasketing 

on non-planar HASL coating. 

reflow with enough surviving to the second 

stage of reflow, if a final stage of wave 

soldering is required it is often difficult to 

meet barrel-fill criteria. 

The immersion silver finish dissolves during 

the soldering process so that all it can 

do is provide protection from oxidation for 

the underlying copper. The solderability 

of the boards with this finish is therefore 

dependent on the quality of preparation 

of the copper before the application of the 

finish, and so is vulnerable to variation in 

the control of the pre-etch process. Since 

the deposit is formed mainly by a chemical 

displacement process, the thickness 

of the coating, and hence the degree of 

protection that it can provide, is limited. 

Although it is claimed not to affect solderability, 

the silver is vulnerable to tarnishing 

in polluted atmospheres. Additional coatings 

can be applied to prevent tarnishing 

if there is concern about the cosmetic 

appearance of the board, but in any case it 

is generally recommended that boards with 

an immersion silver finish be stored in 

sealed packaging. 

As a consequence of its successful promotion, 

immersion silver has enjoyed the 

status of the preferred lead-free finish in 

the US market and so has been exposed to 

a wider range of operating conditions than 

had been the case before lead-free implementation. 

One phenomenon to emerge 

from that experience is catastrophic ‘creep 

corrosion.’ This phenomenon occurs when 

the assembled board is exposed to humid 

atmospheres polluted with sulfur and is 

driven by the electrochemical cell set up be- 

tween 

the silver and 

the small areas of copper 

Figure 5. Modern automatic in-line horizontal HASL line (photo courtesy 

Cemco/FSL Ltd). 

Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 11 

!


a 

b 

c 

Figure 6. Typical lead-free HASL finish on throughhole 

(a), QFP pads (b) and through-hole (c). 

inevitably exposed near the edge of the 

solder resist on solder-mask-defined pads 5 . 

The immersion tin process matches 

the HASL process in forming a layer of 

intermetallic at the tin-copper interface, 

although by solid state diffusion rather 

than by reaction with molten solder. Unlike 

immersion silver, it is not vulnerable 

to tarnishing and does not need special 

storage. However, as with immersion 

silver, the deposit is formed by a chemical 

displacement process so that the thickness 

is limited. The intermetallic layer continues 

to grow in storage and can completely 

consume the tin with consequent loss 

of solderability. The growth rate of the 

intermetallic is greatly accelerated during 

a thermal excursion so that solderability 

problems can be encountered in the 

second stage of double-sided reflow or in a 

final stage of wave soldering. 

As well as being perfectly flat, the 

electroless nickel/immersion gold finish is hard 

and sufficiently wear resistant for use on 

edge connectors that require only a limited 

number of insertion/withdrawal cycles. 

This finish can also accept wire bonding. 

The finish delivers excellent solderability 

and high reliability joints in the great ma- 

Figure 7. Cross-section of an ideal HASL finish. 

! SN100CL HASL coating 

providing complete coverage of 

the intermetallic layer 

Figure 8. Schematic representation of the cross section of an ideal HASL finish. 

jority of cases, but confidence in the finish 

has been damaged by a small but persistent 

incidence of catastrophic joint failures 

associated with the phenomenon known 

as ‘black pad.’ A further complication is 

that phosphorus, an unavoidable constituent 

of the electroless nickel deposit, can 

react with the tin, copper and silver that 

are the common constituents of lead-free 

solders to form at the solder/substrate 

interface a complex intermetallic compound 

that make the joint vulnerable to 

impact loading. The gold dissolves quickly 

in molten solder so that the joint is formed 

by wetting of the underlying nickel so that 

the solderability of the finish is ultimately 

determined by the quality of that nickel 

surface. As the product of a chemical displacement 

process, the gold coating is very 

thin. The protection that it can provide to 

the underlying nickel is limited and very 

dependent on process control. The very 

good solderability of freshly etched nickel 

can be quickly lost if the immersion gold 

finish does not have the integrity to protect 

it from oxidation. 

characteristics of a hAsl finish 

Because, as explained earlier, a HASL 

finish is in a way already one half of a 

solder joint, the visual criteria for quality 

are essentially the same as for a solder 

joint. The surface should be smooth and 

bright with no evidence of non-wetting or 

dewetting (Figure 6). In cross-section, the 

ideal finish would look something like that 

in Figure 7, with the features highlighted 

in the schematic diagram of Figure 8. It is 

clear from the cross-section that surface 

tension plays a major role in determining 

the profile of the finish with a character- 

Interfacial intermetallic 

compound layer 

istic ‘mushroom cap’ tending to form on 

a defined area with the coating stretched 

thinner at corners. 

The main thing that can go wrong with 

the finish is for there to be areas where the 

coating is too thin (Figure 9). This problem 

is a sign that the coating has not properly 

wetted the copper substrate or that there 

was not enough solder left on the pad 

to maintain a stable film over the whole 

area. Whatever the cause, in the areas 

where the solder coating is not sufficient 

to fully cover the intermetallic layer there 

will be a high probability of non-wetting 

and/or dewetting in subsequent soldering 

processes. 

There are several reasons why satisfactory 

wetting might not be achieved: 

12 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net 

a 

b 

Figure 9. Dewetting of the solder coating.

! 

!"*+,-.) 

Figure 10. Schematic representation of the vertical 

HASL process. 

• The copper surface was not prepared 

to the point where complete 

wetting (with no subsequent 

dewetting) could be achieved with 

the flux used with the solder temperature 

and contact time to which 

the panel was exposed during the 

HASL process. 

• The adjustment of the hot air 

knives was such that not enough 

solder was left on the pads to permit 

full coverage of the pad surface 

under the influence of surface 

tension forces. 

If the solder coating is not sufficient to 

provide a layer of free, unreacted solder 

over the intermetallic layer, solderability is 

quickly lost. Although the presence of the 

interfacial intermetallic provides confirmation 

that wetting has occurred, the intermetallic 

loses solderability when exposed 

to the atmosphere. 

When such problems are noted, the 

solution can usually be found simply by 

taking the countermeasures implied by the 

foregoing diagnoses. 

The lead-free hAsl process 

One of the advantages of the HASL 

process is its simplicity. The cleaned and 

fluxed printed circuit board is brought into 

contact with molten solder for sufficient 

time to achieve wetting, then excess solder 

is blown off with air knives—planar jets 

of air at a temperature above the melting 

point of the solder. When the solder 

coating has solidified, the board is passed 

through a washer to remove flux residues 

and dried. Air cooling ensures the smoothest 

brightest finish, and for the favored 

SnCuNiGe nothing is gained in regard to 

minimization of the intermetallic thickness 

by water or oil quenching. 

It is immediately apparent from visual 

inspection whether the process has been 

successful, but XRF techniques and/ 

or cross-sectioning can be used to check 

the coating thickness and the quality of 


! 

!"#$%&'() 

Figure 11. Comparison of the appearance of the SnCuNiGe alloy with Sn-37Pb. 

Figure 12. Comparison copper dissolution rates of HASL alloys. 

wetting. 

In the vertical process (Figure 10), a 

panel of boards is manually mounted on 

a frame which moves vertically downward 

into the solder bath, holds for an 

optimized immersion time, typically 2-3 

seconds, and then raises the panel through 

the operating air knives that are adjusted 

to clear through holes and vias while leaving 

an adequate thickness of solder on all 

areas where a solderable finish is required. 

The board is removed from the jig as the 

solder cools and solidifies and is placed on 

the conveyor of the washer/dryer. The operator 

can quickly inspect for finish quality 

during this handling. 

The great majority of HASL lines are 

of vertical design and quite capable of applying 

the finish to a high quality standard. 

Although most lines require manual 

loading and unloading of the panel, fully 

automated vertical lines are available that 

can deliver rack-to-rack performance 

incorporating fluxing and preheating and 

subsequent washing and drying. 

! 


!"*+,-.) 

The principle is similar in the horizontal 

process, but instead of the board being 

immersed in a bath of solder, it is flooded 

with solder applied through nozzles or 

between rollers on the top and bottom 

of the panel before being passed between 

hot air knives located above and below 

the board. Because it is an in-line process, 

horizontal HASL can be easily integrated 

with other in-line processes from the 

pre-etch to washing and drying to create 

a continuous line such as that in Figure 5. 

With the in-line preheating stage, the time 

required for exposure to solder can be reduced 

to a matter of a fraction of a second 

with a corresponding increase in per hour 

throughput. 

The horizontal process has an advantage 

in that the finish is more uniform in 

thickness. In the vertical process, there is a 

tendency for the solder to move toward the 

lower edge of the pad under the influence 

of gravity, whereas in the horizontal process 

gravity has no effect on the distribution 

of the solder over the surface. 



! "#$%&'! 

()*&'+&*,$$(-!-#+.#/)%! 

-#..&'! 

Figure 13. Solderability is lost when the intermetallic 

layer has grown through to the surface. 

lead-free hAsl alloys 

As in other processes involving solder, the 

tin-lead eutectic is the benchmark against 

which other solders are judged. The Sn- 

37Pb alloy can deliver a HASL finish that 

is smooth and bright and reasonably even 

and there is no doubt that it is the eutectic 

character of the tin-lead that is the major 

factor in making that possible. Because of 

the way it solidifies in a single stage with 

a sharply defined melting point a eutectic 

has high fluidity close to its melting point 

and does not suffer from the shrinkage 

effects that detract from the appearance of 

the finish left by alloys that exhibit noneutectic 

behavior. 

It is not a coincidence, therefore, that 

the solder most widely used in the lead-free 

HASL process is also the only lead-free 

alloy that comes close to matching the eutectic 

behavior of the Sn-37Pb. That alloy 

is based on the tin-copper eutectic but with 

an addition of nickel at a specific level that 

promotes eutectic behavior6 ! 

(Figure 11). 

This alloy also incorporates an addition 

of germanium to control oxidation in the 

liquid and solid state. 

This SnCuNiGe alloy has two other 

properties that make it particularly suited 

to the HASL process, a low rate of copper 

dissolution and a stable interfacial intermetallic. 

Since the copper pads of the printed 

circuit board are exposed to molten solder, 

it is important that not too much copper 

is lost by dissolution during the process. 

The nickel addition that promotes eutectic 

behavior in the tin-copper eutectic also 

stabilizes the intermetallic layer that forms 

on the surface of the copper so that it acts 

as a barrier to further dissolution. Figure 

12 shows the results of an experiment to 

compare the rate of dissolution of the 

SnCuNiGe alloy with the tin-lead benchmark 

and ‘SAC305’, the Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu 

alloy that has been widely promoted as the 

default lead-free solder. 

Even for a HASL finish that has been 

correctly applied, the solderability is eventually 

lost when the intermetallic layer has 

grown to the point where it has consumed 

! 

a 

b 

SN-37Pb SnCuNiGe SAC305 

Figure 14. (a) As HASL’d. (b) After 500h at 125˚C. The nickel-stabilized intermetallic grows more slowly. 

Figure 15. Surface tension forces mean coating tends to be thicker on smaller pads. 

Figure 16. Comparison of HASL coating thickness (Fellman7). 

all the tin (Figure 13). The slow growth of 

the intermetallic layer (Figure 14) means 

that solderability is retained even through 

extensive thermal excursions. 

equipment requirements and 

process parameters 

The lead-free HASL process has to operate 

within the constraint that applies to all 

lead-free processes—the melting point of 

the alloy is higher than that of the tin-lead 

solder that it replaces, but because of limits 

on the temperature/time profiles to which 

some materials can be exposed, process 

temperatures have to be kept as close as 

possible to those used with Sn-37Pb. 

With a melting point of 227°C, 44°C 

higher than that of Sn-37Pb, this constraint 

means that the process window for 

lead-free HASL with the most widely used 

alloy is approximately halved to about 35- 

40°C. The main implication of this smaller 

process window is that temperatures have 

to be held much closer to the set point 

than needed to be the case for the tin-lead 

HASL process. Machine manufacturers 

have responded to this challenge by increasing 

heater capacity and insulation of 

the solder pot and upgrading temperature 

control. 

The temperature that has to be reached 

for wetting of the copper to occur is much 

the same for lead-free solder as it is for tinlead 

solder, so the primary determinant of 

the process temperature is the heating rate 

required to get the surface of the board to 

the melting point in the shortest practicable 

time. The heating rate is proportional 

to the temperature difference between the 

board and the solder so that the solder 


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Figure 17. Thickness of SnCuNiGe coating on BGA 

pads (courtesy Cemco/FSL Ltd). 

Figure 18. Minimum coating thickness on the 

shoulder of through holes. 

temperature might be set higher than 

it need be to get wetting just to get faster 

heating to that melting point. The heating 

rate is also determined by the effectiveness 

of heat transfer across the interface so that 

another feature of vertical HASL machines 

designed for use with lead-free solder is 

faster circulation of the solder over the 

panel. The flow rate of solder across the 

board is already high in the horizontal process 

and because it is in-line a preheating 

stage can be easily included so that a lower 

solder temperature setting is possible. 

Single-sided and simple double-sided 

boards can be HASL’d with a solder bath 

temperature of 260°C but to get the 

surface of a heavier multilayer board to 

wetting temperature in a reasonable time 

the solder bath temperature might have to 

be set as high as 280°C. However, the temperature 

actually reached by the laminate 

during its few seconds of exposure to this 

temperature is much less than that, so the 

integrity of the laminate is not compromised. 

The temperature of the air impinging 

the surface of the panel as it emerges from 

the molten solder has to be above the melting 

point of the solder, and the setting on 

a particular machine required to achieve 

Pad size " Pitch " 

Mean coating 

thickness 

that will depend on where the set temperature 

is measured. Typically a temperature 

setting similar to that for the solder bath 

is used. 

Because it depends on the particular 

characteristics of the machine, it is not possible 

to be specific about air knife settings 

such as air pressure, angle, proximity and 

offset, but they differ from those that have 

often been used with tin-lead solder to the 

extent that the objective should be to leave 

enough solder on each pad to form the 

complete coverage exemplified in Figure 8. 

Because of the unevenness of the tin-lead 

finish, the practice developed of blowing 

most of the solder off to leave a finish that 

is as flat as possible. With lead-free solder, 

that can leave insufficient free (unreacted) 

solder to fully cover the intermetallic 

layer with a consequent negative effect on 

solderability, particularly after exposure to 

a solder paste reflow 

Managing the composition of the 

solder bath 

As with the tin-lead HASL process, the 

copper of the pads tends to dissolve in the 

solder. The level of copper in the solder 

bath can quickly rise to more than 1%. 

As the copper content rises, that liquidus 

temperature of the solder rises, which 

means that there is a tendency for the 

needle-like crystals of Cu6Sn5 intermetallic 

to precipitate from the melt. These 

crystals have a higher density than lead-free 

solder, and tend to sink to the bottom 

of the solder pot from which they can be 

dredged. However, they also form in cold 

spots, which are usually at the surface of 

the solder. Excess copper can often be 

removed by lifting these accumulations out 

of the bath. Since the rate of dissolution of 

copper decreases with the increasing copper 

content of the solder, some operators 

let the copper levels rise as far as 1.2% and 

highest 

reading 

Lowest 

reading 

Number of 

readings 

0.027 dia 0.05 4.93 7.19 2.45 78 

0.018 dia 0.04 9.07 16.85 4.32 60 

0.025 dia 0.05 7.45 10.51 5.49 75 

0.020 dia 0.05 8.72 15.34 6.15 87 

0.025 x 0.020 N/A 4.95 6.57 3.12 40 

0.020 dia 0.05 4.8 9.83 2.53 104 

0.030 dia 0.05 5.39 8.08 2.98 76 

0.030 dia 0.05 5.04 6.91 2.61 140 

Average 6.29 10.16 3.71 

Table 1: Typical range of thickness of an SnCuNiGe HASL finish on BGA pads. 

increase solder temperature to hold the 

copper in solution. The copper level of the 

solder bath can also be reduced by partially 

draining the pot and replenishing with a 

low-copper top-up alloy. 

coating thickness 

The profile of the solder coating in a 

HASL finish is determined by the volume 

of solder left on the pad after the board 

has passed through the hot air knife and 

surface tension forces. As illustrated in 

Figure 15, because of the way in which 

surface tension forces operate there is a 

tendency for the coating to be thicker on 

smaller pads. 

Perhaps it is because of the higher 

surface tension of lead-free solder that the 

coating that it forms in the HASL process 

is both thinner and more uniform than 

that formed by tin-lead solder in similar 

circumstances 7 . (Figure 16) 

A typical range of thickness of an Sn- 

CuNiGe HASL finish on BGA pads (Figure 

17) is given in Table 1. 

Unfortunately the surface tension that 

contributes to a more uniform coating 

thickness also tends to pull the coating 

thin on the shoulder of plated through 

holes (Figure 18). However, if a sufficient 

volume of solder is left on the board, a 

coating thickness of at least 1.5 μm can be 

maintained, and that is sufficient to ensure 

good through hole solderability even after 

several lead-free reflow cycles. 

Whisker susceptibility 

Since the solder coating is applied in the 

molten form, it is free of the residual compressive 

stress that is acknowledged as the 

primary driving force for whisker growth 

in electrodeposited coating. Testing to the 

JESD22A121 specification, “Measuring 

Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy 

Surface Finishes,” commissioned by the 


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Figure 19. Whisker growth on hot dipped and stressed tin-lead and lead-free solder coatings on copper. 

author’s company, has found that whiskers 

appear on a such a hot-dipped lead-free 

finish on copper only in areas where compressive 

stress was deliberately introduced, 

and then only after 2000 hours under the 

most severe conditions provided in that 

specification—the combination of elevated 

temperature (60°C) and high humidity 

(87%RH). It was noted that for the silverfree 

SnCuNiGe alloy, whisker growth 

ceased once the induced compressive stress 

had been relieved, but in the SAC305 finish 

whisker growth continued, presumably 

driven by the stress generated by ongoing 

corrosion in the hot humid environment 

(Figure 19). 

Trouble-shooting lead-free hAsl 

solderability 

The lead-free HASL finish is intrinsically 

highly solderable, so if solderability problems 

are encountered during assembly, the 

first step in diagnosis is to eliminate other 

possible causes of such problems, e.g. degradation 

of the activity of a solder paste. If 

the lead-free HASL finish is identified as 

the only possible cause, the problem will 

be that complete solder coverage was not 

achieved on all areas to be soldered (Figure 

20). This thin coating can be the cause of 

the dewetting apparent in Figure 9. 

The cost of lead-free hAsl 

Because of their higher tin content and, in 

some cases, silver content, lead-free solders 

are more expensive on a per-kilogram basis 

than tin-lead solder. However, other savings 

mean that lead-free HASL is not much 

more expensive than tin-lead HASL when 

all costs are taken into account 7 . The savings 

include the lower density of lead-free 

solders, which provides an approximately 

12% savings given that the important 

factor in a HASL finish is the volume of 

solder rather than its weight. The thinner 

average thickness of the coating also 

results in a measurable reduction on the 

quantity of solder required per unit of area 

processed. 

summary 

• Lead-free HASL provides a printed 

circuit board with a corrosion 

resistant finish that can assure 

solderability over long periods of 

uncontrolled storage and through 

multiple lead-free reflow profiles. 

• The lead-free HASL finish is superior 

to the tin-lead HASL finish 

in terms of uniformity of coating 

thickness. 

• The main quality requirement for 

the achievement of the full potential 

of the lead-free HASL finish is 

a coating thickness that provides 

full coverage of the intermetallic 

layer that forms on a properly wetted 

copper surface. 

• Best results in the HASL process 

are obtained with lead-free solders 

that come as close as possible to 

matching the eutectic behavior of 

tin-lead solder. 

• A lead-free alloy formulated for 

minimum copper dissolution 

makes control of the solder bath 

composition easier and reduces the 

extent to which board reliability is 

compromised by reduced copper 

thickness. 

• A lead-free alloy formulated for 

minimum growth of the intermetallic 

layer ensures maximum 

solderable shelf live and best final 

solderability in multi-stage soldering. 

Figure 20. Dewetting of pad where there was insufficient 

thickness of solder over the intermetallic layer. 

• While the vertical HASL process is 

still the most widely used, the horizontal 

HASL process provides the 

most uniform finish and the high 

throughput required to meet the 

growing demand for this process. 

references 

1. Bob Willis, “Hot air solder levelling- is 

it a HASL?”, Global SMT & Packaging, 

September, 2008, pp4-6 

2. “Directive on the restriction of the 

use of certain hazardous substances in 

electrical and electronic equipment” 

2002/95/EC 

3. IPC- private communication 

4. B Toleno, “PCB surface finish options 

for lead-free manufacturing” EMS Now 

February 23, 2005 

5. R Schueller, “Creep corrosion on 

lead-free printed circuit boards in high 

sulphur environments”, .Proceedings 

of SMTA International, 2007 

6. K. Nogita, T. Ventura, C. M. Gourlay, 

T. Nishimura and A. K. Dahle, “Solidification 

characteristics of eutectic 

Sn-0.7mass%Cu solder with trace Ni”, 

Proc. of Japan Institute of Metals Annual 

Meeting, Chiba, Japan, 27th-29th 

March, (2007) p.301. 

7. J Fellman, “Lead Free Solder From The 

HASL Process Lead Free Solder From 

The HASL Process-The Newest Surface 

Finish Alternative The Newest Surface 

Finish Alternative” IPC/JEDEC 8th 

International Conference, Lead Free 

Electronic Components and Assemblies, 

San Jose, CA April 20, 2005 

Keith Sweatman, senior technical advisor to 

Nihon Superior, is a graduate in metallurgical 

engineering and began his involvement with soldering 

technology with the International Tin Research 

Institute, an organisation that did much 

of the work that established a scientific basis for 

what was previously the art of soldering. He is a 

corresponding member of several IPC standards 

committees relating to soldering technology and 

is a member of the technical committee of the 

IPC Solder Products Value Council. 


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Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant assembly 

Vapor phase vs. convection 

reflow in RoHS-compliant 

assembly 

by Dan Coada, EPIC Technologies, Norwalk, OH USA 

The contract manufacturing industry 

is changing rapidly from 

lead-based soldering to lead-free 

soldering. There is no stopping 

the transition or the reality that 

lead-free components are going 

to be introduced in lead-based 

processes. This challenge to 

engineering and quality is a 

huge concern and one that needs 

scrutiny and a watchful eye. 

EMS providers rely on component 

suppliers to ensure that the 

lead-free transition on the component 

terminations is seamless 

to their soldering processes, but 

that rarely happens. Termination 

changes require additional 

modification to solder profiles 

and flux chemistries in order to 

ensure proper wetting of the solder 

to the lead-free termination. 

The need for nitrogen to be used 

in convection reflow is becoming 

a requirement more than an option, 

and nitrogen is costly. 

This paper will look at the 

advantages and disadvantages 

of vapor phase (VP) and convection 

reflow in RoHS-compliant 

processing and discuss associated 

design for manufacturing 

(DFM) issues. 

Keywords: Vapor Phase, 

Convection Reflow, IR Reflow, 

Lead-Free 

This paper was originally published in the 

proceedings of the SMTA International 

Conference, Orlando, Florida, August 2008. 

introduction 

Vapor phase (VP) reflow technology has 

been in existence since the early 1970s as a 

reflow process for surface mount technology 

(SMT) assemblies. While used for some 

defense applications and in smaller volume 

production settings, the disadvantages 

associated with the initial processing technology 

limited its widespread acceptance. 

These disadvantages included environmental 

concerns about the fluids being used, 

throughput limitations, applicability only 

to single-sided printed circuit board assemblies 

(PCBAs) and an inherent problem 

with tombstoning. 

Advances in VP technology have 

addressed many of these shortcomings 

through continued development of improved 

machines, chemical selections and 

process controls. Doublesided PCBAs are 

easily processed in current equipment. As a 

result, VP is becoming a viable alternative 

to consider in volume manufacturing. 

Today’s VP reflow process makes use of 

the heat produced by a boiling fluorinated 

polymer or fluid. This boiling fluid produces 

a uniform temperature zone (vapor 

blanket) in which the PCBA is exposed for 

solder purposes. Heat is transferred to the 

PCBA as it is immersed into the vapor area 

until the PCBA reaches temperature equilibrium 

with the boiling point of the fluid. 

The primary soldering benefits of VP in 

comparison to infrared (IR) or convection 

include an oxygen free (inert) environment 

without the need for nitrogen, fixed upper 

temperature exposure and superior heat 

transfer on thermally challenged PCBAs. 

VP also offers distinct advantages 

in the realm of lead-free soldering. Key 

benefits include a lower peak reflow 

temperature, an inert environment without 

nitrogen, improved solder wetting and flow 

and a reduction in profiling time 

Figure 1. Vapor phase soldered, lead free, ENIG surface fnish (U26 partially removed in shear/tensile test). 


Figure 2. Convection lead-free profile. 

lower peak reflow processing 

VP reflow requires a lower processing 

temperature. In convection or IR process, 

temperatures can reach 245˚C to 265˚C 

at the component level. VP temperatures 

stay at the boiling point of the fluid, 

typically established between 230˚C and 

240˚C. The lower temperatures make it 

possible to reduce the cost of the PCB by 

using lower T g /T d material selections for 

SMT assemblies. Savings of 10-15% and 

even more could be seen on laminate costs 

alone. VP also offers processing advantages 

with large mass components, such as connectors, 

because the thermal equilibrium 

is better. In convection reflow, particularly 

in higher temperature lead-free processes, 

correctly soldering large mass connectors 

may overheat the rest of the PCBA. 

inert environment 

The inert environment and consistency of 

heat transfer allow VP to be more forgiving 

with lead-free component terminations. 

Less active no clean flux chemistries have 

proven to be adequate in soldering leadfree 

terminations that demand high activity 

fluxes in the convection reflow process. 

There is also cost savings due to lower 

energy consumption. In addition to the 

elimination of nitrogen, electricity usage 

with VP is much lower. 


improved solder wetting and flow 

Visual inspection of micro sections 

indicates that VP creates good solder joint 

performance. When larger thermal load 

components or clusters of components are 

present, time above liquidus (TAL) should 

be increased beyond the 60-90 seconds recommended 

by solder paste manufacturers 

to accommodate thorough heat transfer. 

Comparatively, in convection processing it 

can be more difficult to ensure good joints 

on components with high thermal mass because 

achieving TAL in larger components 

may result in smaller components overheating. 

There is no chance of overheating 

smaller or isolated components with VP 

because VP cannot heat a component 

higher than vapor temperature. 

reduction in profiling time 

Another advantage of VP’s heat transfer 

characteristics and the uniformity at which 

it accomplishes heat transfer is that it 

makes it easier to understand the profiling 

relationship between PCBAs. In traditional 

profile development for a new PCBA, 

sample assemblies with thermocouples are 

run through the reflow process numerous 

times in order to get the right profile, with 

manual inspection of the solder joints 

and flux residue used to determine if the 

target profile is correct. Engineers develop 

matrix charts on board size, layer count 


Figure 3. Vapor phase lead-free profile. 

Figure 4. Vapor phase tin-lead profile. 

and complexity to get the profile close so 

that process development time is kept to a 

minimum. 

Conversely, VP reflow profiling can 

be classified by process type to the point 

where there are fewer profiles to develop. 

For instance, standard multi-layer 0.062” 

thick PCBAs can follow the same leadbased 

VP profile regardless of component 

complexity. With advances in VP process 

systems, monitoring of heat load during 

the soldering process allows the systems to 

profile almost automatically. Ramp rates 

and soak times at peak temperature can be 

defined by the engineer and controlled by 

the systems regardless of the product mix 

during the process. In a true one-piece flow 

on a prototype, it is much easier to get it 

right the first time using VP processing. 

The days of inadequate reflow temperature 

or over temperature on the first piece 

are virtually eliminated by use of the VP 

systems. 

comparative data on lead-free and 

tin-lead solder joint creation 

Standard test boards (Figure 1) populated 

with common components, including 

BGAs and QFPs, were built with vapor 

phase and convection soldering technology 

and tested at an EPIC facility. Reliability 

testing demonstrated that lead-free and 

tin-lead joints produced by vapor phase to 

be equally robust as those from convection 

reflow. The controllable, lower peak solder 

temperature makes vapor phase ideal for 

soldering complex assemblies having sensitive 

lead-free SMT components. 



Test Description 

Tests were conducted using a VP reflow 

process. Vehicle boards were used with tinlead 

HASL or lead free immersion silver, 

immersion tin or ENIG surface finishes, as 

appropriate. Boards were populated with 

tin-lead or lead-free components, printed, 

assembled and soldered using standard 

reflow or VP production equipment. The 

solder pastes selected for testing included 

tin-lead and lead-free no-clean and water 

soluble formulations. Assembled test 

boards were thermal shocked between 

-45˚C and +125˚C with 20 minutes duration 

at each limit for 500, 1000 and 2000 

cycles in EPIC’s Failure Analysis Laboratory. 

Other test boards were subjected to 

accelerated aging at 85˚C and 85% relative 

humidity for 1,000 hrs. The JOCY test 

vehicle is populated on only one side, although 

it is equipped with plated throughholes 

(PTH) for mixed technology tests. 

Test boards were populated with dummy 

402, 603, 805, 68 pin PLCC, TSOP32, 

SOIC TQFP QFP208 and daisy-chained 

BGA169 and BGA352 components. 

Standard lead-free convection reflow 

Initial 2000 Cycles 

Thermal Shock 

1000 hrs. 

Accel. Age 

SnPb No Clean Convection 19.1 23.1 23.6 

Vapor Phase 22.8 21.6 19.0 

Lead-free No Clean Convection 27.6 25.6 26.6 

Vapor Phase 27.3 27.6 26.2 

SnPb Water Soluble Convection 23.7 20.3 

Vapor Phase 23.5 20.5 

Lead-free Water Soluble Convection 26.3 27.6 25.0 

Vapor Phase 26.9 28.0 25.7 

Table 2. Shear/tensile force required to remove SOIC16 (pounds of force). 

2000 

Cycles 

1000 hrs. 

Accel. Age 

SnPb No Clean Convection 19.5 * 9.34 * 


Lead-free No Clean Convection 2.11 9.16 


SnPb Water Soluble Convection 14.5 No data 


Lead-free Water Soluble Convection 1.31 23.7 


* Tin-Lead No-Clean resistance measurements tended to decrease slightly. Others increased 

or were mixed hence, absolute values to were used to assess changes. 

Table 1. Average percent resistance change (absolute value). 

profiles (Figure 2) provided a peak temperature 

of 245˚C and a TAL in the 60-90 

second range recommended by paste suppliers. 

Vapor phase soldered boards were 

soldered in an EPM-IBL SLC500 vapor 

phase soldering chamber using Galden 

LS/230 Perfluorinated heat transfer 

fluid. The vapor phase profiles developed 

provided a TAL of about 90 seconds and 

a maximum temperature of 230˚C, a 

temperature that is governed by the vapor 

temperature. After a vapor phase profile 

is established, TAL can be modified to 

achieve any time required without exceeding 

the 230˚C maximum temperature. 

The vapor phase equipment first 

preheats the board using infrared. Next, 

the work is lowered into the vapors at a 

programmed rate to regulate ΔT and TAL. 

After the work reaches the maximum vapor 

temperature, the duration of its exposure 

is preprogrammed. Several soldering 

programs can be developed by the engineer 

and stored in memory to suit the needs of 

different lead-free or tin-lead board types. 

ΔT and TAL are controlled by the program 

developed by the engineer. 

Visual inspection for solder balls, 

tombstones, bridging, voids and dewetting 

indicated no apparent difference between 

the two methods of solder joint creation. 

No tombstones were experienced on the 

JOCY test vehicle boards in either case. 

Visual inspection indicates that while 

vapor phase created solder joint performance 

and micro-section appearance on 

the board is very good, it might be a good 

idea to explore increasing the lead-free 

TAL above the 60 to 90 seconds recommended 

by solder paste manufacturers 

to accommodate thorough heat transfer 

to larger components or clusters of large 

components. Larger thermal load components, 

especially in clusters, tend to retard 

the complete melting of lead-free paste. 

It is more difficult to ensure good joints 

on components with high thermal mass 

in convection processing because while 

trying to achieve a sufficient TAL on larger 

components, smaller components in less 

populous areas may tend to overheat. 

Much discussion in trade magazines 

and forums such as the IPC TechNet has 

focused on the question of soldering tincopper 

and SAC-alloy-terminated BGAs 

and other components with standard tinlead 

solders. Using a 230˚C vapor phase 

system, even liquification of these terminations 

ceases to be a problem while posing 

little chance of overheating heat sensitive 

components. Similarly, risks associated 

with lower T substrates and temperature 

g 

sensitive components is reduced relative to 

lead-free convection processing. 

Since cleanliness had been studied 

using ion chromatography for a previously 

published report2 , a cleanliness comparison 

was made for this report using ROSE 

techniques. An Omegameter operating 

above 100˚F was employed. No differences 

were detected in ionic cleanliness between 

boards soldered using convection reflow 

and those soldered in vapor phase. Leadfree 

no-clean samples tended to have 50% 

higher contamination levels than standard 

tin-lead boards due to the type and level 

of flux used in lead-free pastes. All results 

were well below IPC limits. 

Resistance across soldered BGA daisy 

chain arrays of 40 and 80 joints were the 

same for convection and vapor phase 

reflowed test boards within the limits of 

experimental measurement. (Daisy chained 

dummy 169 and 352 termination BGAs 

containing four daisy chains each were 

used.) Solder joint conductivity did not appear 

to deteriorate measurably after either 

2000 thermal shock cycles or 1000 hours 

of accelerated aging at 85˚C/85RH. During 

the 2000 thermal shock cycles and 

Continued on page 34 


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Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight? 

Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai 

Bottom reached, ‘turning 

point’ in sight? 

The world is clearly in recession. Henderson 

Ventures’ most recent global economic 

forecast (Chart 1) predicts negative GDP 

growth in all major regions except China 

for 2009. And even for China, anything 

less than about 8% GDP growth is a ‘recession.’ 

Recent country industrial production 

growth (Chart 2) is especially sobering. 

Only China is in positive territory—and not 

by much. 

Electronic equipment shipment growth 

(Chart 3) has dropped into negative territory 

in all major regions (Taiwan/China 

-15%, Japan -22%, Europe -3% and USA 

-5%). For growth to resume, these 3/12 

growth rates must turn upwards and cross 

the 1.0 line. This may take much or all of 

2009. The automotive sector (Chart 4) has 

been hit especially hard. 

Using SIA semiconductor shipment data 

(Chart 5) as a barometer of electronic assembly 

activity, it is obvious that SE Asia’s 

high volume electronic production has 

been hurt the most. Recovery from the January 

2009 will take time. We are in a deep 

hole, but January should have been the low 

point of the seasonal downturn overlaid on 

20090312 

GDP Growth 

Constant $ Growth Rates Converted @ Constant Exchange Rates 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 

World 3.9 1.7 -1.1 2.5 3.8 

USA 2.0 1.1 -2.7 2.3 3.6 

EU 2.9 0.5 -2.4 0.5 1.7 

Japan 2.4 -0.2 -3.8 1.0 2.8 

Four Tigers 5.3 2.7 -4.8 4.1 5.1 

China 11.6 9.0 5.8 7.5 8.8 

Henderson Ventures 3/2009 

www.hendersonventures.com 

recessionary end market demand. 

Gartner recently revised its 2009 global 

semiconductor forecast (Chart 6) to predict 

a 24.1% chip shipment decline in 2009 followed 

by a 7.5% rebound in 2010—but not 

reaching 2008 levels again until 2012. Not 

surprisingly SEMI equipment purchases 

(Chart 7) have plummeted—down 29.6% in 

2008 followed by a 46.5% drop this year. 

Surviving as a SEMI capital equipment 

vendor in a recession is very challenging to 

say the least. 

Fortunately the first signs of a seasonal 

turnaround are now occurring. Most 

Taiwan/China electronics sectors (Chart 

8) saw February sales better than January 

with increasing optimism for 2Q’09. 

This upturn is being driven by China’s 

internal stimulus programs coupled with 

normal seasonal patterns and “catch up” of 

depleted inventories. 

The global food chain (electronic equipment, 

semiconductors and printed circuits) 

is still heading south but the low point may 

be in sight (Chart 9). We’ll then need to 

return to 3/12’s of 1.0 to resume growth. 

Chart 10 provides Henderson Ventures 

Chart 1. Chart 2. 

most recent electronic equipment forecast 

by region. 2009 is predicted to be negative 

with ‘recovery’ next year. Here’s hoping! 

end markets 

Worldwide: 

• Automotive electronics will grow at 

a 5-year CAGR of 8.5% fromUS $20 

billion in 2008 toUS $22.5 billion in 

2014. —Databeans 

Cable broadband hardware market 

• increased 3% toUS $275 million in 

4Q’08. —Infonetics Research 

• Cellular modem shipments exceeded 

35 million in 2008. —ABI Research 

• Consumer electronics output will 

drop by 6.4% in 2009. —Henderson 

Ventures 

• IT spending to grow by 0.5% Y/Y in 

2009; global hardware markets overall 

spending growth is expected to contract 

3.6% .—IDC 

LED street lamp shipments in 2009 are 

• estimated to grow 224% to 1.46 million 

units, with total value rising 99% 

to US $816 million. —PIDA 

Mobile handset display market will 


20090312 

• 

Industrial Production - World 

% Change vs. One Year Earlier 

Economist 3/2009 http://www.economist.com Output, prices and jobs

decline to 1.5 billion units in 2009, 

down 6.2% from 1.6 billion units in 

2008. —iSuppli 

Netbook shipments (mini-notebook 

• PCs) are expected to grow to 26.32 

million units in 2009, taking a 17.2% 

share in the overall notebook PC mar- 

ket. —Displaybank 

Netbooks shipments reached 14.6 mil- 

• lion units in 2008 and are expected to 

reach 17.2% of notebook-PC market in 

2009. —Displaybank 

Server market declined 14.0% y/y 

• toUS $13.5 billion in 4Q08; full 

year 2008, worldwide server revenue 

declined 3.3% toUS $53.3 billion, and 

worldwide unit shipments grew 2.0% 

to 8.1 million units. —IDC 

Smartphone sales are expected to in- 

• crease 0.8% by volume to 180 million 

units in 2009. —Nomura Securities of 

Japan 

Smartphone shipments worldwide are 

• projected to grow 13% in 2009 to 164 

million units. —Forward Concepts 

TV shipments fell more than 5% Y/Y 

• in Q4’08 to 57.7M units and revenues 

posted the first annual decline in a 

given quarter, falling 3% Y/Y. —The 

NPD Group 

China: 

• Handset production is expected to 

drop 15.8% in 2009. —CSIA 

• IT spending is expected to grow 11% 

Y/Y toUS $51.2 billion in 2009. 

—Springboard Research 

• Manufactured approximately 750 million 

handsets in 2008 with an annual 

growth rate of 8.6%. —CCID Consult- 

ing 

Exceeded U.S. in auto sales in January; 

• Chinese consumers bought 790,000 vehicles 

in January while U.S. consumers 

purchased 657,000 automobiles. —GM 

and Autodata Corp. 

20090311 

Global Electronic Equipment Shipment Growth 

1.6 

1.5 

1.4 

1.3 

1.2 

1.1 

1 

0.9 

0.8 

0.7 

0.6 

3/12 rate of growth in local currency 

1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 


CALENDAR YEAR 

Europe: 

• Electronic equipment manufacturing 

orders decreased 3.2% in Europe in 

December. —Eurostat 

EMEA printer, copier, and multifunc- 

• tional (combined) product market 

shipments declined 8.4% Y/Y to 48.2 

million units in 2008. —Gartner 

India: 

• PC market shipments reached 2.268 

million units in 3Q’08. —IDC India 

• Electronic hardware manufacturing 

to hitUS $155B by 2015. —Frost and 

Sullivan 

Japan’s PC shipments fell 18.7% Y/Y to 

601,000 units in January. —JEITA 

Taiwan: 

• Handset shipments to decline 21.1% to 

84.2 million units in 2009. —Digitimes 

Research. 

Shipped 34.82 million notebook PCs 

• in 4Q’08, up 23% Y/Y. —IDC Taiwan 

USA: 

• Businesses spentUS $264.2 billion 

on information and communication 

technology equipment and computer 

software in 2007, a 4.4% increase over 

2006. —U.S. Census Bureau 

Digital camera sales fell 12% to 15 mil- 

• lion units in 4Q’08; full year sales rose 

6% to 38 million units. —IDC 

Video game hardware sales reachedUS 

• $445.4 million in January, a 17% y/y 

increase; 679,200 Nintendo Wii and 

510,800 Nintendo handheld DS units 

were sold, followed by 309,000 Xbox 

360s and 203,200 PlayStation 3 gaming 

machines. —NPD 

eMs, oDM & related assembly 

activity 

Arima Communications is building handset 

plant in Brazil with an initial capacity 

of 100,000 units/month. 

Asustek Computer laid-off 460 workers 

Taiwan/China 

Europe 

Japan 

USA 

0 

20090305 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

$ Billion 


http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/m3/ 


(10% of total staff). 

BreconRidge received AS9100 aerospace 

registration. 

Briton EMS became an EMS partner for 

Link Research. 

Catalyst Manufacturing received ‘The 

Business Champions award’ for its contributions 

to the Raleigh, North Carolina, 

Triangle-area workforce. 

Celestica laid-off 110 in Rajecko, Czech 

Republic, and 80 in Galway, Ireland. 

Cicor Technologies implemented shorttime 

working in its EMS division. 

Compal: 

• and Ju Teng formed a magnesiumaluminum 

alloy and plastic chassis JV, 

Compal Precision Module, in Nanjing, 

China. 

Communications regained Motorola’s 

• low-cost ODM handset orders. 

Crystalaid Manufacture (Brisbane, Australia) 

selected Valor’s vPlan for CAD to SMT 

solutions. 

CTS Electronics Manufacturing received a 

manufacturing contract for multiple complex 

electronic assemblies for the A3 Bradley 

Fighting Vehicle from BAE Systems. 

DCI purchased a DEK Horizon 03i fully 

automatic screen printing system. 

Distron (Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts) 

promoted Michael Hayes to VP of quality 

& engineering and Don Petry to VP of 

sales and marketing. 

EB will close its Turku, Finland, facility by 

the end of September 2009. 

EDC acquired Fabec. 

Efore cut 30 personnel in Finland. 

Elcoteq: 

• celebrated the 10th anniversaries of its 

Dongguan high-volume manufacturing 

plant and its Hong Kong management 

support office in China. 

laid-off 400 in Arad, Western Roma- 

• nia; 385 in Tallinn, Estonia, and 30 in 

Finland. 

U.S. Vehicle Shipments 

Heavy Duty Trucks 

Lt Trucks & Utility Vehicles 

Automobiles 

1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 3 5 7 9 11 1 

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 

CALENDAR YEAR 



• issued new incentive plan which 

includes distribution of a maximum of 

1,500,000 new series A shares of which 

50% would be issued during June 2010 

and the remaining 50% during January 

2011. 

Elhurt established an EMS division and 

finished construction on new Gdansk 

manufacturing facility. 

EMS Radio Fire and Security Systems 

(Herne Bay, UK) purchased a MYDATA 

MY100DX pick-and-place machine. 

Eolane renewed its take-over proposal for 

Cofidur. 

ETI laid-off 62 of its 270 employees in 

Denmark. 

FCT Assembly celebrated its five-year anniversary. 

Flextronics: 

• cut 400 jobs in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. 

• laid-off 370 workers and did not extend 

contracts of 330 temporary staff in Tab, 

Hungary. 

Foxconn/ Hon Hai 

• building aUS $200-million cellphone 

plant in the Binh Xuyen II Industrial 

Park in Vinh Phuc province, Vietnam. 

• will establish a digital camera production 

center in Wuhan, China. 

• selected open-plug ELIPS Suite to rapidly 

develop mass market phones across 

multiple chipsets. 

• investing up to US $60 million to build 

a PC manufacturing facility in Turkey 

together with HP. 

laid-off an additional 160 in Debrecen, 

• Hungary. 

GPV Industri sold its subsidiary GPV 

Danprint to Mekoprint. 

HANZA appointed Elina Tuurinkoski 

Manager of HANZA Services in Helsinki 

Finland. 

HTC committed an additional investment 

of US $8 million for equipment installation 

at its Shanghai subsidiary. 

200902302 

15 

10 

5 

0 

Total Semiconductor Shipments to an Area 

$B 

Japan 

N America 

Europe 

Asia Pac 

Monthly Shipments - Reporting Firms 

1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 5 9 1 

95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 

SIA website: www.sia-online.org/ 

Inventec raised holdings in Kohjinsha 

(KJS) from 42.75% to 61.69%. 

Jabil Circuit: 

• delayed construction of its new 

headquarter building in St. Petersburg, 

Florida, by two years. 

• will close Billerica, Massachusetts, 

operations in May 2009. 

• cut 900 workers at its plant in Tiszaujvaros, 

Hungary, and laid-off 110 work- 

ers in Brest, France. 

• began moving manufacturing from 

Chennai, India to China. 

• implemented Reel aMounts component 

counting and labeling system from 

Seratel in its plants in Tiszaújváros in 

Hungary, Huangpu, in China and in 

both plants in Penang, Malaysia. 

Jurong Technologies: 

• received statutory letter of demand for 

repayment ofUS $22.4 million in loans 

from Rabo Bank. 

• appointed Tam Chee Chong and Keoy 

Soo Earn, partners of Deloitte & Touche, 

as their judicial managers. 

• 

• Kimball Electronics: 

• received 2009 Indiana Governor’s 

Workplace Safety award. 

• implemented 10% cut in annual base 

pay for CEO Jim Thyen, 5% for all officers 

and a 3% reduction for all other 

salaried personnel. 

Kitron cut its workforce by 17% (250 

workers). 

LaBarge received aUS $1.6 million electronic 

equipment manufacturing contract 

from Northrop Grumman for LAIRCM 

missile defense program andUS $3.4 million 

in orders from BAE Systems. 

Lenovo opened a new computer factory in 

Apodaca, Mexico. 

Micro-Star International cut 10% of its 

workforce (1000 workers). 

Meitai Plastics & Electronics keyboard fac- 

SE 

Asia 

tory in Dongguan City was investigated by 

National Labor Council regarding working 

conditions at the factory. 

MC Assembly purchased and installed 

YESTech F1-series automated inspection 

systems at their facilities in Palm Bay, 

Florida, and Zacatecas, Mexico. 

N.E.S Tech installed a Juki KE-2060 light 

in Jerusalem. 

Nam Tai Electronics took its 74.88% 

owned Nam Tai Electronic Products private 

for HK$332.2 million ($42.6 million). 

NOTE: 

• laid off 60 employees in Torsby, Sweden. 

• received volume production contract 

from OTRUM for HD cards for hotel 

TV systems. 

Optimum Design Associates purchased a 

Takaya APT-9411 flying-probe test system 

from Texmac USA for its Pleasanton, California, 

facility. 

PKC temporarily laid-off all its workers in 

Kempele (Oulu, Finland). 

Plexus: 

• leased a 72,000 SF facility in Oradea, 

Romania. 

• became a supply chain partner for Ixia’s 

test, measurement and service verifica- 

tion solutions. 

• cut 35 workers in the Fox Cities region. 

• Kelso facility received an EMS contract 

from Games Warehouse. 

Quality Contract Assembly created a new 

brand to focus on LEDs. 

Quanta: 

• established a product design center to 

cut procurement costs by an estimated 

US $30 million/yr based on shipments 

of 30 million notebook computers. 

• outsourced its chassis fabrication to Ju 

Teng International Holdings. 

Rapid Tooling added SMT Print Tooling 

services. 

Remploy Electronics hired and appointed 


20090225 

350.0 

300.0 

250.0 

200.0 

150.0 

100.0 

50.0 

0.0 

$ Billions 

256.4 

Gartner 2/25/09 


World Semiconductor Sales 

Total 

-24.1% 

194.5 

+7.5% 

209.1 

253.4 

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Gary Newberry manufacturing engineer. 

Sanmina SCI: 

• CEO Jure Sola raised his stake in the 

company to 4.2 million with purchase 

of 575,000 additional shares. 

• looking to acquire a plant in China. 

• closing its Rapid City, South Dakota, 

factory. 

• cut 130 jobs at its Cork, Ireland, medical 

electronics manufacturing plant. 

SigmaPoint Technologies (Cornwall, Ontario, 

Canada) purchased four Universal 

Instruments Genesis GC-60D platforms. 

Sparton froze participation in and benefits 

accruals under its pension plan and suspended 

employer matching contributions 

to its 401(k). 

Sunburst Electronics achieved ISO 13485 

certification and ISO 9001 upgrade. 

Sunburst EMS: 

• appointed Dave Fahey VP sales and 

marketing. 

• acquired New England Wire Assemblies. 

Suntron received FDA quality certification 

20090309 

Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending 

0.0 

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 

Other Capital Spending 17.9 18.7 13.7 7.0 7.5 10.1 13.0 12.3 

Automated Test Equip 4.1 3.6 2.5 1.6 2.1 2.9 3.2 2.6 

Packaging & Assembly Equip 5.4 5.2 3.7 2.0 2.6 3.4 3.8 3.1 

Wafer Fab Equip 32.5 36.0 24.9 13.3 15.6 22.6 28.4 24.2 

Gartner 3/2009 


$ Billions 

70.0 

63.4 

60.0 

60.0 

50.0 

40.0 

30.0 

20.0 

10.0 

44.7 

-29.6% 

23.9 

-46.5% 

at Sugar Land, Texas. 

TT electronics achieved ISO13485 medical 

electronics accreditation at Rogerstone, 

South Wales. 

Venture implemented a 10- 20% temporary 

pay cut for senior and middle management. 

Videoton laid-off 100 staff in Hungary. 

Vogt electronic laid-off 55 employees in 

Blejska Dobrava, Slovenia. 

West Instruments ordered a MYDATA 

MY9 pick-and-place machine. 

Zeup Pozyton purchased a KE-2060 light 

from Juki Automation Systems. 

Materials & process equipment 

Agilent: 

• exited AOI and AXI systems business 

to focus on electronic test market. 

• cut 600 jobs. 

Assembléon received global dealership for 

Yamaha pick & place machines outside 

Asia. 

Austin American Technology appointed 

Technical Devices (Torrance Ca.) as its ex- 

27.8 

38.9 

48.3 

42.3 

20090311 


20090315 

1.5 

1.3 

1.1 

0.9 

0.7 

0.5 

World Electronic Equipment, PCB & 

Semiconductor Shipments 

Converted @ Constant 2006 Exchange Rates 

3/12 rate of change 

3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 6 9 12 3 

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 

CALENDAR YEAR 

Source: Custer Consulting Group & Henderson Ventures 

Chart 9. 

PCB "0" Growth SIA El Equip 

Assumptions: 

Europe monthly ratio = SIA European semiconductor ratio 

Japan & N. Americas from JPCA & IPC data 

Taiwan/China based upon 28 large company composite 

Rest of Asia growth = Taiwan/China composite 

Data scaled to match Henderson Ventures annual totals 

450 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 


clusive worldwide distributing partner for 

its AquaTherm batch defluxing systems. 

Bliss launched FLEXconveyor (box build 

factory on wheels) for electronics assembly. 

BTU International added Omni-tronics 

as its representative in Minnesota, North 

Dakota, South Dakota, northern Wisconsin 

and Iowa. 

Camtek cut 14% of its global workforce 

(68 employees). 

Christopher Associates: 

• appointed ASL Sales (Lewisville, Texas) 

as its sales representative for bare board 

fabrication equipment in Texas. 

hired and appointed Richard Brooks 

• Technical Sales Engineer for Texas and 

border regions of Mexico. 

Cookson: 

• appointed Fabio Taiana VP of sales 

for its European Assembly Materials 

Business. 

• introduced ALPHA® Vaculoy SACX® 

0307 Plus low-Ag Pb-free wave solder 

and rework alloy for use as a high performance 

replacement for SnPb and 

Taiwan ODM Companies 

Composite Sales of 10 Large Manufacturers 

NT$ (Billions) 

2008/2007 

+2% 

1 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 

CALENDAR YEAR 

Company Financial Releases 

Asustek Computer, Compal Electronics, Foxconn, Innolux Display, Inventec, Inventec Appliance, Lit 

On Technology, Mitac International, Quanta Computer, Wistron 

20090312 

Electronic Equipment Production Growth 

Current $ Growth Rates Converted @ Constant 2007 Exchange Rates 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 

World 8.1 0.2 -11.9 4.6 8.3 

USA 0.9 -0.2 -10.6 3.5 4.5 

W Europe -0.1 -1.1 -16.1 1.5 4.0 

Japan 0.2 -9.7 -14.3 2.2 5.5 

Four Tigers 7.6 1.3 -11.3 4.9 8.6 

China 21.2 3.1 -7.3 7.9 13.3 

Henderson Ventures 3/2009 

www.hendersonventures.com 

Chart 10. 



• 

SAC305. 

CyberOptics named Hitech Electronics as 

its representative in Brazil. 

DEK introduced VectorGuard Platinum 

stencil solution for ultra fine-pitch printing. 

DNP developed the world thinnest lead 

frame (0.15 mm thick). 

Dow Corning scientist Thomas Lane was 

named president of The American Chemical 

Society. 

DuPont raised its 2009 cost-cutting 

forecast toUS $1.1B and cut y/y capital 

spending by 20%. 

EEJA introduced a new Ni/Pd/Au PWB 

surface treatment plating process to reduce 

manufacturing costs over Ni/Au. 

Enthone: 

• promoted Gary Sutcliffe to manager, 

corporate technical services - Enthone 

Americas. 

• introduced OrmeSTAR Ultra PWB 

Final Finish. 

• ggp-Schaltungen received approval 

from Satorius to supply OrmeSTAR 

Ultra nanofinish. 

ESI: 

• reduced president and CEO’s salary by 

15% and VPs’ salaries by 12%. 

• 

laid-off 84 employees. 

Essemtec: 

• named RSA Rosengren Consulting its 

distributor in Sweden. 

• introduced a small-to-medium batch 

convection oven RO300FC suitable for 

solder at aluminum cores. 

Etek Europe hired Sandor Kun for customer 

support in Eastern Europe. 

Henkel named Luc Godefroid global sales 

director for semiconductor materials. 

Heraeus acquired the Electronic and 

Decorative Materials business from BASF 

Catalysts. 

Hitachi developed a new termination 

system with lead-free soldering for high 

temperature power devices. 

Indium Corporation promoted Paul 

Socha to manager of applications engineering. 

Intec Automation elektronische und elektrische 

Geräte Vertriebsgesellschaft filed 

for insolvency in Vienna, Austria. 

IPTE: 

• established its first affiliate in Africa in 

Tunisia. 

• cut 250 permanent and 150 temporary 

jobs. 

Juki Automation Systems promoted Todd 

O’Neil to sales manager for soldering 

products. 

Kester celebrated 110 years in business. 

KIC named A.E. Arrows Engineering its 

distributor in Italy. 

Koh Young Technology unveiled their 

next generation solder paste inspection 

and process optimization tool, the 

aSPIre-2, at IPC/APEX 2009, Las Vegas, 

Nevada. 

LPKF named Dr. Ingo Bretthauer CEO. 

Manncorp introduced ECO-300, new 

small-footprint lead-free wave solder 

machine. 

Marantz Business Electronics appointed 

SmartRep as its distributer in Germany. 

MVTS Technologies (refurbished ATE 

equipment & service provider) expanded 

its Thailand facility from 19,000 to 27,000 

SF and added an additional 30 test cells 

dedicated to the repair operations of legacy 

Credence test equipment. 

MYDATA received an order for two new 

MY9 pick-and-place machines from West 

Instruments and an order for a MY19e 

pick-and-place machine from General 

Monitors. 

Nihon Superior introduced lead-free extra 

fine flux-cored solder SN100C (030) wire 

suitable for fine pitch applications. 

Nippon Mining & Metal terminated its 

thin copper laminate business for COF 

substrates for LCD driver modules. 

OHT was delisted from stock market after 

its stock price did not satisfy the listing 

requirement. 

Omron: 

• Electronic Components entered design 

and distribution agreement with Power 

& Signal Group. 

introduced VT-X series x-ray inspection 

• system, the world’s 1st dual-mode CT 

scanner. 

Orbotech sold its assembled PCB business 

in Europe and the Americas to Orpro 

Services (Italy). 

Park Electrochemical appointed Ronald 

Brett president of Nelco Products in Singapore 

and president of Nelco Technology 

(Zhuhai FTZ) in Zhuhai, China. 

RBP Chemical Technology named Robert 

Coleman managing director—Asia. 

Rehm Thermal Systems appointed 

Johnson Ma general sales manager (China 

Taiwan) and Andreas Brockt European 

sales VP. 

Rogers cut 10% of its salaried staffing 

worldwide, froze salaries and reduced 

operating and overhead expenses. 

Samsung EM developed nano printing 

and inkjet processes for printing electronics 

on flexible substrates. 

Schmid became the majority shareholder 

in SierraTherm Production Furnaces (Watsonville, 

California). 

SETODEN commercialized a dust removal 

machine for the PWB resist coating process. 

Shin-Kobe Electric developed a high thermal 

conductivity liquid crystal epoxy resin 

to replace ceramic base circuits. 

SMH Technologies appointed Alfa Test in 

Timisoara as a sales office for Romania. 

Sumitomo Bakelite: 

• commercialized a white colored PCB 

material, Sumi Light BL alpha- 4325, 

as an LED module substrate. 

expects its material business for packag- 

• ing applications to reach 20 billion yen 

revenue by 2012. 

Sypris Test & Measurement opened a 

calibration laboratory in Jalisco, Mexico. 

Teledyne and Pintail formed a semiconductor 

test alliance for improving yield, 

optimizing quality and reducing the cost 

of test. 

Tokai Shoji commercialized a new RTR 

type screen printer with higher productivity 

for manufacturing flexible circuits and 

solar cells. 

Trace introduced a new certification and 

testing program for tin whisker growth on 

lead-free components. 

Union Tool reduced investment for its 

manufacturing facilities in 2009 from 6.5 

billion to 2 billion yen. 

Universal Instruments: 

• appointed elnitec its distributor in 

Sweden and IPS Group as its sales 

representative for U.S. states of Texas, 

Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, 

as well as the Central and Southern 

Mexico region. 

installed AdVantisX SMT production 

• platform in McIntosh Laboratory’s 

Binghamton plant. 

Valor: 

• appointed Lior De Picciotto EVP, business 

and strategy. 

• made American Tec its distributor 

and technical service provider in Asia 

(China, India, and Vietnam). 

Wacker purchased land in Tennessee to set 

up new hyperpure polycrystalline silicon 

facility for solar and semiconductor applications. 

YESTech (Nordson subsidiary) opened its’ 

new location in Carlsbad, California. 

Zuken collaborated with Mechatronics on 

3D Board Modeler software tool for parallel 

MCAD/ECAD design. 

Walt Custer is an independent consultant 

who monitors and offers a daily news service 

and market reports on the PCB and assembly 

automation and semiconductor industries. He 

can be contacted at walt@custerconsulting.com 

or visit www. 

custerconsulting.com. 

Jon Custer-Topai is vice president of Custer 

Consulting Group and responsible for the 

corporation’s market research and news analysis 

activities. Jon is a member of the IPC and active 

in the Technology Marketing Research Council. 

He can be contacted at 

jon@custerconsulting.com. 



�� 

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Special Advertising Section 

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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 29 

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Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components 

Conquering SMT stencil 

printing challenges with 

today’s miniature components 

Is electroform technology the right solution? 

by Robert F. Dervaes, Fine Line Stencil, Inc.; Jeff Poulos, Alternative Solutions, Inc.; and Scott Williams, Ed 

Fagan, Inc. 

This article discusses new developments 

in stencil laser and 

material technology and shows 

how these advancements, when 

combined, provide comparable 

and cost-effective alternatives to 

traditional electroformed stencils. 

The results are improved 

yields, cycle time reductions and 

significant cost savings. 

Keywords: Laser-Cut Stencils, 

Electroform Stencils, Single 

Mode CW Ytterbium Fiber 

Laser, Fine Grain Material 

This paper was originally presented at the IPC 

APEX Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

introduction 

One of the challenges facing OEMs and 

CMs in building assemblies with miniature 

components is the stencil printing 

process. Many of today’s designs incorporate 

a mix of miniature and much larger 

components. Manufacturing engineers 

are faced with the dilemma of choosing a 

thinner stencil foil to ensure solder paste 

release for the miniature components or 

a thicker foil to ensure sufficient solder 

volume for the larger components. With a 

standard laser-cut stencil using 300 series 

stainless steel, one would have to make that 

difficult choice. An electroformed stencil 

gives more options in balancing release 

for miniature components and volume for 

larger ones due to its ability to successfully 

print smaller components without reducing 

the foil thickness. However, many have 

difficulty justifying the 3X-4X cost increase 

and added schedule delay for an electroformed 

stencil, especially with more and 

more companies moving to a low-volume, 

high-mix array of jobs. Faced with these 

two options, is electroformed technology 

the right solution, or have technological 

advancements allowed new developments 

in stencil technology? 

Brief history of stencil technologies 

Before stencil lasers were developed, the 

only manufacturing methods for producing 

solder paste stencils were silk screening 

and chemical etching. The etching process 

was time consuming and hazardous due 

to the powerful chemicals used to etch 

the metal. There also were limitations as 

to how small a stencil aperture could be 

effectively produced during the etching 

process. Chemically etched stencils typically 

were limited to component pitches 

no smaller than 0.025”, and registration 

of the stencil apertures to the SMT pads 

was not precise enough as component sizes 

decreased. These limitations would not 

allow chemical etching to keep pace with 

the rapid advancements in component and 

PCB design. 

In the early 1990s, lasers started being 

used to produce solder paste stencils. This 

new technology was a major improvement 

over traditional silkscreen and chemical 

etching in producing stencils quicker, 

cheaper and with much smaller aperture 

sizes. The motion systems on the laser 

systems also provided a much higher positional 

accuracy for the stencil apertures, 

leading to much better alignment between 

the stencil and PCB. With these significant 

improvements, component pitches down to 

0.016” could easily be cut. 

While these laser systems are capable 

of producing high-quality solder paste 

stencils for the majority of assemblies, 

advancements in component and PCB 

design continued. With the introduction 

of components like micro BGA (μBGA), 

quad flat no-lead (QFN), and 0201s, 

laser-cut stencils struggled to produce acceptable 

solder paste release for these very 

small apertures without a reduction in the 

thickness of the stencil foil. This was not 

always an acceptable solution as the larger 

components would have insufficient solder 

volume. Enter electroformed technology. 

Electroformed stencils are produced by 

electroplating nickel on top of a stainless 

steel substrate under various specialized 

and challenging conditions. The plated 

nickel film is later removed from the 

stainless steel substrate, resulting in the 

nickel foil that is the electroformed stencil. 


! ! 

Figure 1. SEM photos of SS 300 series (left) and new material (right) 

aperature walls. 

This manufacturing process produces an 

exceptionally smooth stencil aperture wall 

compared to chemically etched and traditional 

laser-cut stencils. The smoothness of 

the aperture wall is a vital component of a 

high performance stencil allowing printing 

of smaller apertures without reducing the 

foil thickness. 

For many years, electroformed stencils 

have been the premier solution for these 

new, challenging assemblies. However, 

the assembly industry as a whole is being 

driven to turn product faster and cheaper. 

Electroformed stencil prices typically are 

3X-4X higher than traditional laser-cut 

stencils, and it takes longer to produce an 

electroformed stencil. In most cases, the 

turnaround time is three to four days and 

this technology is limited to only a few 

shops that have the knowledge and expertise 

in plating very thin nickel foils. Many 

OEMs and CMs need stencils produced 

and shipped the day the order is placed in 

order to meet their schedule. The higher 

cost and longer lead-time of electroformed 

stencils make it more difficult to meet 

the schedule and cost demands of today’s 

assemblies. How does one determine if 

a traditional laser-cut or electroformed 

stencil is required? 

There are two formulas used to determine 

whether or not the smallest aperture 

on a stencil will have acceptable solder 

paste release with a given stencil technology. 

These are surface area ratio and aspect 

ratio. The surface area ratio can be used 

for any stencil aperture shape and is the 

contact area between the paste and PCB 

pad (L x W) divided by the contact area 

between the paste and stencil ((2 x L x T) 

+ (2 x W X T)). The aspect ratio is limited 

to rectangular, square and round stencil 

apertures and is the smallest dimension of 

an aperture (width (W) for rectangles and 

squares, diameter for circles) divided by the 

thickness (T) of the stencil foil (historically 

the aspect ratio has been limited to 1.5 for 

rectangles and 2.5 for squares and circles). 

Since the majority of stencils have a mixture 

of aperture shapes, including custom 

shapes (homeplates) for 2-pin components, 



the surface area ratio formula is the most 

accurate when determining which stencil 

technology to utilize. 

To successfully print small components 

without reducing the stencil foil thickness, 

the stencil must be capable of producing 

acceptable solder paste release at as low a 

surface area ratio as possible. The historical 

limit of chemically etched and traditional 

laser-cut stencils has been a surface area 

ratio of 0.66. In the case of electroformed 

stencils, the limit has been improved to 

0.5. The lower surface area ratio limit of 

electroformed stencils is the reason for 

selecting this technology when facing challenging 

assemblies. 

With all of the advancements in 

component and PCB design, has advancement 

in the stencil industry remained 

stagnant, or has technological improvement 

benefited this industry as well? Is the 

stencil industry now in a better position to 

provide solutions for printing miniature 

components while meeting customers’ 

tighter delivery and cost requirements? 

New developments in 

stencil laser technology 

Stencil laser technology has seen continuous 

advancement over the past ten years. 

The majority of advancement has been in 

linear motor technology, leading to improvements 

in the cutting speed of stencil 

lasers. Until recently, the source of the laser 

beam has remained the same, with reliance 

on lamp pumped technology. The lamp 

pumped technology is comprised of flash 

lamps, YAG rods, mirrors and focal lenses. 

With this technology, the smallest diameter 

laser beam possible was approximately 40 

μm. While this diameter beam is fine for 

the majority of stencil designs, the energy 

density with a 40 μm beam diameter is not 

high enough to produce the smoothest aperture 

walls when cutting stencil apertures 

for miniature components. 

In the past two years, there has been 

a major leap forward in laser technology. 

The most significant development is the 

introduction of the single mode CW Ytterbium 

fiber laser (“fiber laser” for short). 

Figure 2. Grain size comparison: SS 300 series (left) and new material (right). 

The new fiber lasers produce shorter pulse 

widths and higher frequencies and have 

a fully programmable pulse/pause ratio. 

In addition, they produce a smaller laser 

beam diameter of 19 microns with a corresponding 

4X increase in energy density. 

The 4X increase in energy density significantly 

increases the laser beam’s ability to 

cut through the metal and the result is a 

much smoother aperture wall (Figure 1). 

New developments in 

stencil material technology 

Along with advancements in laser technology, 

there also have been advancements 

in stencil material technology. For many 

years, laser-cut stencils used either 300 

series stainless steel or a higher nickel alloy 

(Invar Alloy 36, Alloy 42) for the stencil 

foil material. These are good solutions for 

the majority of assemblies, but their paste 

release performance reduces considerably 

when printing apertures with surface area 

ratios below 0.66. As a result, one would 

have to either increase, or ‘overprint,’ the 

aperture sizes when selecting a thicker foil 

or reduce the foil thickness for acceptable 

prints. 

Overprinting miniature components, 

however, is not always a guaranteed solution 

since the crucial surface area in the 

surface area ratio formula is the common 

metallic surface area between the SMT 

pad and the stencil aperture. If a PCB has 

a CSP component with a 0.010” diameter 

pad and the stencil overprints with a 

0.012” diameter aperture, the common 

metallic surface is still limited to the 0.010” 

diameter of the SMT pad. The additional 

paste beyond the 0.010” limit of the SMT 

pad is not in contact with the metallic 

surface and therefore does not contribute 

to pulling the paste from the stencil. 

Advancements in stencil material technology 

include new stencil materials specifically 

designed for stencil laser-cutting. 

The Fine Grain material (distributed by Ed 

Fagan, Inc.) has a much finer grain structure 

(Figure 2) when compared to standard 

300 series stainless steel and alloys 



and contains smaller and fewer voids 

in the material. With smaller and fewer 

voids, the solder paste does not adhere as 

easily to the stencil walls. This is primarily 

due to the micro size of the voids (in some 

cases smaller than the particle sizes in the 

solder paste) that makes it more difficult 

for the solder paste particles to get a grip 

on the stencil walls. When the solder 

paste is pulled from the stencil as the 

PCB drops, release is easier and less paste 

residue is retained in the stencil. The easier 

release allows for the printing of smaller 

stencil apertures, without reductions in foil 

thickness, and the reduction in paste residue 

allows for an increase in the number 

of prints before having to clean the stencil. 

In addition to improved paste release 

for smaller apertures and much cleaner 

paste release throughout the entire stencil, 

the finer grain structure of these new materials 

also produces a more defined aperture 

edge when cut with a properly tuned laser 

beam. As the aperture size decreases, the 

importance of repeatable and accurate 

solder paste release rises. With miniature 

components, small fluctuations in solder 

volume have a much larger impact on 

solder joint reliability due to the minimal 

solder volume required. A more defined 

aperture edge, along with improved paste 

Test Items 

Lasers: 

• LPKF LPKF MultiCut (high-power Nd:YLF fiber laser, 

new technology) 

• LPKF SL 600 (lamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser, 

current technology) 

Materials: 

• New Fine Grain (UltraSlic FG) material 

• Slic material 

• Electroformed 

• Electroformed nickel sheet with laser-cut apertures 

• Rolled nickel sheet with laser-cut apertures 

• SS 300 series 

Solder Pastes: 

• Water Soluble—WS150 Type 3 and Type 5, WS157 Type 3 

and Type 5 

• No-Clean—NC650 Type 3 and Type 5 Lead-Free—Sn100C 

Type 3 and Type 5, SAC 305 Type 5 

Test Equipment and Parameters 

Printer: DEK 265GSX 

Blades: DEK 

Print Speeds: 50.8 mm/sec and 127 mm/sec 

Separation: 0.3 mm/sec and 7 mm/sec 

Print Gap: 0 (on contact) 

Stencil Clean: Every print 

Inspection: Koh Young KY-3030 3D 

release, leads to more repeatable and accurate 

solder paste release. 

The new materials are a stainless steel 

composition and are rolled so thickness 

tolerances are extremely tight. They also 

have improved thermal conductivity as 

well as similar mechanical and corrosion 

resistant properties when compared to 

standard 300 series stainless steel. Stencil 

life and durability are similar to standard 

300 series stainless steel stencils. 

stencil laser and material technology 

advancements: performance 

Technological developments in component 

and PCB design are beginning to outpace 

current stencil technology. Do these significant 

advancements in stencil laser and 

material technologies provide the current 

and future solutions the electronics assembly 

industry requires? That question is best 

answered through a design of experiments 

(DOE) comparing the new laser and material 

technologies with the standard stencil 

technologies available today. 

Doe: The viability of new stencil 

laser and material technology 

The objective is to determine the viability 

of this new stencil laser and material 

technology and its impact on the current, 

and future, demands 

of the electronics 

assembly industry. 

The objective of 

the DOE is to determine 

the viability 

of the new stencil 

laser and material 

technologies. The 

Test Board 

results of the current technologies were 

as expected—of those, electroformed had 

the best solder paste release. How did the 

new stencil laser and material technology 

compare to current stencil technologies? 

New Fine Grain performance 

The surface area ratio limit for electroformed 

technology is 0.5. While a 

significant improvement over standard 

laser-cut stencils, materials that offer 

improved performance at area ratios of 0.5, 

and below are going to be a requirement as 

component and PCB technology continues 

to advance. 

Solder paste volume 

The results above illustrate the print 

performance of the various stencil technologies 

over the entire range of solder 

paste types tested. All were laser-cut on 

the new LPKF Multicut fiber laser, except 

the electroformed stencil, which utilized 

traditional electroform technology. The 

electroformed stencil was the performance 

baseline with acceptable paste volume % 

at a surface area ratio of 0.5. The laser-cut 

electroformed nickel sheet had acceptable 

paste volume % down to 0.45, but its 

print performance quickly flattened out 

compared to the Fine Grain and electroformed 

stencils. The Fine Grain stencil 

had acceptable paste volume % at 0.45 and 

its print performance continued to outperform 

electroformed as the surface area 

ratio increased. The performance increase 

down to a surface area ratio of 0.45 allows 

the printing of even smaller components 

without a corresponding reduction in the 

Finish: Electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG) 

Surface are ratios: 0.17 to 15 

Pad count: ! 

4,188 


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stencil foil thickness. The result is additional 

solder paste volume for the non-min- 

! 

Figure 3. Stencil technology comparison. 

iature components, resulting in less rework 

and improved solder joint reliability. 

Figure 4. Electroformed (left) and Fine Grain (right) Stencil Aperture Registration Accuracy 

2,307 position errors with the electroformed stencil and 27 with the Fine Grain stencil 

Aperture registration 

As component pad sizes continue to 

decrease, alignment accuracy between the 

stencil and PCB is becoming more critical. 

The adhesion of the solder paste to the 

SMT pad is the sole force involved in pulling 

the paste from the stencil. Since PCBs 

will tend to shrink during the manufacturing 

process, SMT pad locations tend to be 

slightly short of their expected locations. 

Long PCBs, of course, will have significantly 

greater shrinkage than short PCBs. 

In addition to PCB shrinkage, the 

electroformed stencil process uses Mylar 

film to create the stencil image. The 

film is dimensionally unstable due to its 

susceptibility to temperature and humidity 

fluctuations. Without tight temperature 

and humidity controls in the manufacturing 

area, shifts in aperture locations can 

occur during plotting of the Mylar film 

and during its use. 

Since the electroform process only 

produces the electroformed foil, it typically 

has to be mounted into a stencil frame. 

During the electroform process, no tension 

is applied to the electroformed foil. When 


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Technology 

Table 1: Stencil technology summary. 

mounted into a stencil frame, tension 

is applied to electroformed foil by the stencil 

frame’s polyester mesh. This tension 

pulls on the foil causing slight shifts in the 

locations of the stencil apertures. In most 

cases, the electroformed stencil aperture 

locations will be long, or further away 

from their expected locations. If the PCB 

has SMT pad locations that are short of 

expected locations and the electroformed 

stencil has aperture locations further away 

than expected, there can be a significant 

shift, or misalignment, between the stencil 

apertures and PCB pads. 

A shift between the stencil aperture 

and PCB pad reduces the amount of solder 

paste in contact with the surface of the 

PCB pad. This lowers the adhesive force 

between the solder paste and PCB pad, 

effectively reducing the ability of the board 

to pull the paste from the stencil. Miniature 

components already have very low 

surface area ratios. The lower the surface 

area ratio, the more critical the alignment 

between the stencil aperture and PCB 

pad. The Fine Grain stencil in this DOE 

was cut in the frame on the new LPKF 

high-power short-pulse fiber laser. The 

intent was to minimize stencil aperture 

registration errors, thereby increasing the 

alignment accuracy between the stencil and 

PCB. The results (27 position errors for 

the Fine Grain stencil and 2,307 position 

errors for the electroformed stencil) below 

show a marked improvement in aperture 

registration when compared to an electroformed 

stencil. 

conclusion 

As advancements continue in component 

and PCB technologies, will the stencil technology 

of today provide current and future 

solutions to the challenging assembly issues 

faced by OEMs and CMs? Is electroformed 

technology the right solution or have new 

developments in stencil laser and material 

technologies caught up with and surpassed 

the electroformed technology of today? 

Minimum 

surface 

area ratio Cost Material 

Aperature 

registration 

accuracy 

Chemical etch 0.66 Low SS, Alloy Moderate 

Traditional laser-cut 0.66 Low SS, Alloy Very High 

Traditional laser-cut 0.55 Low Slic Very High 

Electroformed 0.5 High Electroformed 

Nickel 

The answer to these important questions 

is in our view an unequivocal ‘yes.’ 

Stencil laser and material technologies 

have advanced to the point where laser-cut 

stencil performance is beyond that of 

current electroformed technology. Using 

the new LPKF high-power short-pulse fiber 

laser technology and the new Fine Grain 

material, stencil performance is significantly 

improved over electroformed, especially 

when printing miniature components. 

Improvements in stencil laser and material 

technologies have lead to significant 

improvements in solder paste release down 

to a surface area ratio of 0.45 as well as 

improved aperture registration accuracy. 

These improvements are critical to meeting 

future requirements when printing 

miniature components like 01005s. The 

technology summary is as follows: 

At a cost savings of 30-50 percent 

compared to electroformed, the ability to 

produce multi-thickness (step) stencils, 

and the option of same day turn times, 

Fine Grain stencils, cut with the new 

fiber lasers, are a marked improvement 

compared to the high-performance stencil 

solutions available today. OEMs and CMs 

can get the performance they need while 

reducing costs and meeting critical delivery 

schedules. The new stencil laser and material 

technologies available today give stencil 

manufacturers the tools and materials 

needed to supply an ever-changing industry 

for many years to come. 

Acknowledgement 

The authors would like to thank Stephan 

Schmidt and Sebastian Gerberding of 

LPKF Laser Electronics (www.lpkfusa.com) 

for their contribution to this article. 

Robert F. Dervaes is V.P. technology and engineering 

for Fine Line Stencil, Inc. Jeff Poulos, 

is V.P. of manufacturing and sales, Alternative 

Solutions, Inc. Scott Williams is product/account 

manager with Ed Fagan, Inc. 


High 

Advanced laser-cut 0.45 Medium Fine Grain Very High 

Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in 

RoHS-compliant assembly, continued 

from page 22 

accelerated aging, the average absolute 

change in resistance on measured daisy 

chains is summarized in Table 1. The difference 

between the performance of VP soldered 

and convection soldered test boards 

is insignificant considering the limited data 

set. The resistance change for each sample 

is reported as the average of absolute values 

of the changes in resistance for a set of samples. 

No special preparation or seasoning of 

samples was performed. Resistance values 

were recorded ‘blind.’ A small amount of 

ohmmeter drift was experienced at the low 

resistances measured. 

The shear force required to cause SOIC 

joint failure was measured and found to 

be the same for convection and vapor 

phase reflowed test boards. Shear force was 

measured on an SOIC16 (U25 and U26) 

exerting a combination shear and tensile 

force that pushed the component parallel 

to the plane while lifting the component 

by means of a 30˚ wedge. These measurements 

did not deteriorate after shock and 

accelerated age. While thermal shock results 

were measured at 500 and 1000 shock 

cycles, only those from the 2000 cycle test 

are reported here. Results are summarized 

in Table 2. 

conclusion 

VP key benefits include: 

• Lower peak reflow temperature 

• Inert environment without 

nitrogen 

• Improved solder wetting and flow 

• Reduction in profiling time. 

As the data above indicates, thermal 

profiles using vapor phase soldering equipment 

are controllable with the maximum 

temperature dictated by the specific thermal 

transfer fluid employed. The tin-lead 

and lead-free solder joints created using 

vapor phase technology have equivalent 

performance to those created using convection 

equipment, while offering a uniform 

fixed maximum temperature of controlled 

duration. Vapor phase solder joint creation 

offers a viable alternative to convection 

reflow. Convection reflow has less uniform 

maximum temperatures over complex 

circuit board surfaces. 

references 

1. Munroe, C., “Beating the RoHS Heat,” 

Circuits Assembly Magazine,” March 

2005, pp. 38-47. 

2. Fraser, S. and Munroe, C, “Lead-Free 

Using Vapor Phase Reflow in Leadfree 

Processing,” SMT Magazine, April 

2005, pp. 48-49.


East Meets West 

Advanced SMT Solutions for Electronics Assembly 

As a multinational distributor, SEIKA has a strong reputation for providing 

high-performance and quality SMT solutions at cost-effective pricing.We 

even provide every product with full technical support, installation, and 

engineering services. 

Our reputation along with our partners is solid in Asia and Japan, and now 

it’s time the West discovers what the East already knows – our advanced 

machinery and materials for the electronics industry. 

Sayaka PCB Router 

• Low stress depanelization 

• Easy software programming 

McDry Dry Cabinets 

• Store MSDs safely without nitrogen 

• Conforms to IPC/JEDEC J-STD 033b.1 

Hioki Flying Probe Tester 

• High-speed, fixture-less testing 

• Fine pitch probing capability of 0.2mm 

Hirox Digital Microscopes 

• Inspect objects in 360° with patented Hirox design 

• BGA, QFP, cross section inspection with measurement 

Anritsu 3D Laser Solder Paste Inspection Machine 

• High-speed, ultra-high resolution 

• Easy programming, auto calibration 

Young Jin Conveyors 

• Patented magnetic roller mechanism limits stress on PCB's during transfer 

• Safety covers with interlocked doors 

Visit us at www.seikausa.com to see more of our products! 

Los Angeles Office: 

3528 Torrance Blvd., Suite 100 

Torrance, CA 90503 

Phone: (310) 540-7310 Fax: (310) 540-7930 

Nihon Superior SN100C Lead-Free Alloy 

• Leading lead-free choice for PCB assembly 

• Over 9 years in mass production with no service failures 

Atlanta Office: 

3030 Business Park Drive, #3030-B 

Norcross, GA 30071 

Phone: (770) 446-3116 Fax: (770) 446-3118 


Interview 

Interview— 

Krassy Petkov, 

Milara Inc. 

Milara are one of these dark horses that have been 

fermenting with a range of out-of-the-box technologies 

that turn a mundane stencil printer into a multi-featured 

high-precision printing machine with simultaneous 

inspection. Trevor Galbraith caught up with the 

inventor and president, Krassy Petkov, as he prepares to 

unveil his latest machine at APEX/IPC Expo in 

Las Vegas. 

Q1. I believe you are launching the 

Touchprint Digital TP2929 at APEX. 

Why digital? 

Utilizing the latest in digital motion 

control network drive systems in conjunction 

with our progressive scan digital vision 

system, we thought this would be the perfect 

combination of technologies to launch 

out printer control platform. We now have 

control over all parametric functions of the 

vision system that allows us to eliminate 

optical components such as F-stops and 

analog lighting controls. 

Q2. The original Touchprint had some 

revolutionary features, such as the vibrating 

squeegee and the ultrasonic underscreen 

cleaner. Are these still included in 

the new version? 

Yes, our patented vibration squeegee and 

bottom-side ultrasonic cleaning systems 

are still viable components in this new 

platform. 

Q3. I understand this new printer is fitted 

with SimuTech technology. What is it and 

how does it work? 

SimuTech is a new ‘buzz term’ we want to 

introduce to the industry. It allows us to 

perform multiple concurrent operations or 

‘simultaneous functions,’ a feature that all 

other printers lack. We will be able to print 

AND inspect, bottom side clean AND 

38 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 

inspect, bottom side clean and load the 

next PCB, inspect AND inspect (because 

we have two linear servo overhead camera 

gantries), print AND dot dispense, inspect 

AND dot dispense, bottom side wipe AND 

dot dispense. 

SimuTech simply allows processing of 

two PCBs simultaneously, which current 

designs and triple track systems simply do 

not. 

Q4. One of the unique features in the 

original Touchprint was its dot dispensing 

capability. How has this improved? 

We have partnered up with Asymtek who 

brings new Piezo electric dispensing head 

technology. We have successfully integrated 

their new SV-100 solder paste dot dispenser, 

which boasts many new advantages, 

such as greater speed than conventional 

auger type dispensers, dot and line deposi- 

tion, compatibility with all flavors of solder 

paste and ability to dispense less than 300 

μm dot diameters to name a few. 

Q5. Have you been able to reduce cycle 

times in the new printer? 

Concurrency is the key. Over the years in 

large volume applications, solder paste dispensing 

and the bottom-side cleaner were 

not taken into consideration for overall 

production throughput. Today that is a 

different story. With SimuTech, this will 

eliminate the tack-time addition of bottomside 

wiping, and with our new ‘dispense 

while you print’ paste dispenser, we can 

replenish the paste bead while printing. 

The addition of our linear servo motion 

technology also gave us a significant speed 

boost when performing camera inspection 

routines. Also, having a quad-core processor 

certainly helps reduce cycle time when 

www.globalsmt.net

performing all the arduous mathematical 

operations and image processing for our 

texture-based 2D post print inspection. 

Q6. The Touchprint has a cast iron base. 

Why did you feel it was necessary to use 

such a heavy frame? 

SimuTech requires multiple axes operation 

during the cycle. After a finite element 

analysis (FEA) of our original steel frame 

structure, we found it to be insufficient 

when we applied multiple axis movement 

at sub-ten second production rates, especially 

when factoring in the high performance 

linear servo movements in opposing 

directions. 

Q7. Have you also upgraded the motors 

and drives? 

As stated previously, on the major highspeed 

axes we have incorporated linear 

servo motion technology with linear 

feedback to give us real world positioning. 

We are controlling all motion with a digital 

servo network that is proprietary to our 

product. 

Q8. At which markets and applications is 

the Touchprint targeted? 

All SMT markets will be our main targets, 

along with solar and possible applications 

in the semiconductor wafer printing/ 

bumping fields as well. 

Q9. You have a large robotics factory in 

Bulgaria. How much of this machine is 

built in Eastern Europe and how much in 

the USA? 

We have recently completed our 107,000 

square foot state-of-the-art facility in Plovdiv, 

Bulgaria. We are equipped to produce 

high precision robotic components in conjunction 

with general automation designs. 

In fact we will be rolling out four new 

wafer handling robots at SEMICON West 

this year. A major portion of this factory 

will be dedicated to producinge all high 

precision components and sub assemblies 

used for the TouchPrint, which includes 

the main frame and skins. Final assembly, 

validation and verification will be done at 

our facility in Massachusetts, USA. 

Q10. Do you have many innovations in 

development to take the Touchprint to 

the next level? 

This is one of those tricky ‘fortuitous’ questions 

in which I don’t want to upset our 

engineering teams by giving out all of our 

ideas. All I can say at this point is that by 


staying with our original concept back in 

2004 of ‘combined system technology’ we 

are also going to introduce jet dispensing 

in our TouchPrint platform. Like Mercedes, 

they make one of the finest automobiles 

in the world—do you think they don’t 

have new ideas for the next generation? 

Q11. Do you have plans to introduce a 

model for the solar cell market? 

Solar, definitely. We want to jump into 

that market along with the rest. Large PCB 

for new blade server technology is another 

venue for us but I don’t want to give out 

all our plans to our competition. 

Q12. Manufacturers of printers are being 

severely hit by the current downturn. 

Why are you releasing this machine now, 

and what makes you think that Milara 

can beat the recession better than, say, 

DEK or Speedline? 

You know, someone of importance once 

asked me that question a few years back. 

In fact, they actually told me not to “waste 

my money” and to go invest it elsewhere. 

This was very inspiring to me, for I turned 

it into a motivational inspiration that is 

keeping me in the game today. 

I have hobbies, which I consider a 

sport. In this sport, I have been in two 

Olympics and heading to my third. This 

sport teaches me how to win. To do so, I 

need diversity within my company to bring 

a variety of new and innovative ideas which 

help generate new products. 

We build the number one robot for 

the United States Army, saving numerous 

lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We 

are financially strong and unaffected by 

this ‘media generated’ recession. We have 

no loans and do not rely on credit from 

any good or ‘failed’ banks. We are highly 

experienced in robotics for not only the 

military but commercial industries too. We 

design and build printers for the SMT and 

semiconductor industries, and the later has 

been the most painful. However, we will 

NEVER give up until we are number one. 

Krassy Petkov—thank you very much for 

talking to us today.. 

Trevor Galbraith. 

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The montlhly Global Market 

Report from Walt Custer & 

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Insightful columns by regulars 

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Case studies and factory visits 

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Coverage of major industry 

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Industry news 

Highlights of the newest 

products and technologies 

Coverage of the Global 

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Show 

Title 

preview: IPC APEX Expo 2009 

Show preview: 

IPC APEX Expo 2009 

Join thousands of colleagues from more than 50 countries 

at this year’s IPC APEX Expo, featuring the industry’s 

premiere technical conference, standards development meetings, 

professional development courses, and an exhibition featuring 

more than 425 suppliers bringing the newest products and 

emerging technologies to the show floor. 

The show 

The 2009 IPC APEX Expo conference & 

exhibition takes place March 31st through 

April 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Meetings 

will be held March 29th through April 

2nd. 

The opening keynote on Tuesday 

morning is an event you won’t want to 

miss. Noted author, inventor, entrepreneur 

and futurist Ray Kurzweil speaks about 

“The Accelerating Future of Electronics 

and Information” at 8:30 am on March 

31st. Combining wit and keen insight into 

contemporary issues of technology and 

its impact on society, Kurzweil’s presentation 

will offer engaging demonstrations 

of cutting-edge technologies. And if we’re 

lucky, perhaps Ramona, his “virtual female 

alter ego,” will honor us with her presence. 

On Wednesday morning, the Global 

Business Outlook keynote, presented by 

Walt Custer, Custer Consulting Group, 

and Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market 

research, will give attendees insights into 

leading global indicators and the latest 

trends in demand and production for 

worldwide PCB, EMS and supplier indus- 

tries. 

On Thursday morning, the first-ever 

OEM summit presents a first-hand look 

into the technology roadmaps of key OEM 

companies. 

This year’s technical conference 

features 35 sessions with nearly 100 papers 

on a wide range of topics of immediate 

interest to the electronics manufacturing 

industry. Alongside the conference, 64 

professional development courses are on 

offer. This preview includes a schedule of 

all sessions and courses as well as the free 

forums. 

The Venue 

All events take place at the Mandalay Bay 

Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas, 

where the event will encompass more than 

154,000 net square feet of exhibit space. 

More than 10,000 executives, engineers 

and managers representing original equipment 

manufacturers (OEMs), electronics 

manufacturing services (EMS) providers 

and printed circuit board (PCB) companies 

are expected to attend. 

Learn more about the Mandalay Bay 

Resort & Convention Center at 

www.mandalaybay.com. More information 

on what there is to see and do in Las Vegas 

can be found at www.visitlasvegas.com. 


The Vendor Forums 

Daily at booths 1383 & 2633 

Global SMT & Packaging and Circuits Assembly are co-hosting a Vendor Forum at their combined booths. Visitors on the show floor can 

drop by throughout the day to hear a range of presentations on a number of process-related issues. Panel discussions will also be held, with 

topics ranging from cleaning, printing and pick and place to solder and test. The panel discussions will be videotaped and made available 

on the Global SMT & Packaging APEX Show Central website (http://apex.globalsmt.net). 

Tuesday, March 31st 

Magna-Print— 

The advantages 

of a universal 

squeegee system 

12:00-12:30 

Charlie Moncavage 

Ovation Products 

TBA 

1:00-1:30 

Mike Scimeca 

FCT Assembly 

Innovative PCB 

cleaning fluids 

for cleaning 

leading-edge 

technologies 

1:30-2:00 

Mike Bixenman 

Kyzen Corporation 

Reballing and 

prebumping BGAs, 

CSPs and QFNs 

2:00-2:30 

Jan Martin 

Martin GmbH 

Process reliability 

in selective soldering 

2:30-3:00 

Christian Ott 

SEHO USA 

Wednesday, April 1st Thursday, April 2 

Stencil cleaning for 

improved print 

yields 

12:00-12:30 

Bill Schreiber 

Smart Sonic Corp 

Thermal quality 

management 

program 

1:00-1:30 

Grant Peterson 

ECD 

Trevor Galbraith Mike Buetow 

TBA cleaning topic 

2:00-2:30 

Mike Konrad 

Aqueous Tech. 

panel Discussions 

Selective Soldering 

on PCBs 

3:30-4:00 

Eddie Groves 

Pillarhouse Int’l 

head in Pillow— 

BGA defects 

12:12-30 

Mike Burgess 

AIM Solder 

Embedded device 

technology 

3:00-3:30 

Mark McMeen 

STI Electronics 

Five panel discussions take place over the course of the vendor forum, moderated 

by Trevor Galbraith and Mike Buetow. 

Cleaning—Tuesday, March 31st, 11:00-12:00 

Printing—Wednesday, April 1st, 11:00-12:00 

Pick and place—Wednesday, April 1st, 2:30-3:30 

Soldering & profiling—Wednesday, April 1st, 4:00-5:00 

Test and inspection—Thursday, April 2nd, 11:00-12:00 

APEX preview: The Vendor Forum 

www.globalsmt.net Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 41

New Products 

New products 

New vertical-format misprint and 

stencil cleaning system 

The StencilWasher MP, a fully automatic 

misprint and stencil cleaning system from 

Aqueous Technologies Corp, removes 

non-reflowed solder paste and adhesives 

from misprinted assemblies, stencils and 

screens, and post-reflow circuit assemblies. 

StencilWasher MP is capable of removing 

all solder pastes, including rosin, water 

soluble, and no-clean as well as uncured 

surface mount adhesives. Additionally, it 

is designed to remove solder paste from 

misprinted assemblies as well as stencils 

and screens. StencilWasher MP may be 

used in post-reflow defluxing applications, 

and features a capacity of 32 x 30” (812.8 

mm x 763 mm), making it an ideal solution 

for oversized circuit assemblies. 

www.aqueoustech.com 

Nihon superior sN100c p600 

halogen-free solder paste 

Nihon Superior Co. Ltd.’s new SN100C 

P600 solder paste is a halogen-free highreliability 

no-clean lead-free solder paste 

that does not contain F, Cl, Br and I. 

Designed as a high-reliability solder paste 

for high-density assembly with stable printability, 

the paste provides excellent reflow 

with good wetting and minimum incidence 

of mid-chip balling, low residue and 

significant cost advantages. Additionally, 

it typically can be reflowed with a profile 

similar to that which is commonly used 

with SAC305 and SAC405 with 240˚C 

peak. www.nihonsuperior.co.jp 

cyberoptics premiers se500 3-d 

solder paste inspection 

CyberOptics redefines inspection speed 

with the SE500—a new 100 percent 3-D 

solder paste inspection system. This system 

has the ability to inspect the most demanding 

assemblies with a >70 cm2/second 

inspection speed that does not compromise 

measurement accuracy and repeatability. 

The SE500 can inspect pad sizes down 

to 01005 component size (150 x 150 μm) 

while keeping up with ever-increasing line 

speeds. www.cyberoptics.com 

Flexsolder W510 mini-wave 

selective soldering system 

Juki’s new FlexSolder W510 uses the same 

selective soldering technology that has been 

successful in the past but with a new flexible 

design that allows the machine to be 

assembled anywhere, and to allow complete 

option upgrades in the field. The advantage 

of Juki’s selective soldering machines over 

competitors remains the same as in past 

machines, i.e. the ability to have multiple 

mini-wave nozzles soldering simultaneously 

or even running separately using two different 

size nozzles. www.jas-smt.com 

MirTec premeirs new inspection 

systems at ApeX 

MIRTEC introduces the latest in its award 

winning MV-7 Series, the MV-7xi in-line 

AOI system, and the MS-11 In-Line SPI System. 

Fully configured, the MV-7xi provides 

one top-down four mega pixel camera with 

9.8 micron resolution and four side-view 

cameras. The patented “Quad Angle Lighting 

System” provides four independently 

programmable zones for optimal illumination 

of inspection areas. The MS-11 uses 

Shadow Moiré Technology and Phase 

Stepping Image Processing to inspect solder 

paste deposition on PCBs post-screen print. 

www.mirtecusa.com 

seika debuts McDry hM1001 dehumidifying 

storage cabinet 

Seika Machinery’s HM1001 electronic 

drying storage cabinet provides optimal 

ultra-low humidity and moisture-proof storage 

for IC packages. It can maintain 1%RH 

and removes moisture at a very fast rate 

through the use of a powerful zeolite desiccant 

that never needs replacement. The 

unit features adjustable shelves that can 

hold up to 220 pounds, and is equipped 

with a digital RH Meter. www.seikausa.com 

single-component rework with 

V-Works 24 vapor-phase rework 

station 

V-Works 24 is a single component rework 

tool using vapor phase technology to 

transfer heat for removal and replacement 

of single components and connectors on 

circuit boards. The tool uses proven vapor 


phase technology to deliver uniform condensation 

heat transfer to the single component 

rework environment. The V-Works 

24 allows users to utilize the absolute limits 

of maximum temperatures, small delta at 

peak temperatures, and the unsurpassed 

uniformity and heat transfer ability that 

vapor phase is famous for to remove and 

replace single components. 

www.rdtechnicalservices.com 


cookson electronics’ low-ag, pbfree 

wave solder and rework alloy 

IMAGE ALPHA SACX 0307 Plus.jpg 

Cookson Electronics’ new ALPHA® 

Vaculoy SACX® 0307 Plus low-Ag Pb-free 

wave solder and rework alloy is designed as 

a high performance replacement for SnPb 

and SAC305. It is Cookson’s next generation 

low-Ag alloy in the popular ALPHA® 

SACX® alloy family initially introduced 

in 2004. SACX®-0307 Plus performs at 

the same high level of standard ALPHA® 

SACX® 0307 with the added benefit 

of lower copper dissolution. www.alpha. 

cooksonelectronics.com 

New high flexibility pick & place 

machine from essemtec 

Essemtec’s PANFLEX2 is a highly flexible 

and modular pick & place machine featur- 

New Products 

ing the newly developed X-vision system. 

Consisting of two parallel operating placing 

modules connected via a multistage 

conveyor, PANFLEX2 can reach a capacity 

of 12,000 components per hour. The machine 

holds up to 190 intelligent feeders 

that can be exchanged during production, 

making the PANFLEX2 perfect for highmix 

applications. www.essemtec.com 

Boundary-scan software 

enhancements from JTAg 

JTAG Technologies’ released its latest 

development and hardware debug tools, 


New Products 

JTAG ProVision and JTAG Visualizer. 

ProVision combines advanced automation 

with the level of control and precision 

that engineers demand when creating test 

programs and in-system programming (ISP) 

routines for PLDs and flash memories. 

JTAG Visualizer on the other hand allows 

users to view JTAG-oriented files (such 

as fault reports) superimposed onto the 

schematic or layout of the PCB under test, 

and hence provides an invaluable aid to 

diagnosing manufacturing process faults. 

The latest versions of JTAG ProVision and 

JTAG Visualizer are available free of charge 

to customers with valid maintenance contracts. 

www.jtag.com 

Manncorp hot bar soldering 

systems bond unlikely materials 

Innovative new hot bar soldering systems 

from Manncorp solve the challenges of 

bonding unlikely materials—flex circuits, 

ribbon cables, wires, edge connectors and 

more—to PCBs. The semi-automatic machines, 

also referred to as pulse bonders, 

employ thermode technology to generate 

rapid reflow by pulse heating. This procedure 

allows materials with low temperature 

resistance to be soldered at lead-free-compatible 

high temperatures without damage 

to the devices being permanently attached 

to circuit boards. Two systems are offered, 

which differ only in their feeding mechanisms. 

www.manncorp.com 

siplAce shutterless s-feeder 

improves component supply 

S-series tape feeders have been one of the 

most important components of many Siplace 

placement machines for many years. 

With its new 3x8 mm shutterless S-feeder, 

Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems 

(SEAS) now presents another improved 

version in the series. Fewer movable parts 

mean longer life and more reliability. The 

new feeder also handles a broader spectrum 

of components and makes the user’s 

job easier. As a special benefit, owners 

of classic 3x8 mm feeders can have them 

upgraded to the shutterless version. 

www.siplace.com 

New vacuum vapor phase reflow 

technology 

Offering a wide range of advantages over 

traditional vapor phase soldering systems, 

the VPS Condenso vacuum system from 

Rehm Thermal Systems delivers extremely 

effective thermal transfer due to the even 

release of heat during condensation and 

the perfectly constant temperature of the 

medium. The specific boiling point limits 

Condenso’s maximum soldering temperature, 

preventing damage by overheating. 

Subjecting the molten solder to a vacuum, 

Condenso enables remaining residues and 

gas inclusions to easily escape to guarantee 

void-free soldering with lead-free solders. 

www.rehm-group.com 

heraeus introduces new tin-lead 

solder paste formulation 

Heraeus’ brand new tin-lead solder 

paste, F377, is the result of a two-year 

development cycle that employed early 

customer involvement and Design for Six 

Sigma tools to create a breakthrough new 

product. Formulated from scratch as a 

completely new platform, F377 surpasses 

industry performance benchmarks by using 

modern raw materials which have been 

statistically proven in real-world testing 

to produce the most desirable and stable 

results. This new product represents a substantial 

improvement over other tin-lead 

solder paste options, most of which were 

formulated in the last decade and use older 

materials technologies that induce lot-to-lot 

performance variations. 

www.heraeus-contactmaterials.com 

Bliss launches revolutionary 

FleXconveyor line 

Bliss Industries Inc. launched the FLEXconveyor, 

‘a box-build factory on wheels.’ 

The FLEXconveyor and complete manual 

conveyorized box-build line revolutionizes 

box build and maximizes lean manufacturing, 

providing a new way to kit products 

in advance—simply unclamp and re-clamp 

any section of the line at any time. The 

box build line is the ideal solution for low- 

and high-mix facilities. And setting up a 

box build line has never been so easy and 

simple: Bliss does all the work—customers 

simply start up their assembly line after the 

system arrives. www.blissindustries.com 

enthone introduces ormesTAr 

ultra Nanofinish® organic metalbased 

pWB final finish 

Enthone Inc., a business of Cookson 

Electronics, has introduced OrmeSTAR 

Ultra PWB final finish. The organic metalbased, 

nanofinish® technology consumes 

approximately 90% less energy and creates 

less waste versus electroless nickel/immersion 

gold (ENIG) and other traditional 

metallic final finishes. When compared to 

ENIG, OrmeSTAR Ultra reduces process 

time by 75%. The finish costs 30% less 

then ENIG, with no “black pad” risk. The 


versatile process delivers a high efficiency 

in application and operation throughout 

the entire supply chain. www.enthone.com 

Virtual industries introduces new 

low-cost vacuum-tweezer tool 

Virtual Industries, Inc., introduced the 

self-contained manually operated PEN- 

VAC PRO-SERIES vacuum tweezer for 

handling SMD packages, optics or other 

small parts during assembly. The tweezer 

has no vacuum hoses to get in the way and 

no batteries to replace. The PEN-VAC® 

PRO-SERIES vacuum tweezer is sold with 

four cups and probes. Pick-up tip sizes are 

1/8” (3.18 mm), 1/4” (6.35 mm) and 3/8” 

(9.53 mm) vacuum cups on bent probes 

and one straight probe with a 1/4” (6.35 

mm) diameter vacuum cup. Prices start at 

US $29.93 with quantities of 25 or more 

(order number V8910-9GR-B). 

www.vacuumtweezer.com 

New kit checks out process 

cleanliness & residue 

The new Practical Components B-52 

CRET (Cleanliness & Residue Evaluation 

Test) kit is designed to help determine the 

ionic cleanliness of a customer’s manufacturing 

process. The test boards and components 

follow guidelines associated with the 

IPC-B-52 Test Vehicle. The Practical B-52 

CRET test vehicle is divided into four primary 

segments: the main SIR test board, 

the Ion Chromatography (IC) test coupon, 

the solder mask adhesion coupons and the 

SIR mini-coupons. 

www.practicalcomponents.com 

scANFleX® extends to 

universal fixtures 

GOEPEL electronic launched a series of 

universal board fixtures for the revolutionary 

boundary scan hardware platform 

SCANFLEX®. The new generation of 

fixtures is called SCANFLEX Board Grabber® 

and is comprised of three models 

in different sizes. The SCANFLEX Board 

Grabber® was specifically designed for 

the support of laboratory verification 

and programming of prototypes. It is also 

applicable at repair stations. Due to the 

integrated pivoting mechanism it is easily 

possible to reach the top side and bottom 


side of the board. www.goepel.com 

Amistar Automation unveils 

eco-friendly solder recovery system 

A device that can reclaim and recycle at 

least fifty percent of usable solder alloy 

from wave solder dross is now available 

from Amistar Automation. Light-weight, 

portable, and easy to use, the Amistar 

Automation Soldabac solder recovery 

system takes dross created by wave solder 

machines and heats it inside the unit’s 

eighteen pound solder pot to separate 

the oxide. The reclaimed solder is then 

New Products 

drained into an ingot mold and ready 

for immediate reuse. With the Amistar 

Automation Soldabac Solder Recovery System, 

removing dross from the solder bath 

is quicker and easier, storage and waste 

disposal costs are reduced, and solder 

purchases are cut in half. 

www.amistarautomation.com 

economical electrically 

conductive silver ink 

Creative Materials, Inc, (CMI) has developed 

an economical silver conductive ink, 

125-10, with typical sheet resistivity of 15 

ERSA_Ad_GLOBAL_SMT_PACKAGING_issue_4.indd 1 05.03.2009 16:49:58 


New Products 

milliohm/square/mil. This economical ink 

features excellent adhesion to polyester, 

polyimide, polycarbonate, glass and a variety 

of other substrates. Unlike conventional 

conductive materials, CMI’s economical 

silver conductive ink is very resistant to 

flexing and creasing and highlights a lower 

cost alternative to some of our standard 

conductive inks. Applications include, 

but are not limited, to RFID antennas, 

EMI/RFI shielding, polymer thick film circuitry 

and membrane switches. 125-10 can 

be applied by screen-printing and syringe 

dispensing while other versions of 125-10 

are available for flexographic, rotogravure, 

stenciling and spraying processes. 

www.creativematerials.com 

poly-Form flexible adhesive 

preforms 

Multi-Seals, Inc., introduced an innovative 

alternative to liquid adhesive for component 

assembly. Multi-Seals F05 Polyforms 

are flexible pre-shaped adhesives 

designed for bonding diverse materials, 

including metals, plastics, ceramics, and 

glass. F05 has negligible vertical flow, 

which keeps the adhesive contained in 

precisely defined areas. The pre-shaped 

copolymer prevents drips and dispensing 

inconsistencies typical of liquid adhesives. 

Adhesive placement is highly consistent 

from bond to bond. The durability and 

flexibility of F05 Poly-forms facilitates 

manual and automated handling and 

increases production rates. F05 can be 

pre-shaped in multiform configurations to 

accommodate a broad range of applications. 

www.multi-seals.com 

The elimination of solder balls in 

selective soldering? 

Almost every VOC-free flux used in a 

selective soldering process will generate 

a lot of micro solder balls, especially 

between through hole connector pins. The 

V.O.C-free PacIFic 2009MLF soldering 

flux from INTERFLUX® Electronics N.V. 

has proven to dramatically reduce solder 

ball occurences. When compared to other 

VOC-free fluxes, and even some alcohol 


based fluxes, improvement rates of more 

than 90% have been reported by customers. 

PacIFic 2009MLF works with leaded 

and lead-free alloys in wave-and selective 

soldering processes. www.interflux.com 

staticide esD safety shield is now 

available as an aerosol spray 

By customer demand, 

ACL Incorporated’s longlasting 

static dissipative 

coating, Staticide ESD 

Safety Shield, is now available 

as an aerosol spray. 

6500 Staticide ESD Safety 

Shield is a humidityindependent 

water-based 

coating that provides a 

constant surface resistivity 

of 106 ñ 109 ohms per 

square without washing 

off like anti-static topicals. 

The advanced formula 

dries clear and can adhere 

to a variety of surfaces including 

acrylic, polycarbonate, PETG, and 

glass. The coating is designed to be sprayed 

on carrying trays, protective packaging, test 

equipment, PVC and vinyl tubing, and 

viewing ports to reduce tribo-charging and 

dissipate static. www.aclstaticide.com 

omron shortens tact time for in-line 

x-ray inspections with dual-mode 

cT scanner 

Omron introduces a time-saving newxray 

inspection system, VT-X series, that 

shortens the tact time for in-line, postsolder 

inspection of printed circuit boards. 

The VT-X is the world’s first dual mode 

x-ray inspection system that combines 

highly accurate computed tomography 

(CT) scanning with high-speed ‘tomosynthesis’ 

scanning to achieve production line 

speeds. Use of CT technology eliminates 

the clutter from bottom side parts while 

top side parts are inspected. Because CT 

scanning technology alone can be quite 

slow such that inspections must be done 

off-line or handled slowly in-line, Omron’s 

solution enables use of both technologies 

in the same inspection. www.omron247.com 

B2B® sMT connector reaches 

new height 

The B2B® high density SMT connector 

line from Advanced Interconnections 

Corp. is now available in a 19.05 mm (.750 

inch) mated height. Designed for high pin 

count and high density 1.27 mm pitch 

board to board applications where durability 

and reliability are critical, such as servers 

and routers, the newest member of the 

B2B® SMT Connector series is available 

in 8 and 10 row configurations from 240 

to 500 positions. 

www.advanced.com 

Javelin Design Automation & iMec 

extend design technology for 3D 

stacked ics 

Javelin Design Automation introduced 

a revolutionary solution for the rapid 

design exploration and optimization of 

three dimensional stacked ICs (3D SIC). 

Developed in close collaboration with 

IMEC, Europe’s leading independent 

nanoelectronics research center, and Qualcomm, 

a partner in IMEC’s 3D integration 

program, 3D PathFinding extends the 

Javelin PathFinding methodology and j360 

Silicon PathFinder platform to support 

virtual chip design for co-optimization of 

system design and 3D interconnect-packaging 

technologies. Designers of 3D ICs are 

now empowered to rapidly explore many 

potential 3D design implementations for 

their technical value propositions, and to 

identify and mitigate risks-benefits and 

optimize value. www.javelin-da.com 

New tool for sMD carrier splicing 

deki TOOLS introduces a new SMT splice 

hand tool. The tool simplifies the usage of 

clips that are used for splicing. Instead of 

www.globalsmt.net

dealing with the small clips, that normally 

only measure 3x22 mm, a frame with 20 

brass shims is loaded into the handle of 

the tool, just as an on office stapler. The 

brass shims are automatically advanced 

and aligned into position after each splice 

cycle. This reduces the risk of dropped 

clips and saves time and money. 

www.dekitools.com 

Mentor graphics, Achronix extend 

synthesis support for Achronix 

FpgAs 

Achronix Semiconductor Corp. signed a 

multi-year agreement that provides Mentor 

Graphics Precision® Synthesis software 

support for Achronix FPGAs. The agreement 

includes the Speedster family of 

1.5 GHz devices as well as future devices. 

The support extends the original 2006 

agreement in which Mentor Graphics 

optimised Precision Synthesis support for 

Achronix FPGA devices, and Achronix integrated 

the tool set to offer a complete design 

suite that includes Precision Synthesis. 

The suite helps designers build the world’s 

fastest FPGAs quickly and efficiently to get 

to market faster than competitors. 

www.achronix.com 

semiprobe adds expands probe 

system for life product family 

SemiProbe released the new programmable 

stage series for the flexible Probe 

System for Life (PS4L). With the addition 

of these stages, the PS4L is able to grow 

and transform as our customer’s needs and 

budget grow. The new stages allow systems 

to be configured or “field upgraded” to 

SA-4 (100 mm), SA-6 (150mm) or SA-8 

(200 mm) semiautomatic capability. Semi- 

Probe’s PILOT software suite provides the 

operating system for these probers. 

www.semiprobe.com 

New Products 

2000 mW cW green laser for 

cost-sensitive applications 

The new Genesis 532-2000 S from 

Coherent Inc. is a 2000 mW CW, green 

(532 nm) laser that provides the first 

compact and high value alternative to 

diode-pumped solid state DPSS lasers in 

scientific and OEM applications. This is 

the first multi-watt green laser with performance 

optimized for these markets based 

on Coherent’s unique, optically pumped 

semiconductor laser (OPSL) technology. 

Genesis 532-2000 S lasers provide excellent 

beam characteristics (M≤

New Products 

nario in which a multi-PCB panel needs to 

be in-system programmed, saving the costs 

and hassles of designing and building an 

in-house, ad-hoc solution. www.smh-tech.com 

christopher Associates introduces 

defoaming/mixing system 

Christopher Associates announced the 

availability of the Japan Unix UM-118 

centrifugal mixer/defoamer. This unit, 

which can be used for solder paste, cosmetics, 

semiconductor materials, solar pastes, 

epoxies and other materials, is programmable 

for duration, cycle profile and up 

to 1500RPM centrifugal speed as well 

as internal rotational speed. Mixing of 

materials and defoaming are accomplished 

with cycle times half those of conventional 

mixers. www.christopherweb.com 

Molex hD&s interposer features 

Neoconix’s pcBeam interconnect 

technology 

Molex Incorporated and Neoconix have 

developed a flexible copper high-density 

and speed (HD&S) interposer in a toolless, 

easy-to-use configuration. Available 

now, Molex’s FlexBeam tool-less copper 

flex interposer is a low-profile, flex-toboard 

interface that provides densities of 

1.00 mm (.039”) or less in a variety of pin- 

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matrix configurations. The combination of 

Molex’s high speed copper flex assembly 

integrated with Neoconix’s HD&S PC- 

Beam interposer provides a high-density 

and high-speed interface for flex-to-PCBA 

applications. www.molex.com, 

www.neoconix.com 

agileTcp launches Factory & 

Management solution service 

agileTCP’s comprehensive agileFMS Factory 

& Manufacturing Solution service 

offering stems from the company’s strategic 

relationship with Massachusetts-based 

Innovo Strategy. The agileFMS service 

demonstrates and enables practical 

implementations of advanced business and 

technology theories, leading to successful 

strategy and execution of manufacturing efficiency 

and optimization efforts for clients 

worldwide. AgileFMS services provide 

dramatic modifications to work-in-progress 

(WIP), thereby maximizing throughput, 

minimizing cycle time and reducing cost 

within factory-specific environments across 

multiple industries. www.agileTCP.com 

Aeroflex accelerates roll-out of new 

features for its 7100 lTe handset 

tester as lTe goes global 

With LTE (3G Long Term Evolution) fast 

becoming a global phenomenon, Aeroflex 

is dramatically accelerating the roll-out 

of the major new features planned for 

2009 for its recently launched Aeroflex 

7100 digital radio test set for LTE mobile 

device test. The accelerated roll-out of new 

features for the Aeroflex 7100 during 2009 

relates to LTE/CDMA2000 inter-working, 

LTE/UTRAN & GERAN handover, 

TD-LTE mode and LTE mobile device 

conformance test. www.aeroflex.com 

cherry launches new range of 

waterproof rocker and pushbutton 

switches 

Cherry Electrical Products’s new range of 

sealed, waterproof rocker and pushbutton 

switches with a wide choice of pole, throw 

and switch options are suitable for a huge 

range of applications, from vehicles and 

outdoor machinery to medical devices. 

There are eight different designs in the 

new product family—seven rocker switches 

and one pushbutton switch, all certified to 

IP56 and IP65 requirements for water and 

dust resistance. These competitively-priced 

switches are available in numerous AC/ 

DC ratings and are RoHS compliant. 

www.cherry.de 

May 14, 2009 

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San Jose, California 

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Title Association & institutes news 

Association & institutes news 

eipc summer conference 

The EIPC Summer Conference will be 

held 18th & 19th June at the Hotel Eggerwirt 

in St. Michael, Austria. This year’s 

theme is “cost-reduction through innovation.” 

In addition to management and 

technical sessions, the EIPC Summer Conference 

this year offers a bonus programme: 

visit the AT&S PCB factory, the largest European 

PCB fabricator, on 17th June and 

IMEX Leiterplatten GmbH, the largest and 

most advanced European service provider 

in drilling, routing and measurement, on 

19th June. A coach will provide transportation 

for the company visits as part of the 

conference program. www.eipc.org 

sMArT group electronics Technology 

conference 

SMART Group’s new-format conference, 

exhibition and networking event, Electronics 

Technology, will take place 30th 

September-1st October 2009 at the Ricoh 

Arena. The event highlights new technology 

developments in areas important to 

the European electronics industry, such as 

reducing waste, improving reliability and 

increasing profit. 

Marilyn Driscoll, one of the organisers 

of the exhibition believes that ‘a conference 

lead exhibition’ is the only way to guarantee 

exhibitors seeing the right audience. 

The event is being organised by 

SMART Group together with event 

management partner M2 Events. A call for 

papers for the conference is on the SMART 

Group website. 

For enquiries on the conference please 

contact Tony Gordon, on 01494 465217 or 

info@smartgroup.org. For exhibition contact 

Marilyn Driscoll on 01763 838554 or marilyn@ElectronicsTechnology.co.uk. 


ipc to deliver pcB tutorial at sMT 

Nürnberg 2009 

IPC—Association Connecting Electronics 

Industries® announces its European 

representative, Lars Wallin, will present a 

tutorial in German at the System Integration 

in Micro Electronics Exhibition and 

Conference on May 7, 2009 in Nürnberg, 

Germany. Wallin will explain how IPC 

standards can be used to eliminate unnecessary 

and costly mistakes in printed board 

manufacturing. 

Quality and reliability are a growing 

concern in electronics manufacturing, 

especially because of new processes being 

developed for lead-free technology. Wallin 

notes that IPC standards can help a company 

develop and implement a stronger 

quality program. 

For more information on the tutorial, 

visit Tutorial 18 at www.smt-exhibition.com. 

ipc european executive summit 

negotiates challenges into opportunities 

Encouraging its members in the electronics 

industry to look beyond today’s stormy 

environment, IPC—Association Connecting 

Electronics Industries® will host a 

European Electronics Industry Executive 

Summit in Berlin 27 th -28th April to 

help companies prepare for the economic 

upturn and capitalize on growing industry 

opportunities. 

The two-day event will kick off with a 

Government Relations & Regulatory Forum 

to discuss the proposed changes to the 

RoHS Directive and IPC efforts in regards 

to the impending changes, as well as other 

laws and regulations with the power to affect 

a company’s bottom line. 

The afternoon of 27 April will resume 

with a full program dedicated to EMS 

management issues. 

On 28 April, the IPC Executive Market 

& Technology Forum Conference will 

bring together members from all segments 

of the electronics supply chain to highlight 

areas of growth and how each link in the 

chain can work together to realize these opportunities. 

This day-long conference will 

be presented in partnership with the European 

Institute of Printed Circuits (EIPC). 

For more information on the IPC 

European Electronics Industry Executive 

Summit, visit www.ipc.org/berlin-meetings 

or contact Ms. Alli Green, IPC industry 

programs coordinator, at AlliGreen@ipc.org 

or +1 847-597-2879. 

sMTA announces co-located June 

events in Denmark 

The SMTA is organizing two co-located 

events focusing respectively on tin whiskers 

and counterfeit electronics parts issues, 

to be held from 23rd-26th June 2009 at 

the Technical University of Denmark in 

Lyngby. 

The 3rd International Symposium on 

Tin Whiskers runs June 23-24, 2009. It will 

cover case histories, theories of tin whisker 

growth, experiments and results, risk evaluation 

methods, and risk mitigation strategies. 

Attendees will be able to learn about 

the current state of knowledge enabling 

the development of improved and effective 

qualification and mitigation procedures. 

The first two symposia were organized by 

CALCE in US and Japan. www.smta.org/ 

education/education.cfm#tin-whiskers 

The Symposium on Avoiding, Detecting, 

and Preventing Counterfeit Electronic 

Parts runs June 25-26, 2009. It will be valuable 

to supply chain managers, component 

engineers, brand protection specialists, 

marketing and procurement policy makers, 

contracts management, security specialists 

and other interested engineers. The focus 

is to provide relevant information to the 

professionals that can be used for solving 

problems today while planning for a different 

business and technology environment 

in the future. www.smta.org/education/ 

education.cfm#counterfeit 

These symposia are organized by SMTA 

in conjunction with the Center for Advanced 

Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) at 

the University of Maryland, College Park, 

MD and the Centre for Electronic Corrosion 

(CELCORR) and ATV-SEMAPP at 

the Technical University of Denmark. 

www.globalsmt.net


Title 


International Title Diary 

International Diary 

8 – 10 April 2009 

NEPCON Korea 

Seoul, Korea 

smtpcb.org 

13 – 16 April 2009 

Expo Electronica 

Mocow, Russia 

expoelectronica.ru 

21 – 24 April 2009 

NEPCON China 

Shanghai, China 

nepconchina.com 

22 – 22 April 2009 

Electronics New England— 

NEPCON 

Boston, MA, USA 

devicelink.com/expo/dmne09 

27 April – 1 May 2009 

PCB East 

Waltham, MA, USA 

pcbeast.com 

5 – 7 May 2009 

SMT/Hybrid/Packaging 

Nuremberg, Germany 

smt-exhibition.com 

14 May 2009 

MEPTEC MEMS 

Symposium 

San Jose, CA 

meptec.org 

20 – 21 May 2009 

NEPCON East/Electro 

Boston, MA 

nepcon.com 

1 – 5 June 2009 

Electronica Americas 

Sao Paula, Brazil 

electronicamericas.net 

3 – 5 June 2009 

JPCA/PROTEC 

Tokyo, Japan 

jpcashow.com 

15 – 18 June 2009 

EMPC 2009 

Rimini, Italy 

empc2009.org 

16 – 18 June 2009 

National Electronics Week 

London, UK 

www.nationalelectronicsweek. 

co.uk 


Exhibition & Conference 

Nuremberg 5–7 May 2009 

Germany 


www 

Title 

smt-exhibition.com 

The place to be! 

Organizer: Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Rotebuehlstrasse 83–85, D-70178 Stuttgart, Tel. +49 711 61946-79, Fax +49 711 61946-93, smt@mesago.com 


Title 

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Krassy Petkov Interview Inside - Milara, Inc.

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