Krassy Petkov Interview Inside - Milara, Inc.
Krassy Petkov Interview Inside - Milara, Inc.
Krassy Petkov Interview Inside - Milara, Inc.
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www.globalsmt.net<br />
The Global Assembly Journal for SMT and<br />
Advanced Packaging Professionals<br />
Hot air solder leveling<br />
in tHe lead-free era<br />
vapor pHase vs. convection reflow in<br />
roHs-compliant assembly<br />
conquering smt stencil printing<br />
cHallenges witH today’s miniature<br />
components<br />
Volume 9 Number 4 April 2009<br />
ISSN 1474 - 0893<br />
<strong>Krassy</strong> <strong>Petkov</strong><br />
<strong>Interview</strong> <strong>Inside</strong><br />
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www.globalsmt.net<br />
Contents<br />
!<br />
2 The end is near<br />
Trevor Galbraith<br />
TechNology Focus<br />
10 Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free !"*+,-.) era<br />
Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd<br />
20 Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant<br />
assembly<br />
Dan Coada, EPIC Technologies<br />
30 Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with<br />
today’s miniature components<br />
Robert F. Dervaes, Fine Line Stencil, <strong>Inc</strong>.; Jeff Poulos, Alternative<br />
Solutions, <strong>Inc</strong>.; and Scott Williams, Ed Fagan, <strong>Inc</strong>.<br />
speciAl FeATures<br />
38 <strong>Interview</strong>: <strong>Krassy</strong> <strong>Petkov</strong>—<strong>Milara</strong>, <strong>Inc</strong>.<br />
40 APEX preview<br />
REGULAR COLUMNS<br />
4 Conformal coating process control and<br />
inspection<br />
Bob Willis<br />
24 Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai<br />
10<br />
20<br />
38<br />
OThER REGULAR FEATURES<br />
5 Global SMT online<br />
6 Industry News<br />
42 New Products<br />
50 Association News<br />
52 International Diary<br />
Contents<br />
Volume 9, No. 4<br />
April 2009<br />
European edition<br />
!"#$%&'()<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 1
Editorial<br />
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Trevor Galbraith<br />
Editor-in-Chief<br />
The end is near<br />
Don’t worry—I’m not predicting Armageddon,<br />
but according to statistics from<br />
our resident guru, Walt Custer, there is a<br />
glimmer of light on the horizon—LEDs to<br />
be specific. The LED street lights market<br />
is predicted to grow at over 224% in 2009.<br />
This and some other areas of more modest<br />
growth are the nascent signs of a fragile<br />
recovery starting in China, of all places.<br />
Why China? This is where the first<br />
signs of the economic slide took effect last<br />
year when the Chinese manufacturers did<br />
not receive the orders they expected for<br />
the 2008 Christmas market in the west.<br />
It is also the region of the world that has<br />
suffered the biggest fallout in terms of electronic<br />
manufacturing. According to some<br />
estimates, almost 50% of the factories in<br />
the Shenzhen and Guandong regions have<br />
closed. Likewise, 50% of the electronics<br />
trade magazines have ‘taken a holiday’ due<br />
to the downturn in business.<br />
That said, many other parts of the<br />
Chinese economy remain strong, and<br />
the country’s balance sheet is extremely<br />
healthy. Looking closer at the reasons for<br />
the optimistic upturn in electronics manufacturing,<br />
it is clearly the government’s<br />
stimulus bill to get people back to work.<br />
Unlike western democracies, where the<br />
legislation gets mired in months and weeks<br />
of debate through Congress and the Senate,<br />
only to emerge laden with billions of<br />
dollars of pet projects tacked onto the bill,<br />
the Chinese have a much faster and leaner<br />
decision-making process.<br />
All this is good news and perfect timing<br />
for the upcoming Nepcon Shanghai<br />
exhibition in April, where I hope the<br />
mood will be more positive and a return to<br />
some of the energy that usually permeates<br />
Chinese shows.<br />
Let’s hope this is an early indicator of<br />
things to come in the west. The recently<br />
announced stimulus plans in the US and a<br />
cohesive and determined effort by the G20<br />
nations at their meeting in London this<br />
month should avert this recession from<br />
developing into stagnation or a depression.<br />
Next month, we will be reporting<br />
on the mood and developments on the<br />
ground at APEX, SMT/PCB Nepcon<br />
Korea and Nepcon Shanghai—a global<br />
snapshot of the industry that only Global<br />
SMT & Packaging can bring you.<br />
Trevor Galbraith.<br />
2 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
Title<br />
Conformal coating process control and inspection<br />
Bob Willis<br />
Conformal coating process<br />
control and inspection<br />
There is definitely an increasing interest<br />
in conformal coating for electronics. This<br />
is based on recent workshop and seminars<br />
run by the SMART Group in the UK and<br />
other organisations worldwide. Over the<br />
last 12 months your columnist has been<br />
rekindling his interest and knowledge on<br />
the subject for a workshop session at SMT<br />
Nuremberg. Things have moved on a long<br />
way since my time as an apprentice using<br />
brush and manual spray coating techniques<br />
within GEC. Producing operator<br />
instructions and inspection criteria for the<br />
number of brush hairs allowed in a coated<br />
seems like a lifetime ago.<br />
Some of the most common process<br />
defects include:<br />
Non or de-wetting<br />
Delamination<br />
Coating contamination<br />
Mask de-wetting<br />
Coating bubbles<br />
Simple process control checks can be<br />
invaluable during conformal coating.<br />
These may vary depending on the type of<br />
product, material, volume, application and<br />
design density. Checking the wet coating<br />
thickness on the surface of the board after<br />
application, or alternatively a blank panel,<br />
will make measurement simpler. Using a<br />
wet depth gauge, check the coating in two<br />
or three areas on a sample board. Ideally<br />
check more than one sample in a batch.<br />
Record the reading, location, material and<br />
process parameters for future reference.<br />
Coating a blank test board prior to<br />
running production or using a proprietary<br />
matrix test card like that used by Nordson/<br />
Asymtech is a good way of checking spray<br />
process parameters. The test board or card<br />
can be inspected with a long wave UV light<br />
for coating definition, overspray or coating<br />
run on. Process parameters like solids<br />
content, temperature, nozzle type, speed,<br />
height and pressure can be recorded with<br />
the sample and retained for reference<br />
Dry coating measurement can be<br />
performed on a test label applied to the<br />
surface of a board prior to coating. The<br />
thickness of the dry label can be recorded<br />
prior to coating; subtracting the thickness<br />
of the label provides the coating thickness<br />
in that location. The label can be retained<br />
for future reference and is ideal for<br />
engineers to review during process audits.<br />
Digital thickness measuring systems are<br />
available for logging data for SPC.<br />
With care, coated boards can be<br />
examined directly after spray coating, using<br />
a UV light source on an out-feed conveyor.<br />
Care needs to be taken to avoid contamination<br />
and disturbance of the coating.<br />
Surface contamination with hairs, fibres or<br />
other particulates can be a problem with a<br />
delay before curing. The recent introduction<br />
of automatic optical inspection (AOI)<br />
specifically designed for coated boards can<br />
be used as off-line or in-line inspection<br />
with software which has been specifically<br />
4 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
Figure 1. A test card from Nordson is shown with and without UV light illumination on spray patterns.<br />
developed for coating defects.<br />
When coated boards are cured in a<br />
convection or IR oven, the temperature<br />
profile must be established based on the<br />
material supplier’s recommendations. The<br />
profile must also be considered in relation<br />
to the coating thickness. Temperature<br />
profiling procedures should follow the<br />
techniques used for reflow soldering with<br />
the correct attachment of thermocouples.<br />
Attempts to speed up the curing cycle are<br />
common causes of failure<br />
Inspect sample boards under UV<br />
lighting for complete coating coverage.<br />
Check areas of the board after removal of<br />
any masking for contamination or lifting<br />
of the coating at the masking interface.<br />
The coating should be compared with any<br />
work instructions, alternatively a golden<br />
coated board assembly should be available<br />
for reference. Obviously in high volume is<br />
where AOI systems will have an impact in<br />
the future<br />
During sample inspection of boards,<br />
2009<br />
call<br />
for<br />
papers<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
touch up of the coating must be recorded<br />
for future review. Inspection should be<br />
based on documented inspection criteria<br />
or customer specification. Where new<br />
defects or PCB design specific issues are<br />
seen they should be photographed and<br />
added to inspection criteria or training<br />
updates or included with customer specific<br />
instructions<br />
Having images of common process<br />
defects and examples of satisfactory coating<br />
Conformal coating process control and inspection<br />
to include in PowerPoint training modules<br />
or for onsite work instructions is an ideal<br />
resource for process and quality engineers<br />
tasked with training sessions. This type of<br />
reference material is available online.<br />
Bob Willis is a process engineer working in the<br />
electronics industry, providing training, consultancy<br />
and product failure analysis. He will be<br />
running a Conformal Coating Workshop at<br />
SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING in Nuremberg,<br />
Germany. Bob also offers workshops on conventional<br />
and lead-free on site for customers. He<br />
sets up and optimises production lines for users<br />
and suppliers at exhibitions and also provides<br />
conferences and workshops worldwide. For<br />
further information on counterfeit avoidance<br />
procedures, lead-free training workshops at ITRI<br />
in Europe, training materials, lead-free and<br />
process support visit www.ASKbobwillis.com.<br />
Do you have a process or technology or a really strong case<br />
study that you want to share with Global SMT & Packaging’s<br />
readers? Global SMT & Packaging is currently seeking technical<br />
articles and case studies for publication in its print magazines<br />
and website. We are specifically looking for papers that offer a<br />
‘real’ manufacturing solution and that have not been previously<br />
published in another magazine or journal. For editorial<br />
guidelines, contact editor@globalsmt.net.<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 5
Title Industry News<br />
Industry News<br />
european semiconductor industry<br />
leading indicator fell in December<br />
Economic research firm e-forecasting.com<br />
reports that the European semiconductor<br />
sales leading indicator fell in December<br />
by 0.9 percent to a reading of 152.0, after<br />
falling 1.1 percent in November. The index<br />
was set to average 100 in 2000.<br />
“The European semiconductor industry<br />
leading indicator has fallen the last six<br />
readings. Based on the lead time of the<br />
indicator, we can conjecture that the industry<br />
is now in recession and it will last at<br />
least six more months, more perhaps based<br />
depending of course on future readings.<br />
The monthly update takes into account<br />
adjustments due to annual benchmarking<br />
and annual update of seasonal factors performed<br />
by official data sources,” said CEO<br />
Maria Simos. www.e-forecasting.com<br />
popular consumer and mobile products<br />
fuel MeMs boom<br />
From the gyroscope in your PlayStation<br />
3 game controller, to the accelerometer<br />
in your iPhone, microelectromechanical<br />
systems (MEMS) are making major inroads<br />
in the consumer and mobile electronics<br />
worlds, causing market revenue in this area<br />
to nearly triple from 2006 to 2012, according<br />
to iSuppli Corp. Global revenue from<br />
shipments of MEMS for consumer and<br />
mobile electronics is expected to rise to<br />
$2.6 billion in 2012, up from $1.1 billion<br />
in 2006. STMicroelectronics took the lead<br />
in the global consumer/mobile MEMS<br />
market in 2008, rising from second place<br />
to displace the former No. 1 player, Texas<br />
Instruments <strong>Inc</strong>. The company’s share of<br />
global consumer/mobile MEMS revenue<br />
rose to 18 percent in 2008, up from 9.7<br />
percent in 2007. www.isuppli.com<br />
ZesTroN appoints general<br />
manager china<br />
ZESTRON promoted John Shen to general<br />
manager of ZESTRON’s China Corp.<br />
In his new position Mr. Shen will be<br />
focusing on the expansion of ZESTRON’s<br />
position as leading supplier of cleaning solutions<br />
in China as well as the North Asian<br />
region. www.zestron.com<br />
ruWel gmbh files insolvency<br />
petition<br />
RUWEL GmbH, one of the biggest<br />
European manufacturers of printed<br />
circuit boards for the electronics industry<br />
worldwide, has filed an insolvency petition<br />
at the local court in Kleve. In June<br />
2006 RUWEL had been taken over by<br />
American financial investors who have now<br />
been severely hit themselves by the global<br />
crisis in the financial world. In addition,<br />
RUWEL’s main sales (58%) are with car<br />
component suppliers who are currently<br />
experiencing their worst crisis worldwide.<br />
At the Geldern plant, which is almost entirely<br />
specialised in customers from the car<br />
components supplying industry, the level<br />
of production capacity utilization has fallen<br />
to below 50%. The Pfullingen plant, which<br />
has a different customer structure mainly<br />
from the industrial and medical electronics<br />
sectors, has a 70% capacity utilization.<br />
www.ruwel.com<br />
Aqueous Technologies acquires<br />
Austin American Technology’s<br />
MicroJet defluxing systems<br />
Effective immediately, Aqueous Technologies<br />
will assume all marketing, sales,<br />
distribution and new equipment service<br />
of MicroJet, MicroJet EC, and MicroJet<br />
FC inline defluxing systems from Austin<br />
American Technology. Aqueous Technologies<br />
is the exclusive worldwide distributor<br />
of these products. Under the multi-year<br />
exclusive distribution agreement, Austin<br />
American Technology will no longer manufacture<br />
inline defluxing systems for sale to<br />
the public. www.aqueoustech.com<br />
ipc survey shows reverse trend in<br />
regional sourcing<br />
Forty-two percent of responding companies<br />
cited changes in their customers’ sourcing<br />
patterns from Asia back to North America<br />
or Europe in the past two years, according<br />
to the results of a survey conducted by<br />
IPC—Association Connecting Electronics<br />
Industries®. Fifty companies responded to<br />
the survey. The respondents estimated that<br />
an average of 2.5 percent growth in their<br />
2007 and 2008 business was attributable<br />
to this trend. The issue that was cited most<br />
often as the primary driver of this trend<br />
was quality concerns. Other key contributors<br />
were transportation costs, currency<br />
exchange rates, long supply lines and<br />
communication difficulties. The report, A<br />
Reverse Trend in Regional Sourcing in the<br />
Worldwide Electronic Interconnect Industry,<br />
is available in the members-only area of<br />
IPC’s Web site at www.ipc.org.<br />
Digi-Key, Measurement specialties<br />
sign distribution agreement<br />
Electronic components distributor Digi-Key<br />
Corporation and Measurement Specialties,<br />
<strong>Inc</strong>., a global designer of sensors and<br />
sensor-based systems, have entered into<br />
an agreement for the worldwide distribution<br />
of Measurement Specialties products,<br />
including its its force, piezo, position, pressure,<br />
and vibration sensors.<br />
www.digikey.com, www.meas-spec.com<br />
Demonstration of JuKi’s FX-3<br />
mounter leaves an impression in<br />
russia<br />
Juki Automation Systems AG and their<br />
distributor in Russia, Sovtest ATE, recently<br />
installed a new high-speed FX-3 modular<br />
mounter in Moscow for INCOTEX Holding<br />
Company, one of the biggest manufacturers<br />
of electronics in Russia. The new<br />
mounter was put into the current technological<br />
line, increasing its capacity by over<br />
50%. The company also held a demonstration<br />
of the installed FX-3 from September<br />
1st – 4th, with more than 25 specialists<br />
from different companies, including mass<br />
media representatives, in attendence. High<br />
placement speed together with the “compactness”<br />
of the machine made a good<br />
impression on everybody.<br />
www.sovtest.ru, www.incotex.com<br />
6 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
www.globalsmt.net<br />
Title<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 7
Industry News<br />
Appointments<br />
Dr. harald Wack named<br />
president, ZesTroN Worldwide<br />
ZESTRON appointed<br />
Dr. Harald Wack as<br />
president of worldwide<br />
operations.<br />
“I am extremely<br />
proud to transfer the<br />
global responsibility<br />
to my son effective,”<br />
said Dr. O. K. Wack during a recent<br />
interview. “During the last seven years,<br />
he has shown the ability to run this<br />
company after building ZESTRON<br />
America’s operation almost from the<br />
ground up.”<br />
henkel names new global sales<br />
director for semiconductor<br />
materials<br />
Henkel appointed<br />
Luc Godefroid as<br />
the company’s global<br />
sales director for its<br />
Semiconductor Group.<br />
A key member of<br />
Henkel’s electronics<br />
sales team since 2001,<br />
Godefroid’s new role sees him building<br />
on his previous success and directing<br />
the global sales efforts of Henkel’s<br />
worldwide team and expanded product<br />
portfolio. www.henkel.com/electronics<br />
Dr. ingo Bretthauer appointed<br />
ceo of lpKF<br />
As of February, Dr. Ingo Bretthauer has<br />
taken the role of CEO for LPKF Laser<br />
& Electronics AG. Bretthauer previously<br />
worked for AEG and Deutsche<br />
Bahn. He was CEO and sole managing<br />
director of a medium-sized mechanical<br />
and plant engineering company from<br />
2001 to 2007.<br />
Kic appoint A.e. Arrows engineering<br />
as distributor for italy<br />
KIC has named A.E. Arrows Engineering<br />
s.r.l. as its distributor in Italy. A.E. Arrows<br />
Engineering was founded in 2005 by Mr.<br />
Francesco Pisoni and Mr. Riccardo Pisoni.<br />
Mr. Achille Vegetti later joined as a partner<br />
and shares the management and sales<br />
responsibilities. A.E. Arrows’ product offering<br />
covers the SMT assembly line including<br />
solder reflow ovens and wave solder machines<br />
by Speedline, which complements<br />
KIC’s profiling and thermal process tools.<br />
Other lines include Pillarhouse, Feinfocus,<br />
Asscon and Cencorp. www.arrows-eng.com,<br />
www.kicthermal.com<br />
essemtec names siNerJi as its<br />
distributor for Turkey<br />
ESSEMTEC Switzerland has signed a distribution<br />
contract for Turkey with SINERJI<br />
GRUP, Istanbul, Turkey. SINERJI is located<br />
only 5 km from Istanbul city centre and<br />
provides a local show and training room<br />
for machine demonstration and evaluation.<br />
The company provides countrywide<br />
sales, support and service for its customers.<br />
The new distributor also will support<br />
installed equipment from Essemtec.<br />
www.sinerji-grup.com, www.essemtec.com<br />
etek europe ltd adds to customer<br />
support team<br />
Sandor Kun recently joined ETEK Europe<br />
from a Global CEM and brings with him<br />
a wealth of hands-on process engineering<br />
experience and front-to-back soldering<br />
knowledge. Kun will be predominantly<br />
supporting the company’s Eastern European<br />
customers. He can be contacted on<br />
skun@etek-europe.com or on his mobile<br />
+380 974 990 998. www.etek-europe.com<br />
siemens electronics Assembly<br />
systems carve-out completed<br />
Right on schedule, Siemens Electronics<br />
Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG<br />
(SEAS) became operational on January 1,<br />
2009, as a legally separate company within<br />
the Siemens technology conglomerate.<br />
TAt the same time, the Siplace Excellence<br />
restructuring program, which was begun in<br />
2007, is entering into a second phase that<br />
involves making certain volume-driven adjustments.<br />
Plans call for further streamlining<br />
of the company’s global processes and<br />
the consolidation of its development and<br />
manufacturing capacities. www.siplace.com<br />
sMT/hyBriD/pAcKAgiNg 2009<br />
SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2009,<br />
Europe’s leading event focused on system<br />
integration in microelectronics, takes place<br />
in Nuremberg, Germany, May 5-7. The<br />
exhibition will provide a comprehensive<br />
overview of a range of topics, including<br />
design and development, PCB production,<br />
components, placement technologies and<br />
test equipment all under one roof. The<br />
combination of exhibition and application<br />
oriented conference provides all attendees<br />
with an ideal overall platform. Suppliers,<br />
scientists and experts from all over the<br />
world will display and explain how today’s<br />
burning issues of production in the highly<br />
miniaturised electronics world may be<br />
solved in an economic approach.<br />
www.smt-exhibition.com<br />
Jabil installs seratel’s reel aMounts<br />
in hungary, china and Malaysia<br />
Jabil has implemented the Reel aMounts<br />
component counting and labelling system<br />
from Seratel in its plants in Tiszaújváros,<br />
Hungary and Huangpu, China and in<br />
both plants in Penang, Malaysia. The Reel<br />
aMounts allows these plants to replace traditional,<br />
electro-mechanical counting systems,<br />
bringing greatly improved efficiency<br />
and reduced costs in materials handling.<br />
The system also provides benefits and savings<br />
in material availability and inventory<br />
control. www.ReelaMounts.com<br />
sMh Technologies announces a<br />
new sales office for poland<br />
SMH Technologies appointed PCB Service<br />
Sp. z o.o., based in Gdansk, as a sales office<br />
for Poland. PCB Service has worked in the<br />
field of test equipment and solutions for<br />
printed circuit assemblies and bare-boards<br />
for ten years. www.pcb.com.pl<br />
cherry becomes ZF<br />
Following the acquisition last year of Cherry<br />
Corp by the ZF Group, the UK arm of<br />
the switches, sensors and CID (computer<br />
input devices) company, Cherry Electrical<br />
Products Ltd will now trade as ZF Electronics<br />
UK Limited. www.cherry.de<br />
src & iMec sign a Mou<br />
Semiconductor Research Corporation<br />
(SRC) and IMEC intend to set up an international<br />
collaboration aimed at creation of<br />
novel processes and materials for advanced<br />
semiconductor manufacturing. The memorandum<br />
of understanding (MOU) calls<br />
for the consortia to apply their more than<br />
50 years of combined expertise to finding<br />
more environmentally friendly ways to<br />
make chips for use by the worldwide electronics<br />
industry. www.src.org, www.imec.be<br />
8 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
www.globalsmt.net<br />
Global SMT & Packaging Title Online<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 9
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
Hot air solder leveling<br />
in the lead-free era<br />
by Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan<br />
Although the advantages of<br />
hot air solder leveling (HASL)<br />
in providing the most robust<br />
solderable finish for printed<br />
circuit boards are well recognized,<br />
in the years leading up to<br />
the implementation of the EU<br />
RoHS Directive in July 2006,<br />
the conventional wisdom was<br />
that it would have no place in<br />
the new lead-free electronics<br />
manufacturing technology.<br />
By July 2006, however,<br />
there were nearly 200 lead-free<br />
HASL lines running in Europe,<br />
and that number has continued<br />
to increase since then. In the<br />
more than 5 years in which<br />
the lead-free HASL process<br />
has been used in commercial<br />
mass product, much has been<br />
learned about the operation of<br />
the process on the optimization<br />
of results. In this paper the<br />
author will report on current<br />
best practice on the operation<br />
of lead-free HASL lines and the<br />
properties that can be expected<br />
of a properly applied lead-free<br />
HASL finish.<br />
Keywords: HASL, Lead-Free<br />
This paper was originally presented at the IPC<br />
APEX Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<br />
introduction<br />
The wisdom traditionally expressed by advocates<br />
of the hot air solder leveled (HASL)<br />
finish when the solder used was a tin-lead<br />
alloy—‘nothing solders like solder’—remains<br />
equally valid in the lead-free era. A strong<br />
case can be made that when properly<br />
applied, a HASL finish provides a printed<br />
circuit board with the most robust guarantee<br />
of solderability currently available.<br />
However, the statement ‘nothing solders<br />
like solder’ requires some expansion.<br />
A fundamental requirement of a solder<br />
joint is metallurgical continuity between<br />
the copper pad of the printed circuit board<br />
and the termination of the component (Figure<br />
1). Components terminations can have<br />
a wide variety of metallurgies that create issues<br />
that are beyond the scope of this paper<br />
so that all that will be considered here is<br />
that part of the solder joint that is the connection<br />
to the printed circuit board. For<br />
the current conventional technology that<br />
pad is electrodeposited copper, so the short<br />
form justification for a HASL finish could<br />
be stated more fully as ‘nothing solders like<br />
copper that has been pre-wetted with solder.’<br />
That statement of the key advantage of<br />
HASL is more technically correct because<br />
what this finish delivers is not so much<br />
the solder that is visible but the wetted<br />
interface that lies beneath the surface of<br />
Figure 1. The essential features of a solder joint that<br />
provide metallurgical continuity.<br />
that solder at its interface with the copper.<br />
Because, when a tin-containing solder<br />
wets copper an intermetallic compound,<br />
Cu 6 Sn 5 , forms almost instantaneously, the<br />
evidence that wetting has been achieved is<br />
provided by the presence of that interfacial<br />
intermetallic compound (Figure 1). Thus a<br />
short form characterization of the benefits<br />
of the HASL finish could be that ‘half the<br />
solder joint has already been made.’<br />
The term used to describe the ease with<br />
which solder, with the help of an appropriate<br />
flux, can wet a substrate is ‘solderability.’<br />
With wetting already established, the<br />
HASL finish delivers solderability unequalled<br />
by any of the alternative printed<br />
circuit board finishes that do not contain<br />
tin. The additional benefit not mentioned<br />
in any of the foregoing characterizations<br />
of the HASL finish is that when properly<br />
applied it can preserve solderability for a<br />
very long period of time without the need<br />
for additional protection from the environment<br />
or special storage conditions. There<br />
are many anecdotal reports of printed<br />
circuit boards with a HASL finish soldering<br />
easily after many years of uncontrolled<br />
storage 1 .<br />
The place of hAsl in pcB finishing<br />
Until the electronics industry was forced<br />
by the EU RoHS Directive 2 to consider<br />
the prospect of eliminating lead tin-lead<br />
eutectic solder (nominally Sn-37Pb) applied<br />
by the HASL process was the most<br />
widely used (in terms of the area of panels<br />
processed) printed circuit board finish<br />
in North America and Europe 3 . HASL<br />
was also widely used in Asia, but the<br />
market share was smaller because of the<br />
dominance in those markets of consumer<br />
electronics. For the consumer electronics<br />
industry, the short time between manufacture<br />
and soldering that resulted from<br />
the effective application of ‘just in time’<br />
inventory management systems meant that<br />
the solderability of copper pads could be<br />
satisfactorily ensured with an OSP finish.<br />
In the period leading up to the<br />
implementation of the RoHS Directive<br />
10 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
Figure 2. Voids in laminate resin due to excessive<br />
exposure to heat.<br />
in July 2006, the view that was most<br />
widely expressed was that the HASL finish<br />
would disappear as the industry moved<br />
to lead-free technologies4. The justification<br />
for this prediction was problems with<br />
the HASL process that were claimed to<br />
include:<br />
• Damage to the printed circuit<br />
board by the additional thermal<br />
excursion (Figure 2).<br />
• Coplanarity problems caused by<br />
pad to pad variation in the coating<br />
thickness (Figure 3).<br />
• Stencil gasketing problems during<br />
paste printing associated with the<br />
variation in coating thickness and<br />
‘mushroom cap’ profile of the coating<br />
on small pads (Figure 4).<br />
• The heat and fumes associated<br />
with the process that were considered<br />
out of place in a modern PCB<br />
shop.<br />
In practice these potential problems have<br />
not been realized to the extent expected,<br />
and lead-free HASL has been in widespread<br />
use, initially in Europe, since 2002,<br />
with many millions of boards successfully<br />
soldered and put into long-term service.<br />
Data collected by the author’s company<br />
indicates that there are more than 400<br />
lead-free HASL lines currently in commercial<br />
production around the world, with<br />
more being commissioned every month to<br />
meet the growing demand. This number<br />
has grown by 45% since the last quarter<br />
of 2006. To have achieved that growth, an<br />
average of more than five new lines would<br />
have been commissioned each month, and<br />
that number is consistent with the practical<br />
experience within the industry over<br />
that period. More than half of these lines<br />
are in Europe, but about a quarter are now<br />
in China as the volume of boards ordered<br />
with this finish by European and American<br />
OEM increases.<br />
Unless the panel is passed through the<br />
HASL process more than twice and/or a<br />
solder temperature higher than necessary is<br />
used the expected, damage to the laminate<br />
has not been observed, even with CEM-1,<br />
CEM-2 and FR-2 grades of laminate. The<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
!<br />
Figure 3. Potential coplanarity issue with a HASL<br />
finish.<br />
likelihood of damage is being further<br />
reduced as more heat-resistant grades of<br />
laminate are introduced to accommodate<br />
other requirements of lead-free processing.<br />
The variation in the solder coating<br />
thickness of a properly applied lead-free<br />
HASL finish is typically about half that of<br />
the tin-lead HASL finish it replaces. And<br />
the coplanarity has been found to be good<br />
enough for the finish to be used on boards<br />
with large area array components.<br />
And on the issue of heat and fume,<br />
modern HASL lines have been designed<br />
to provide operating conditions consistent<br />
with those of any other equipment in a<br />
modern printed circuit board shop (Figure<br />
5).<br />
hAsl alternatives<br />
If the problems attributed to the HASL<br />
process were indeed the reason for not<br />
using this finish, it would have disappeared<br />
long before the implementation of leadfree<br />
since the printed circuit board finishes<br />
now promoted on the basis of their being<br />
lead-free—OSP, immersion silver, immersion<br />
tin and electroless nickel/immersion<br />
gold (ENIG) were already available. While<br />
all of these finishes found some application<br />
prior to the need to eliminate lead<br />
from electronic assemblies, the HASL finish<br />
maintained its dominant market share.<br />
All of the mentioned alternatives offer<br />
a degree of coplanarity that cannot be<br />
matched by even the best HASL finish,<br />
but the process maintained its dominance<br />
because none of the alternatives offer a<br />
solution that is problem-free. For many applications,<br />
HASL offers the best compromise,<br />
particularly when robust solderability<br />
is the main requirement.<br />
The protection that can<br />
be provided by the<br />
thin organic film<br />
of the OSP finish,<br />
albeit chemically<br />
bonded to the copper,<br />
is limited<br />
particularly under<br />
conditions of heat,<br />
humidity and air<br />
pollution. Even<br />
if solderability is<br />
good enough for<br />
the first stage of<br />
!<br />
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
Figure 4. Paste bleed due to problem of stencil gasketing<br />
on non-planar HASL coating.<br />
reflow with enough surviving to the second<br />
stage of reflow, if a final stage of wave<br />
soldering is required it is often difficult to<br />
meet barrel-fill criteria.<br />
The immersion silver finish dissolves during<br />
the soldering process so that all it can<br />
do is provide protection from oxidation for<br />
the underlying copper. The solderability<br />
of the boards with this finish is therefore<br />
dependent on the quality of preparation<br />
of the copper before the application of the<br />
finish, and so is vulnerable to variation in<br />
the control of the pre-etch process. Since<br />
the deposit is formed mainly by a chemical<br />
displacement process, the thickness<br />
of the coating, and hence the degree of<br />
protection that it can provide, is limited.<br />
Although it is claimed not to affect solderability,<br />
the silver is vulnerable to tarnishing<br />
in polluted atmospheres. Additional coatings<br />
can be applied to prevent tarnishing<br />
if there is concern about the cosmetic<br />
appearance of the board, but in any case it<br />
is generally recommended that boards with<br />
an immersion silver finish be stored in<br />
sealed packaging.<br />
As a consequence of its successful promotion,<br />
immersion silver has enjoyed the<br />
status of the preferred lead-free finish in<br />
the US market and so has been exposed to<br />
a wider range of operating conditions than<br />
had been the case before lead-free implementation.<br />
One phenomenon to emerge<br />
from that experience is catastrophic ‘creep<br />
corrosion.’ This phenomenon occurs when<br />
the assembled board is exposed to humid<br />
atmospheres polluted with sulfur and is<br />
driven by the electrochemical cell set up be-<br />
tween<br />
the silver and<br />
the small areas of copper<br />
Figure 5. Modern automatic in-line horizontal HASL line (photo courtesy<br />
Cemco/FSL Ltd).<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 11<br />
!
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
a<br />
b<br />
c<br />
Figure 6. Typical lead-free HASL finish on throughhole<br />
(a), QFP pads (b) and through-hole (c).<br />
inevitably exposed near the edge of the<br />
solder resist on solder-mask-defined pads 5 .<br />
The immersion tin process matches<br />
the HASL process in forming a layer of<br />
intermetallic at the tin-copper interface,<br />
although by solid state diffusion rather<br />
than by reaction with molten solder. Unlike<br />
immersion silver, it is not vulnerable<br />
to tarnishing and does not need special<br />
storage. However, as with immersion<br />
silver, the deposit is formed by a chemical<br />
displacement process so that the thickness<br />
is limited. The intermetallic layer continues<br />
to grow in storage and can completely<br />
consume the tin with consequent loss<br />
of solderability. The growth rate of the<br />
intermetallic is greatly accelerated during<br />
a thermal excursion so that solderability<br />
problems can be encountered in the<br />
second stage of double-sided reflow or in a<br />
final stage of wave soldering.<br />
As well as being perfectly flat, the<br />
electroless nickel/immersion gold finish is hard<br />
and sufficiently wear resistant for use on<br />
edge connectors that require only a limited<br />
number of insertion/withdrawal cycles.<br />
This finish can also accept wire bonding.<br />
The finish delivers excellent solderability<br />
and high reliability joints in the great ma-<br />
Figure 7. Cross-section of an ideal HASL finish.<br />
! SN100CL HASL coating<br />
providing complete coverage of<br />
the intermetallic layer<br />
Figure 8. Schematic representation of the cross section of an ideal HASL finish.<br />
jority of cases, but confidence in the finish<br />
has been damaged by a small but persistent<br />
incidence of catastrophic joint failures<br />
associated with the phenomenon known<br />
as ‘black pad.’ A further complication is<br />
that phosphorus, an unavoidable constituent<br />
of the electroless nickel deposit, can<br />
react with the tin, copper and silver that<br />
are the common constituents of lead-free<br />
solders to form at the solder/substrate<br />
interface a complex intermetallic compound<br />
that make the joint vulnerable to<br />
impact loading. The gold dissolves quickly<br />
in molten solder so that the joint is formed<br />
by wetting of the underlying nickel so that<br />
the solderability of the finish is ultimately<br />
determined by the quality of that nickel<br />
surface. As the product of a chemical displacement<br />
process, the gold coating is very<br />
thin. The protection that it can provide to<br />
the underlying nickel is limited and very<br />
dependent on process control. The very<br />
good solderability of freshly etched nickel<br />
can be quickly lost if the immersion gold<br />
finish does not have the integrity to protect<br />
it from oxidation.<br />
characteristics of a hAsl finish<br />
Because, as explained earlier, a HASL<br />
finish is in a way already one half of a<br />
solder joint, the visual criteria for quality<br />
are essentially the same as for a solder<br />
joint. The surface should be smooth and<br />
bright with no evidence of non-wetting or<br />
dewetting (Figure 6). In cross-section, the<br />
ideal finish would look something like that<br />
in Figure 7, with the features highlighted<br />
in the schematic diagram of Figure 8. It is<br />
clear from the cross-section that surface<br />
tension plays a major role in determining<br />
the profile of the finish with a character-<br />
Interfacial intermetallic<br />
compound layer<br />
istic ‘mushroom cap’ tending to form on<br />
a defined area with the coating stretched<br />
thinner at corners.<br />
The main thing that can go wrong with<br />
the finish is for there to be areas where the<br />
coating is too thin (Figure 9). This problem<br />
is a sign that the coating has not properly<br />
wetted the copper substrate or that there<br />
was not enough solder left on the pad<br />
to maintain a stable film over the whole<br />
area. Whatever the cause, in the areas<br />
where the solder coating is not sufficient<br />
to fully cover the intermetallic layer there<br />
will be a high probability of non-wetting<br />
and/or dewetting in subsequent soldering<br />
processes.<br />
There are several reasons why satisfactory<br />
wetting might not be achieved:<br />
12 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
a<br />
b<br />
Figure 9. Dewetting of the solder coating.
!<br />
!"*+,-.)<br />
Figure 10. Schematic representation of the vertical<br />
HASL process.<br />
• The copper surface was not prepared<br />
to the point where complete<br />
wetting (with no subsequent<br />
dewetting) could be achieved with<br />
the flux used with the solder temperature<br />
and contact time to which<br />
the panel was exposed during the<br />
HASL process.<br />
• The adjustment of the hot air<br />
knives was such that not enough<br />
solder was left on the pads to permit<br />
full coverage of the pad surface<br />
under the influence of surface<br />
tension forces.<br />
If the solder coating is not sufficient to<br />
provide a layer of free, unreacted solder<br />
over the intermetallic layer, solderability is<br />
quickly lost. Although the presence of the<br />
interfacial intermetallic provides confirmation<br />
that wetting has occurred, the intermetallic<br />
loses solderability when exposed<br />
to the atmosphere.<br />
When such problems are noted, the<br />
solution can usually be found simply by<br />
taking the countermeasures implied by the<br />
foregoing diagnoses.<br />
The lead-free hAsl process<br />
One of the advantages of the HASL<br />
process is its simplicity. The cleaned and<br />
fluxed printed circuit board is brought into<br />
contact with molten solder for sufficient<br />
time to achieve wetting, then excess solder<br />
is blown off with air knives—planar jets<br />
of air at a temperature above the melting<br />
point of the solder. When the solder<br />
coating has solidified, the board is passed<br />
through a washer to remove flux residues<br />
and dried. Air cooling ensures the smoothest<br />
brightest finish, and for the favored<br />
SnCuNiGe nothing is gained in regard to<br />
minimization of the intermetallic thickness<br />
by water or oil quenching.<br />
It is immediately apparent from visual<br />
inspection whether the process has been<br />
successful, but XRF techniques and/<br />
or cross-sectioning can be used to check<br />
the coating thickness and the quality of<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
!<br />
!"#$%&'()<br />
Figure 11. Comparison of the appearance of the SnCuNiGe alloy with Sn-37Pb.<br />
Figure 12. Comparison copper dissolution rates of HASL alloys.<br />
wetting.<br />
In the vertical process (Figure 10), a<br />
panel of boards is manually mounted on<br />
a frame which moves vertically downward<br />
into the solder bath, holds for an<br />
optimized immersion time, typically 2-3<br />
seconds, and then raises the panel through<br />
the operating air knives that are adjusted<br />
to clear through holes and vias while leaving<br />
an adequate thickness of solder on all<br />
areas where a solderable finish is required.<br />
The board is removed from the jig as the<br />
solder cools and solidifies and is placed on<br />
the conveyor of the washer/dryer. The operator<br />
can quickly inspect for finish quality<br />
during this handling.<br />
The great majority of HASL lines are<br />
of vertical design and quite capable of applying<br />
the finish to a high quality standard.<br />
Although most lines require manual<br />
loading and unloading of the panel, fully<br />
automated vertical lines are available that<br />
can deliver rack-to-rack performance<br />
incorporating fluxing and preheating and<br />
subsequent washing and drying.<br />
!<br />
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
!"*+,-.)<br />
The principle is similar in the horizontal<br />
process, but instead of the board being<br />
immersed in a bath of solder, it is flooded<br />
with solder applied through nozzles or<br />
between rollers on the top and bottom<br />
of the panel before being passed between<br />
hot air knives located above and below<br />
the board. Because it is an in-line process,<br />
horizontal HASL can be easily integrated<br />
with other in-line processes from the<br />
pre-etch to washing and drying to create<br />
a continuous line such as that in Figure 5.<br />
With the in-line preheating stage, the time<br />
required for exposure to solder can be reduced<br />
to a matter of a fraction of a second<br />
with a corresponding increase in per hour<br />
throughput.<br />
The horizontal process has an advantage<br />
in that the finish is more uniform in<br />
thickness. In the vertical process, there is a<br />
tendency for the solder to move toward the<br />
lower edge of the pad under the influence<br />
of gravity, whereas in the horizontal process<br />
gravity has no effect on the distribution<br />
of the solder over the surface.<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 13
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
! "#$%&'!<br />
()*&'+&*,$$(-!-#+.#/)%!<br />
-#..&'!<br />
Figure 13. Solderability is lost when the intermetallic<br />
layer has grown through to the surface.<br />
lead-free hAsl alloys<br />
As in other processes involving solder, the<br />
tin-lead eutectic is the benchmark against<br />
which other solders are judged. The Sn-<br />
37Pb alloy can deliver a HASL finish that<br />
is smooth and bright and reasonably even<br />
and there is no doubt that it is the eutectic<br />
character of the tin-lead that is the major<br />
factor in making that possible. Because of<br />
the way it solidifies in a single stage with<br />
a sharply defined melting point a eutectic<br />
has high fluidity close to its melting point<br />
and does not suffer from the shrinkage<br />
effects that detract from the appearance of<br />
the finish left by alloys that exhibit noneutectic<br />
behavior.<br />
It is not a coincidence, therefore, that<br />
the solder most widely used in the lead-free<br />
HASL process is also the only lead-free<br />
alloy that comes close to matching the eutectic<br />
behavior of the Sn-37Pb. That alloy<br />
is based on the tin-copper eutectic but with<br />
an addition of nickel at a specific level that<br />
promotes eutectic behavior6 !<br />
(Figure 11).<br />
This alloy also incorporates an addition<br />
of germanium to control oxidation in the<br />
liquid and solid state.<br />
This SnCuNiGe alloy has two other<br />
properties that make it particularly suited<br />
to the HASL process, a low rate of copper<br />
dissolution and a stable interfacial intermetallic.<br />
Since the copper pads of the printed<br />
circuit board are exposed to molten solder,<br />
it is important that not too much copper<br />
is lost by dissolution during the process.<br />
The nickel addition that promotes eutectic<br />
behavior in the tin-copper eutectic also<br />
stabilizes the intermetallic layer that forms<br />
on the surface of the copper so that it acts<br />
as a barrier to further dissolution. Figure<br />
12 shows the results of an experiment to<br />
compare the rate of dissolution of the<br />
SnCuNiGe alloy with the tin-lead benchmark<br />
and ‘SAC305’, the Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu<br />
alloy that has been widely promoted as the<br />
default lead-free solder.<br />
Even for a HASL finish that has been<br />
correctly applied, the solderability is eventually<br />
lost when the intermetallic layer has<br />
grown to the point where it has consumed<br />
!<br />
a<br />
b<br />
SN-37Pb SnCuNiGe SAC305<br />
Figure 14. (a) As HASL’d. (b) After 500h at 125˚C. The nickel-stabilized intermetallic grows more slowly.<br />
Figure 15. Surface tension forces mean coating tends to be thicker on smaller pads.<br />
Figure 16. Comparison of HASL coating thickness (Fellman7).<br />
all the tin (Figure 13). The slow growth of<br />
the intermetallic layer (Figure 14) means<br />
that solderability is retained even through<br />
extensive thermal excursions.<br />
equipment requirements and<br />
process parameters<br />
The lead-free HASL process has to operate<br />
within the constraint that applies to all<br />
lead-free processes—the melting point of<br />
the alloy is higher than that of the tin-lead<br />
solder that it replaces, but because of limits<br />
on the temperature/time profiles to which<br />
some materials can be exposed, process<br />
temperatures have to be kept as close as<br />
possible to those used with Sn-37Pb.<br />
With a melting point of 227°C, 44°C<br />
higher than that of Sn-37Pb, this constraint<br />
means that the process window for<br />
lead-free HASL with the most widely used<br />
alloy is approximately halved to about 35-<br />
40°C. The main implication of this smaller<br />
process window is that temperatures have<br />
to be held much closer to the set point<br />
than needed to be the case for the tin-lead<br />
HASL process. Machine manufacturers<br />
have responded to this challenge by increasing<br />
heater capacity and insulation of<br />
the solder pot and upgrading temperature<br />
control.<br />
The temperature that has to be reached<br />
for wetting of the copper to occur is much<br />
the same for lead-free solder as it is for tinlead<br />
solder, so the primary determinant of<br />
the process temperature is the heating rate<br />
required to get the surface of the board to<br />
the melting point in the shortest practicable<br />
time. The heating rate is proportional<br />
to the temperature difference between the<br />
board and the solder so that the solder<br />
14 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
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Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
Figure 17. Thickness of SnCuNiGe coating on BGA<br />
pads (courtesy Cemco/FSL Ltd).<br />
Figure 18. Minimum coating thickness on the<br />
shoulder of through holes.<br />
temperature might be set higher than<br />
it need be to get wetting just to get faster<br />
heating to that melting point. The heating<br />
rate is also determined by the effectiveness<br />
of heat transfer across the interface so that<br />
another feature of vertical HASL machines<br />
designed for use with lead-free solder is<br />
faster circulation of the solder over the<br />
panel. The flow rate of solder across the<br />
board is already high in the horizontal process<br />
and because it is in-line a preheating<br />
stage can be easily included so that a lower<br />
solder temperature setting is possible.<br />
Single-sided and simple double-sided<br />
boards can be HASL’d with a solder bath<br />
temperature of 260°C but to get the<br />
surface of a heavier multilayer board to<br />
wetting temperature in a reasonable time<br />
the solder bath temperature might have to<br />
be set as high as 280°C. However, the temperature<br />
actually reached by the laminate<br />
during its few seconds of exposure to this<br />
temperature is much less than that, so the<br />
integrity of the laminate is not compromised.<br />
The temperature of the air impinging<br />
the surface of the panel as it emerges from<br />
the molten solder has to be above the melting<br />
point of the solder, and the setting on<br />
a particular machine required to achieve<br />
Pad size " Pitch "<br />
Mean coating<br />
thickness<br />
that will depend on where the set temperature<br />
is measured. Typically a temperature<br />
setting similar to that for the solder bath<br />
is used.<br />
Because it depends on the particular<br />
characteristics of the machine, it is not possible<br />
to be specific about air knife settings<br />
such as air pressure, angle, proximity and<br />
offset, but they differ from those that have<br />
often been used with tin-lead solder to the<br />
extent that the objective should be to leave<br />
enough solder on each pad to form the<br />
complete coverage exemplified in Figure 8.<br />
Because of the unevenness of the tin-lead<br />
finish, the practice developed of blowing<br />
most of the solder off to leave a finish that<br />
is as flat as possible. With lead-free solder,<br />
that can leave insufficient free (unreacted)<br />
solder to fully cover the intermetallic<br />
layer with a consequent negative effect on<br />
solderability, particularly after exposure to<br />
a solder paste reflow<br />
Managing the composition of the<br />
solder bath<br />
As with the tin-lead HASL process, the<br />
copper of the pads tends to dissolve in the<br />
solder. The level of copper in the solder<br />
bath can quickly rise to more than 1%.<br />
As the copper content rises, that liquidus<br />
temperature of the solder rises, which<br />
means that there is a tendency for the<br />
needle-like crystals of Cu6Sn5 intermetallic<br />
to precipitate from the melt. These<br />
crystals have a higher density than lead-free<br />
solder, and tend to sink to the bottom<br />
of the solder pot from which they can be<br />
dredged. However, they also form in cold<br />
spots, which are usually at the surface of<br />
the solder. Excess copper can often be<br />
removed by lifting these accumulations out<br />
of the bath. Since the rate of dissolution of<br />
copper decreases with the increasing copper<br />
content of the solder, some operators<br />
let the copper levels rise as far as 1.2% and<br />
highest<br />
reading<br />
Lowest<br />
reading<br />
Number of<br />
readings<br />
0.027 dia 0.05 4.93 7.19 2.45 78<br />
0.018 dia 0.04 9.07 16.85 4.32 60<br />
0.025 dia 0.05 7.45 10.51 5.49 75<br />
0.020 dia 0.05 8.72 15.34 6.15 87<br />
0.025 x 0.020 N/A 4.95 6.57 3.12 40<br />
0.020 dia 0.05 4.8 9.83 2.53 104<br />
0.030 dia 0.05 5.39 8.08 2.98 76<br />
0.030 dia 0.05 5.04 6.91 2.61 140<br />
Average 6.29 10.16 3.71<br />
Table 1: Typical range of thickness of an SnCuNiGe HASL finish on BGA pads.<br />
increase solder temperature to hold the<br />
copper in solution. The copper level of the<br />
solder bath can also be reduced by partially<br />
draining the pot and replenishing with a<br />
low-copper top-up alloy.<br />
coating thickness<br />
The profile of the solder coating in a<br />
HASL finish is determined by the volume<br />
of solder left on the pad after the board<br />
has passed through the hot air knife and<br />
surface tension forces. As illustrated in<br />
Figure 15, because of the way in which<br />
surface tension forces operate there is a<br />
tendency for the coating to be thicker on<br />
smaller pads.<br />
Perhaps it is because of the higher<br />
surface tension of lead-free solder that the<br />
coating that it forms in the HASL process<br />
is both thinner and more uniform than<br />
that formed by tin-lead solder in similar<br />
circumstances 7 . (Figure 16)<br />
A typical range of thickness of an Sn-<br />
CuNiGe HASL finish on BGA pads (Figure<br />
17) is given in Table 1.<br />
Unfortunately the surface tension that<br />
contributes to a more uniform coating<br />
thickness also tends to pull the coating<br />
thin on the shoulder of plated through<br />
holes (Figure 18). However, if a sufficient<br />
volume of solder is left on the board, a<br />
coating thickness of at least 1.5 μm can be<br />
maintained, and that is sufficient to ensure<br />
good through hole solderability even after<br />
several lead-free reflow cycles.<br />
Whisker susceptibility<br />
Since the solder coating is applied in the<br />
molten form, it is free of the residual compressive<br />
stress that is acknowledged as the<br />
primary driving force for whisker growth<br />
in electrodeposited coating. Testing to the<br />
JESD22A121 specification, “Measuring<br />
Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy<br />
Surface Finishes,” commissioned by the<br />
16 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 17
!<br />
Hot air solder leveling in the lead-free era<br />
Figure 19. Whisker growth on hot dipped and stressed tin-lead and lead-free solder coatings on copper.<br />
author’s company, has found that whiskers<br />
appear on a such a hot-dipped lead-free<br />
finish on copper only in areas where compressive<br />
stress was deliberately introduced,<br />
and then only after 2000 hours under the<br />
most severe conditions provided in that<br />
specification—the combination of elevated<br />
temperature (60°C) and high humidity<br />
(87%RH). It was noted that for the silverfree<br />
SnCuNiGe alloy, whisker growth<br />
ceased once the induced compressive stress<br />
had been relieved, but in the SAC305 finish<br />
whisker growth continued, presumably<br />
driven by the stress generated by ongoing<br />
corrosion in the hot humid environment<br />
(Figure 19).<br />
Trouble-shooting lead-free hAsl<br />
solderability<br />
The lead-free HASL finish is intrinsically<br />
highly solderable, so if solderability problems<br />
are encountered during assembly, the<br />
first step in diagnosis is to eliminate other<br />
possible causes of such problems, e.g. degradation<br />
of the activity of a solder paste. If<br />
the lead-free HASL finish is identified as<br />
the only possible cause, the problem will<br />
be that complete solder coverage was not<br />
achieved on all areas to be soldered (Figure<br />
20). This thin coating can be the cause of<br />
the dewetting apparent in Figure 9.<br />
The cost of lead-free hAsl<br />
Because of their higher tin content and, in<br />
some cases, silver content, lead-free solders<br />
are more expensive on a per-kilogram basis<br />
than tin-lead solder. However, other savings<br />
mean that lead-free HASL is not much<br />
more expensive than tin-lead HASL when<br />
all costs are taken into account 7 . The savings<br />
include the lower density of lead-free<br />
solders, which provides an approximately<br />
12% savings given that the important<br />
factor in a HASL finish is the volume of<br />
solder rather than its weight. The thinner<br />
average thickness of the coating also<br />
results in a measurable reduction on the<br />
quantity of solder required per unit of area<br />
processed.<br />
summary<br />
• Lead-free HASL provides a printed<br />
circuit board with a corrosion<br />
resistant finish that can assure<br />
solderability over long periods of<br />
uncontrolled storage and through<br />
multiple lead-free reflow profiles.<br />
• The lead-free HASL finish is superior<br />
to the tin-lead HASL finish<br />
in terms of uniformity of coating<br />
thickness.<br />
• The main quality requirement for<br />
the achievement of the full potential<br />
of the lead-free HASL finish is<br />
a coating thickness that provides<br />
full coverage of the intermetallic<br />
layer that forms on a properly wetted<br />
copper surface.<br />
• Best results in the HASL process<br />
are obtained with lead-free solders<br />
that come as close as possible to<br />
matching the eutectic behavior of<br />
tin-lead solder.<br />
• A lead-free alloy formulated for<br />
minimum copper dissolution<br />
makes control of the solder bath<br />
composition easier and reduces the<br />
extent to which board reliability is<br />
compromised by reduced copper<br />
thickness.<br />
• A lead-free alloy formulated for<br />
minimum growth of the intermetallic<br />
layer ensures maximum<br />
solderable shelf live and best final<br />
solderability in multi-stage soldering.<br />
Figure 20. Dewetting of pad where there was insufficient<br />
thickness of solder over the intermetallic layer.<br />
• While the vertical HASL process is<br />
still the most widely used, the horizontal<br />
HASL process provides the<br />
most uniform finish and the high<br />
throughput required to meet the<br />
growing demand for this process.<br />
references<br />
1. Bob Willis, “Hot air solder levelling- is<br />
it a HASL?”, Global SMT & Packaging,<br />
September, 2008, pp4-6<br />
2. “Directive on the restriction of the<br />
use of certain hazardous substances in<br />
electrical and electronic equipment”<br />
2002/95/EC<br />
3. IPC- private communication<br />
4. B Toleno, “PCB surface finish options<br />
for lead-free manufacturing” EMS Now<br />
February 23, 2005<br />
5. R Schueller, “Creep corrosion on<br />
lead-free printed circuit boards in high<br />
sulphur environments”, .Proceedings<br />
of SMTA International, 2007<br />
6. K. Nogita, T. Ventura, C. M. Gourlay,<br />
T. Nishimura and A. K. Dahle, “Solidification<br />
characteristics of eutectic<br />
Sn-0.7mass%Cu solder with trace Ni”,<br />
Proc. of Japan Institute of Metals Annual<br />
Meeting, Chiba, Japan, 27th-29th<br />
March, (2007) p.301.<br />
7. J Fellman, “Lead Free Solder From The<br />
HASL Process Lead Free Solder From<br />
The HASL Process-The Newest Surface<br />
Finish Alternative The Newest Surface<br />
Finish Alternative” IPC/JEDEC 8th<br />
International Conference, Lead Free<br />
Electronic Components and Assemblies,<br />
San Jose, CA April 20, 2005<br />
Keith Sweatman, senior technical advisor to<br />
Nihon Superior, is a graduate in metallurgical<br />
engineering and began his involvement with soldering<br />
technology with the International Tin Research<br />
Institute, an organisation that did much<br />
of the work that established a scientific basis for<br />
what was previously the art of soldering. He is a<br />
corresponding member of several IPC standards<br />
committees relating to soldering technology and<br />
is a member of the technical committee of the<br />
IPC Solder Products Value Council.<br />
18 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
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Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant assembly<br />
Vapor phase vs. convection<br />
reflow in RoHS-compliant<br />
assembly<br />
by Dan Coada, EPIC Technologies, Norwalk, OH USA<br />
The contract manufacturing industry<br />
is changing rapidly from<br />
lead-based soldering to lead-free<br />
soldering. There is no stopping<br />
the transition or the reality that<br />
lead-free components are going<br />
to be introduced in lead-based<br />
processes. This challenge to<br />
engineering and quality is a<br />
huge concern and one that needs<br />
scrutiny and a watchful eye.<br />
EMS providers rely on component<br />
suppliers to ensure that the<br />
lead-free transition on the component<br />
terminations is seamless<br />
to their soldering processes, but<br />
that rarely happens. Termination<br />
changes require additional<br />
modification to solder profiles<br />
and flux chemistries in order to<br />
ensure proper wetting of the solder<br />
to the lead-free termination.<br />
The need for nitrogen to be used<br />
in convection reflow is becoming<br />
a requirement more than an option,<br />
and nitrogen is costly.<br />
This paper will look at the<br />
advantages and disadvantages<br />
of vapor phase (VP) and convection<br />
reflow in RoHS-compliant<br />
processing and discuss associated<br />
design for manufacturing<br />
(DFM) issues.<br />
Keywords: Vapor Phase,<br />
Convection Reflow, IR Reflow,<br />
Lead-Free<br />
This paper was originally published in the<br />
proceedings of the SMTA International<br />
Conference, Orlando, Florida, August 2008.<br />
introduction<br />
Vapor phase (VP) reflow technology has<br />
been in existence since the early 1970s as a<br />
reflow process for surface mount technology<br />
(SMT) assemblies. While used for some<br />
defense applications and in smaller volume<br />
production settings, the disadvantages<br />
associated with the initial processing technology<br />
limited its widespread acceptance.<br />
These disadvantages included environmental<br />
concerns about the fluids being used,<br />
throughput limitations, applicability only<br />
to single-sided printed circuit board assemblies<br />
(PCBAs) and an inherent problem<br />
with tombstoning.<br />
Advances in VP technology have<br />
addressed many of these shortcomings<br />
through continued development of improved<br />
machines, chemical selections and<br />
process controls. Doublesided PCBAs are<br />
easily processed in current equipment. As a<br />
result, VP is becoming a viable alternative<br />
to consider in volume manufacturing.<br />
Today’s VP reflow process makes use of<br />
the heat produced by a boiling fluorinated<br />
polymer or fluid. This boiling fluid produces<br />
a uniform temperature zone (vapor<br />
blanket) in which the PCBA is exposed for<br />
solder purposes. Heat is transferred to the<br />
PCBA as it is immersed into the vapor area<br />
until the PCBA reaches temperature equilibrium<br />
with the boiling point of the fluid.<br />
The primary soldering benefits of VP in<br />
comparison to infrared (IR) or convection<br />
include an oxygen free (inert) environment<br />
without the need for nitrogen, fixed upper<br />
temperature exposure and superior heat<br />
transfer on thermally challenged PCBAs.<br />
VP also offers distinct advantages<br />
in the realm of lead-free soldering. Key<br />
benefits include a lower peak reflow<br />
temperature, an inert environment without<br />
nitrogen, improved solder wetting and flow<br />
and a reduction in profiling time<br />
Figure 1. Vapor phase soldered, lead free, ENIG surface fnish (U26 partially removed in shear/tensile test).<br />
20 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
Figure 2. Convection lead-free profile.<br />
lower peak reflow processing<br />
VP reflow requires a lower processing<br />
temperature. In convection or IR process,<br />
temperatures can reach 245˚C to 265˚C<br />
at the component level. VP temperatures<br />
stay at the boiling point of the fluid,<br />
typically established between 230˚C and<br />
240˚C. The lower temperatures make it<br />
possible to reduce the cost of the PCB by<br />
using lower T g /T d material selections for<br />
SMT assemblies. Savings of 10-15% and<br />
even more could be seen on laminate costs<br />
alone. VP also offers processing advantages<br />
with large mass components, such as connectors,<br />
because the thermal equilibrium<br />
is better. In convection reflow, particularly<br />
in higher temperature lead-free processes,<br />
correctly soldering large mass connectors<br />
may overheat the rest of the PCBA.<br />
inert environment<br />
The inert environment and consistency of<br />
heat transfer allow VP to be more forgiving<br />
with lead-free component terminations.<br />
Less active no clean flux chemistries have<br />
proven to be adequate in soldering leadfree<br />
terminations that demand high activity<br />
fluxes in the convection reflow process.<br />
There is also cost savings due to lower<br />
energy consumption. In addition to the<br />
elimination of nitrogen, electricity usage<br />
with VP is much lower.<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
improved solder wetting and flow<br />
Visual inspection of micro sections<br />
indicates that VP creates good solder joint<br />
performance. When larger thermal load<br />
components or clusters of components are<br />
present, time above liquidus (TAL) should<br />
be increased beyond the 60-90 seconds recommended<br />
by solder paste manufacturers<br />
to accommodate thorough heat transfer.<br />
Comparatively, in convection processing it<br />
can be more difficult to ensure good joints<br />
on components with high thermal mass because<br />
achieving TAL in larger components<br />
may result in smaller components overheating.<br />
There is no chance of overheating<br />
smaller or isolated components with VP<br />
because VP cannot heat a component<br />
higher than vapor temperature.<br />
reduction in profiling time<br />
Another advantage of VP’s heat transfer<br />
characteristics and the uniformity at which<br />
it accomplishes heat transfer is that it<br />
makes it easier to understand the profiling<br />
relationship between PCBAs. In traditional<br />
profile development for a new PCBA,<br />
sample assemblies with thermocouples are<br />
run through the reflow process numerous<br />
times in order to get the right profile, with<br />
manual inspection of the solder joints<br />
and flux residue used to determine if the<br />
target profile is correct. Engineers develop<br />
matrix charts on board size, layer count<br />
Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant assembly<br />
Figure 3. Vapor phase lead-free profile.<br />
Figure 4. Vapor phase tin-lead profile.<br />
and complexity to get the profile close so<br />
that process development time is kept to a<br />
minimum.<br />
Conversely, VP reflow profiling can<br />
be classified by process type to the point<br />
where there are fewer profiles to develop.<br />
For instance, standard multi-layer 0.062”<br />
thick PCBAs can follow the same leadbased<br />
VP profile regardless of component<br />
complexity. With advances in VP process<br />
systems, monitoring of heat load during<br />
the soldering process allows the systems to<br />
profile almost automatically. Ramp rates<br />
and soak times at peak temperature can be<br />
defined by the engineer and controlled by<br />
the systems regardless of the product mix<br />
during the process. In a true one-piece flow<br />
on a prototype, it is much easier to get it<br />
right the first time using VP processing.<br />
The days of inadequate reflow temperature<br />
or over temperature on the first piece<br />
are virtually eliminated by use of the VP<br />
systems.<br />
comparative data on lead-free and<br />
tin-lead solder joint creation<br />
Standard test boards (Figure 1) populated<br />
with common components, including<br />
BGAs and QFPs, were built with vapor<br />
phase and convection soldering technology<br />
and tested at an EPIC facility. Reliability<br />
testing demonstrated that lead-free and<br />
tin-lead joints produced by vapor phase to<br />
be equally robust as those from convection<br />
reflow. The controllable, lower peak solder<br />
temperature makes vapor phase ideal for<br />
soldering complex assemblies having sensitive<br />
lead-free SMT components.<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 21
Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in RoHS-compliant assembly<br />
Test Description<br />
Tests were conducted using a VP reflow<br />
process. Vehicle boards were used with tinlead<br />
HASL or lead free immersion silver,<br />
immersion tin or ENIG surface finishes, as<br />
appropriate. Boards were populated with<br />
tin-lead or lead-free components, printed,<br />
assembled and soldered using standard<br />
reflow or VP production equipment. The<br />
solder pastes selected for testing included<br />
tin-lead and lead-free no-clean and water<br />
soluble formulations. Assembled test<br />
boards were thermal shocked between<br />
-45˚C and +125˚C with 20 minutes duration<br />
at each limit for 500, 1000 and 2000<br />
cycles in EPIC’s Failure Analysis Laboratory.<br />
Other test boards were subjected to<br />
accelerated aging at 85˚C and 85% relative<br />
humidity for 1,000 hrs. The JOCY test<br />
vehicle is populated on only one side, although<br />
it is equipped with plated throughholes<br />
(PTH) for mixed technology tests.<br />
Test boards were populated with dummy<br />
402, 603, 805, 68 pin PLCC, TSOP32,<br />
SOIC TQFP QFP208 and daisy-chained<br />
BGA169 and BGA352 components.<br />
Standard lead-free convection reflow<br />
Initial 2000 Cycles<br />
Thermal Shock<br />
1000 hrs.<br />
Accel. Age<br />
SnPb No Clean Convection 19.1 23.1 23.6<br />
Vapor Phase 22.8 21.6 19.0<br />
Lead-free No Clean Convection 27.6 25.6 26.6<br />
Vapor Phase 27.3 27.6 26.2<br />
SnPb Water Soluble Convection 23.7 20.3<br />
Vapor Phase 23.5 20.5<br />
Lead-free Water Soluble Convection 26.3 27.6 25.0<br />
Vapor Phase 26.9 28.0 25.7<br />
Table 2. Shear/tensile force required to remove SOIC16 (pounds of force).<br />
2000<br />
Cycles<br />
1000 hrs.<br />
Accel. Age<br />
SnPb No Clean Convection 19.5 * 9.34 *<br />
Vapor Phase 6.67 16.8<br />
Lead-free No Clean Convection 2.11 9.16<br />
Vapor Phase 2.59 5.5<br />
SnPb Water Soluble Convection 14.5 No data<br />
Vapor Phase 10.2 7.96<br />
Lead-free Water Soluble Convection 1.31 23.7<br />
Vapor Phase 4.16 5.16<br />
* Tin-Lead No-Clean resistance measurements tended to decrease slightly. Others increased<br />
or were mixed hence, absolute values to were used to assess changes.<br />
Table 1. Average percent resistance change (absolute value).<br />
profiles (Figure 2) provided a peak temperature<br />
of 245˚C and a TAL in the 60-90<br />
second range recommended by paste suppliers.<br />
Vapor phase soldered boards were<br />
soldered in an EPM-IBL SLC500 vapor<br />
phase soldering chamber using Galden<br />
LS/230 Perfluorinated heat transfer<br />
fluid. The vapor phase profiles developed<br />
provided a TAL of about 90 seconds and<br />
a maximum temperature of 230˚C, a<br />
temperature that is governed by the vapor<br />
temperature. After a vapor phase profile<br />
is established, TAL can be modified to<br />
achieve any time required without exceeding<br />
the 230˚C maximum temperature.<br />
The vapor phase equipment first<br />
preheats the board using infrared. Next,<br />
the work is lowered into the vapors at a<br />
programmed rate to regulate ΔT and TAL.<br />
After the work reaches the maximum vapor<br />
temperature, the duration of its exposure<br />
is preprogrammed. Several soldering<br />
programs can be developed by the engineer<br />
and stored in memory to suit the needs of<br />
different lead-free or tin-lead board types.<br />
ΔT and TAL are controlled by the program<br />
developed by the engineer.<br />
Visual inspection for solder balls,<br />
tombstones, bridging, voids and dewetting<br />
indicated no apparent difference between<br />
the two methods of solder joint creation.<br />
No tombstones were experienced on the<br />
JOCY test vehicle boards in either case.<br />
Visual inspection indicates that while<br />
vapor phase created solder joint performance<br />
and micro-section appearance on<br />
the board is very good, it might be a good<br />
idea to explore increasing the lead-free<br />
TAL above the 60 to 90 seconds recommended<br />
by solder paste manufacturers<br />
to accommodate thorough heat transfer<br />
to larger components or clusters of large<br />
components. Larger thermal load components,<br />
especially in clusters, tend to retard<br />
the complete melting of lead-free paste.<br />
It is more difficult to ensure good joints<br />
on components with high thermal mass<br />
in convection processing because while<br />
trying to achieve a sufficient TAL on larger<br />
components, smaller components in less<br />
populous areas may tend to overheat.<br />
Much discussion in trade magazines<br />
and forums such as the IPC TechNet has<br />
focused on the question of soldering tincopper<br />
and SAC-alloy-terminated BGAs<br />
and other components with standard tinlead<br />
solders. Using a 230˚C vapor phase<br />
system, even liquification of these terminations<br />
ceases to be a problem while posing<br />
little chance of overheating heat sensitive<br />
components. Similarly, risks associated<br />
with lower T substrates and temperature<br />
g<br />
sensitive components is reduced relative to<br />
lead-free convection processing.<br />
Since cleanliness had been studied<br />
using ion chromatography for a previously<br />
published report2 , a cleanliness comparison<br />
was made for this report using ROSE<br />
techniques. An Omegameter operating<br />
above 100˚F was employed. No differences<br />
were detected in ionic cleanliness between<br />
boards soldered using convection reflow<br />
and those soldered in vapor phase. Leadfree<br />
no-clean samples tended to have 50%<br />
higher contamination levels than standard<br />
tin-lead boards due to the type and level<br />
of flux used in lead-free pastes. All results<br />
were well below IPC limits.<br />
Resistance across soldered BGA daisy<br />
chain arrays of 40 and 80 joints were the<br />
same for convection and vapor phase<br />
reflowed test boards within the limits of<br />
experimental measurement. (Daisy chained<br />
dummy 169 and 352 termination BGAs<br />
containing four daisy chains each were<br />
used.) Solder joint conductivity did not appear<br />
to deteriorate measurably after either<br />
2000 thermal shock cycles or 1000 hours<br />
of accelerated aging at 85˚C/85RH. During<br />
the 2000 thermal shock cycles and<br />
Continued on page 34<br />
22 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 23
Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai<br />
Bottom reached, ‘turning<br />
point’ in sight?<br />
The world is clearly in recession. Henderson<br />
Ventures’ most recent global economic<br />
forecast (Chart 1) predicts negative GDP<br />
growth in all major regions except China<br />
for 2009. And even for China, anything<br />
less than about 8% GDP growth is a ‘recession.’<br />
Recent country industrial production<br />
growth (Chart 2) is especially sobering.<br />
Only China is in positive territory—and not<br />
by much.<br />
Electronic equipment shipment growth<br />
(Chart 3) has dropped into negative territory<br />
in all major regions (Taiwan/China<br />
-15%, Japan -22%, Europe -3% and USA<br />
-5%). For growth to resume, these 3/12<br />
growth rates must turn upwards and cross<br />
the 1.0 line. This may take much or all of<br />
2009. The automotive sector (Chart 4) has<br />
been hit especially hard.<br />
Using SIA semiconductor shipment data<br />
(Chart 5) as a barometer of electronic assembly<br />
activity, it is obvious that SE Asia’s<br />
high volume electronic production has<br />
been hurt the most. Recovery from the January<br />
2009 will take time. We are in a deep<br />
hole, but January should have been the low<br />
point of the seasonal downturn overlaid on<br />
20090312<br />
GDP Growth<br />
Constant $ Growth Rates Converted @ Constant Exchange Rates<br />
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011<br />
World 3.9 1.7 -1.1 2.5 3.8<br />
USA 2.0 1.1 -2.7 2.3 3.6<br />
EU 2.9 0.5 -2.4 0.5 1.7<br />
Japan 2.4 -0.2 -3.8 1.0 2.8<br />
Four Tigers 5.3 2.7 -4.8 4.1 5.1<br />
China 11.6 9.0 5.8 7.5 8.8<br />
Henderson Ventures 3/2009<br />
www.hendersonventures.com<br />
recessionary end market demand.<br />
Gartner recently revised its 2009 global<br />
semiconductor forecast (Chart 6) to predict<br />
a 24.1% chip shipment decline in 2009 followed<br />
by a 7.5% rebound in 2010—but not<br />
reaching 2008 levels again until 2012. Not<br />
surprisingly SEMI equipment purchases<br />
(Chart 7) have plummeted—down 29.6% in<br />
2008 followed by a 46.5% drop this year.<br />
Surviving as a SEMI capital equipment<br />
vendor in a recession is very challenging to<br />
say the least.<br />
Fortunately the first signs of a seasonal<br />
turnaround are now occurring. Most<br />
Taiwan/China electronics sectors (Chart<br />
8) saw February sales better than January<br />
with increasing optimism for 2Q’09.<br />
This upturn is being driven by China’s<br />
internal stimulus programs coupled with<br />
normal seasonal patterns and “catch up” of<br />
depleted inventories.<br />
The global food chain (electronic equipment,<br />
semiconductors and printed circuits)<br />
is still heading south but the low point may<br />
be in sight (Chart 9). We’ll then need to<br />
return to 3/12’s of 1.0 to resume growth.<br />
Chart 10 provides Henderson Ventures<br />
Chart 1. Chart 2.<br />
most recent electronic equipment forecast<br />
by region. 2009 is predicted to be negative<br />
with ‘recovery’ next year. Here’s hoping!<br />
end markets<br />
Worldwide:<br />
• Automotive electronics will grow at<br />
a 5-year CAGR of 8.5% fromUS $20<br />
billion in 2008 toUS $22.5 billion in<br />
2014. —Databeans<br />
Cable broadband hardware market<br />
• increased 3% toUS $275 million in<br />
4Q’08. —Infonetics Research<br />
• Cellular modem shipments exceeded<br />
35 million in 2008. —ABI Research<br />
• Consumer electronics output will<br />
drop by 6.4% in 2009. —Henderson<br />
Ventures<br />
• IT spending to grow by 0.5% Y/Y in<br />
2009; global hardware markets overall<br />
spending growth is expected to contract<br />
3.6% .—IDC<br />
LED street lamp shipments in 2009 are<br />
• estimated to grow 224% to 1.46 million<br />
units, with total value rising 99%<br />
to US $816 million. —PIDA<br />
Mobile handset display market will<br />
24 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
20090312<br />
•<br />
Industrial Production - World<br />
% Change vs. One Year Earlier<br />
Economist 3/2009 http://www.economist.com Output, prices and jobs
decline to 1.5 billion units in 2009,<br />
down 6.2% from 1.6 billion units in<br />
2008. —iSuppli<br />
Netbook shipments (mini-notebook<br />
• PCs) are expected to grow to 26.32<br />
million units in 2009, taking a 17.2%<br />
share in the overall notebook PC mar-<br />
ket. —Displaybank<br />
Netbooks shipments reached 14.6 mil-<br />
• lion units in 2008 and are expected to<br />
reach 17.2% of notebook-PC market in<br />
2009. —Displaybank<br />
Server market declined 14.0% y/y<br />
• toUS $13.5 billion in 4Q08; full<br />
year 2008, worldwide server revenue<br />
declined 3.3% toUS $53.3 billion, and<br />
worldwide unit shipments grew 2.0%<br />
to 8.1 million units. —IDC<br />
Smartphone sales are expected to in-<br />
• crease 0.8% by volume to 180 million<br />
units in 2009. —Nomura Securities of<br />
Japan<br />
Smartphone shipments worldwide are<br />
• projected to grow 13% in 2009 to 164<br />
million units. —Forward Concepts<br />
TV shipments fell more than 5% Y/Y<br />
• in Q4’08 to 57.7M units and revenues<br />
posted the first annual decline in a<br />
given quarter, falling 3% Y/Y. —The<br />
NPD Group<br />
China:<br />
• Handset production is expected to<br />
drop 15.8% in 2009. —CSIA<br />
• IT spending is expected to grow 11%<br />
Y/Y toUS $51.2 billion in 2009.<br />
—Springboard Research<br />
• Manufactured approximately 750 million<br />
handsets in 2008 with an annual<br />
growth rate of 8.6%. —CCID Consult-<br />
ing<br />
Exceeded U.S. in auto sales in January;<br />
• Chinese consumers bought 790,000 vehicles<br />
in January while U.S. consumers<br />
purchased 657,000 automobiles. —GM<br />
and Autodata Corp.<br />
20090311<br />
Global Electronic Equipment Shipment Growth<br />
1.6<br />
1.5<br />
1.4<br />
1.3<br />
1.2<br />
1.1<br />
1<br />
0.9<br />
0.8<br />
0.7<br />
0.6<br />
3/12 rate of growth in local currency<br />
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<br />
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
CALENDAR YEAR<br />
Europe:<br />
• Electronic equipment manufacturing<br />
orders decreased 3.2% in Europe in<br />
December. —Eurostat<br />
EMEA printer, copier, and multifunc-<br />
• tional (combined) product market<br />
shipments declined 8.4% Y/Y to 48.2<br />
million units in 2008. —Gartner<br />
India:<br />
• PC market shipments reached 2.268<br />
million units in 3Q’08. —IDC India<br />
• Electronic hardware manufacturing<br />
to hitUS $155B by 2015. —Frost and<br />
Sullivan<br />
Japan’s PC shipments fell 18.7% Y/Y to<br />
601,000 units in January. —JEITA<br />
Taiwan:<br />
• Handset shipments to decline 21.1% to<br />
84.2 million units in 2009. —Digitimes<br />
Research.<br />
Shipped 34.82 million notebook PCs<br />
• in 4Q’08, up 23% Y/Y. —IDC Taiwan<br />
USA:<br />
• Businesses spentUS $264.2 billion<br />
on information and communication<br />
technology equipment and computer<br />
software in 2007, a 4.4% increase over<br />
2006. —U.S. Census Bureau<br />
Digital camera sales fell 12% to 15 mil-<br />
• lion units in 4Q’08; full year sales rose<br />
6% to 38 million units. —IDC<br />
Video game hardware sales reachedUS<br />
• $445.4 million in January, a 17% y/y<br />
increase; 679,200 Nintendo Wii and<br />
510,800 Nintendo handheld DS units<br />
were sold, followed by 309,000 Xbox<br />
360s and 203,200 PlayStation 3 gaming<br />
machines. —NPD<br />
eMs, oDM & related assembly<br />
activity<br />
Arima Communications is building handset<br />
plant in Brazil with an initial capacity<br />
of 100,000 units/month.<br />
Asustek Computer laid-off 460 workers<br />
Taiwan/China<br />
Europe<br />
Japan<br />
USA<br />
0<br />
20090305<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
$ Billion<br />
Chart 3. Chart 4.<br />
http://www.census.gov/indicator/www/m3/<br />
Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
(10% of total staff).<br />
BreconRidge received AS9100 aerospace<br />
registration.<br />
Briton EMS became an EMS partner for<br />
Link Research.<br />
Catalyst Manufacturing received ‘The<br />
Business Champions award’ for its contributions<br />
to the Raleigh, North Carolina,<br />
Triangle-area workforce.<br />
Celestica laid-off 110 in Rajecko, Czech<br />
Republic, and 80 in Galway, Ireland.<br />
Cicor Technologies implemented shorttime<br />
working in its EMS division.<br />
Compal:<br />
• and Ju Teng formed a magnesiumaluminum<br />
alloy and plastic chassis JV,<br />
Compal Precision Module, in Nanjing,<br />
China.<br />
Communications regained Motorola’s<br />
• low-cost ODM handset orders.<br />
Crystalaid Manufacture (Brisbane, Australia)<br />
selected Valor’s vPlan for CAD to SMT<br />
solutions.<br />
CTS Electronics Manufacturing received a<br />
manufacturing contract for multiple complex<br />
electronic assemblies for the A3 Bradley<br />
Fighting Vehicle from BAE Systems.<br />
DCI purchased a DEK Horizon 03i fully<br />
automatic screen printing system.<br />
Distron (Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts)<br />
promoted Michael Hayes to VP of quality<br />
& engineering and Don Petry to VP of<br />
sales and marketing.<br />
EB will close its Turku, Finland, facility by<br />
the end of September 2009.<br />
EDC acquired Fabec.<br />
Efore cut 30 personnel in Finland.<br />
Elcoteq:<br />
• celebrated the 10th anniversaries of its<br />
Dongguan high-volume manufacturing<br />
plant and its Hong Kong management<br />
support office in China.<br />
laid-off 400 in Arad, Western Roma-<br />
• nia; 385 in Tallinn, Estonia, and 30 in<br />
Finland.<br />
U.S. Vehicle Shipments<br />
Heavy Duty Trucks<br />
Lt Trucks & Utility Vehicles<br />
Automobiles<br />
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<br />
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09<br />
CALENDAR YEAR<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 25
Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
• issued new incentive plan which<br />
includes distribution of a maximum of<br />
1,500,000 new series A shares of which<br />
50% would be issued during June 2010<br />
and the remaining 50% during January<br />
2011.<br />
Elhurt established an EMS division and<br />
finished construction on new Gdansk<br />
manufacturing facility.<br />
EMS Radio Fire and Security Systems<br />
(Herne Bay, UK) purchased a MYDATA<br />
MY100DX pick-and-place machine.<br />
Eolane renewed its take-over proposal for<br />
Cofidur.<br />
ETI laid-off 62 of its 270 employees in<br />
Denmark.<br />
FCT Assembly celebrated its five-year anniversary.<br />
Flextronics:<br />
• cut 400 jobs in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary.<br />
• laid-off 370 workers and did not extend<br />
contracts of 330 temporary staff in Tab,<br />
Hungary.<br />
Foxconn/ Hon Hai<br />
• building aUS $200-million cellphone<br />
plant in the Binh Xuyen II Industrial<br />
Park in Vinh Phuc province, Vietnam.<br />
• will establish a digital camera production<br />
center in Wuhan, China.<br />
• selected open-plug ELIPS Suite to rapidly<br />
develop mass market phones across<br />
multiple chipsets.<br />
• investing up to US $60 million to build<br />
a PC manufacturing facility in Turkey<br />
together with HP.<br />
laid-off an additional 160 in Debrecen,<br />
• Hungary.<br />
GPV Industri sold its subsidiary GPV<br />
Danprint to Mekoprint.<br />
HANZA appointed Elina Tuurinkoski<br />
Manager of HANZA Services in Helsinki<br />
Finland.<br />
HTC committed an additional investment<br />
of US $8 million for equipment installation<br />
at its Shanghai subsidiary.<br />
200902302<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
Total Semiconductor Shipments to an Area<br />
$B<br />
Japan<br />
N America<br />
Europe<br />
Asia Pac<br />
Monthly Shipments - Reporting Firms<br />
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<br />
95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09<br />
SIA website: www.sia-online.org/<br />
Inventec raised holdings in Kohjinsha<br />
(KJS) from 42.75% to 61.69%.<br />
Jabil Circuit:<br />
• delayed construction of its new<br />
headquarter building in St. Petersburg,<br />
Florida, by two years.<br />
• will close Billerica, Massachusetts,<br />
operations in May 2009.<br />
• cut 900 workers at its plant in Tiszaujvaros,<br />
Hungary, and laid-off 110 work-<br />
ers in Brest, France.<br />
• began moving manufacturing from<br />
Chennai, India to China.<br />
• implemented Reel aMounts component<br />
counting and labeling system from<br />
Seratel in its plants in Tiszaújváros in<br />
Hungary, Huangpu, in China and in<br />
both plants in Penang, Malaysia.<br />
Jurong Technologies:<br />
• received statutory letter of demand for<br />
repayment ofUS $22.4 million in loans<br />
from Rabo Bank.<br />
• appointed Tam Chee Chong and Keoy<br />
Soo Earn, partners of Deloitte & Touche,<br />
as their judicial managers.<br />
•<br />
• Kimball Electronics:<br />
• received 2009 Indiana Governor’s<br />
Workplace Safety award.<br />
• implemented 10% cut in annual base<br />
pay for CEO Jim Thyen, 5% for all officers<br />
and a 3% reduction for all other<br />
salaried personnel.<br />
Kitron cut its workforce by 17% (250<br />
workers).<br />
LaBarge received aUS $1.6 million electronic<br />
equipment manufacturing contract<br />
from Northrop Grumman for LAIRCM<br />
missile defense program andUS $3.4 million<br />
in orders from BAE Systems.<br />
Lenovo opened a new computer factory in<br />
Apodaca, Mexico.<br />
Micro-Star International cut 10% of its<br />
workforce (1000 workers).<br />
Meitai Plastics & Electronics keyboard fac-<br />
SE<br />
Asia<br />
tory in Dongguan City was investigated by<br />
National Labor Council regarding working<br />
conditions at the factory.<br />
MC Assembly purchased and installed<br />
YESTech F1-series automated inspection<br />
systems at their facilities in Palm Bay,<br />
Florida, and Zacatecas, Mexico.<br />
N.E.S Tech installed a Juki KE-2060 light<br />
in Jerusalem.<br />
Nam Tai Electronics took its 74.88%<br />
owned Nam Tai Electronic Products private<br />
for HK$332.2 million ($42.6 million).<br />
NOTE:<br />
• laid off 60 employees in Torsby, Sweden.<br />
• received volume production contract<br />
from OTRUM for HD cards for hotel<br />
TV systems.<br />
Optimum Design Associates purchased a<br />
Takaya APT-9411 flying-probe test system<br />
from Texmac USA for its Pleasanton, California,<br />
facility.<br />
PKC temporarily laid-off all its workers in<br />
Kempele (Oulu, Finland).<br />
Plexus:<br />
• leased a 72,000 SF facility in Oradea,<br />
Romania.<br />
• became a supply chain partner for Ixia’s<br />
test, measurement and service verifica-<br />
tion solutions.<br />
• cut 35 workers in the Fox Cities region.<br />
• Kelso facility received an EMS contract<br />
from Games Warehouse.<br />
Quality Contract Assembly created a new<br />
brand to focus on LEDs.<br />
Quanta:<br />
• established a product design center to<br />
cut procurement costs by an estimated<br />
US $30 million/yr based on shipments<br />
of 30 million notebook computers.<br />
• outsourced its chassis fabrication to Ju<br />
Teng International Holdings.<br />
Rapid Tooling added SMT Print Tooling<br />
services.<br />
Remploy Electronics hired and appointed<br />
26 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
20090225<br />
350.0<br />
300.0<br />
250.0<br />
200.0<br />
150.0<br />
100.0<br />
50.0<br />
0.0<br />
$ Billions<br />
256.4<br />
Gartner 2/25/09<br />
Chart 5. Chart 6.<br />
World Semiconductor Sales<br />
Total<br />
-24.1%<br />
194.5<br />
+7.5%<br />
209.1<br />
253.4<br />
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Gary Newberry manufacturing engineer.<br />
Sanmina SCI:<br />
• CEO Jure Sola raised his stake in the<br />
company to 4.2 million with purchase<br />
of 575,000 additional shares.<br />
• looking to acquire a plant in China.<br />
• closing its Rapid City, South Dakota,<br />
factory.<br />
• cut 130 jobs at its Cork, Ireland, medical<br />
electronics manufacturing plant.<br />
SigmaPoint Technologies (Cornwall, Ontario,<br />
Canada) purchased four Universal<br />
Instruments Genesis GC-60D platforms.<br />
Sparton froze participation in and benefits<br />
accruals under its pension plan and suspended<br />
employer matching contributions<br />
to its 401(k).<br />
Sunburst Electronics achieved ISO 13485<br />
certification and ISO 9001 upgrade.<br />
Sunburst EMS:<br />
• appointed Dave Fahey VP sales and<br />
marketing.<br />
• acquired New England Wire Assemblies.<br />
Suntron received FDA quality certification<br />
20090309<br />
Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending<br />
0.0<br />
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013<br />
Other Capital Spending 17.9 18.7 13.7 7.0 7.5 10.1 13.0 12.3<br />
Automated Test Equip 4.1 3.6 2.5 1.6 2.1 2.9 3.2 2.6<br />
Packaging & Assembly Equip 5.4 5.2 3.7 2.0 2.6 3.4 3.8 3.1<br />
Wafer Fab Equip 32.5 36.0 24.9 13.3 15.6 22.6 28.4 24.2<br />
Gartner 3/2009<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
$ Billions<br />
70.0<br />
63.4<br />
60.0<br />
60.0<br />
50.0<br />
40.0<br />
30.0<br />
20.0<br />
10.0<br />
44.7<br />
-29.6%<br />
23.9<br />
-46.5%<br />
at Sugar Land, Texas.<br />
TT electronics achieved ISO13485 medical<br />
electronics accreditation at Rogerstone,<br />
South Wales.<br />
Venture implemented a 10- 20% temporary<br />
pay cut for senior and middle management.<br />
Videoton laid-off 100 staff in Hungary.<br />
Vogt electronic laid-off 55 employees in<br />
Blejska Dobrava, Slovenia.<br />
West Instruments ordered a MYDATA<br />
MY9 pick-and-place machine.<br />
Zeup Pozyton purchased a KE-2060 light<br />
from Juki Automation Systems.<br />
Materials & process equipment<br />
Agilent:<br />
• exited AOI and AXI systems business<br />
to focus on electronic test market.<br />
• cut 600 jobs.<br />
Assembléon received global dealership for<br />
Yamaha pick & place machines outside<br />
Asia.<br />
Austin American Technology appointed<br />
Technical Devices (Torrance Ca.) as its ex-<br />
27.8<br />
38.9<br />
48.3<br />
42.3<br />
20090311<br />
Chart 7. Chart 8.<br />
20090315<br />
1.5<br />
1.3<br />
1.1<br />
0.9<br />
0.7<br />
0.5<br />
World Electronic Equipment, PCB &<br />
Semiconductor Shipments<br />
Converted @ Constant 2006 Exchange Rates<br />
3/12 rate of change<br />
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<br />
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09<br />
CALENDAR YEAR<br />
Source: Custer Consulting Group & Henderson Ventures<br />
Chart 9.<br />
PCB "0" Growth SIA El Equip<br />
Assumptions:<br />
Europe monthly ratio = SIA European semiconductor ratio<br />
Japan & N. Americas from JPCA & IPC data<br />
Taiwan/China based upon 28 large company composite<br />
Rest of Asia growth = Taiwan/China composite<br />
Data scaled to match Henderson Ventures annual totals<br />
450<br />
400<br />
350<br />
300<br />
250<br />
200<br />
150<br />
100<br />
50<br />
0<br />
Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
clusive worldwide distributing partner for<br />
its AquaTherm batch defluxing systems.<br />
Bliss launched FLEXconveyor (box build<br />
factory on wheels) for electronics assembly.<br />
BTU International added Omni-tronics<br />
as its representative in Minnesota, North<br />
Dakota, South Dakota, northern Wisconsin<br />
and Iowa.<br />
Camtek cut 14% of its global workforce<br />
(68 employees).<br />
Christopher Associates:<br />
• appointed ASL Sales (Lewisville, Texas)<br />
as its sales representative for bare board<br />
fabrication equipment in Texas.<br />
hired and appointed Richard Brooks<br />
• Technical Sales Engineer for Texas and<br />
border regions of Mexico.<br />
Cookson:<br />
• appointed Fabio Taiana VP of sales<br />
for its European Assembly Materials<br />
Business.<br />
• introduced ALPHA® Vaculoy SACX®<br />
0307 Plus low-Ag Pb-free wave solder<br />
and rework alloy for use as a high performance<br />
replacement for SnPb and<br />
Taiwan ODM Companies<br />
Composite Sales of 10 Large Manufacturers<br />
NT$ (Billions)<br />
2008/2007<br />
+2%<br />
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<br />
98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09<br />
CALENDAR YEAR<br />
Company Financial Releases<br />
Asustek Computer, Compal Electronics, Foxconn, Innolux Display, Inventec, Inventec Appliance, Lit<br />
On Technology, Mitac International, Quanta Computer, Wistron<br />
20090312<br />
Electronic Equipment Production Growth<br />
Current $ Growth Rates Converted @ Constant 2007 Exchange Rates<br />
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011<br />
World 8.1 0.2 -11.9 4.6 8.3<br />
USA 0.9 -0.2 -10.6 3.5 4.5<br />
W Europe -0.1 -1.1 -16.1 1.5 4.0<br />
Japan 0.2 -9.7 -14.3 2.2 5.5<br />
Four Tigers 7.6 1.3 -11.3 4.9 8.6<br />
China 21.2 3.1 -7.3 7.9 13.3<br />
Henderson Ventures 3/2009<br />
www.hendersonventures.com<br />
Chart 10.<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 27
Bottom reached, ‘turning point’ in sight?<br />
•<br />
SAC305.<br />
CyberOptics named Hitech Electronics as<br />
its representative in Brazil.<br />
DEK introduced VectorGuard Platinum<br />
stencil solution for ultra fine-pitch printing.<br />
DNP developed the world thinnest lead<br />
frame (0.15 mm thick).<br />
Dow Corning scientist Thomas Lane was<br />
named president of The American Chemical<br />
Society.<br />
DuPont raised its 2009 cost-cutting<br />
forecast toUS $1.1B and cut y/y capital<br />
spending by 20%.<br />
EEJA introduced a new Ni/Pd/Au PWB<br />
surface treatment plating process to reduce<br />
manufacturing costs over Ni/Au.<br />
Enthone:<br />
• promoted Gary Sutcliffe to manager,<br />
corporate technical services - Enthone<br />
Americas.<br />
• introduced OrmeSTAR Ultra PWB<br />
Final Finish.<br />
• ggp-Schaltungen received approval<br />
from Satorius to supply OrmeSTAR<br />
Ultra nanofinish.<br />
ESI:<br />
• reduced president and CEO’s salary by<br />
15% and VPs’ salaries by 12%.<br />
•<br />
laid-off 84 employees.<br />
Essemtec:<br />
• named RSA Rosengren Consulting its<br />
distributor in Sweden.<br />
• introduced a small-to-medium batch<br />
convection oven RO300FC suitable for<br />
solder at aluminum cores.<br />
Etek Europe hired Sandor Kun for customer<br />
support in Eastern Europe.<br />
Henkel named Luc Godefroid global sales<br />
director for semiconductor materials.<br />
Heraeus acquired the Electronic and<br />
Decorative Materials business from BASF<br />
Catalysts.<br />
Hitachi developed a new termination<br />
system with lead-free soldering for high<br />
temperature power devices.<br />
Indium Corporation promoted Paul<br />
Socha to manager of applications engineering.<br />
Intec Automation elektronische und elektrische<br />
Geräte Vertriebsgesellschaft filed<br />
for insolvency in Vienna, Austria.<br />
IPTE:<br />
• established its first affiliate in Africa in<br />
Tunisia.<br />
• cut 250 permanent and 150 temporary<br />
jobs.<br />
Juki Automation Systems promoted Todd<br />
O’Neil to sales manager for soldering<br />
products.<br />
Kester celebrated 110 years in business.<br />
KIC named A.E. Arrows Engineering its<br />
distributor in Italy.<br />
Koh Young Technology unveiled their<br />
next generation solder paste inspection<br />
and process optimization tool, the<br />
aSPIre-2, at IPC/APEX 2009, Las Vegas,<br />
Nevada.<br />
LPKF named Dr. Ingo Bretthauer CEO.<br />
Manncorp introduced ECO-300, new<br />
small-footprint lead-free wave solder<br />
machine.<br />
Marantz Business Electronics appointed<br />
SmartRep as its distributer in Germany.<br />
MVTS Technologies (refurbished ATE<br />
equipment & service provider) expanded<br />
its Thailand facility from 19,000 to 27,000<br />
SF and added an additional 30 test cells<br />
dedicated to the repair operations of legacy<br />
Credence test equipment.<br />
MYDATA received an order for two new<br />
MY9 pick-and-place machines from West<br />
Instruments and an order for a MY19e<br />
pick-and-place machine from General<br />
Monitors.<br />
Nihon Superior introduced lead-free extra<br />
fine flux-cored solder SN100C (030) wire<br />
suitable for fine pitch applications.<br />
Nippon Mining & Metal terminated its<br />
thin copper laminate business for COF<br />
substrates for LCD driver modules.<br />
OHT was delisted from stock market after<br />
its stock price did not satisfy the listing<br />
requirement.<br />
Omron:<br />
• Electronic Components entered design<br />
and distribution agreement with Power<br />
& Signal Group.<br />
introduced VT-X series x-ray inspection<br />
• system, the world’s 1st dual-mode CT<br />
scanner.<br />
Orbotech sold its assembled PCB business<br />
in Europe and the Americas to Orpro<br />
Services (Italy).<br />
Park Electrochemical appointed Ronald<br />
Brett president of Nelco Products in Singapore<br />
and president of Nelco Technology<br />
(Zhuhai FTZ) in Zhuhai, China.<br />
RBP Chemical Technology named Robert<br />
Coleman managing director—Asia.<br />
Rehm Thermal Systems appointed<br />
Johnson Ma general sales manager (China<br />
Taiwan) and Andreas Brockt European<br />
sales VP.<br />
Rogers cut 10% of its salaried staffing<br />
worldwide, froze salaries and reduced<br />
operating and overhead expenses.<br />
Samsung EM developed nano printing<br />
and inkjet processes for printing electronics<br />
on flexible substrates.<br />
Schmid became the majority shareholder<br />
in SierraTherm Production Furnaces (Watsonville,<br />
California).<br />
SETODEN commercialized a dust removal<br />
machine for the PWB resist coating process.<br />
Shin-Kobe Electric developed a high thermal<br />
conductivity liquid crystal epoxy resin<br />
to replace ceramic base circuits.<br />
SMH Technologies appointed Alfa Test in<br />
Timisoara as a sales office for Romania.<br />
Sumitomo Bakelite:<br />
• commercialized a white colored PCB<br />
material, Sumi Light BL alpha- 4325,<br />
as an LED module substrate.<br />
expects its material business for packag-<br />
• ing applications to reach 20 billion yen<br />
revenue by 2012.<br />
Sypris Test & Measurement opened a<br />
calibration laboratory in Jalisco, Mexico.<br />
Teledyne and Pintail formed a semiconductor<br />
test alliance for improving yield,<br />
optimizing quality and reducing the cost<br />
of test.<br />
Tokai Shoji commercialized a new RTR<br />
type screen printer with higher productivity<br />
for manufacturing flexible circuits and<br />
solar cells.<br />
Trace introduced a new certification and<br />
testing program for tin whisker growth on<br />
lead-free components.<br />
Union Tool reduced investment for its<br />
manufacturing facilities in 2009 from 6.5<br />
billion to 2 billion yen.<br />
Universal Instruments:<br />
• appointed elnitec its distributor in<br />
Sweden and IPS Group as its sales<br />
representative for U.S. states of Texas,<br />
Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana,<br />
as well as the Central and Southern<br />
Mexico region.<br />
installed AdVantisX SMT production<br />
• platform in McIntosh Laboratory’s<br />
Binghamton plant.<br />
Valor:<br />
• appointed Lior De Picciotto EVP, business<br />
and strategy.<br />
• made American Tec its distributor<br />
and technical service provider in Asia<br />
(China, India, and Vietnam).<br />
Wacker purchased land in Tennessee to set<br />
up new hyperpure polycrystalline silicon<br />
facility for solar and semiconductor applications.<br />
YESTech (Nordson subsidiary) opened its’<br />
new location in Carlsbad, California.<br />
Zuken collaborated with Mechatronics on<br />
3D Board Modeler software tool for parallel<br />
MCAD/ECAD design.<br />
Walt Custer is an independent consultant<br />
who monitors and offers a daily news service<br />
and market reports on the PCB and assembly<br />
automation and semiconductor industries. He<br />
can be contacted at walt@custerconsulting.com<br />
or visit www.<br />
custerconsulting.com.<br />
Jon Custer-Topai is vice president of Custer<br />
Consulting Group and responsible for the<br />
corporation’s market research and news analysis<br />
activities. Jon is a member of the IPC and active<br />
in the Technology Marketing Research Council.<br />
He can be contacted at<br />
jon@custerconsulting.com.<br />
28 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
www.globalsmt.net<br />
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Special Advertising Section<br />
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 29<br />
������
Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components<br />
Conquering SMT stencil<br />
printing challenges with<br />
today’s miniature components<br />
Is electroform technology the right solution?<br />
by Robert F. Dervaes, Fine Line Stencil, <strong>Inc</strong>.; Jeff Poulos, Alternative Solutions, <strong>Inc</strong>.; and Scott Williams, Ed<br />
Fagan, <strong>Inc</strong>.<br />
This article discusses new developments<br />
in stencil laser and<br />
material technology and shows<br />
how these advancements, when<br />
combined, provide comparable<br />
and cost-effective alternatives to<br />
traditional electroformed stencils.<br />
The results are improved<br />
yields, cycle time reductions and<br />
significant cost savings.<br />
Keywords: Laser-Cut Stencils,<br />
Electroform Stencils, Single<br />
Mode CW Ytterbium Fiber<br />
Laser, Fine Grain Material<br />
This paper was originally presented at the IPC<br />
APEX Expo 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.<br />
introduction<br />
One of the challenges facing OEMs and<br />
CMs in building assemblies with miniature<br />
components is the stencil printing<br />
process. Many of today’s designs incorporate<br />
a mix of miniature and much larger<br />
components. Manufacturing engineers<br />
are faced with the dilemma of choosing a<br />
thinner stencil foil to ensure solder paste<br />
release for the miniature components or<br />
a thicker foil to ensure sufficient solder<br />
volume for the larger components. With a<br />
standard laser-cut stencil using 300 series<br />
stainless steel, one would have to make that<br />
difficult choice. An electroformed stencil<br />
gives more options in balancing release<br />
for miniature components and volume for<br />
larger ones due to its ability to successfully<br />
print smaller components without reducing<br />
the foil thickness. However, many have<br />
difficulty justifying the 3X-4X cost increase<br />
and added schedule delay for an electroformed<br />
stencil, especially with more and<br />
more companies moving to a low-volume,<br />
high-mix array of jobs. Faced with these<br />
two options, is electroformed technology<br />
the right solution, or have technological<br />
advancements allowed new developments<br />
in stencil technology?<br />
Brief history of stencil technologies<br />
Before stencil lasers were developed, the<br />
only manufacturing methods for producing<br />
solder paste stencils were silk screening<br />
and chemical etching. The etching process<br />
was time consuming and hazardous due<br />
to the powerful chemicals used to etch<br />
the metal. There also were limitations as<br />
to how small a stencil aperture could be<br />
effectively produced during the etching<br />
process. Chemically etched stencils typically<br />
were limited to component pitches<br />
no smaller than 0.025”, and registration<br />
of the stencil apertures to the SMT pads<br />
was not precise enough as component sizes<br />
decreased. These limitations would not<br />
allow chemical etching to keep pace with<br />
the rapid advancements in component and<br />
PCB design.<br />
In the early 1990s, lasers started being<br />
used to produce solder paste stencils. This<br />
new technology was a major improvement<br />
over traditional silkscreen and chemical<br />
etching in producing stencils quicker,<br />
cheaper and with much smaller aperture<br />
sizes. The motion systems on the laser<br />
systems also provided a much higher positional<br />
accuracy for the stencil apertures,<br />
leading to much better alignment between<br />
the stencil and PCB. With these significant<br />
improvements, component pitches down to<br />
0.016” could easily be cut.<br />
While these laser systems are capable<br />
of producing high-quality solder paste<br />
stencils for the majority of assemblies,<br />
advancements in component and PCB<br />
design continued. With the introduction<br />
of components like micro BGA (μBGA),<br />
quad flat no-lead (QFN), and 0201s,<br />
laser-cut stencils struggled to produce acceptable<br />
solder paste release for these very<br />
small apertures without a reduction in the<br />
thickness of the stencil foil. This was not<br />
always an acceptable solution as the larger<br />
components would have insufficient solder<br />
volume. Enter electroformed technology.<br />
Electroformed stencils are produced by<br />
electroplating nickel on top of a stainless<br />
steel substrate under various specialized<br />
and challenging conditions. The plated<br />
nickel film is later removed from the<br />
stainless steel substrate, resulting in the<br />
nickel foil that is the electroformed stencil.<br />
30 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
! !<br />
Figure 1. SEM photos of SS 300 series (left) and new material (right)<br />
aperature walls.<br />
This manufacturing process produces an<br />
exceptionally smooth stencil aperture wall<br />
compared to chemically etched and traditional<br />
laser-cut stencils. The smoothness of<br />
the aperture wall is a vital component of a<br />
high performance stencil allowing printing<br />
of smaller apertures without reducing the<br />
foil thickness.<br />
For many years, electroformed stencils<br />
have been the premier solution for these<br />
new, challenging assemblies. However,<br />
the assembly industry as a whole is being<br />
driven to turn product faster and cheaper.<br />
Electroformed stencil prices typically are<br />
3X-4X higher than traditional laser-cut<br />
stencils, and it takes longer to produce an<br />
electroformed stencil. In most cases, the<br />
turnaround time is three to four days and<br />
this technology is limited to only a few<br />
shops that have the knowledge and expertise<br />
in plating very thin nickel foils. Many<br />
OEMs and CMs need stencils produced<br />
and shipped the day the order is placed in<br />
order to meet their schedule. The higher<br />
cost and longer lead-time of electroformed<br />
stencils make it more difficult to meet<br />
the schedule and cost demands of today’s<br />
assemblies. How does one determine if<br />
a traditional laser-cut or electroformed<br />
stencil is required?<br />
There are two formulas used to determine<br />
whether or not the smallest aperture<br />
on a stencil will have acceptable solder<br />
paste release with a given stencil technology.<br />
These are surface area ratio and aspect<br />
ratio. The surface area ratio can be used<br />
for any stencil aperture shape and is the<br />
contact area between the paste and PCB<br />
pad (L x W) divided by the contact area<br />
between the paste and stencil ((2 x L x T)<br />
+ (2 x W X T)). The aspect ratio is limited<br />
to rectangular, square and round stencil<br />
apertures and is the smallest dimension of<br />
an aperture (width (W) for rectangles and<br />
squares, diameter for circles) divided by the<br />
thickness (T) of the stencil foil (historically<br />
the aspect ratio has been limited to 1.5 for<br />
rectangles and 2.5 for squares and circles).<br />
Since the majority of stencils have a mixture<br />
of aperture shapes, including custom<br />
shapes (homeplates) for 2-pin components,<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components<br />
the surface area ratio formula is the most<br />
accurate when determining which stencil<br />
technology to utilize.<br />
To successfully print small components<br />
without reducing the stencil foil thickness,<br />
the stencil must be capable of producing<br />
acceptable solder paste release at as low a<br />
surface area ratio as possible. The historical<br />
limit of chemically etched and traditional<br />
laser-cut stencils has been a surface area<br />
ratio of 0.66. In the case of electroformed<br />
stencils, the limit has been improved to<br />
0.5. The lower surface area ratio limit of<br />
electroformed stencils is the reason for<br />
selecting this technology when facing challenging<br />
assemblies.<br />
With all of the advancements in<br />
component and PCB design, has advancement<br />
in the stencil industry remained<br />
stagnant, or has technological improvement<br />
benefited this industry as well? Is the<br />
stencil industry now in a better position to<br />
provide solutions for printing miniature<br />
components while meeting customers’<br />
tighter delivery and cost requirements?<br />
New developments in<br />
stencil laser technology<br />
Stencil laser technology has seen continuous<br />
advancement over the past ten years.<br />
The majority of advancement has been in<br />
linear motor technology, leading to improvements<br />
in the cutting speed of stencil<br />
lasers. Until recently, the source of the laser<br />
beam has remained the same, with reliance<br />
on lamp pumped technology. The lamp<br />
pumped technology is comprised of flash<br />
lamps, YAG rods, mirrors and focal lenses.<br />
With this technology, the smallest diameter<br />
laser beam possible was approximately 40<br />
μm. While this diameter beam is fine for<br />
the majority of stencil designs, the energy<br />
density with a 40 μm beam diameter is not<br />
high enough to produce the smoothest aperture<br />
walls when cutting stencil apertures<br />
for miniature components.<br />
In the past two years, there has been<br />
a major leap forward in laser technology.<br />
The most significant development is the<br />
introduction of the single mode CW Ytterbium<br />
fiber laser (“fiber laser” for short).<br />
Figure 2. Grain size comparison: SS 300 series (left) and new material (right).<br />
The new fiber lasers produce shorter pulse<br />
widths and higher frequencies and have<br />
a fully programmable pulse/pause ratio.<br />
In addition, they produce a smaller laser<br />
beam diameter of 19 microns with a corresponding<br />
4X increase in energy density.<br />
The 4X increase in energy density significantly<br />
increases the laser beam’s ability to<br />
cut through the metal and the result is a<br />
much smoother aperture wall (Figure 1).<br />
New developments in<br />
stencil material technology<br />
Along with advancements in laser technology,<br />
there also have been advancements<br />
in stencil material technology. For many<br />
years, laser-cut stencils used either 300<br />
series stainless steel or a higher nickel alloy<br />
(Invar Alloy 36, Alloy 42) for the stencil<br />
foil material. These are good solutions for<br />
the majority of assemblies, but their paste<br />
release performance reduces considerably<br />
when printing apertures with surface area<br />
ratios below 0.66. As a result, one would<br />
have to either increase, or ‘overprint,’ the<br />
aperture sizes when selecting a thicker foil<br />
or reduce the foil thickness for acceptable<br />
prints.<br />
Overprinting miniature components,<br />
however, is not always a guaranteed solution<br />
since the crucial surface area in the<br />
surface area ratio formula is the common<br />
metallic surface area between the SMT<br />
pad and the stencil aperture. If a PCB has<br />
a CSP component with a 0.010” diameter<br />
pad and the stencil overprints with a<br />
0.012” diameter aperture, the common<br />
metallic surface is still limited to the 0.010”<br />
diameter of the SMT pad. The additional<br />
paste beyond the 0.010” limit of the SMT<br />
pad is not in contact with the metallic<br />
surface and therefore does not contribute<br />
to pulling the paste from the stencil.<br />
Advancements in stencil material technology<br />
include new stencil materials specifically<br />
designed for stencil laser-cutting.<br />
The Fine Grain material (distributed by Ed<br />
Fagan, <strong>Inc</strong>.) has a much finer grain structure<br />
(Figure 2) when compared to standard<br />
300 series stainless steel and alloys<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 31
Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components<br />
and contains smaller and fewer voids<br />
in the material. With smaller and fewer<br />
voids, the solder paste does not adhere as<br />
easily to the stencil walls. This is primarily<br />
due to the micro size of the voids (in some<br />
cases smaller than the particle sizes in the<br />
solder paste) that makes it more difficult<br />
for the solder paste particles to get a grip<br />
on the stencil walls. When the solder<br />
paste is pulled from the stencil as the<br />
PCB drops, release is easier and less paste<br />
residue is retained in the stencil. The easier<br />
release allows for the printing of smaller<br />
stencil apertures, without reductions in foil<br />
thickness, and the reduction in paste residue<br />
allows for an increase in the number<br />
of prints before having to clean the stencil.<br />
In addition to improved paste release<br />
for smaller apertures and much cleaner<br />
paste release throughout the entire stencil,<br />
the finer grain structure of these new materials<br />
also produces a more defined aperture<br />
edge when cut with a properly tuned laser<br />
beam. As the aperture size decreases, the<br />
importance of repeatable and accurate<br />
solder paste release rises. With miniature<br />
components, small fluctuations in solder<br />
volume have a much larger impact on<br />
solder joint reliability due to the minimal<br />
solder volume required. A more defined<br />
aperture edge, along with improved paste<br />
Test Items<br />
Lasers:<br />
• LPKF LPKF MultiCut (high-power Nd:YLF fiber laser,<br />
new technology)<br />
• LPKF SL 600 (lamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser,<br />
current technology)<br />
Materials:<br />
• New Fine Grain (UltraSlic FG) material<br />
• Slic material<br />
• Electroformed<br />
• Electroformed nickel sheet with laser-cut apertures<br />
• Rolled nickel sheet with laser-cut apertures<br />
• SS 300 series<br />
Solder Pastes:<br />
• Water Soluble—WS150 Type 3 and Type 5, WS157 Type 3<br />
and Type 5<br />
• No-Clean—NC650 Type 3 and Type 5 Lead-Free—Sn100C<br />
Type 3 and Type 5, SAC 305 Type 5<br />
Test Equipment and Parameters<br />
Printer: DEK 265GSX<br />
Blades: DEK<br />
Print Speeds: 50.8 mm/sec and 127 mm/sec<br />
Separation: 0.3 mm/sec and 7 mm/sec<br />
Print Gap: 0 (on contact)<br />
Stencil Clean: Every print<br />
Inspection: Koh Young KY-3030 3D<br />
release, leads to more repeatable and accurate<br />
solder paste release.<br />
The new materials are a stainless steel<br />
composition and are rolled so thickness<br />
tolerances are extremely tight. They also<br />
have improved thermal conductivity as<br />
well as similar mechanical and corrosion<br />
resistant properties when compared to<br />
standard 300 series stainless steel. Stencil<br />
life and durability are similar to standard<br />
300 series stainless steel stencils.<br />
stencil laser and material technology<br />
advancements: performance<br />
Technological developments in component<br />
and PCB design are beginning to outpace<br />
current stencil technology. Do these significant<br />
advancements in stencil laser and<br />
material technologies provide the current<br />
and future solutions the electronics assembly<br />
industry requires? That question is best<br />
answered through a design of experiments<br />
(DOE) comparing the new laser and material<br />
technologies with the standard stencil<br />
technologies available today.<br />
Doe: The viability of new stencil<br />
laser and material technology<br />
The objective is to determine the viability<br />
of this new stencil laser and material<br />
technology and its impact on the current,<br />
and future, demands<br />
of the electronics<br />
assembly industry.<br />
The objective of<br />
the DOE is to determine<br />
the viability<br />
of the new stencil<br />
laser and material<br />
technologies. The<br />
Test Board<br />
results of the current technologies were<br />
as expected—of those, electroformed had<br />
the best solder paste release. How did the<br />
new stencil laser and material technology<br />
compare to current stencil technologies?<br />
New Fine Grain performance<br />
The surface area ratio limit for electroformed<br />
technology is 0.5. While a<br />
significant improvement over standard<br />
laser-cut stencils, materials that offer<br />
improved performance at area ratios of 0.5,<br />
and below are going to be a requirement as<br />
component and PCB technology continues<br />
to advance.<br />
Solder paste volume<br />
The results above illustrate the print<br />
performance of the various stencil technologies<br />
over the entire range of solder<br />
paste types tested. All were laser-cut on<br />
the new LPKF Multicut fiber laser, except<br />
the electroformed stencil, which utilized<br />
traditional electroform technology. The<br />
electroformed stencil was the performance<br />
baseline with acceptable paste volume %<br />
at a surface area ratio of 0.5. The laser-cut<br />
electroformed nickel sheet had acceptable<br />
paste volume % down to 0.45, but its<br />
print performance quickly flattened out<br />
compared to the Fine Grain and electroformed<br />
stencils. The Fine Grain stencil<br />
had acceptable paste volume % at 0.45 and<br />
its print performance continued to outperform<br />
electroformed as the surface area<br />
ratio increased. The performance increase<br />
down to a surface area ratio of 0.45 allows<br />
the printing of even smaller components<br />
without a corresponding reduction in the<br />
Finish: Electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG)<br />
Surface are ratios: 0.17 to 15<br />
Pad count: !<br />
4,188<br />
32 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
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Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components<br />
stencil foil thickness. The result is additional<br />
solder paste volume for the non-min-<br />
!<br />
Figure 3. Stencil technology comparison.<br />
iature components, resulting in less rework<br />
and improved solder joint reliability.<br />
Figure 4. Electroformed (left) and Fine Grain (right) Stencil Aperture Registration Accuracy<br />
2,307 position errors with the electroformed stencil and 27 with the Fine Grain stencil<br />
Aperture registration<br />
As component pad sizes continue to<br />
decrease, alignment accuracy between the<br />
stencil and PCB is becoming more critical.<br />
The adhesion of the solder paste to the<br />
SMT pad is the sole force involved in pulling<br />
the paste from the stencil. Since PCBs<br />
will tend to shrink during the manufacturing<br />
process, SMT pad locations tend to be<br />
slightly short of their expected locations.<br />
Long PCBs, of course, will have significantly<br />
greater shrinkage than short PCBs.<br />
In addition to PCB shrinkage, the<br />
electroformed stencil process uses Mylar<br />
film to create the stencil image. The<br />
film is dimensionally unstable due to its<br />
susceptibility to temperature and humidity<br />
fluctuations. Without tight temperature<br />
and humidity controls in the manufacturing<br />
area, shifts in aperture locations can<br />
occur during plotting of the Mylar film<br />
and during its use.<br />
Since the electroform process only<br />
produces the electroformed foil, it typically<br />
has to be mounted into a stencil frame.<br />
During the electroform process, no tension<br />
is applied to the electroformed foil. When<br />
34 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
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Conquering SMT stencil printing challenges with today’s miniature components<br />
Technology<br />
Table 1: Stencil technology summary.<br />
mounted into a stencil frame, tension<br />
is applied to electroformed foil by the stencil<br />
frame’s polyester mesh. This tension<br />
pulls on the foil causing slight shifts in the<br />
locations of the stencil apertures. In most<br />
cases, the electroformed stencil aperture<br />
locations will be long, or further away<br />
from their expected locations. If the PCB<br />
has SMT pad locations that are short of<br />
expected locations and the electroformed<br />
stencil has aperture locations further away<br />
than expected, there can be a significant<br />
shift, or misalignment, between the stencil<br />
apertures and PCB pads.<br />
A shift between the stencil aperture<br />
and PCB pad reduces the amount of solder<br />
paste in contact with the surface of the<br />
PCB pad. This lowers the adhesive force<br />
between the solder paste and PCB pad,<br />
effectively reducing the ability of the board<br />
to pull the paste from the stencil. Miniature<br />
components already have very low<br />
surface area ratios. The lower the surface<br />
area ratio, the more critical the alignment<br />
between the stencil aperture and PCB<br />
pad. The Fine Grain stencil in this DOE<br />
was cut in the frame on the new LPKF<br />
high-power short-pulse fiber laser. The<br />
intent was to minimize stencil aperture<br />
registration errors, thereby increasing the<br />
alignment accuracy between the stencil and<br />
PCB. The results (27 position errors for<br />
the Fine Grain stencil and 2,307 position<br />
errors for the electroformed stencil) below<br />
show a marked improvement in aperture<br />
registration when compared to an electroformed<br />
stencil.<br />
conclusion<br />
As advancements continue in component<br />
and PCB technologies, will the stencil technology<br />
of today provide current and future<br />
solutions to the challenging assembly issues<br />
faced by OEMs and CMs? Is electroformed<br />
technology the right solution or have new<br />
developments in stencil laser and material<br />
technologies caught up with and surpassed<br />
the electroformed technology of today?<br />
Minimum<br />
surface<br />
area ratio Cost Material<br />
Aperature<br />
registration<br />
accuracy<br />
Chemical etch 0.66 Low SS, Alloy Moderate<br />
Traditional laser-cut 0.66 Low SS, Alloy Very High<br />
Traditional laser-cut 0.55 Low Slic Very High<br />
Electroformed 0.5 High Electroformed<br />
Nickel<br />
The answer to these important questions<br />
is in our view an unequivocal ‘yes.’<br />
Stencil laser and material technologies<br />
have advanced to the point where laser-cut<br />
stencil performance is beyond that of<br />
current electroformed technology. Using<br />
the new LPKF high-power short-pulse fiber<br />
laser technology and the new Fine Grain<br />
material, stencil performance is significantly<br />
improved over electroformed, especially<br />
when printing miniature components.<br />
Improvements in stencil laser and material<br />
technologies have lead to significant<br />
improvements in solder paste release down<br />
to a surface area ratio of 0.45 as well as<br />
improved aperture registration accuracy.<br />
These improvements are critical to meeting<br />
future requirements when printing<br />
miniature components like 01005s. The<br />
technology summary is as follows:<br />
At a cost savings of 30-50 percent<br />
compared to electroformed, the ability to<br />
produce multi-thickness (step) stencils,<br />
and the option of same day turn times,<br />
Fine Grain stencils, cut with the new<br />
fiber lasers, are a marked improvement<br />
compared to the high-performance stencil<br />
solutions available today. OEMs and CMs<br />
can get the performance they need while<br />
reducing costs and meeting critical delivery<br />
schedules. The new stencil laser and material<br />
technologies available today give stencil<br />
manufacturers the tools and materials<br />
needed to supply an ever-changing industry<br />
for many years to come.<br />
Acknowledgement<br />
The authors would like to thank Stephan<br />
Schmidt and Sebastian Gerberding of<br />
LPKF Laser Electronics (www.lpkfusa.com)<br />
for their contribution to this article.<br />
Robert F. Dervaes is V.P. technology and engineering<br />
for Fine Line Stencil, <strong>Inc</strong>. Jeff Poulos,<br />
is V.P. of manufacturing and sales, Alternative<br />
Solutions, <strong>Inc</strong>. Scott Williams is product/account<br />
manager with Ed Fagan, <strong>Inc</strong>.<br />
36 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net<br />
High<br />
Advanced laser-cut 0.45 Medium Fine Grain Very High<br />
Vapor phase vs. convection reflow in<br />
RoHS-compliant assembly, continued<br />
from page 22<br />
accelerated aging, the average absolute<br />
change in resistance on measured daisy<br />
chains is summarized in Table 1. The difference<br />
between the performance of VP soldered<br />
and convection soldered test boards<br />
is insignificant considering the limited data<br />
set. The resistance change for each sample<br />
is reported as the average of absolute values<br />
of the changes in resistance for a set of samples.<br />
No special preparation or seasoning of<br />
samples was performed. Resistance values<br />
were recorded ‘blind.’ A small amount of<br />
ohmmeter drift was experienced at the low<br />
resistances measured.<br />
The shear force required to cause SOIC<br />
joint failure was measured and found to<br />
be the same for convection and vapor<br />
phase reflowed test boards. Shear force was<br />
measured on an SOIC16 (U25 and U26)<br />
exerting a combination shear and tensile<br />
force that pushed the component parallel<br />
to the plane while lifting the component<br />
by means of a 30˚ wedge. These measurements<br />
did not deteriorate after shock and<br />
accelerated age. While thermal shock results<br />
were measured at 500 and 1000 shock<br />
cycles, only those from the 2000 cycle test<br />
are reported here. Results are summarized<br />
in Table 2.<br />
conclusion<br />
VP key benefits include:<br />
• Lower peak reflow temperature<br />
• Inert environment without<br />
nitrogen<br />
• Improved solder wetting and flow<br />
• Reduction in profiling time.<br />
As the data above indicates, thermal<br />
profiles using vapor phase soldering equipment<br />
are controllable with the maximum<br />
temperature dictated by the specific thermal<br />
transfer fluid employed. The tin-lead<br />
and lead-free solder joints created using<br />
vapor phase technology have equivalent<br />
performance to those created using convection<br />
equipment, while offering a uniform<br />
fixed maximum temperature of controlled<br />
duration. Vapor phase solder joint creation<br />
offers a viable alternative to convection<br />
reflow. Convection reflow has less uniform<br />
maximum temperatures over complex<br />
circuit board surfaces.<br />
references<br />
1. Munroe, C., “Beating the RoHS Heat,”<br />
Circuits Assembly Magazine,” March<br />
2005, pp. 38-47.<br />
2. Fraser, S. and Munroe, C, “Lead-Free<br />
Using Vapor Phase Reflow in Leadfree<br />
Processing,” SMT Magazine, April<br />
2005, pp. 48-49.
www.globalsmt.net<br />
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• Conforms to IPC/JEDEC J-STD 033b.1<br />
Hioki Flying Probe Tester<br />
• High-speed, fixture-less testing<br />
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 37
<strong>Interview</strong><br />
<strong>Interview</strong>—<br />
<strong>Krassy</strong> <strong>Petkov</strong>,<br />
<strong>Milara</strong> <strong>Inc</strong>.<br />
<strong>Milara</strong> are one of these dark horses that have been<br />
fermenting with a range of out-of-the-box technologies<br />
that turn a mundane stencil printer into a multi-featured<br />
high-precision printing machine with simultaneous<br />
inspection. Trevor Galbraith caught up with the<br />
inventor and president, <strong>Krassy</strong> <strong>Petkov</strong>, as he prepares to<br />
unveil his latest machine at APEX/IPC Expo in<br />
Las Vegas.<br />
Q1. I believe you are launching the<br />
Touchprint Digital TP2929 at APEX.<br />
Why digital?<br />
Utilizing the latest in digital motion<br />
control network drive systems in conjunction<br />
with our progressive scan digital vision<br />
system, we thought this would be the perfect<br />
combination of technologies to launch<br />
out printer control platform. We now have<br />
control over all parametric functions of the<br />
vision system that allows us to eliminate<br />
optical components such as F-stops and<br />
analog lighting controls.<br />
Q2. The original Touchprint had some<br />
revolutionary features, such as the vibrating<br />
squeegee and the ultrasonic underscreen<br />
cleaner. Are these still included in<br />
the new version?<br />
Yes, our patented vibration squeegee and<br />
bottom-side ultrasonic cleaning systems<br />
are still viable components in this new<br />
platform.<br />
Q3. I understand this new printer is fitted<br />
with SimuTech technology. What is it and<br />
how does it work?<br />
SimuTech is a new ‘buzz term’ we want to<br />
introduce to the industry. It allows us to<br />
perform multiple concurrent operations or<br />
‘simultaneous functions,’ a feature that all<br />
other printers lack. We will be able to print<br />
AND inspect, bottom side clean AND<br />
38 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009<br />
inspect, bottom side clean and load the<br />
next PCB, inspect AND inspect (because<br />
we have two linear servo overhead camera<br />
gantries), print AND dot dispense, inspect<br />
AND dot dispense, bottom side wipe AND<br />
dot dispense.<br />
SimuTech simply allows processing of<br />
two PCBs simultaneously, which current<br />
designs and triple track systems simply do<br />
not.<br />
Q4. One of the unique features in the<br />
original Touchprint was its dot dispensing<br />
capability. How has this improved?<br />
We have partnered up with Asymtek who<br />
brings new Piezo electric dispensing head<br />
technology. We have successfully integrated<br />
their new SV-100 solder paste dot dispenser,<br />
which boasts many new advantages,<br />
such as greater speed than conventional<br />
auger type dispensers, dot and line deposi-<br />
tion, compatibility with all flavors of solder<br />
paste and ability to dispense less than 300<br />
μm dot diameters to name a few.<br />
Q5. Have you been able to reduce cycle<br />
times in the new printer?<br />
Concurrency is the key. Over the years in<br />
large volume applications, solder paste dispensing<br />
and the bottom-side cleaner were<br />
not taken into consideration for overall<br />
production throughput. Today that is a<br />
different story. With SimuTech, this will<br />
eliminate the tack-time addition of bottomside<br />
wiping, and with our new ‘dispense<br />
while you print’ paste dispenser, we can<br />
replenish the paste bead while printing.<br />
The addition of our linear servo motion<br />
technology also gave us a significant speed<br />
boost when performing camera inspection<br />
routines. Also, having a quad-core processor<br />
certainly helps reduce cycle time when<br />
www.globalsmt.net
performing all the arduous mathematical<br />
operations and image processing for our<br />
texture-based 2D post print inspection.<br />
Q6. The Touchprint has a cast iron base.<br />
Why did you feel it was necessary to use<br />
such a heavy frame?<br />
SimuTech requires multiple axes operation<br />
during the cycle. After a finite element<br />
analysis (FEA) of our original steel frame<br />
structure, we found it to be insufficient<br />
when we applied multiple axis movement<br />
at sub-ten second production rates, especially<br />
when factoring in the high performance<br />
linear servo movements in opposing<br />
directions.<br />
Q7. Have you also upgraded the motors<br />
and drives?<br />
As stated previously, on the major highspeed<br />
axes we have incorporated linear<br />
servo motion technology with linear<br />
feedback to give us real world positioning.<br />
We are controlling all motion with a digital<br />
servo network that is proprietary to our<br />
product.<br />
Q8. At which markets and applications is<br />
the Touchprint targeted?<br />
All SMT markets will be our main targets,<br />
along with solar and possible applications<br />
in the semiconductor wafer printing/<br />
bumping fields as well.<br />
Q9. You have a large robotics factory in<br />
Bulgaria. How much of this machine is<br />
built in Eastern Europe and how much in<br />
the USA?<br />
We have recently completed our 107,000<br />
square foot state-of-the-art facility in Plovdiv,<br />
Bulgaria. We are equipped to produce<br />
high precision robotic components in conjunction<br />
with general automation designs.<br />
In fact we will be rolling out four new<br />
wafer handling robots at SEMICON West<br />
this year. A major portion of this factory<br />
will be dedicated to producinge all high<br />
precision components and sub assemblies<br />
used for the TouchPrint, which includes<br />
the main frame and skins. Final assembly,<br />
validation and verification will be done at<br />
our facility in Massachusetts, USA.<br />
Q10. Do you have many innovations in<br />
development to take the Touchprint to<br />
the next level?<br />
This is one of those tricky ‘fortuitous’ questions<br />
in which I don’t want to upset our<br />
engineering teams by giving out all of our<br />
ideas. All I can say at this point is that by<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
staying with our original concept back in<br />
2004 of ‘combined system technology’ we<br />
are also going to introduce jet dispensing<br />
in our TouchPrint platform. Like Mercedes,<br />
they make one of the finest automobiles<br />
in the world—do you think they don’t<br />
have new ideas for the next generation?<br />
Q11. Do you have plans to introduce a<br />
model for the solar cell market?<br />
Solar, definitely. We want to jump into<br />
that market along with the rest. Large PCB<br />
for new blade server technology is another<br />
venue for us but I don’t want to give out<br />
all our plans to our competition.<br />
Q12. Manufacturers of printers are being<br />
severely hit by the current downturn.<br />
Why are you releasing this machine now,<br />
and what makes you think that <strong>Milara</strong><br />
can beat the recession better than, say,<br />
DEK or Speedline?<br />
You know, someone of importance once<br />
asked me that question a few years back.<br />
In fact, they actually told me not to “waste<br />
my money” and to go invest it elsewhere.<br />
This was very inspiring to me, for I turned<br />
it into a motivational inspiration that is<br />
keeping me in the game today.<br />
I have hobbies, which I consider a<br />
sport. In this sport, I have been in two<br />
Olympics and heading to my third. This<br />
sport teaches me how to win. To do so, I<br />
need diversity within my company to bring<br />
a variety of new and innovative ideas which<br />
help generate new products.<br />
We build the number one robot for<br />
the United States Army, saving numerous<br />
lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. We<br />
are financially strong and unaffected by<br />
this ‘media generated’ recession. We have<br />
no loans and do not rely on credit from<br />
any good or ‘failed’ banks. We are highly<br />
experienced in robotics for not only the<br />
military but commercial industries too. We<br />
design and build printers for the SMT and<br />
semiconductor industries, and the later has<br />
been the most painful. However, we will<br />
NEVER give up until we are number one.<br />
<strong>Krassy</strong> <strong>Petkov</strong>—thank you very much for<br />
talking to us today..<br />
Trevor Galbraith.<br />
What’s in 12 months of<br />
Global SMT & Packaging?<br />
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 39
Show<br />
Title<br />
preview: IPC APEX Expo 2009<br />
Show preview:<br />
IPC APEX Expo 2009<br />
Join thousands of colleagues from more than 50 countries<br />
at this year’s IPC APEX Expo, featuring the industry’s<br />
premiere technical conference, standards development meetings,<br />
professional development courses, and an exhibition featuring<br />
more than 425 suppliers bringing the newest products and<br />
emerging technologies to the show floor.<br />
The show<br />
The 2009 IPC APEX Expo conference &<br />
exhibition takes place March 31st through<br />
April 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada. Meetings<br />
will be held March 29th through April<br />
2nd.<br />
The opening keynote on Tuesday<br />
morning is an event you won’t want to<br />
miss. Noted author, inventor, entrepreneur<br />
and futurist Ray Kurzweil speaks about<br />
“The Accelerating Future of Electronics<br />
and Information” at 8:30 am on March<br />
31st. Combining wit and keen insight into<br />
contemporary issues of technology and<br />
its impact on society, Kurzweil’s presentation<br />
will offer engaging demonstrations<br />
of cutting-edge technologies. And if we’re<br />
lucky, perhaps Ramona, his “virtual female<br />
alter ego,” will honor us with her presence.<br />
On Wednesday morning, the Global<br />
Business Outlook keynote, presented by<br />
Walt Custer, Custer Consulting Group,<br />
and Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market<br />
research, will give attendees insights into<br />
leading global indicators and the latest<br />
trends in demand and production for<br />
worldwide PCB, EMS and supplier indus-<br />
tries.<br />
On Thursday morning, the first-ever<br />
OEM summit presents a first-hand look<br />
into the technology roadmaps of key OEM<br />
companies.<br />
This year’s technical conference<br />
features 35 sessions with nearly 100 papers<br />
on a wide range of topics of immediate<br />
interest to the electronics manufacturing<br />
industry. Alongside the conference, 64<br />
professional development courses are on<br />
offer. This preview includes a schedule of<br />
all sessions and courses as well as the free<br />
forums.<br />
The Venue<br />
All events take place at the Mandalay Bay<br />
Resort & Convention Center in Las Vegas,<br />
where the event will encompass more than<br />
154,000 net square feet of exhibit space.<br />
More than 10,000 executives, engineers<br />
and managers representing original equipment<br />
manufacturers (OEMs), electronics<br />
manufacturing services (EMS) providers<br />
and printed circuit board (PCB) companies<br />
are expected to attend.<br />
Learn more about the Mandalay Bay<br />
Resort & Convention Center at<br />
www.mandalaybay.com. More information<br />
on what there is to see and do in Las Vegas<br />
can be found at www.visitlasvegas.com.<br />
40 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
The Vendor Forums<br />
Daily at booths 1383 & 2633<br />
Global SMT & Packaging and Circuits Assembly are co-hosting a Vendor Forum at their combined booths. Visitors on the show floor can<br />
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<br />
topics ranging from cleaning, printing and pick and place to solder and test. The panel discussions will be videotaped and made available<br />
on the Global SMT & Packaging APEX Show Central website (http://apex.globalsmt.net).<br />
Tuesday, March 31st<br />
Magna-Print—<br />
The advantages<br />
of a universal<br />
squeegee system<br />
12:00-12:30<br />
Charlie Moncavage<br />
Ovation Products<br />
TBA<br />
1:00-1:30<br />
Mike Scimeca<br />
FCT Assembly<br />
Innovative PCB<br />
cleaning fluids<br />
for cleaning<br />
leading-edge<br />
technologies<br />
1:30-2:00<br />
Mike Bixenman<br />
Kyzen Corporation<br />
Reballing and<br />
prebumping BGAs,<br />
CSPs and QFNs<br />
2:00-2:30<br />
Jan Martin<br />
Martin GmbH<br />
Process reliability<br />
in selective soldering<br />
2:30-3:00<br />
Christian Ott<br />
SEHO USA<br />
Wednesday, April 1st Thursday, April 2<br />
Stencil cleaning for<br />
improved print<br />
yields<br />
12:00-12:30<br />
Bill Schreiber<br />
Smart Sonic Corp<br />
Thermal quality<br />
management<br />
program<br />
1:00-1:30<br />
Grant Peterson<br />
ECD<br />
Trevor Galbraith Mike Buetow<br />
TBA cleaning topic<br />
2:00-2:30<br />
Mike Konrad<br />
Aqueous Tech.<br />
panel Discussions<br />
Selective Soldering<br />
on PCBs<br />
3:30-4:00<br />
Eddie Groves<br />
Pillarhouse Int’l<br />
head in Pillow—<br />
BGA defects<br />
12:12-30<br />
Mike Burgess<br />
AIM Solder<br />
Embedded device<br />
technology<br />
3:00-3:30<br />
Mark McMeen<br />
STI Electronics<br />
Five panel discussions take place over the course of the vendor forum, moderated<br />
by Trevor Galbraith and Mike Buetow.<br />
Cleaning—Tuesday, March 31st, 11:00-12:00<br />
Printing—Wednesday, April 1st, 11:00-12:00<br />
Pick and place—Wednesday, April 1st, 2:30-3:30<br />
Soldering & profiling—Wednesday, April 1st, 4:00-5:00<br />
Test and inspection—Thursday, April 2nd, 11:00-12:00<br />
APEX preview: The Vendor Forum<br />
www.globalsmt.net Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 41
New Products<br />
New products<br />
New vertical-format misprint and<br />
stencil cleaning system<br />
The StencilWasher MP, a fully automatic<br />
misprint and stencil cleaning system from<br />
Aqueous Technologies Corp, removes<br />
non-reflowed solder paste and adhesives<br />
from misprinted assemblies, stencils and<br />
screens, and post-reflow circuit assemblies.<br />
StencilWasher MP is capable of removing<br />
all solder pastes, including rosin, water<br />
soluble, and no-clean as well as uncured<br />
surface mount adhesives. Additionally, it<br />
is designed to remove solder paste from<br />
misprinted assemblies as well as stencils<br />
and screens. StencilWasher MP may be<br />
used in post-reflow defluxing applications,<br />
and features a capacity of 32 x 30” (812.8<br />
mm x 763 mm), making it an ideal solution<br />
for oversized circuit assemblies.<br />
www.aqueoustech.com<br />
Nihon superior sN100c p600<br />
halogen-free solder paste<br />
Nihon Superior Co. Ltd.’s new SN100C<br />
P600 solder paste is a halogen-free highreliability<br />
no-clean lead-free solder paste<br />
that does not contain F, Cl, Br and I.<br />
Designed as a high-reliability solder paste<br />
for high-density assembly with stable printability,<br />
the paste provides excellent reflow<br />
with good wetting and minimum incidence<br />
of mid-chip balling, low residue and<br />
significant cost advantages. Additionally,<br />
it typically can be reflowed with a profile<br />
similar to that which is commonly used<br />
with SAC305 and SAC405 with 240˚C<br />
peak. www.nihonsuperior.co.jp<br />
cyberoptics premiers se500 3-d<br />
solder paste inspection<br />
CyberOptics redefines inspection speed<br />
with the SE500—a new 100 percent 3-D<br />
solder paste inspection system. This system<br />
has the ability to inspect the most demanding<br />
assemblies with a >70 cm2/second<br />
inspection speed that does not compromise<br />
measurement accuracy and repeatability.<br />
The SE500 can inspect pad sizes down<br />
to 01005 component size (150 x 150 μm)<br />
while keeping up with ever-increasing line<br />
speeds. www.cyberoptics.com<br />
Flexsolder W510 mini-wave<br />
selective soldering system<br />
Juki’s new FlexSolder W510 uses the same<br />
selective soldering technology that has been<br />
successful in the past but with a new flexible<br />
design that allows the machine to be<br />
assembled anywhere, and to allow complete<br />
option upgrades in the field. The advantage<br />
of Juki’s selective soldering machines over<br />
competitors remains the same as in past<br />
machines, i.e. the ability to have multiple<br />
mini-wave nozzles soldering simultaneously<br />
or even running separately using two different<br />
size nozzles. www.jas-smt.com<br />
MirTec premeirs new inspection<br />
systems at ApeX<br />
MIRTEC introduces the latest in its award<br />
winning MV-7 Series, the MV-7xi in-line<br />
AOI system, and the MS-11 In-Line SPI System.<br />
Fully configured, the MV-7xi provides<br />
one top-down four mega pixel camera with<br />
9.8 micron resolution and four side-view<br />
cameras. The patented “Quad Angle Lighting<br />
System” provides four independently<br />
programmable zones for optimal illumination<br />
of inspection areas. The MS-11 uses<br />
Shadow Moiré Technology and Phase<br />
Stepping Image Processing to inspect solder<br />
paste deposition on PCBs post-screen print.<br />
www.mirtecusa.com<br />
seika debuts McDry hM1001 dehumidifying<br />
storage cabinet<br />
Seika Machinery’s HM1001 electronic<br />
drying storage cabinet provides optimal<br />
ultra-low humidity and moisture-proof storage<br />
for IC packages. It can maintain 1%RH<br />
and removes moisture at a very fast rate<br />
through the use of a powerful zeolite desiccant<br />
that never needs replacement. The<br />
unit features adjustable shelves that can<br />
hold up to 220 pounds, and is equipped<br />
with a digital RH Meter. www.seikausa.com<br />
single-component rework with<br />
V-Works 24 vapor-phase rework<br />
station<br />
V-Works 24 is a single component rework<br />
tool using vapor phase technology to<br />
transfer heat for removal and replacement<br />
of single components and connectors on<br />
circuit boards. The tool uses proven vapor<br />
42 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
phase technology to deliver uniform condensation<br />
heat transfer to the single component<br />
rework environment. The V-Works<br />
24 allows users to utilize the absolute limits<br />
of maximum temperatures, small delta at<br />
peak temperatures, and the unsurpassed<br />
uniformity and heat transfer ability that<br />
vapor phase is famous for to remove and<br />
replace single components.<br />
www.rdtechnicalservices.com<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
cookson electronics’ low-ag, pbfree<br />
wave solder and rework alloy<br />
IMAGE ALPHA SACX 0307 Plus.jpg<br />
Cookson Electronics’ new ALPHA®<br />
Vaculoy SACX® 0307 Plus low-Ag Pb-free<br />
wave solder and rework alloy is designed as<br />
a high performance replacement for SnPb<br />
and SAC305. It is Cookson’s next generation<br />
low-Ag alloy in the popular ALPHA®<br />
SACX® alloy family initially introduced<br />
in 2004. SACX®-0307 Plus performs at<br />
the same high level of standard ALPHA®<br />
SACX® 0307 with the added benefit<br />
of lower copper dissolution. www.alpha.<br />
cooksonelectronics.com<br />
New high flexibility pick & place<br />
machine from essemtec<br />
Essemtec’s PANFLEX2 is a highly flexible<br />
and modular pick & place machine featur-<br />
New Products<br />
ing the newly developed X-vision system.<br />
Consisting of two parallel operating placing<br />
modules connected via a multistage<br />
conveyor, PANFLEX2 can reach a capacity<br />
of 12,000 components per hour. The machine<br />
holds up to 190 intelligent feeders<br />
that can be exchanged during production,<br />
making the PANFLEX2 perfect for highmix<br />
applications. www.essemtec.com<br />
Boundary-scan software<br />
enhancements from JTAg<br />
JTAG Technologies’ released its latest<br />
development and hardware debug tools,<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 43
New Products<br />
JTAG ProVision and JTAG Visualizer.<br />
ProVision combines advanced automation<br />
with the level of control and precision<br />
that engineers demand when creating test<br />
programs and in-system programming (ISP)<br />
routines for PLDs and flash memories.<br />
JTAG Visualizer on the other hand allows<br />
users to view JTAG-oriented files (such<br />
as fault reports) superimposed onto the<br />
schematic or layout of the PCB under test,<br />
and hence provides an invaluable aid to<br />
diagnosing manufacturing process faults.<br />
The latest versions of JTAG ProVision and<br />
JTAG Visualizer are available free of charge<br />
to customers with valid maintenance contracts.<br />
www.jtag.com<br />
Manncorp hot bar soldering<br />
systems bond unlikely materials<br />
Innovative new hot bar soldering systems<br />
from Manncorp solve the challenges of<br />
bonding unlikely materials—flex circuits,<br />
ribbon cables, wires, edge connectors and<br />
more—to PCBs. The semi-automatic machines,<br />
also referred to as pulse bonders,<br />
employ thermode technology to generate<br />
rapid reflow by pulse heating. This procedure<br />
allows materials with low temperature<br />
resistance to be soldered at lead-free-compatible<br />
high temperatures without damage<br />
to the devices being permanently attached<br />
to circuit boards. Two systems are offered,<br />
which differ only in their feeding mechanisms.<br />
www.manncorp.com<br />
siplAce shutterless s-feeder<br />
improves component supply<br />
S-series tape feeders have been one of the<br />
most important components of many Siplace<br />
placement machines for many years.<br />
With its new 3x8 mm shutterless S-feeder,<br />
Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems<br />
(SEAS) now presents another improved<br />
version in the series. Fewer movable parts<br />
mean longer life and more reliability. The<br />
new feeder also handles a broader spectrum<br />
of components and makes the user’s<br />
job easier. As a special benefit, owners<br />
of classic 3x8 mm feeders can have them<br />
upgraded to the shutterless version.<br />
www.siplace.com<br />
New vacuum vapor phase reflow<br />
technology<br />
Offering a wide range of advantages over<br />
traditional vapor phase soldering systems,<br />
the VPS Condenso vacuum system from<br />
Rehm Thermal Systems delivers extremely<br />
effective thermal transfer due to the even<br />
release of heat during condensation and<br />
the perfectly constant temperature of the<br />
medium. The specific boiling point limits<br />
Condenso’s maximum soldering temperature,<br />
preventing damage by overheating.<br />
Subjecting the molten solder to a vacuum,<br />
Condenso enables remaining residues and<br />
gas inclusions to easily escape to guarantee<br />
void-free soldering with lead-free solders.<br />
www.rehm-group.com<br />
heraeus introduces new tin-lead<br />
solder paste formulation<br />
Heraeus’ brand new tin-lead solder<br />
paste, F377, is the result of a two-year<br />
development cycle that employed early<br />
customer involvement and Design for Six<br />
Sigma tools to create a breakthrough new<br />
product. Formulated from scratch as a<br />
completely new platform, F377 surpasses<br />
industry performance benchmarks by using<br />
modern raw materials which have been<br />
statistically proven in real-world testing<br />
to produce the most desirable and stable<br />
results. This new product represents a substantial<br />
improvement over other tin-lead<br />
solder paste options, most of which were<br />
formulated in the last decade and use older<br />
materials technologies that induce lot-to-lot<br />
performance variations.<br />
www.heraeus-contactmaterials.com<br />
Bliss launches revolutionary<br />
FleXconveyor line<br />
Bliss Industries <strong>Inc</strong>. launched the FLEXconveyor,<br />
‘a box-build factory on wheels.’<br />
The FLEXconveyor and complete manual<br />
conveyorized box-build line revolutionizes<br />
box build and maximizes lean manufacturing,<br />
providing a new way to kit products<br />
in advance—simply unclamp and re-clamp<br />
any section of the line at any time. The<br />
box build line is the ideal solution for low-<br />
and high-mix facilities. And setting up a<br />
box build line has never been so easy and<br />
simple: Bliss does all the work—customers<br />
simply start up their assembly line after the<br />
system arrives. www.blissindustries.com<br />
enthone introduces ormesTAr<br />
ultra Nanofinish® organic metalbased<br />
pWB final finish<br />
Enthone <strong>Inc</strong>., a business of Cookson<br />
Electronics, has introduced OrmeSTAR<br />
Ultra PWB final finish. The organic metalbased,<br />
nanofinish® technology consumes<br />
approximately 90% less energy and creates<br />
less waste versus electroless nickel/immersion<br />
gold (ENIG) and other traditional<br />
metallic final finishes. When compared to<br />
ENIG, OrmeSTAR Ultra reduces process<br />
time by 75%. The finish costs 30% less<br />
then ENIG, with no “black pad” risk. The<br />
44 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
versatile process delivers a high efficiency<br />
in application and operation throughout<br />
the entire supply chain. www.enthone.com<br />
Virtual industries introduces new<br />
low-cost vacuum-tweezer tool<br />
Virtual Industries, <strong>Inc</strong>., introduced the<br />
self-contained manually operated PEN-<br />
VAC PRO-SERIES vacuum tweezer for<br />
handling SMD packages, optics or other<br />
small parts during assembly. The tweezer<br />
has no vacuum hoses to get in the way and<br />
no batteries to replace. The PEN-VAC®<br />
PRO-SERIES vacuum tweezer is sold with<br />
four cups and probes. Pick-up tip sizes are<br />
1/8” (3.18 mm), 1/4” (6.35 mm) and 3/8”<br />
(9.53 mm) vacuum cups on bent probes<br />
and one straight probe with a 1/4” (6.35<br />
mm) diameter vacuum cup. Prices start at<br />
US $29.93 with quantities of 25 or more<br />
(order number V8910-9GR-B).<br />
www.vacuumtweezer.com<br />
New kit checks out process<br />
cleanliness & residue<br />
The new Practical Components B-52<br />
CRET (Cleanliness & Residue Evaluation<br />
Test) kit is designed to help determine the<br />
ionic cleanliness of a customer’s manufacturing<br />
process. The test boards and components<br />
follow guidelines associated with the<br />
IPC-B-52 Test Vehicle. The Practical B-52<br />
CRET test vehicle is divided into four primary<br />
segments: the main SIR test board,<br />
the Ion Chromatography (IC) test coupon,<br />
the solder mask adhesion coupons and the<br />
SIR mini-coupons.<br />
www.practicalcomponents.com<br />
scANFleX® extends to<br />
universal fixtures<br />
GOEPEL electronic launched a series of<br />
universal board fixtures for the revolutionary<br />
boundary scan hardware platform<br />
SCANFLEX®. The new generation of<br />
fixtures is called SCANFLEX Board Grabber®<br />
and is comprised of three models<br />
in different sizes. The SCANFLEX Board<br />
Grabber® was specifically designed for<br />
the support of laboratory verification<br />
and programming of prototypes. It is also<br />
applicable at repair stations. Due to the<br />
integrated pivoting mechanism it is easily<br />
possible to reach the top side and bottom<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
side of the board. www.goepel.com<br />
Amistar Automation unveils<br />
eco-friendly solder recovery system<br />
A device that can reclaim and recycle at<br />
least fifty percent of usable solder alloy<br />
from wave solder dross is now available<br />
from Amistar Automation. Light-weight,<br />
portable, and easy to use, the Amistar<br />
Automation Soldabac solder recovery<br />
system takes dross created by wave solder<br />
machines and heats it inside the unit’s<br />
eighteen pound solder pot to separate<br />
the oxide. The reclaimed solder is then<br />
New Products<br />
drained into an ingot mold and ready<br />
for immediate reuse. With the Amistar<br />
Automation Soldabac Solder Recovery System,<br />
removing dross from the solder bath<br />
is quicker and easier, storage and waste<br />
disposal costs are reduced, and solder<br />
purchases are cut in half.<br />
www.amistarautomation.com<br />
economical electrically<br />
conductive silver ink<br />
Creative Materials, <strong>Inc</strong>, (CMI) has developed<br />
an economical silver conductive ink,<br />
125-10, with typical sheet resistivity of 15<br />
ERSA_Ad_GLOBAL_SMT_PACKAGING_issue_4.indd 1 05.03.2009 16:49:58<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 45
New Products<br />
milliohm/square/mil. This economical ink<br />
features excellent adhesion to polyester,<br />
polyimide, polycarbonate, glass and a variety<br />
of other substrates. Unlike conventional<br />
conductive materials, CMI’s economical<br />
silver conductive ink is very resistant to<br />
flexing and creasing and highlights a lower<br />
cost alternative to some of our standard<br />
conductive inks. Applications include,<br />
but are not limited, to RFID antennas,<br />
EMI/RFI shielding, polymer thick film circuitry<br />
and membrane switches. 125-10 can<br />
be applied by screen-printing and syringe<br />
dispensing while other versions of 125-10<br />
are available for flexographic, rotogravure,<br />
stenciling and spraying processes.<br />
www.creativematerials.com<br />
poly-Form flexible adhesive<br />
preforms<br />
Multi-Seals, <strong>Inc</strong>., introduced an innovative<br />
alternative to liquid adhesive for component<br />
assembly. Multi-Seals F05 Polyforms<br />
are flexible pre-shaped adhesives<br />
designed for bonding diverse materials,<br />
including metals, plastics, ceramics, and<br />
glass. F05 has negligible vertical flow,<br />
which keeps the adhesive contained in<br />
precisely defined areas. The pre-shaped<br />
copolymer prevents drips and dispensing<br />
inconsistencies typical of liquid adhesives.<br />
Adhesive placement is highly consistent<br />
from bond to bond. The durability and<br />
flexibility of F05 Poly-forms facilitates<br />
manual and automated handling and<br />
increases production rates. F05 can be<br />
pre-shaped in multiform configurations to<br />
accommodate a broad range of applications.<br />
www.multi-seals.com<br />
The elimination of solder balls in<br />
selective soldering?<br />
Almost every VOC-free flux used in a<br />
selective soldering process will generate<br />
a lot of micro solder balls, especially<br />
between through hole connector pins. The<br />
V.O.C-free PacIFic 2009MLF soldering<br />
flux from INTERFLUX® Electronics N.V.<br />
has proven to dramatically reduce solder<br />
ball occurences. When compared to other<br />
VOC-free fluxes, and even some alcohol<br />
46 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009<br />
based fluxes, improvement rates of more<br />
than 90% have been reported by customers.<br />
PacIFic 2009MLF works with leaded<br />
and lead-free alloys in wave-and selective<br />
soldering processes. www.interflux.com<br />
staticide esD safety shield is now<br />
available as an aerosol spray<br />
By customer demand,<br />
ACL <strong>Inc</strong>orporated’s longlasting<br />
static dissipative<br />
coating, Staticide ESD<br />
Safety Shield, is now available<br />
as an aerosol spray.<br />
6500 Staticide ESD Safety<br />
Shield is a humidityindependent<br />
water-based<br />
coating that provides a<br />
constant surface resistivity<br />
of 106 ñ 109 ohms per<br />
square without washing<br />
off like anti-static topicals.<br />
The advanced formula<br />
dries clear and can adhere<br />
to a variety of surfaces including<br />
acrylic, polycarbonate, PETG, and<br />
glass. The coating is designed to be sprayed<br />
on carrying trays, protective packaging, test<br />
equipment, PVC and vinyl tubing, and<br />
viewing ports to reduce tribo-charging and<br />
dissipate static. www.aclstaticide.com<br />
omron shortens tact time for in-line<br />
x-ray inspections with dual-mode<br />
cT scanner<br />
Omron introduces a time-saving newxray<br />
inspection system, VT-X series, that<br />
shortens the tact time for in-line, postsolder<br />
inspection of printed circuit boards.<br />
The VT-X is the world’s first dual mode<br />
x-ray inspection system that combines<br />
highly accurate computed tomography<br />
(CT) scanning with high-speed ‘tomosynthesis’<br />
scanning to achieve production line<br />
speeds. Use of CT technology eliminates<br />
the clutter from bottom side parts while<br />
top side parts are inspected. Because CT<br />
scanning technology alone can be quite<br />
slow such that inspections must be done<br />
off-line or handled slowly in-line, Omron’s<br />
solution enables use of both technologies<br />
in the same inspection. www.omron247.com<br />
B2B® sMT connector reaches<br />
new height<br />
The B2B® high density SMT connector<br />
line from Advanced Interconnections<br />
Corp. is now available in a 19.05 mm (.750<br />
inch) mated height. Designed for high pin<br />
count and high density 1.27 mm pitch<br />
board to board applications where durability<br />
and reliability are critical, such as servers<br />
and routers, the newest member of the<br />
B2B® SMT Connector series is available<br />
in 8 and 10 row configurations from 240<br />
to 500 positions.<br />
www.advanced.com<br />
Javelin Design Automation & iMec<br />
extend design technology for 3D<br />
stacked ics<br />
Javelin Design Automation introduced<br />
a revolutionary solution for the rapid<br />
design exploration and optimization of<br />
three dimensional stacked ICs (3D SIC).<br />
Developed in close collaboration with<br />
IMEC, Europe’s leading independent<br />
nanoelectronics research center, and Qualcomm,<br />
a partner in IMEC’s 3D integration<br />
program, 3D PathFinding extends the<br />
Javelin PathFinding methodology and j360<br />
Silicon PathFinder platform to support<br />
virtual chip design for co-optimization of<br />
system design and 3D interconnect-packaging<br />
technologies. Designers of 3D ICs are<br />
now empowered to rapidly explore many<br />
potential 3D design implementations for<br />
their technical value propositions, and to<br />
identify and mitigate risks-benefits and<br />
optimize value. www.javelin-da.com<br />
New tool for sMD carrier splicing<br />
deki TOOLS introduces a new SMT splice<br />
hand tool. The tool simplifies the usage of<br />
clips that are used for splicing. Instead of<br />
www.globalsmt.net
dealing with the small clips, that normally<br />
only measure 3x22 mm, a frame with 20<br />
brass shims is loaded into the handle of<br />
the tool, just as an on office stapler. The<br />
brass shims are automatically advanced<br />
and aligned into position after each splice<br />
cycle. This reduces the risk of dropped<br />
clips and saves time and money.<br />
www.dekitools.com<br />
Mentor graphics, Achronix extend<br />
synthesis support for Achronix<br />
FpgAs<br />
Achronix Semiconductor Corp. signed a<br />
multi-year agreement that provides Mentor<br />
Graphics Precision® Synthesis software<br />
support for Achronix FPGAs. The agreement<br />
includes the Speedster family of<br />
1.5 GHz devices as well as future devices.<br />
The support extends the original 2006<br />
agreement in which Mentor Graphics<br />
optimised Precision Synthesis support for<br />
Achronix FPGA devices, and Achronix integrated<br />
the tool set to offer a complete design<br />
suite that includes Precision Synthesis.<br />
The suite helps designers build the world’s<br />
fastest FPGAs quickly and efficiently to get<br />
to market faster than competitors.<br />
www.achronix.com<br />
semiprobe adds expands probe<br />
system for life product family<br />
SemiProbe released the new programmable<br />
stage series for the flexible Probe<br />
System for Life (PS4L). With the addition<br />
of these stages, the PS4L is able to grow<br />
and transform as our customer’s needs and<br />
budget grow. The new stages allow systems<br />
to be configured or “field upgraded” to<br />
SA-4 (100 mm), SA-6 (150mm) or SA-8<br />
(200 mm) semiautomatic capability. Semi-<br />
Probe’s PILOT software suite provides the<br />
operating system for these probers.<br />
www.semiprobe.com<br />
New Products<br />
2000 mW cW green laser for<br />
cost-sensitive applications<br />
The new Genesis 532-2000 S from<br />
Coherent <strong>Inc</strong>. is a 2000 mW CW, green<br />
(532 nm) laser that provides the first<br />
compact and high value alternative to<br />
diode-pumped solid state DPSS lasers in<br />
scientific and OEM applications. This is<br />
the first multi-watt green laser with performance<br />
optimized for these markets based<br />
on Coherent’s unique, optically pumped<br />
semiconductor laser (OPSL) technology.<br />
Genesis 532-2000 S lasers provide excellent<br />
beam characteristics (M≤
New Products<br />
nario in which a multi-PCB panel needs to<br />
be in-system programmed, saving the costs<br />
and hassles of designing and building an<br />
in-house, ad-hoc solution. www.smh-tech.com<br />
christopher Associates introduces<br />
defoaming/mixing system<br />
Christopher Associates announced the<br />
availability of the Japan Unix UM-118<br />
centrifugal mixer/defoamer. This unit,<br />
which can be used for solder paste, cosmetics,<br />
semiconductor materials, solar pastes,<br />
epoxies and other materials, is programmable<br />
for duration, cycle profile and up<br />
to 1500RPM centrifugal speed as well<br />
as internal rotational speed. Mixing of<br />
materials and defoaming are accomplished<br />
with cycle times half those of conventional<br />
mixers. www.christopherweb.com<br />
Molex hD&s interposer features<br />
Neoconix’s pcBeam interconnect<br />
technology<br />
Molex <strong>Inc</strong>orporated and Neoconix have<br />
developed a flexible copper high-density<br />
and speed (HD&S) interposer in a toolless,<br />
easy-to-use configuration. Available<br />
now, Molex’s FlexBeam tool-less copper<br />
flex interposer is a low-profile, flex-toboard<br />
interface that provides densities of<br />
1.00 mm (.039”) or less in a variety of pin-<br />
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48 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009<br />
matrix configurations. The combination of<br />
Molex’s high speed copper flex assembly<br />
integrated with Neoconix’s HD&S PC-<br />
Beam interposer provides a high-density<br />
and high-speed interface for flex-to-PCBA<br />
applications. www.molex.com,<br />
www.neoconix.com<br />
agileTcp launches Factory &<br />
Management solution service<br />
agileTCP’s comprehensive agileFMS Factory<br />
& Manufacturing Solution service<br />
offering stems from the company’s strategic<br />
relationship with Massachusetts-based<br />
Innovo Strategy. The agileFMS service<br />
demonstrates and enables practical<br />
implementations of advanced business and<br />
technology theories, leading to successful<br />
strategy and execution of manufacturing efficiency<br />
and optimization efforts for clients<br />
worldwide. AgileFMS services provide<br />
dramatic modifications to work-in-progress<br />
(WIP), thereby maximizing throughput,<br />
minimizing cycle time and reducing cost<br />
within factory-specific environments across<br />
multiple industries. www.agileTCP.com<br />
Aeroflex accelerates roll-out of new<br />
features for its 7100 lTe handset<br />
tester as lTe goes global<br />
With LTE (3G Long Term Evolution) fast<br />
becoming a global phenomenon, Aeroflex<br />
is dramatically accelerating the roll-out<br />
of the major new features planned for<br />
2009 for its recently launched Aeroflex<br />
7100 digital radio test set for LTE mobile<br />
device test. The accelerated roll-out of new<br />
features for the Aeroflex 7100 during 2009<br />
relates to LTE/CDMA2000 inter-working,<br />
LTE/UTRAN & GERAN handover,<br />
TD-LTE mode and LTE mobile device<br />
conformance test. www.aeroflex.com<br />
cherry launches new range of<br />
waterproof rocker and pushbutton<br />
switches<br />
Cherry Electrical Products’s new range of<br />
sealed, waterproof rocker and pushbutton<br />
switches with a wide choice of pole, throw<br />
and switch options are suitable for a huge<br />
range of applications, from vehicles and<br />
outdoor machinery to medical devices.<br />
There are eight different designs in the<br />
new product family—seven rocker switches<br />
and one pushbutton switch, all certified to<br />
IP56 and IP65 requirements for water and<br />
dust resistance. These competitively-priced<br />
switches are available in numerous AC/<br />
DC ratings and are RoHS compliant.<br />
www.cherry.de<br />
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Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 49
Title Association & institutes news<br />
Association & institutes news<br />
eipc summer conference<br />
The EIPC Summer Conference will be<br />
held 18th & 19th June at the Hotel Eggerwirt<br />
in St. Michael, Austria. This year’s<br />
theme is “cost-reduction through innovation.”<br />
In addition to management and<br />
technical sessions, the EIPC Summer Conference<br />
this year offers a bonus programme:<br />
visit the AT&S PCB factory, the largest European<br />
PCB fabricator, on 17th June and<br />
IMEX Leiterplatten GmbH, the largest and<br />
most advanced European service provider<br />
in drilling, routing and measurement, on<br />
19th June. A coach will provide transportation<br />
for the company visits as part of the<br />
conference program. www.eipc.org<br />
sMArT group electronics Technology<br />
conference<br />
SMART Group’s new-format conference,<br />
exhibition and networking event, Electronics<br />
Technology, will take place 30th<br />
September-1st October 2009 at the Ricoh<br />
Arena. The event highlights new technology<br />
developments in areas important to<br />
the European electronics industry, such as<br />
reducing waste, improving reliability and<br />
increasing profit.<br />
Marilyn Driscoll, one of the organisers<br />
of the exhibition believes that ‘a conference<br />
lead exhibition’ is the only way to guarantee<br />
exhibitors seeing the right audience.<br />
The event is being organised by<br />
SMART Group together with event<br />
management partner M2 Events. A call for<br />
papers for the conference is on the SMART<br />
Group website.<br />
For enquiries on the conference please<br />
contact Tony Gordon, on 01494 465217 or<br />
info@smartgroup.org. For exhibition contact<br />
Marilyn Driscoll on 01763 838554 or marilyn@ElectronicsTechnology.co.uk.<br />
50 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009<br />
ipc to deliver pcB tutorial at sMT<br />
Nürnberg 2009<br />
IPC—Association Connecting Electronics<br />
Industries® announces its European<br />
representative, Lars Wallin, will present a<br />
tutorial in German at the System Integration<br />
in Micro Electronics Exhibition and<br />
Conference on May 7, 2009 in Nürnberg,<br />
Germany. Wallin will explain how IPC<br />
standards can be used to eliminate unnecessary<br />
and costly mistakes in printed board<br />
manufacturing.<br />
Quality and reliability are a growing<br />
concern in electronics manufacturing,<br />
especially because of new processes being<br />
developed for lead-free technology. Wallin<br />
notes that IPC standards can help a company<br />
develop and implement a stronger<br />
quality program.<br />
For more information on the tutorial,<br />
visit Tutorial 18 at www.smt-exhibition.com.<br />
ipc european executive summit<br />
negotiates challenges into opportunities<br />
Encouraging its members in the electronics<br />
industry to look beyond today’s stormy<br />
environment, IPC—Association Connecting<br />
Electronics Industries® will host a<br />
European Electronics Industry Executive<br />
Summit in Berlin 27 th -28th April to<br />
help companies prepare for the economic<br />
upturn and capitalize on growing industry<br />
opportunities.<br />
The two-day event will kick off with a<br />
Government Relations & Regulatory Forum<br />
to discuss the proposed changes to the<br />
RoHS Directive and IPC efforts in regards<br />
to the impending changes, as well as other<br />
laws and regulations with the power to affect<br />
a company’s bottom line.<br />
The afternoon of 27 April will resume<br />
with a full program dedicated to EMS<br />
management issues.<br />
On 28 April, the IPC Executive Market<br />
& Technology Forum Conference will<br />
bring together members from all segments<br />
of the electronics supply chain to highlight<br />
areas of growth and how each link in the<br />
chain can work together to realize these opportunities.<br />
This day-long conference will<br />
be presented in partnership with the European<br />
Institute of Printed Circuits (EIPC).<br />
For more information on the IPC<br />
European Electronics Industry Executive<br />
Summit, visit www.ipc.org/berlin-meetings<br />
or contact Ms. Alli Green, IPC industry<br />
programs coordinator, at AlliGreen@ipc.org<br />
or +1 847-597-2879.<br />
sMTA announces co-located June<br />
events in Denmark<br />
The SMTA is organizing two co-located<br />
events focusing respectively on tin whiskers<br />
and counterfeit electronics parts issues,<br />
to be held from 23rd-26th June 2009 at<br />
the Technical University of Denmark in<br />
Lyngby.<br />
The 3rd International Symposium on<br />
Tin Whiskers runs June 23-24, 2009. It will<br />
cover case histories, theories of tin whisker<br />
growth, experiments and results, risk evaluation<br />
methods, and risk mitigation strategies.<br />
Attendees will be able to learn about<br />
the current state of knowledge enabling<br />
the development of improved and effective<br />
qualification and mitigation procedures.<br />
The first two symposia were organized by<br />
CALCE in US and Japan. www.smta.org/<br />
education/education.cfm#tin-whiskers<br />
The Symposium on Avoiding, Detecting,<br />
and Preventing Counterfeit Electronic<br />
Parts runs June 25-26, 2009. It will be valuable<br />
to supply chain managers, component<br />
engineers, brand protection specialists,<br />
marketing and procurement policy makers,<br />
contracts management, security specialists<br />
and other interested engineers. The focus<br />
is to provide relevant information to the<br />
professionals that can be used for solving<br />
problems today while planning for a different<br />
business and technology environment<br />
in the future. www.smta.org/education/<br />
education.cfm#counterfeit<br />
These symposia are organized by SMTA<br />
in conjunction with the Center for Advanced<br />
Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) at<br />
the University of Maryland, College Park,<br />
MD and the Centre for Electronic Corrosion<br />
(CELCORR) and ATV-SEMAPP at<br />
the Technical University of Denmark.<br />
www.globalsmt.net
www.globalsmt.net<br />
Title<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 51
International Title Diary<br />
International Diary<br />
8 – 10 April 2009<br />
NEPCON Korea<br />
Seoul, Korea<br />
smtpcb.org<br />
13 – 16 April 2009<br />
Expo Electronica<br />
Mocow, Russia<br />
expoelectronica.ru<br />
21 – 24 April 2009<br />
NEPCON China<br />
Shanghai, China<br />
nepconchina.com<br />
22 – 22 April 2009<br />
Electronics New England—<br />
NEPCON<br />
Boston, MA, USA<br />
devicelink.com/expo/dmne09<br />
27 April – 1 May 2009<br />
PCB East<br />
Waltham, MA, USA<br />
pcbeast.com<br />
5 – 7 May 2009<br />
SMT/Hybrid/Packaging<br />
Nuremberg, Germany<br />
smt-exhibition.com<br />
14 May 2009<br />
MEPTEC MEMS<br />
Symposium<br />
San Jose, CA<br />
meptec.org<br />
20 – 21 May 2009<br />
NEPCON East/Electro<br />
Boston, MA<br />
nepcon.com<br />
1 – 5 June 2009<br />
Electronica Americas<br />
Sao Paula, Brazil<br />
electronicamericas.net<br />
3 – 5 June 2009<br />
JPCA/PROTEC<br />
Tokyo, Japan<br />
jpcashow.com<br />
15 – 18 June 2009<br />
EMPC 2009<br />
Rimini, Italy<br />
empc2009.org<br />
16 – 18 June 2009<br />
National Electronics Week<br />
London, UK<br />
www.nationalelectronicsweek.<br />
co.uk<br />
52 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net
Exhibition & Conference<br />
Nuremberg 5–7 May 2009<br />
Germany<br />
www.globalsmt.net<br />
www<br />
Title<br />
smt-exhibition.com<br />
The place to be!<br />
Organizer: Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH, Rotebuehlstrasse 83–85, D-70178 Stuttgart, Tel. +49 711 61946-79, Fax +49 711 61946-93, smt@mesago.com<br />
Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 – 53
Title<br />
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54 – Global SMT & Packaging – March 2009 www.globalsmt.net