03 10 03 Circuit Assembly

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OCTOBER 2003
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DOUBLESIDED ARRAY ASSEMBLIES Can reliability be predicted?
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MASS IMAGING: CROSSING THE DISPENSING BRIDGE CONFORMAL COATING MADE EASY TEN TIMELY TIPS: COMPONENT PLACEMENT
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Features
COVER ARTICLE
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Predicting Reliability of Double-Sided Area Array Assemblies

Using existing finite element models is a cost-effective method to investigate double-sided components. Anthony Primavera, Ph.D.
Cover photograph provided by Universal Instruments Corp., Binghamton, NY.
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Crossing the Bridge from Dispensing to Mass Imaging

Virtually any material that can be dispensed is capable of being imaged onto any substrate in any type of carrier. Ricky Bennett
Perspectives
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Conformal Coating Made Easy

Companies looking to save costs and improve their environmental compliance should consider 100% solids, UV curing materials. Tom Charlton
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Editorial Letters On the Forefront

Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall
IPC Standard Features

Jack Crawford
Special Section
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Show Preview Product Preview Mexico News
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Ten Timely Tips Ask Les

Les Hymes
Problem Solved
Richard Boulanger and Heinz Dommel
Departments Online Exclusives

Part 3 of a 3-Part Series: The Wetting Balance John OBrien, Solderability Testing and Solutions Inc. Vibration Testing and Screening of PCBs Wayne Tustin, Equipment Reliability Institute Pick-and-Place Equipment Specifier Process Defect Clinic Bob Willis, EPS
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Industry News NETgain Market Watch Asia Watch Assembly Insider Ad Index Classifieds Product Spotlight
Editorial Office Circuits Assembly 2018 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 600 Atlanta, GA 30339 (678) 589-8800 Editor-in-Chief: Lisa Hamburg Assistant Editor: Robin Norvell Production Manager: Javier Longoria Advertising Production Manager: Jenny Darby Web Development Manager: Teresa Gentry Director of Audience Development: Jennifer Schuler Marketing Manager: Ronda Faries Exhibit Sales Manager: Therasa Johnson Publisher: Pete Waddell Circulation Inquiries: e-mail: jschuler@upmediagroup.com fax: (918) 496-9465 Reprints:
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www.circuitsassembly.com Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003
OEM Product Forecasting: Through a Glass Darkly
Editorial
eres a true story for you: In early 2001just as all idleness was about to break loose in electronics productionan electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider received some orders from an OEM customer. The orders looked suspect to the EMS companynot because of the type of product to be built, but how much of the product the OEM optimistically believed it would need in the coming months. After talking with its suppliers about a possible impending downshift in the industy and seeing similar orders slack off from other customers, the EMS provider now faced a dilemma: Should it fulfill the order for the OEM customer, knowing that demand probably was not there, or should it limit the amount of product to be produced, saving itself and its customer from possible, but not yet proven, inventory and cash flow problems? Ultimately, the EMS provider refused to fulfill the order in its entirety. When questioned by the incredulous OEM as to why, the EMS said: Weve seen some orders slack off from other customers in this sector, and we talk to our suppliers in the industry. All indications led to the EMS companys assessment that demand for this product was waninghow fast and how deep would only be proven later. And, ultimately, because of its foresight, the EMS provider saved itself and its customer some unwanted inventory in the pipeline. The moral of this story, as related by Technology Forecasters, Inc.s (TFI) Pam Gordon at her companys recent Quarterly Forum for Electronics Manufacturing Outsourcing and Supply Chain, was not to showcase an uppity EMS provider defying its OEM customer. Instead, the story showed that EMS providersperhaps now more than everreally do have a tremendous amount of input concerning the nuances of electronics production. The point, according to Gordon, is that OEMs should welcome this experience and let their EMS partners actually be partners, which includes contributing sound information to product forecasting. Forecasting really is an abysmal task, whatever your industry. Faced with conflicting reports from the research analysts covering your market nicheand, er, theyve been wrong beforea nebulous future in which demand is a slippery target, past histories that can only show you where youve been and sales forecasts often tainted with a particular spin, no wonder product managers at OEMs are often wrong when trying to forecast product demand. Why is forecasting so hard for OEMs? Gordon listed several market-driven reasons TFI discovered in the research for its recent report, Best Practices in Product Forecasting, with the difficult art of prediction staining them all. Accurately foreseeing customer behavior, the
new product introduction ramp, end-of-life decline, competitive behaviors and price erosion and, with wounds still fresh, economic upturns and downturns is just plan hard. In fact, Gordon stated that a few OEMs TFI interviewed actually related that they feel very unsuccessful in predicting product demand. These market-driven factors are hard to control, but Gordon and her team also found some internally driven factors contributing to poor product forecasting that are more controllable. Often, the differing forecasting methodologies across the OEM organization confuse the process; hand in hand with that is the lack of internal emphasis and understanding concerning forecasting. Other factors are the extensive data scrubbing that occurs between data sources used for forecasting and a lack of automation and integration with legacy systems. The bottom line is that forecasting is a difficult process, but thats no excuse. Several factors can be controlled by OEMs to improve the forecasts they hand to their EMS providers. And one item is improving communication with their EMS partners and other suppliers by involving them proactively in the forecasting process. Other tips Gordon recommended were to monitor consumption to forecasts for products on a weekly basis, instead of the typical monthly timeframe, and make adjustments as necessary. In addition, some best practices reported by the OEMs TFI interviewed included disciplined, structured measurement and monitoring and cross functional alignment within the organizationwith everyone held accountable for the forecast. Finally, develop a clear sales and operations planning process, where statistical-based forecasting is used as the starting point. Shockingly, over a fourth of OEMs TFI interviewed stated that they do not use statistically based forecasting to plan the production needed. No doubt about it, OEMs are under tremendous pressure from their customer base to get products out on time. As Gordons story proves, input from EMS providerswho are in the manufacturing trenches daily talking with materials suppliers and other customers can save their OEMs wasted inventory and money. And isnt that the point of a business partner?
Lisa Hamburg, Editor-in-Chief

e-mail: lhamburg@upmediagroup.com
Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003
Letters
Beware the Misnamed Monster Thanks for a good August issue, with lots of helpful information. But perhaps you should print a minor correction, for the benefit of youngsters like Phil Zarrow, who were not schooled in the days when students were expected to memorize poems (Beware the Jabberwocky, August 2003). The poem title was Jabberwocky, but the monster was the Jabberwock. The lines, as I recall, were, Beware the Jabberwock, my son/ The jaws that bite!/ The claws that catch!/ Beware the Jub-Jub bird,/ and shun the frumious Bandersnatch! I cannot guarantee the spelling and punctuation without checking a source, but I think those are the correct wordsunless Phil was warning us against the poem, which I admit is not first-class. Besides, the word Jabberwocky would not scan in that line! Have a frabjous day! George Riley, Ph.D, FlipChips Dot Com The author responds: Thanks, George. Since yours was the only comment to this effect, I am glad that there is at least one literate person in this industry. By the way, it was that damn carpenter who gave me the spelling; I should have listened to the walrus. Regards, The Chesire Cat [Phil Zarrow, ITM Consulting] Looking to Catch the Next Big Wave I enjoyed your recent editorial [Misery Loves Company? July, 2003]. Although I am not in the manufacturing industry any longer, I can understand and sympathize with those who still are. Mass production or even the service economy is not going to keep the U.S. leading position in quality of life. Otherwise, we would have kept the textile industry inside our boundaries. We are fine with the low level of the steel and railroad industries that used to be leading ones. I do not mind that most consumer electronics are made in Japan, Korea or China. Also, I do not mind driving a Toyota instead of a Ford. We have transferred those technologies abroad and now enjoy the goods high quality and low prices. The same thing is happening with the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers now. Its all the same cycle that we had in the past: developing new technology, enjoying high margins, maturing, lowering margins, commoditization and technology transfer abroad. Not much can be done about it. But once you realize that we are in the middle of this natural technological cycle, you can be better prepared for the future. I am not an oracle, of course, and cannot tell you whether the EMS industry will be like the steel or textile industries.
I think some highly flexible, low-volume, high-cost EMS shops will remain in the U.S. for research and development (R&D) of early stage products and services. High-volume low-cost EMS providers will be located in what I call the manufacturing belt of China and India. These countries are good for manufacturing well-established goods, such as computers and mobile phones. This technology transfer is happening across the whole information technology (IT) sector. We are losing even white collar workers here, not just electronics manufacturing services. The $1 million question is: Whats next? It sounds ridiculous, but the big IT waves, such as the Internet, computer games and even EMS, happened because of some obscure scientific computational tools. They were never meant to be public. Computers came about because of peoples nature to play with numbers, images and programming. If you feel frustrated about commoditization in the electronics industry, remember that one chief of the U.S. Patent Office once said that everything has been already invented and the office should be closed. That was in the 19th century. I know that we are in the beginning of the next big wave. Will it be nanotechnology or something else? Nobody knows, but everybody tries to make the best guess. I personally believe that the next big thing will center on human technologies, like human-oriented interfaces or subconscious computers. Slav Ligai Saving U.S. Manufacturing I read Sue Muchas article [Calculating the Total Costs of Offshore Outsourcing, June, 2003] and agree with her. There is a lot to consider. I hope we can keep more of the effort in the U.S. We are trying to do our part. Tim Easterling, Future Designs Inc.
Send mail and thoughts to Editor, Circuits Assembly, 2018 Powers Ferry Rd., Ste. 600, Atlanta, GA 30339; fax: 678/589-8850; email: lhamburg@upmediagroup.com. Letters must include the writers name, address and company affiliation and may be edited for length and clarity.
Industry
NEWS
Sanmina-SCI Achieves Certification for Design and Development
THE LATEST THE INTERNET HAS TO OFFER
Web Sites Worth Mentioning

www.dowepoxy.com The Epoxy Products and
Intermediates (EP&I) business of the Dow Chemical Co. has launched a new site that employs Web-based software to help customers locate and select the right epoxy products. The site features order entry, order status reporting, payment tracking, technical information, Web meeting and document sharing capabilities.
www.EVGroup.com EV Group, a manufacturer of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and semiconductor wafer processing equipment, has relaunched its Web site. The site structure combines market and product orientation, providing tailormade information for customers. Direct links between related topics allow access to all information relevant for each market. www.alchemica.co.uk/conspire/discover. html This site helps conspiracy theorists who are
unable, or unwilling, to come up with their own theory. Fill in a few blanks about location, heroes, victims or plots, and the site will generate your very own conspiracy theory to mutter wherever you wish.
Sanmina-SCI Corp. (San Jose, CA, www.sanmina-sci.com), a supplier of integrated design and electronics manufacturing services (EMS), announced that its Defense and Aerospace Systems organization (Huntsville, AL) has achieved ISO 9001:2000 and TL 9000 Release 3.0 certification for design and development plus software design and development. ISO 9001:2000 and TL9000 Release 3.0 registration for design and development ensures the ability of Sanmina-SCI to successfully design products for our customers in many demanding technological areas, said Stephen Werner, vice president and operations manager of Defense and Aerospace Systems. This registration raises the bar for the level of acceptable performance for design and development. Sanmina-SCIs Defense and Aerospace Systems provides the resources needed to execute development or EMS programs. Particular expertise exists in the areas of embedded processor, radio frequency (RF) and fiber optic engineering, manufacturing and test development. A value-added service portfolio includes hardware and software design, new product introduction (NPI), design for x (DFx), supply chain management, obsolescence mitigation, manufacturing and test. An enabling set of standard products and related intellectual property provides solutions for many customer system needs in processing, communications, instrumentation or fiber optics.
Ingenico Selects MSL as Strategic Global Supplier

MSL (Concord, MA, www.msl.com), an electronics manufacturing and supply-chain services company, announced that it has been chosen by Groupe Ingenico (Paris, France, www.ingenico.com) as its primary worldwide strategic supplier and will provide global support for Ingenicos line of electronic payment terminals. As part of the multi-year agreement, Ingenicos subsidiary Telesincro, located in Barcelona, Spain, will transfer to MSL its manufacturing employees with technical expertise in electronic funds transfer pointof-sale (EFTPOS) and secure payment products, as well as certain assets and manufacturing space. The Barcelona plant, formerly Ingenicos only internal manufacturing site, manufactures approximately 600,000 terminals annually, approximately 40% of the companys global demand. MSL will provide manufacturing, build-to-order (BTO), order fulfillment and repair services to Ingenico from Barcelona and from additional locations worldwide. Ingenico offers a complete range of electronic payment systems, including fixed, portable and mobile payment terminals, secure smart card readers and related EFTPOS peripherals. The companys product line also includes the first wireless terminal featuring Bluetooth technology. MSL supports multiple customers in the retail systems sector, including suppliers of point-of-sale (POS) terminals, secure EFT products and retail security equipment.
Industry Resources
www.leadfreesoldering.com This new Web site
is designed to assist companies moving to lead-free assembly. The site features interviews from engineers worldwide on lead-free issues. Free downloads include solder joint images, defect guides, technical articles and process guides. The site provides examples of inspection and soldering posters that can be used for operator reference regarding the differences between tin-lead and lead-free joints.
www.ec-central.org The Electronics Components,

Assemblies and Material Association (ECA) site includes online trade shows featuring exhibitors from the Capacitor and Resistor Technology Symposium (CARTS), International Relay Conference (IRC), Electronic Distribution Show (EDS), Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) and the International Wire and Cable Symposium (IWCS). Visitors can search an online database for companies that exhibited at any ECA event and can search for products and services offered by these companies.
www.industrycommunity.com This site allows users to search for the solution to a specific technical problem; help others by sharing their own technical knowledge and capability; share industry technology or business information; and buy or sell machinery, equipment, products and components for business or personal use.
Feinfocus Expands Relationship With the APiA

Feinfocus (Wunstorf, Germany, www.feinfocus.com) has announced the expansion of its membership with the Advanced Packaging & Interconnect Alliance (ApiA, www.apialliance.com). Feinfocus chose to expand this relationship to investigate the importance of x-ray inspection as the semiconductor industry shifts towards wafer-level and system-on-chip packaging. Nanofocus and nanotomography inspection criteria will undoubtedly become more vital as a result of these wafer technology trends, and Feinfocus will collaborate with other APiA members on the research of x-ray inspection technology to meet the needs of this evolving marketplace. The company will reinforce the APiAs intent to provide the wafer-level packaging market with a reliable source for their process and production technology needs. APiA, an alliance of equipment suppliers and process developers, serves the advanced packaging and interconnect industries. The goal of the alliance is to enhance the productivity of the equipment and process solutions for advanced packaging and interconnect processes, as well as develop guidelines and standards to enable easy adoption of these solutions.
Part 3 of a 3-Part Series: The Wetting Balance John O'Brien, Solderability Testing and Solutions Inc. Vibration Testing and Screening of PCBs Wayne Tustin, Equipment Reliability Institute Pick-and-Place Equipment Specifier Process Defect Clinic Bob Willis, EPS
Would you like to contribute to NET gain?

Contact Robin Norvell at rnorvell@upmediagroup.com
Industry
People
NEWS
Circuits Assembly Earns Sixth ASBPE Award
The American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE, Napervile, IL, www.asbpe.org) recently honored UP Media Groups Circuits Assembly magazine (Atlanta, GA) with its sixth regional ASBPE Award of Excellence. For five conAmerican Society of Business Publication Editors secutive years, Circuits Assembly has won an award in the ASBPEs competition, which recognizes outstanding editorial and design achievement and is one of the 2002 Regional EDITORIAL most competitive programs for business publications. Award Winner Circuits Assembly took home silver honors for the category of Regular Column, circulation less than 80,000 Contributed, for columnist Phil Zarrows bimonthly On the Forefront. Zarrows columns that were entered were: MSD: What you dont know may be killing you, (June 2002) and Surface-Mount Anachronisms: Phil takes a stroll down the memory lane of the electronics industry (December 2002). This ASBPE award is Zarrows fourth. According to ASBPE, the organization had over 2,500 entries this year, more than twice the number of any other national business publication award contest for editorial and design excellence. On June 30, 2003, the printed circuit board (PCB) industry lost a legend with the passing of 84-year-old Russ Boissoneau. Cofounder and former vice-president of the Electropac family of companies, Boissoneau had played an integral part in PCB development since the 1960s. Boissoneau co-founded Electropac Co. Inc. in 1976 with his son, Raymond Boissoneau. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends, and he will always be remembered as one of the PCB industrys first pioneers. Klckner Pentaplast (Gordonsville, VA), a producer of rigid films, has promoted Tom Goeke from president of Klckner Pentaplast of America Inc. (kpA) to chief operating officer of Klckner Pentaplast Group (worldwide). Michael Tubridy was promoted from executive vice president of kpA to president of kpA. Other promotions include David Veasey from director of production to vice president of operations; Michael Ryan from marketing manager to director of marketing; and Bobby Nolan from national sales manager to director of sales. In addition, Bob Kramer has been hired as director of marketing and sales for the Witt Plastics division of kpA. Pinnacle Electronics (Pittsburgh, PA) president and chief executive officer, Ty Eggemeyer, was selected as a winner in the Ernst & Young 2003 Entrepreneur of the Year competition for the Western Pennsylvania region. The competition recognizes achievements based on recent performance of the nominees company. Eggemeyer was a winner in the manufacturing/consumer products category. Andy Slade has joined P.D. Circuits (Hampstead, NH) as quality manager. Slade was previously product development engineer at Sanmina. Bruce Batten has been named president of Advantek Inc. (Minnetonka, MN), replacing the retired Tim Cowen. Prior to joining the company, Batten was vice president and general manager of electronic assembly products at CyberOptics Corp.
SMTA Announces 2003 Hutchins Grant Recipient

The Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA, Minneapolis, MN, www.smta.org) has announced the recipient of the 2003 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant. Andrew Perkins from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, www.gatech.edu) has been selected by the SMTA Grant Committee to receive the award for his project, Investigating the Combination of High and Low Cycle Fatigue on Solder Joints. Perkins is a graduate student in mechanical engineering. Recently, his experience has been in material characterization, numerical modeling, design and reliability. Perkins hopes to perform research that will enhance the reliability of electronic packages, and he hopes to study the interfacing of microelectronics devices and biomedical applications. He has been active at local SMTA chapter events and plans on continuing his involvement with professional societies. Perkins project was selected from 17 applications reviewed by SMTA members and industry educators. The award includes $5,000 and travel expenses to SMTA International, during which Perkins was presented the award by Hutchins Grant Committee chairperson Dr. Laura Turbini, University of Toronto. Cosponsored by Circuits Assembly magazine, the grant was established in memory of past SMTA president and industry colleague Charles Hutchins, who died in 1997.
Productronica 2003 Draws U.S. Companies to Munich

Productronica 2003 will take place Nov. 11-14, in Munich, Germany. According to show organizers, leading U.S. companies will be among 1,500 international exhibitors on the 1.4 million sq. ft. exhibit floor. The exhibit floor is organized by product category. In the test and measurement product category, visitors will see the latest in visual inspection, materials testing, measurement technology and laboratory station equipment. U.S. exhibitors in this section include: AIM Inc.; DIT-MCO International; Flow Autoclare System Ltd.; Gaiser Tool Co.; GT Solar Technologies Inc.; Machine Vision Products Inc.; Midas Vision Systems Inc.; Pomona Electronics; Radiant Technology Corp.; Sonoscan Inc.; Synergetix; and Thales Optem Inc. In the products finishing category, visitors will have access to everything from assembly and repair work to hybrids and electronic protectives. U.S. exhibitors participating in this section include: ACL Staticide; ASSET InterTech Inc.; BP Microsystems; Electronic Control Designs Inc.; EFD Inc.; Sonix Inc.; Universal Instruments Corp.; Virtual Industries Inc.; V-Tek Inc.; West Bond International Inc.; and Zierick Manufacturing Corp. Specific products on display in the microsystems technology hall include substrate materials for microsystem technology, mask and artwork generation, bonding and micro-assembly. U.S. exhibitors include: Elan Technology; March Plasma Systems; Marpet Enterprises Inc.; Orthodyne Electronics Corp.; and Royce Instruments Inc.
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Report: Use Of Internet To Purchase Direct Materials Surpassed Indirect Materials
The Institute for Supply Management (ISM, www.ism.ws) and Forrester Research Inc. (Cambridge, MA, www.forrester.com) have released the latest Research Report On eBusiness, which tracks online activity for manufacturing and nonmanufacturing organizations. The report indicates that the percentage of direct materials purchased online surpassed the percentage of indirect materials purchased using the Internet for the first time since the fall of 2000 when the report was developed. Survey respondents spent an average of 11.7% of their total direct materials using the Internet in Q2 2003, up 1.7% from Q1. Indirect materials spending remained flat at 11.0%. Large companies that procure more than $100 million per year also increased their use of online auctions, said Edith Kelly-Green, spokesperson for ISM and vice president and chief sourcing officer for FedEx. Two of the main concerns keeping survey respondents from wider adoption of the Internet surround the lack of supplier enablement and integration with internal and external systems. All companies agree that the Internet continues to grow in importance, with 42.3% of large-volume purchasers saying that the Internet was very important to their purchasing strategy in Q2, said Jennifer Chew, senior analyst at Forrester. The report states that online request for proposal (RFP) usage is on the rise and that large companies are using more eProcurement tools. The report analyzes three areas: the results of all organizations; the comparison of manufacturing and non-manufacturing organizations; and the comparison of organizations that procure more than $100 million on materials per year with those that purchase less than that amount per year.
Bluetooth Semiconductor Market Making Solid Progress

According to a new report from In-Stat/MDR (Scottsdale, AZ, www.instat.com), the Bluetooth semiconductor market has made solid progress in spite of economic ups and downs. The final 2002 worldwide chipset shipments were 35.8 million units, resulting in 245% growth over 2001. As the markets size grows and matures, the growth rates will naturally decrease, resulting in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 74% from 2002 to 2007. Mobile handsets will remain a major driving force for Bluetooth. Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones have grown significantly, especially for embedded models. When the worldwide average cost for Bluetooth solutions dipped below $10, many more models entered the market offering Bluetooth connectivity. With the assumption that cost will prevent a complete conversion for all phones to Bluetooth in the near term, In-Stat/MDR believes that the uptake rate will significantly rise as the solution cost declines. The companys research shows that many European and Asian operators see personal mobile gateways (PMGs) as an opportunity to increase average revenue per unit (ARPU) that offer other means for service differentiation. Demand for PMG products and associated capabilities and services could provide another driver for Bluetooth-enabled products. PMG adds an application layer on top of the Bluetooth physical connection and existing profiles. Several PMG equipment models are expected by the end of 2003, as are thin accessory devices. In-Stat/MDR also expects to see some trials and increased investigation by several European and Asian operators to occur this year and in 2004. According to the report, personal digital assistant (PDA) manufacturers have greatly increased their Bluetooth activity with a number of product introductions and a marketing push; Bluetooth silicon revenue will rise to $1.7 billion in 2007; and the vast majority of chipset shipments in 2002 were up to the host controller interface (HCI) only, but will migrate slowly toward solutions that include all of the embedded upper stack elements. Although Europe is presently the leader in terms of design decisions, it is no longer the leader in Bluetooth chipset shipments to that region for manufacturing. With an increase in expected production of headsets, notebook computers, consumer products and mobile phones in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China, Europes share of shipments will erode. For more information, visit: www.instat.com/catalog/Ccatalogue.asp?ID=161.
July 2003 Book-to-Bill

The U.S. IMS/PCB Industry Book-to-Bill Ratio for July 2003 was 1.04. Sales billed (shipments) in July 2003 decreased 3.7% from July 2002 and orders booked increased 9.2% from July 2002. Compared to 2002, bookings of PCBs are up 0.3% year-to-date, while shipments of PCBs are down 4.0% year-to-date. The ratio is calculated by averaging the number of orders booked over the past three months and dividing by the average sales billed during the same period.
1.30 1.25 1.20 1.15 1.10 1.05 1.00 0.95 0.90 0.85 0.80 0.75 0.70 0.65 0.60 0.55 July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July '02 '02 '02 '02 '02 '02 '03 '03 '03 '03 '03 '03 '03 0.99 0.98 0.95 0.91 0.92 0.96 0.97 1.04 1.02 1.03 1.00 1.02 1.04
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Cookson EE Opens Manufacturing Facility in China; Partners with MMI Systems
Cookson Electronics Equipment (CEE, Franklin, MA, www.cooksonee.com), also known as Speedline Technologies Inc., has entered into an exclusive partnership with MMI Systems Pte Ltd. for the manufacture of certain MPM stencil printers. The printers will be manufactured in a new facility located in the Suzhou Industrial Park in the Shanghai region of China. Our focus is to establish the manufacture of Speedlines midrange printers in China, said Richard Willshere, global outsource manager, Speedline Technologies. MMI will manufacture MPM Accuflex and Microflex printers to customer configurations. MMI Systems is an electromechanical systems contract manufacturer serving industries such as data storage, telecommunications, semiconductors and computer peripherals.
Asia
Universal Instruments Establishes Dover Software India (DSI)

Universal Instruments (Binghamton, NY, www.uic.com) has announced the establishment of Dover Software India (DSI) in Bangalore, India. DSI is a cooperative arrangement between Dover companies, Universal Instruments and DEK International to establish a software engineering organization in India. India, and especially Bangalore, has long been known for its software development expertise. The addition of a software technology development center in India will add significant capability for product delivery and support to the existing software development capability within Universal Instruments and DEK. In addition to his existing responsibilities with Dimensions, the Universal software product line, Peter Bollinger will be the manager of system software products and India operations. Ketan Parekh is president of Dover Software India and will be responsible for all business and software development operations within DSI. Parekh comes to UIC and DEK with over 10 years of software development experience in both India and the U.S. India team members are currently spending several months at the Universal facilities in Binghamton for training.
CoorsTek Expands Korean Facility

CoorsTek (Golden, CO, www.coorstek.com) announced the opening of a recently completed 8,900 sq. ft. building addition to its Gumi City, Korea facility. With this addition, CoorsTek Korea now has over 20,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space available. The building expansion is intended to provide additional ceramic machining services to support the companys growing customer base in Asia. CoorsTek also intends to install new manufacturing capabilities to enhance participation in new business segments for CoorsTek Korea. CoorsTek Korea is a supplier of ceramic components to the semiconductor, telecommunications and medical markets in Korea. The Korean facilities also support the worldwide customer base by offering regional sourcing opportunities for U.S. customers with operations in Asia. CoorsTek Korea is an ISO 9001 certified facility with Class 100 cleanroom capabilities.
Flextronics to Acquire ODM Microcell

Flextronics (Singapore, www.flextronics.com) has signed an agreement to acquire Microcell Group, an original design manufacturer (ODM) of wireless global systems for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS) and enhanced data rates for global systems for
mobile communications evolution (EDGE) handset products. Microcells operations include product creation centers in Finland and Denmark, administrative offices in Switzerland and the U.S. and a manufacturing operation through a joint venture in Nanjing, China. The acquisition will strengthen Flextronics mobile phone ODM capabilities by adding Microcells competence in the GSM/GPRS/EDGE field. Microcell is especially strong in the product creation area with over 300 product creation engineers. The agreement provides for an initial cash purchase price to the shareholders of Microcell of approximately $80 million, plus the assumption of approximately $120 million of net liabilities. The purchase price is subject to adjustments for contingent consideration, based upon the acquired business achieving specified levels of earnings through December 2005. The acquisition is expected to close this month and is subject to a number of customary conditions, including regulatory approvals and approval by the shareholders of Microcell. The acquisition is not expected to have a significant impact on sales and is expected to have a neutral to slightly positive effect on the operating profits of Flextronics from the acquisition closing date through its fiscal year ending March
31, 2004. For the subsequent fiscal year it is expected to be additive to operating profits.
Mykrolis Expands Executive Presence in Asia

Mykrolis Corp. (Billerica, MA, www.mykrolis. com), a supplier of components and subsystems to the semiconductor industry, has announced that Gerry Mackay, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing, will relocate to Singapore. His move to Singapore reflects the company's commitment to serving its rapidly growing AsiaPacific customer base. Sales to these and other Asia-Pacific customers accounted for 67% of the company's global revenues in the first quarter of 2003. Mykrolis currently serves customers from regional sales and service offices in China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. Mackay has over twenty years of experience in worldwide sales and marketing and has been an executive officer with the company since April 2002. Would you like to contribute to Asia WATCH? Contact Robin Norvell at rnorvell@upmediagroup.com.
14
On the Forefront
Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall
The Balancing Act

Learn how to balance a line using some very simple calculations.
Phil Zarrow is president and surfacemount process consultant, and Jim Hall is a principal surfacemount process consultantboth with ITM Consulting, Durham, NH; (603) 868-1754; www.ITM Consulting.org.
fundamental aspect of automated surfacemount assembly is having a process that runs at optimal efficiency, with the least amount of waiting time between machines. Having a machine waiting for the one in front of it to supply printed circuit boards (PCBs) is very inefficient. When an automated assembly process runs at optimal efficiency with little or no wait time, we have a balanced line. In our work, we see a lot of automated surfacemount assembly processes. What we do not see are a lot of balanced lines. The printer at the front of the line is rarely the gating factor. We have seen lines where even semi-automatic printers keep up with lines equipped with chipshooters. Not much talent is necessary to assign the right capacity reflow oven to a particular line volume. Though specific formulas for calculating oven conveyor speed exist, basically the longer the oven, the higher the volume that can be passed through a reflow profile that takes four to five minutes. The bottleneck in almost all lines is the pick-and-place function. Pick-and-place machines are expensive and constitute a high percentage of the investment in any line. In a low-volume line with a single pick-and-place machine handling both passives and integrated circuits (ICs), not much can be done to tweak the line speed. Most people get in trouble when multiple placement machines, like a chipshooter and a flexible placement machine, are in the line. Common wisdom is to do the passives quickly on the chipshooter and assign the ICs to the flexible placement machine. However, this usually results in the flexible placement machine waiting an inordinate amount of time for the chipshooter to feed it a board. We dare you to walk out to your line and see if that is the case. If so, try not to be too dismayed. A little applied math can vastly improve line efficiency. Dont worry, all we are talking about is some simple algebra, so spray some WD-40 on your brain cells and lets go. Placement Machine Performance First, determine the placement rate of each pickand-place machine in the line. The rate will not appear in the manual or on the machines spec sheet; you have to measure it. We are specifically talking about the actual placement rates for individual categories of components, such as passives, simple ICs or complex ICs. The rates should be measured while the placement
machine is running continuously and should not include any stops for setup, repair, assists or component replenishment. For example, we have a turret-style chipshooter that handles passives and simple ICs, such as SOIC8s and PLCC20s. Next in the line is a flexible placement system that can place passivesalbeit quite a bit slower than the chipshooterbut can masterfully put down simple and complex ICs. The flexible system places the simple ICs at a faster rate than the chipshooter (Table 1). Although we have seemingly put the passives on the chipshooter and the ICs on the flexible placement system, appearances can be deceiving. Bill of Materials Next, get out the bill of materials (BOM). You must subdivide the entire BOM into the three categories of components identified for placement systems (Table 2). As you can see, line balancing is application-specificanother likely reason why most people do not bother doing it. Line Balancing A line is balanced when each placement machine uses the same amount of time to place all of the components assigned to it. The placement time for each category of component is calculated by the following formula: Placement Time = # Components Placement Rate
Total placement time is the sum of all categories of components assigned to each machine. Using the values in our example, assume that all the passives are assigned to the chipshooter and the ICs are assigned to the flex
Placement Machine Chipshooter Flex Placer Passives (placements/hr) 10,000 4,000 Simple ICs (placements/hr) 2,000 4,000 Complex ICs (placements/hr) N/A 1,000
TABLE 1: The measured placement rates for types of components on two different placement machines.
Passives BOM Totals 200 Simple ICs 15 Complex ICs 6
TABLE 2: BOM totals divided into the three categories of components.
16
placer. The assignment of components for the first theoretical calculation does not matter; the balancing procedure is an exact single iteration calculation regardless of the starting point. The first step is to check whether the line is balanced initially. Total Placement Time (Chipshooter) = 200 = 0.02 hr. (72 sec.) 10,000 Total Placement Time (Flex Placer) = 15 6 + = 0.0038 + 0.006 = 0.0098 hr. (35.3 sec) 4,000 1,000 In this case, the flex placer is idle 50% of the time. Does that sound incredibly efficient? The solution is to move some of the passives to the flex placer, thus reducing the time for the chipshooter and increasing the time for the flex placer. When the correct number is reassigned, the total placement times are equal and the line is balanced. Mathematically, we will equate the two equations above, adjusting both for the reassigned components. The number of components to be reassigned will be the variable x. The balancing equation is as follows:
Total Placement Time (Chipshooter) = Total Placement Time (Flex Placer) (200 - X) 15 6 X = + + 10,000 4,000 1,000 4,000 Using simple algebra, we solve the equation for x and find it equal to 29.3. We can then confirm the calculations and identify the actual cycle time for the product: Total Placement Time (Chipshooter) = (200 - 29) = 0.017 hr. (61 sec.) 10,000 Total Placement Time (Flex Placer) = 15 6 29 + + = 0.017 hr. (61 sec.) 4,000 1,000 4,000 With a few calculations, line efficiency is radically improved and it did not cost a cent. You now know more about line balancing than most of your compatriots. By the way, line balancing is also a component of the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) process engineer certification. So go ahead and try this at home to reap the rewards of having a line running optimally. Remember, were all in this together.
On the Forefront
17
Standard Features
Jack Crawford
The Status of Lead-Free Standards

Lead-free standards are difficult to develop without a consensus.
Jack Crawford is director of assembly, standards and technology with IPC, Northbrook, IL; (847) 790-5393; e - m a i l : Ja c k Craw ford@ipc.org.
PC has many standards either under development or under revision to support the electronics manufacturing and interconnect manufacturing service (EMS/IMS) industries and has recently released a white paper (IPC-SPVC-WP-006), Round Robin Testing and Analysis, Lead-Free AlloysTin, Silver and Copper. The first standard published specifically to support lead-free assembly was J-STD-006A, Requirements for Electronic Grade Solder Alloys and Fluxed and NonFluxed Solid Solders, in May 2001. The standard separated alloys into tables for traditional tin-lead alloys, lead-free alloys and specialty alloys and also established an impurity threshold of 0.2% for the maximum lead content in lead-free alloys. The committee is monitoring European discussions that could drive that impurity level as low as 0.1% but has not yet been able to justify that lower level. J-STD-004A, Requirements for Soldering Fluxes, is being reballoted after solving some technical issues. The standard provides the test methods and acceptance criteria for various types of fluxes, including those that need to support the higher lead-free processing temperatures. J-STD-002B and J-STD-003A, the solderability test methods and acceptability criteria for component leads and printed circuit boards (PCBs), respectively, were published earlier this year. They both include a significant change in the type of flux used for testing but remain focused on traditional tin-lead finishes. Many comments regarding lead-free issues were brought up during the development of the last version of J-STD-002C. J-STD-003B has already started to include lead-free finishes. A test plan will validate some of the needed requirements. The joint IPC/JEDEC group responsible for maintaining J-STD-020B, Moisture/Reflow Sensitivity Classification for Non-Hermetic Solid State Surface-Mount Devices, expects to publish an amendment
by the end of the year to modify the high-end test temperatures to 260C for some package sizes. Revisions specific to lead free have been started for JSTD-020C and J-STD-033B, Handling, Packing, Shipping and Use of Moisture/Reflow Sensitive Surface-Mount Devices. Moisture-sensitive components require special handling and process control to protect them from cracking and de-lamination during reflow. The basic platform for assemblies, the PCB, as built under the standards IPC-6012A and IPC-A-600F, must also withstand the higher processing temperatures encountered with lead-free alloys. The polymeric materials used to fabricate a typical PCB will commonly be exposed to reflow and wave soldering temperatures up to 30C higher than when leadbased eutectic alloys were the norm. The laminate materials, as specified in IPC-4101A, IPC-4103 or IPC/JPCA-4104, must tolerate these increases with alternate material specification sheets for higher glass transition temperatures. Solder resists, as addressed in IPC-SM-840C, are also being severely stressed. Delamination, blistering, bow and twist and hole barrel cracking are typical defects prompted by the increased thermal excursions seen with lead-free alloys.
PCB manufacturers are being asked to use appropriate surface finishes to allow the final assembly to be truly lead free. Such alternate surface finishes, which were initiated to more easily facilitate surface-mount assembly, are now recognized as lead-free contributors to the final assembly.
18
Standard Features
Additionally, PCB manufacturers are being asked to use appropriate surface finishes to allow the final assembly to be truly lead free. Such alternate surface finishes, which were initiated to more easily facilitate surface-mount assembly, are now recognized as lead-free contributors to the final assembly. Finally, the committees developing updates for the soldering standards IPC-A-610D, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, and J-STD-001D, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies, have struggled for several years to determine if special acceptance criteria are needed for lead-free assembly. Several industry groups and companies conduct environmental stress screening and other tests on assemblies manufactured with lead-free processes. Unfortunately, the data have been slow to develop and have hampered development. In this area, IPCs Solder Product Value Council (SPVC) has taken the lead. In its efforts to achieve a worldwide consensus on a standard alloy for the electronics industry, the SPVC Lead Free Technical Committee completed analysis of round robin testing of three tin-silver-copper alloys, in the following percentages respectively: 96.5/ 3.0/ 0.5; 95.5/ 3.8/ 0.7; and 95.5/ 4.0/ 0.5. The results of these tests were published in the report: IPC-SPVCWP-006. The tests were designed to determine if there are any significant differences in performance between the three lead-free alloys, said Dr. Greg Munie, Kester Solder, the editor of the white paper. Based on the statistical analysis of the data gathered from the tests, the difference between alloys is not statistically significant. The next phase of the SPVCs lead-free test program will be long-term interconnection reliability testing, including thermal shock and thermal cycling of the three lead-free alloys. The council recently completed the down-select testing of solder manufacturers. Quantity samples of the lead-free candidates were given to Engent AAT, an independent process development, technology commercialization and test laboratory, for evaluation of the paste based on the recommendation of Solectron and Flextronics. The alloys will now be sent to the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies for assembly, with reliability testing by the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division expected to begin this month. The next opportunity to participate in IPC standard development committees is at the co-located APEX and IPC Printed Circuits Expo meetings. Copies of committee minutes, drafts and comments can be downloaded at www.ipc.org/Committeepage.asp. A free copy of the IPC-SPVC-WP-006 report is available at www.ipc.org/leadfree.
Assembly Standards Update

The following industry consensus standards have been published recently: IPC Roadmap 2003, National Technology Roadmap for Electronic Interconnections IPC-0040, Optoelectronic Assembly and Packaging Technology IPC-WP/TR-584, IPC White Paper and Technical Report on Halogen-Free Materials Used for PCBs and Assemblies IPC-SPVC-WP-006, Round Robin Testing and Analysis, Lead Free AlloysTin, Silver and Copper IPC-2221A, Generic Standard on Printed Board Design IPC-2226, Sectional Design Standard for High Density Interconnect (HDI) Printed Boards IPC-2501, Definition for Web-Based Exchange of XML Data IPC-8413-1, Specification for Process Carriers Used to Handle Optical Fibers in Manufacturing IPC-9151, Printed Board Process Capability and Relative Reliability (PCQR2) Benchmark Test Standard and Database
The following standards are being balloted for industry acceptance: J-STD-001CS, Addendum Specific to Electronic Hardware Used in Space J-STD-004A, Requirements for Soldering Fluxes IPC-HDBK-005, Soldering Paste Handbook to Support J-STD-005 Requirements for Soldering Pastes IPC-T-50G, Terms and Definitions for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits IPC-CM-770E, Guidelines for Printed Board Component Mounting IPC-2251, Design Guidelines for Electronic Packaging Utilizing High Speed Techniques IPC-2581, Generic Requirements for Printed Board Assembly Products Manufacturing Description Data and Transfer Methodology IPC-6013A, Qualification and Performance Specification for Flexible Printed Boards IPC-7095A, Design and Assembly Process Implementation for Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs) IPC-7351, Generic Requirements for Surface-Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard IPC-7912A, Calculation of DPMO and Manufacturing Indices for Printed Board Assemblies IPC/SMEMA-9851, Equipment Interface Specification
19
Ten Timely Tips
Component Placement
1. One principle of international diplomacy is trust but verify, which also applies to selecting and qualifying placement equipment. Talk to users of the equipment to compare
their experience against what the salesperson tells you. Write into the contract what the supplier will do and when to remedy any failures to meet guarantees. Also, document how any disputes will be settled.
2. Commonly, a machine will not meet its published specifications for placement accuracy. Check this specification
Measure the MS in your printing and pick-andplace systems. Values over 1.000 are not recommended. If MS is suspected but visual examination is not successful, retouch by hand soldering the suspicious components. Surface tension during solder reflow may be enough to make the crack apparent. Be careful not to touch the components body with the soldering iron tip; otherwise, a thermal crack could result. Miguel Castilla, FUJITSU MANUFACTURING ESPAA, S.A.U., mmcastilla@mail.fujitsu.es
7. Improve the skills and capabilities of your operators. Is everybody well trained and up to date? Have some operators been trained in-house by colleagues who were also trained by colleagues? This practice may perpetuate slipshod habits, leave operators with knowledge gaps and an outdated approach, and gradually reduce production efficiency. Training by the equipment supplier may help ensure that operators make the most of their capabilities and of potential machine/line performance. 8. Optimize your machine/line. Asking your equipment supplier for a performance audit typically costs nothing. If the audit yields recommendations for improving line performance, you can choose only those solutions with a worthwhile return on investment and direct boost to your bottom line. Paul Gerits, Assemblon, info.assembleon@philips.com 9. Check material quality. One of the most essential aspects of surface-mount component placement occurs outside of the placement process itself. Component vendor selection and strict incoming material inspection are critical for a successful surface-mount assembly process. Component vendors must supply components manufactured to consistent tolerances and feed media that are reliable at machine level. Incoming material inspection then verifies the parts conformance to both dimensional and electrical specifications, as well as the quality of the media. Mark Campbell and Chris Lambrecht, Siemens Dematic; mark.campbell@siemens.com; christoph.lambrecht@siemens.com 10. The number one reason for lost productivity is a lack of supervision at the surface-mount assembly line. Guidance
using glass parts or other appropriate methods before accepting a machine.

3. Check the amount of time required for routine maintenance operations and at what interval these are required, which can add up to considerable time and cost. Be sure to
look at feeder cost and capability of those that are offered. Find out what maintenance the feeders require and how often. Glenn Robertson, Process Sciences, glennr77@netscape.net
4. When you design your next board, do not forget the fiducial marks. Surprisingly, a lot of boards still have no fidu-
cial marks, and, without them, consistent placements are almost impossible. Fiducial marks are especially important for boards with fine-pitch components.
5. Make sure the board has sufficient support and is fixed correctly. If a board is warped in a conveyor or board
holder, a good placement result is impossible. This support is very important with fine-pitch components and ball grid arrays (BGAs). Spending a little more time to secure the board with the correct bottom support and side fixtures will save you a lot of time fixing placement errors. Eric Bach, Manncorp, ebach@manncorp.com Have a tip for our next Ten Timely Tips on Controlling and Avoiding ESD? Submit 75 words to lhamburg @upmediagroup. com by October 24. Those tip authors selected will have their names, company names and e-mail addresses printed.
6. Mechanical stress (MS) is the enemy. MS can cause breakage in the component body. Sometimes, the damage is internal and not severe enough to cause an open but will cause a deviation of performance. At times, cracks are not visible until soldering, but they can be visually detected with proper investigation. Some recommendations include: Determine the optimal location to put board support systems to avoid warps, especially in double reflow or reflow plus adhesive boards. In double-sided assemblies the components that undergo a higher stress are those on the opposite side to the one being mounted, since they are submitted to surface traction on their electrodes.
and leadership on the production floor are the keys to quick changeovers, good utilization and high efficiency on surface-mount assembly equipment. Scott Wischoffer, Fuji America Corp., scottw@fujiamerica.com
20
Component Placement
COVER ARTICLE
Predicting Reliability of DoubleSided Area Array Assemblies

Anthony Primavera, Ph.D.
Using existing finite element models is a cost-effective method to investigate double-sided components.
emand for high-density assemblies is forcing designers to make greater use of the underside of the printed circuit board (PCB) to mount complex semiconductors, including ball grid arrays (BGAs), chip-scale packages (CSPs) and quad flat packs (QFPs), in addition to the small passive components that are routinely mounted underside. Since the thermal cycling reliability performance of the device-toboard level attachment is critical in double-sided assemblies, designers need to know how this parameter may be altered by mounting large semiconductors on both sides of the board. Determining reliability by simulation is much faster and more cost effective than laboratory testing, but current finite element modeling techniques are only proven for single-sided assemblies. By physically testing a representative selection of assemblies and comparing the results with predictions generated using known models, assessing the applicability of current modeling techniques to double-sided assemblies is possible. If an acceptable correlation can be found, designers will be able to use existing finite element models to gain accurate reliability predictions and thereby optimize the layout of future double-sided boards.
Real-Life Comparison
The effects of components placed on both sides of a test board were studied. The components included CSPs, BGAs, QFPs and chip capacitors. Various configurations of doublesided assemblies were studied. These included symmetrically double-sided assemblies (mirror image assemblies), 50% overlap assemblies and assemblies with an area array component on one side and chip capacitors of various sizes on the other side.
22 Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003
Cycles-to-failure were documented for all assemblies, and the data were used to calculate the characteristic life. In addition, moir interferometry was used to study the displacement distribution in the solder joints at specific locations in the packages. Each of these assemblies was then simulated using existing finite element models to predict displacement over time due to thermal cycling. These predictions were then compared with displacements measured directly from the moir data to establish a correlation between the behavior of each simulation and its corresponding physical sample. Having proved an acceptable correlation between measured and predicted displacement, the team estimated the fatigue life of solder joints in each simulated assembly by applying Darveauxs crack propagation formula, from which an estimate of the overall package reliability was obtained. The estimate for each simulated assembly was then compared with the empirical data, and a correlation was established by inspection.
Component Placement
Components and Test Configurations

Seven surface-mount devices were utilized in this study: 64 I/O CSP with 0.8 mm bump-tobump pitch 256 I/O BGA with 1.27 mm bumpto-bump pitch 208 I/O QFP with 0.5 mm bump-tobump pitch 0402 surface-mount capacitor 0603 surface-mount capacitor 0805 surface-mount capacitor 1206 surface-mount capacitor. Eight basic test configurations were assembled on a daisy-chained 0.062 in. thick PCB. The CSP family assemblies used a 0.93 in. x 0.93 in. PCB coupon, while the BGA and QFP assemblies used a 1.73 in. x 1.73 in. PCB coupon. The eight main configurations were: single-sided CSP using 0.012 in. diameter non-solder masked defined (NSMD) PCB pads double-sided mirror image CSP using 0.012 in. diameter NSMD PCB pads double-sided 50% offset CSP using 0.012 in. diameter NSMD PCB pads front-side CSP with 0.012 in. diameter NSMD PCB pads and backside capacitors. The backside capacitor array consisted of 31 devices. Four different capacitor configurations
Assembly Description
that were used were 0402, 0603, 0805 and 1206. Note that capacitor performance was not monitored during reliability testing. single-sided BGA assembled using 0.020 in., 0.022 in. or 0.024 in. NSMD pads double-sided mirror image BGA assembled with 0.020 in. or 0.022 in. NSMD pads front-side BGA assembled using 0.022 in. or 0.024 in. NSMD pads with backside QFP assembled to 0.012 in. x 0.060 in. rectangular NSMD pads single-sided QFP assembled with 0.012 in. x 0.060 in. rectangular NSMD pads.
Accelerated Thermal Cycle
The assemblies were exposed to a 30minute, 0oC to 100oC air-to-air thermal cycle (AATC). The thermal cycle consisted of five-minute dwells at the temperature extremes and 10-minute transition periods (+/-10o C/min.). Temperature variation within the thermal chamber conformed to IPC-9701. The test assemblies were attached to an event detection system (EDS) while inside the thermal cycling chamber. The EDS continuously monitored the electrical integrity of the test assembly and recorded electrical events or momentary resistance changes greater than 300 for a Cycles-to-Failure (N63)
minimum duration of 200ns. Failure was defined per IPC-9701 that requires the first event be confirmed by nine additional events within 10% of the cyclic lifetime. The following assembly combinations were evaluated by AATC: single-sided CSP double-sided mirror image CSP double-sided 50% offset CSP CSP with backside capacitors single-sided BGA double-sided mirror image BGA BGA with backside QFP single-sided QFP. Table 1 summarizes the reliability measurements of the assemblies. This table shows that: The single-sided CSP had the highest reliability among all CSP samples. The addition of progressively larger backside capacitors decreased the reliability of the CSP. The double-sided mirror image CSP was the least reliable CSP assembly. The double-sided 50% offset CSP assembly performed 26% better than the mirror image assembly but still performed considerably lower than any other CSP assembly. Single-sided BGA reliability was comparable to the BGA reliability of BGA/QFP assemblies. Double-sided mirror image BGA assemblies were 3X less reliable than the single-sided BGA assemblies. Neither the single-sided QFPs nor
PCB Coupon Dimensions 1.73 x 1.73 0.93 x 0.93 CSP CSP with 0402 CSP with 0603 CSP with 0805 CSP with 1206 CSP and 50% Offset CSP Mirror Image CSP BGA (0.020 Pad) BGA (0.022 Pad) BGA (0.024 Pad) Mirror Image BGA (0.020 Pad) Mirror Image BGA (0.022 Pad) QFP BGA (0.022 Pad) with QFP BGA (0.024 Pad) with QFP 8,284 7,897 7,736 2,890 2,719 >10,000 8,161 (BGA) 8,010 (BGA) 6,140 5,837 5,369 5,146 5,069 3,026 2,396 -
TABLE 1: Measured cycles-to-failure.
FIGURE 1: Moir horizontal displacement fringe pattern of doublesided BGA assembly (right side shown).
23
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24 Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003 www.circuitsassembly.com
Component Placement
dent plasticity, to be modeled very accurately. These models have been successfully applied to calculate the viscoplastic strain energy density at solder interconnects in many types of electronic packages and assemblies. These include CSPs, multiple BGAs, power modules, microminiature electronic packages and multichip silicon based system-in-package assemblies. By simulating identical loading and boundary conditions as those applied to gather the moir images from the laboratory samples, predicting horizontal displacement in the finite element model of each assembly was possible. For the single-sided BGA assembly, the predicted horizontal displacement in the worst-case solder joint (die shadow) was 114 in., while the measured displacement via moir was 98.5 in. This measurement represents approximately a 15% difference, indicating very good correlation. In the double-sided BGA assembly case, the predicted displacements were within approximately 25% of the measurement. Again, this good correlation between the model and measurement inspires a certain level of confidence in the models. Consequently, in the next section, the models were used to predict the fatigue life of the single- and doublesided assemblies.
FIGURE 2: 50% offset CSP model.
the QFPs used in BGA/QFP assemblies failed. A backside QFP did not adversely affect the reliability of a topside BGA. Increasing PCB pad diameter while keeping the solder volume constant resulted in decreased BGA reliability.
Moir Measurements
Moir interferometry is an optical technique for measuring displacement in a specimen. The results of a moir analysis are full-field in-plane displacements in the form of a fringe pattern viewed on the surface of the specimen. The assemblies were cross-sectioned to expose a row of solder joints for moir displacement analysis. After setup and calibration, the fringe-shifting technique was used to obtain a series of interference pattern images. These were post-processed to determine the fringe patterns indicating the desired contours of displacement. The moir pattern for the double-sided BGA assembly is shown in Figure 1.
Finite Element Reliability Prediction

In addition to solder constitutive modeling, an energy-based metric for predicting crack initiation and growth in solder joints has also been developed. Much of this work is attributed to Darveaux, whose nonlinear material testing on actual soldered joints has yielded crack growth data that can be combined with the viscoplastic strain energy density calculated to predict the number of cycles to initiate a crack and the number of cycles for the crack to propagate across the diameter of the solder joint.
B -1.62 -1.62 -1.64 C 2.76 3.34 3.80 D 1.05 1.04 1.04
Finite Element Modeling

The finite element analysis (FEA) software package was used to simulate joint behavior in the single-sided and mirror image CSP and BGA assemblies, as well as the 50% offset CSP assembly. The finite element model for the 50% offset CSP assembly is shown in Figure 2. The software features well-developed viscoplastic analysis capabilities that allow the inelastic properties of solder, namely time-dependent creep and time-indepenThickness Along Interface [0.001"] 0.5 1.0 1.5 A 71,000 56,300 48,300
TABLE 2: Suggested constants for use in predicting 62Sn36Pb2Ag solder fatigue.
25
Component Placement
Darveauxs work has resolved the time to failure for a given solder joint into two components: the time-to-formation of the first crack in the solder joint and the subsequent rate of crack growth per thermal cycle. This formula is expressed as follows:
Assembly ----------- Reliability (cycles) ----------Measured Single-Sided BGA (20 mil pad) Single-Sided BGA (22 mil pad) Single-Sided BGA (24 mil pad) Mirror Image BGA Single-Sided CSP Mirror Image CSP 50% Offset CSP 8,284 7,897 7,736 1,576 7,611 3,174 3,026 Predicted 8,153 7,991 7,814 2,890 6,140 2,300 3,000
TABLE 3: Summary of assembly reliability results.
where No is the number of cycles to crack initiation and da/dN is the crack growth rate per cycle N. Darveaux also found that:
and
where A, B, C, D are constants that are dependent on material and element size and Wave is the volume averaged viscoplastic strain energy density increment.
By analyzing actual solder joints, Darveaux has derived a table of constants for solder joints of various dimensions. Our team was thus able to select constants that were appropriate to the sizes of solder joints that were subjected to AATC to make direct comparisons between the simulated and experimental assemblies. The values selected from Darveauxs table are shown in Table 2. From this, Darveauxs crack propagation method was used to determine the life of the solder joints. The reliability, or number of survivors, was then calculated using the two-parameter Weibull distribution:
were also successful at capturing the subtle trend of decreasing reliability with increasing pad size, as was observed in the measurements. Note that the predicted reliability for the mirror image BGA was very conservative, yet it was still within the 2X expected range of the measured values. These results indicate that the Darveaux crack propagation methodology can be successfully extended to finite element reliability modeling of doublesided assemblies.
Conclusions
Physical samples and finite element models of various configurations of double-sided assemblies have been analyzed. The reliability figures achieved by finite element modeling have been seen to correlate very closely to empirical results observed in our laboratory, with all predictions falling within the range expected for Darveauxs method. As building test assemblies and running reliability assessments is both expensive and time consuming, using existing finite element models is an accurate and cost-effective alternative when investigating the impact of double-sided components on the assembly reliability.
where R is the reliability and N is the number of cycles to achieve that reliability. The two parameters are N (the characteristic life) and (the shape parameter or Weibull slope). For a series of joints connected electrically, the overall reliability of all the joints is given by the product of the reliability of each joint in the series. With the characteristic of each joint computed from the finite element calculations using the crack growth rate approach, the cycles-to-failure versus reliability relationship can then be generated for any assumed shape parameter. A fixed Weibull slope of 4.0 was assumed in all models. Results from the AATC finite element simulations for the single-sided and mirror image BGA and CSP assemblies, as well as for the 50% offset CSP, are presented in Table 3 with the corresponding results from experimental analysis. For each joint, the predicted reliability was in very good agreement with measurements. The finite element models
Acknowledgments This study was carried out by Anthony Primavera, Ph.D., and Mike Meilunas of Universal Instruments Corp. and James M. Pitarresi, Ph.D., Shiva Kalyan Mandepudi and Satish Parupalli of Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Anthony Primavera, Ph.D., is a former process research engineer with Universal Instruments Corp., Binghamton, NY; (607) 779-7522; email: universal@uic.com.
Screen Printing
Crossing the Bridge from Dispensing to Mass Imaging

Ricky Bennett
Virtually any material that can be dispensed is capable of being imaged onto any substrate in any type of carrier.
raditionally, equipment and process development have been pigeonholed into their respective fields of expertise, requirements and categories. While working within these separate areas and concentrating on developing the best solutions for a given target audience, each type of technology has created sound refinements that have improved productivity for its end users. Two technologies that have pursued separate development paths to date are fluid dispensing and mass imaging (stencil printing). While each technology offers advantages, one of them has achieved a critical stage. Through continuing development, mass imaging is now poised to broaden its scope, encompassing an increasing number of traditional dispensing applications and perhaps surpassing them in newer process technologies. A variety of factorsthose that drive productivity lead to the exploration of
new processes and help build bridges from one industry to anotherhave all contributed to this evolution.
Productivity Drivers
In any given industry, certain issues and drivers make equipment and vendor selection a key factor for success. The issues relate to a suppliers performance over time. Looking at past trends to understand present-day capabilities is easy, but what about the future? Will the needs be greater than the current capabilities, leading users to make do or lower their expectations? Do the suppliers and the technologies they develop instill confidence in their ability to deliver next-generation needs? Drivers, in the most general terms, are throughput, capacity (output per real estate), first-pass yield, final yield and the cost to achieve the desired results. The requirements of different industries and their particular business models needs and timeframes may cause differences in productivity drivers. For instance, for traditional, mainstream surface-mount technology in todays economic climate, throughputas in units per hourmay not be as important as it once was. However, cost to produce is a prime consideration. These types of performance indicators can and should take into account all aspects of equipment costfrom initial purchase price to long-term cost of ownership.
The Earth is not Flat

When the early explorers set about trying to convince their peers that they would not fall off the edge of the earth, many generations were needed to sway conventional wisdom and the belief that venturing toward the horizon was suicide. However, as the visionaries kept testing the waters and inching farther out, the fact that the Earth is, indeed, round soon became apparent to all. In a sense, the same can be said of mass imaging. Investments in the exploration of new techwww.circuitsassembly.com
FIGURE 1: An edge reference virtual panel tooling system combines a precision pin design with matched vacuum towers that center each substrate and lift them to the printing position. Individualized substrates are aligned to each other, creating the effect of a panelized pattern.
Screen Printing
nology and innovation have pushed its capabilities into areas that many people, even today, cannot imagine. Statements such as I never considered printing for this application because the substrate has components attached or you need a flat surface for printing are but a few of the echoes reverberating around inside the box of conventional thought. ment has given rise to breakthroughs in material control. Having x, y and z control over a traversing needle has allowed dispensing to cross over into many industries. With such innovations, end users have reaped big rewards in terms of yield, throughput and yearly cost savings. Today, the various dispensing companies are striving to achieve more flexible platforms and more precise material control to meet the evolving needs of advanced surface mount, semiconductor and industrial applications. Thinner integrated circuits (ICs) and packages require material to flow into more constricted spaces, for example. Dispensing for devices as small as 0201s is another challenge.
Building Bridges Between Industries

Before taking a radical step into new territory, manufacturers require a significant reason to change to something that has the appearance of the unknownthe opportunity to triple output, for example. They also need a measure of security that certain thingssuch as materials that have gone through a lengthy qualification processwill not change, to ensure a seamless transition to a new process technology. But those who do cross the bridge can explore new and exciting technologies for improved manufacturing and assembly.
Mass Imaging Technology

The flexibility to overcome such process obstacles, while delivering increased throughput, is the benefit that mass imaging is poised to contribute to the material deposition process in the electronics industry and other industrial applications. Basically, today, virtually any material that can be dispensed is capable of being imaged onto any substrate, even those that are partially populated, in any type of carrier. A confluence of technological advances in tooling, deposition, cleaning and stencil design has enabled mass imaging to achieve this dramatic breakthrough into new territory. All of these advances have enabled one manufacturer, AMD, to make
Fluid Dispensing Technology

No doubt, over the past 20 years, fluid dispensing technology has evolved into a highly successful and precise technique for depositing various fluid materials. It has made great strides to meet ever-increasing dispensing demands. Through in-depth understanding of the various fluid dynamics needed to meet manufacturing needs, technological develop-
Coming in the December 2003 issue of Circuits Assembly

Focus on:
Component Placement
Additional Coverage
ESD Materials
Guides and Series:

Ten Timely TipsESD
Focus on Business
How to Buy Equipment
Call your salesperson now to reserve your space in the December 2003 Issue!
North America
Susan Jones, National Sales Manager 404-822-8900, sjones@upmediagroup.com
Europe
Star Media, Steve Regnier & Tim Anstee, +44 1732 366 555, sales@starmediaservices.co.uk
Asia
Japan: Pacific Business, 81 3 3661 6138 pbi2010@gol.com Korea: Young Media, 82 2 756 4819 ymedia@chollian.net
31
Screen Printing
the transition, accompanied by an increased throughput, from dispensing to mass imaging in its semiconductor assembly operation. Historically, three issues had led the company to dispense every material used in its process: flux, underfill, thermal interface, lid seal and even solder paste, which is most commonly applied by stencil printing. The issues were the need for precise alignment of singulated substrates within a carrier, the need to maintain extreme cleanliness and the challenge of depositing materials onto partially populated substrates. Being able to use the same material, without having to go through reformulation and requalification, was also an obstacle to change. However, faced with a pressing need to increase throughput and hesitating to make a major capital investment in additional dispensers, the company took the opportunity to explore a new technology.
Attacking the Bottleneck
Because the primary process bottleneck was determined to be solder paste deposition for passive attach, that step was the first to be addressed. To resolve the alignment accuracy issue, a Additional benefits of such a transition include flexibility and new tooling solution that allowed for precise, automated alignlower costs, both initially and over time. Mass imaging uses a ment of substrates within carriers was introduced and proved stencil printing platform, which costs less than a dedicated disto function successfully. The carriers were enhanced so as to pensing system and occupies less real estate on the factory floor. take full advantage of an edge reference virBy changing the stencil and, in some tual panel tooling (ERVPT) system. cases, adapting the enclosed transfer head, This system consists of a precision pin the basic platform may be used to image an design and a matched vacuum tower that ever-lengthening list of materials, including centers each substrate within the JEDECsolder paste, adhesives, underfills, encapsucompliant carrier and then lifts them to the lants, lid seals, thermal interfaces and solder printing position. This technique achieves spheres. These low-cost adaptations enable the effect of having 10 individualized subusers to respond rapidly and cost-effectivestrates aligned with precision to each other, ly to changing production requirements. creating the effect of a panelized pattern Conclusion: The Tip of the (Figures 1 and 2). Iceberg The cleanliness issue was addressed So, how does a manufacturer know what with two technologies. First, an enclosed can or cannot be printed? An iceberg analprint head, one that kept the material fully ogythe proportion of what is visible to contained in a cassette, eliminated the what is notholds the answer. Although need for squeegees, stencil wiping, hansome applications require a lateral, or outdling of the material and its exposure to of-the-box, thought process, they still have the environment. Second, a paperless clearly defined boundaries. Indeed, most cleaning system ensured stencil cleanliness FIGURE 3: A paperless, under-stencil people address only the visible part of a without the need to introduce paper or cleaning system ensures cleanliness challenge. Rather, what is needed is a what cloth, and the lint these materials create, without the need to introduce paper or if rather than an it cant mindset; do not into the facilitys ultra-clean environment cloth and the lint these materials create. get caught in the conventional trap of look(Figure 3). ing only at what is visible. Working in combination, these materials Taking the iceberg concept one step further, if nine-tenths of deposition technologies resolved the process issues, allowed for a it is not visible, imagine what possibilities lie beneath the surface. seamless transition to mass imaging and improvement in highWithout exploration, those possibilities are very likely to remain volume passive attach throughput, tripling its units per hour. invisible. Having experienced one successful transition to mass imaging, the company identified additional process bottlenecksthermal Ricky Bennett is applied product development manager at DEK, Flemington interface, lid seal and underfilland trials began to determine NJ; email: rickybennett@dek.com. feasibility.
32 Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003 www.circuitsassembly.com
FIGURE 2: Locked in place by vacuum, substrates are aligned accurately as a virtual panel that may be imaged in a single cycle to achieve high throughput.
Materials/ Environment
Conformal Coating Made Easy

Tom Charlton
Companies looking to save costs and improve their environmental compliance should consider 100% solids, UV curing materials.
he biggest challenges for my company, a contract house specializing in the conformal coating of rigid and flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs), are to deliver the customers order almost immediately and, of course, run a profitable business. Fewer and fewer companies want to be involved in coating printed circuit boards. Coming at the end of the board assembly process, conformal coating is seen as messy, hazardous, time consuming, inconvenient and costly. However, more and more boards are being designed for use in challenging environments requiring protection. Luxury automobiles may now have as many as 30 electronic modules per vehicle. Circuit boards are found in everything from parking meters to telecommunications, water treatment systems and outdoor scoreboards. These electronics require protection; hence, the need for conformal coatings. And, most manufacturers of these high performance, critical electronic applications are generally happy to farm out the coating process. Because conformal coating is the last step in the manufacturing process, most customers want an instant turnaround. We usually apply the coating, cure and shipimmediately. One-day turnaround requests are common, and, to be successful, we need to provide this service. One way is to use 100% solids, light curing, aerobic, acrylic
Cost Factors
coatings, and, with an automated, programmable application and curing system, we can coat and cure hundreds of boards per shift at a competitive price (Figure 1). When customers approach my company to apply traditional coatings, I usually tell them that, if they use 100% solids, light curing, aerobic, acrylic materials, the cost is x per board. However, if the order has to be done with another coating technology, the price will be two or more times the previous figure. Plus, delivery time with a light curing material will be the same or the next day. Traditional materials usually add at least another day to the turnaround time depending on the size of the job. Table 1 shows the cost difference between using 100% solids materials and solvent-based resins on one conformal coating run. This case history of a coating contract for a relatively small board manufacturer serves to illustrate the savings and the improvements in environmental quality, personal safety and convenience these materials can provide. The example in Table 1 is based on 50 parts/hour, or 400 per shift for I shift, 2.5 days per week, which equals 50,000 coated boards per year. The calculations assume a minimum required thickness to meet UL 94 VO specification, ultraviolet (UV) cure of aerobic, acrylic coating material to ensure full cure before shipping, and heat cure of silicone material to ensure full cure before shipping.
Conformal Coating Resins UV Curing Coating Solvent-Based Silicone
Board area (sq. in.) Thickness (final) (in.) Sides Grams/part Cost per liter, USD Material cost/part Liters/year Material cost/year (50K Boards) Typical energy, labor overhead/year
10 0.002 2 0.66 $50.00 $0.033 33 $1,650.00 $1,950.00 $3,550.00
10 0.005 2 2.75* $30.00 $0.0825 137 $4,125.00 $4,500.00 $8,625.00
FIGURE 1: The combination of 100% solids, light curing, aerobic, acrylic coatings and an automated, programmable application and curing system is efficient and effective.
Total cost per year
*Calculations assume 60% of solvent coating is silicone.
TABLE 1: Basic cost to coat 50,000 printed circuit boards to meet UL 94 VO specification.
34
Hidden Costs of Traditional Conformal Coatings
Most customers are surprised to hear of hidden costs in some conformal coatings because they know that the cost per pound of traditional materials can be half the cost of 100% solids, UV, aerobic, acrylic coatings. Few customers are aware that the hidden costs of using solvent-based or silicone coating processes can double or triple their cost. Fewer still realize the cost reductions that can be achieved using solvent-free, 100% solids, environmentally friendly UV conformal coatings. When they understand the cost reductions, most customers are able to qualify the MIL 46058 and UL approved light curing coatings quickly. So, where do the hidden costs of using the traditional materials come from and why do the UV aerobic acrylics save so much time? First, in comparing the cost of a solvent-based to a solventfree coating, 80% of the volume of the coating is going out through the ventilation system. Most solvent-based materials contain a minimum of 20% solvents as supplied by the factory. These materials include acrylic, urethane and silicone solventbased conformal coatings. To apply these coatings with selective coating spray equipment, most coating manufacturers suggest blending their coating with a minimum 50:50 mixture of coating and thinner (solvent). In this case more than half of the applied coating is lost to evaporation of the solvent up the ventilation system. This loss is more than doubling the applied cost of the coating, in addition to the hidden environmental, health and safety costs associated with solvents. Second, the extra time and handling needed to cure the solvent-based systems adds to the cost. Because these systems cannot be handled for minutes or hours, the extra labor required to rack and stack and then move them onto other stations such as quality assurance for inspection or shipping adds time and labor cost. As manufacturers become more aware of worker health and safety and the environmental impact of using solvents, the use of light curing coatings becomes more attractive. Health, safety and the regulatory compliance cost of traditional coatings raise major cost issues. Customers frequently approach my company with specifications to use either silicone or other solvent-based
Health Hazard to: Eyes Skin Inhalation UV Urethane Possible irritation Possible irritation None RTV Silicone A Moderate irritation Moderate irritation May cause drowsiness Not listed RTV Silicone B Moderate irritation Moderate irritation May cause blindness and damage nervous system May cause blindness and or death
Oral
None
TABLE 2: Typical health hazard comparisons found on material safety datasheets.

Other Warnings Spill Hazard UV Urethane None Silicone A Very slippery Silicone B Very slippery; respirator required for clean up Flammable liquid/ hazardous goods 66F
Transportation Restrictions Flash point
None >200F
Flammable liquid/ hazardous goods 88F
TABLE 3: Other warnings that appear on material safety datasheets.
coatings containing hazardous and flammable materials such as toluene, xylene and heptane. Even non-solvent containing silicones react with atmospheric moisture to produce methyl alcohol or acetone as a byproduct. All of these are solvents that require the costly installation of complete ventilation systems to the outside and include fire suppression systems. Many states now require the addition of expensive scrubbers to lower or eliminate these volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The 100% solids, light curing, aerobic acrylics require only simple localized fume extraction systems. Tables 2 and 3, taken from the material safety datasheets of the UV aerobic acrylics with a 100% solids moisture cure silicone and a solvent-based silicone, draw a comparison of the hazards. Some silicone coatings cure in as little as a couple of minutes, but some take as much as 24 hours. During this time solvents and reaction products continue to evolve so that both storage and processing areas must be well ventilated. Solvent-based acrylics and urethanes have similar health issues as silicones due to the solvent carriers in these coatings. All these older technologies are increasingly threatened due to environmental regulatory compliance issues.
Courtesy of Dymax
Benefits of Light Curing Coatings

FIGURE 3: Black and deep blue coatings serve to hide circuitry and components. These materials may also be used for marking. These opaque materials can cure in seconds upon exposure to high intensity UV light.
FIGURE 2: Inspecting a brightly fluorescing board.
The best feature of UV curing, aerobic, acrylic coatings is their almost instant cure speed. Using these coatings, customers needing an immediate turnaround and shipment of their boards can be
36
satisfied. Conveyors typically run from 5 to 10 feet per minute, turning out as many as 250 coated boards per hour. The more boards that can be coated in a given period of time, the more jobs that can be run to keep the facility operating at full capacity, which optimizes efficiency and keeps costs competitive. Use of the solvent-free, light curing coatings with programmable application equipment further reduces costs by minimizing the amount of material used. A number of manufacturers now supply equipment that assures placement and thickness of coatings. Thus, the material is applied only where it is needed. Because the UV curing, aerobic, acrylic coatings can be supplied in viscosities from 60 to 600,000 cP and valves are available for their application, coating rarely migrates to where it may not cure. Another plus for light curing materials is that, since no cure occurs until the coating is exposed to the light, dispensing equipment maintenance is very low. Silicone and other solvent-based conformal coatings that cure rapidly in the air without application of an external catalyst like heat or light will thicken and rapidly clog dispense nozzles and valves. As long as the coating process is running constantly with these materials, it runs well. However, when breaks occur, these materials begin to cure in place, and time consuming maintenance is necessary to remove cured or partially cured, gummy material from the dispensing equipment before it can be restarted. Another convenience with light curing coatings is their ability to fluoresce brightly upon exposure to black light. Whether cured or uncured, when exposed to black light, these materials easily show any defects; correcting them either before or after cure is simple (Figure 2). Another advantage is that light curing, aerobic acrylics exhibit superior surface wetting so that defects such as bare spots are rare. As compared with silicones and solvent-based conformal coatings, generally, the UV aerobic acrylics seem to be more tolerant of no clean fluxes. Sometimes, when some of our larger customers see how easy conformally coating PCBs with light curing technology can be, they reconsider and install their own systems. As always, this choice comes down to costmaterial handling, shipping, capital outlay and work flow all affect a customers decision to outsource coating or
keep it in house. In addition, manufacturers contemplating setting up their own conformal coating lines have a considerably heavier cost burden with silicone and other solvent borne materials than with the 100% solids UV urethanes.
When Light Curing Is Not Best

Of course, not all PCB coating applications are suitable for UV curing urethanes. Solvent-based materials, moisture cure
37
and thermal cure conformal coatings still have a place in industry. While most UV/visible, light cured coatings applied with the appropriate equipment can be successfully cured in all areas of the board, occasionally the topography of a circuit board does not lend itself to UV cure. Applications with tall components such as board-mounted transformers or other large devices can cause shadowed areas that make UV curing difficult. These applications are best done with traditional solvent-based or moisture cure coatings. Another factor that can affect selection of conformal coating is end product operating temperature. If constant high operating temperatures are a factor (175C), a silicone may be the best choice.
Courtesy of Dymax
Ad Index
ADVERTISER INFORMATION: To learn about the advertisers in this issue, go to www.circuitsassembly .com and select Advertiser Information in the Magazine section of the home page menu. This will provide you with direct links to the home or product pages of each advertiser in this index. Company Page No.
ACE Tech Circuit Co, LTD, www.atc-kr.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 AMTECH, www.solderproducts.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Assemblon, www.assembleon.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 ASYS Automation, www.asys-llc.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 cab Technology Inc., www.cabtechn.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Cadtransformers, www.cadtransformers.com/ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Cookson Electronics, www.shared-intelligence.com . . . . . . 9, 11 Cookson Electronics, www.cooksonee.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Dage Precision Industries, www.dageinc.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
FIGURE 4: Clear coatings fluoresce brightly upon exposure to black light, which allows convenient in-line inspection of the coating to assure that complete coverage has been achieved.
DEK USA, www.dek.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Digi-Key, www.digikey.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2 Electronics Reprints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 EMC Global Technologies, www.emcgti.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Hover-Davis, Inc., www.hoverdavis.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Additional Benefits
In addition to the lower capital equipment, coated board cost and safety and handling benefits, UV urethanes are available with a wide range of properties to suit many demanding requirements and both performance and special processing needs. These products often have the following features:
Indium Corporation of America, www.indium.com . . . . . . . 41 ITM, www.itmconsulting.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ITW Chemtronics, www.chemtronics.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 JRE, Inc., www.jresouth.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS
K3, www.k3equipment.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Thru Hole Assembly

- Universal 6772 Multi Mod - Universal 6287 Axial Inserter - Universal 2596B Sequencer - Universal 6241C VCD/Seq - Universal 6348 Rad Seq/Ins - GPD CF-9 Radial Prepper
Metcal, www.metcal.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4 Metro Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.pmrsystems.com and www.metyronozzle.com Mexitrnica, www.mexitronica.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Panasonic Factory Automation, www.panasonicfa.com. . . . . . . . . 7 PCB Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3 www.pcdandm.com/pcdmag/resource/pcb_basics.shtml PCB East, www.pcbeast.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 PCB UPdate, www.pcbupdate.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Printed Circuits Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Productronica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Semiconductor Equipment Corp, www.semicorp.com . . . . . . . . . 26 Universal Instruments, www.uic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Surface Mount
- Philips CSM84V - Quad IVC - MPM SPM w/vision - MPM UP2040 w/vision
Soldering & Cleaning

- Dover Soltec 6622CC - Electrovert Econopak Plus - Electrovert Omni Flow 7 - Conceptronic HVN102
Seeking Qualified Manufacturers Representative
Vitronics Soltec, www.vitronics-soltec.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
JRE / Concept 2 Market, Inc.

prototype to production electronic assembly Ball Grid Array / Fine Pitch Placement Auto Optical Inspection Box build / Turnkey Assembly Just in Time delivery Reverse engineering SMT, Mixed Technology, Thru Hole If interested, please send resume with background to: Jim Smeriglio jim@jresouth.com TEL: 954-974-0022 FAX: 954-974-0828
Advertising Sales
North UP Media Group, Inc. America: 2018 Powers Ferry Road, Suite 600
Atlanta, GA 30339 National Sales Manager: Susan Jones, (404) 822-8900 e-mail: sjones@upmediagroup.com
K3 Equipment Co. LLC 279 Front Street Binghamton, NY 13905 PH: 607-773-2047 FX: 607-773-0956 www: k3equipment.com E-mail: sales@k3equipment.com
38
Europe: Star Media: Steve Regnier,Tim Anstee

+44 1732 366 555 e-mail: sales@starmediaservices.co.uk
Asia: Japan: Pacific Business, 81 3 3661 6138

e-mail: pbi2010@gol.com Korea: Young Media, 82 2 756 4819 e-mail: ymedia@chollian.net
thick and thin layer coatings coatings for Kapton and polyester flex circuits (Figure 5) hard and rigid to soft flexible coatings excellent moisture and thermal shock resistance.
Summary
UV light curing conformal coatings, as well as the equipment for dispensing and curing them, have come a long way toward providing better and more costeffective board protection in the last few years. Now, companies that are looking to both save cost and improve their environmental compliance position have a variety of 100% solids, UV curing materials from which to choose. high performance for challenging environments coatings to handle conditions to 85F high adhesion to difficult substrates
FIGURE 5: A number of UV coatings and encapsulants are available for bonding to difficult substrates such as Kapton and Mylar. Other adhesion problems may be encountered when coating over certain solder masks.
opaque black or blue coatings (Figure 3) fluorescent clear coatings (Figure 4) repairable grades MIL Spec and UL qualified grades
Tom Charlton is president of Electronic Coating Technologies, Brampton, Ontario, Canada; (905) 866-6795; email: tcharlton@electroniccoating. prserv.net.
Lead-Free The Unavoidable, Inevitable Process Change

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Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003 39
PREVIEW
IN THIS SECTION
40 42 44 Show Preview Product Preview Mexico News
Show
Mexitrnica 2003
The National Electronics Manufacturing Conference and Exposition of Mexico
ow in its ninth year, Mexitrnica 2003 will be held October 21-23 at the Expo Guadalajara, Centro de Expositions, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Show days and hours are as follows:
Tuesday, October 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30-9:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30-9:00 p.m. Thursday, October 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3:30-8:00 p.m. Mexitrnica 2003 will be held in conjunction with EnsamblaMex and Tecnocalidadall part of Mexicos Annual International Manufacturing Technology Week. Conference details are below. For more information, contact: ROC Exhibitions, Inc., Lisle, IL; (630) 271-8210; mexitronica@rocexhibitions.com; www.mexitronica.com.
Tuesday, October 21 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 101 and 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 4 - 7 p.m. 102 103a 112 High-Speed Digital Design and PCB Layout Fundamentales de Manufactura de SMT Analisis de Falla IPC-S-816 Mexico Lead-Free Summit, Day One Aceptabilidad de Criterios de Ensambles Electrnicos IPC-A-610C (El precio incluye la publicacin IPC A-610C, Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, en ingls) RosettaNet and Supply Chain Management Rework of BGAs Using Lead-Free Tombstoning: problemas y soluciones Stencil Printing: Solder Paste, Stencils, Squeegies SPC en Manufactura IPC-9191 (El precio incluye la publicacin IPC 9191, General Guidelines for Implementing SPC, en ingls) Mexico Lead-Free Summit, Day Two Strategies to Remain Competitive During Difficult Times Soldering: Single-sided Reflow, Double-sided Reflow, Pin-in-paste Disear para Manufacturabilidad IPC-SM-782 Entrenamiento y calibracin ESD Tecnologas de adhesivos para SMT El Camino a Calidad de Manufactura de Clase Mundial SMT Process Troubleshooting Estandar de Cables y Harneses IPC/WHMA-A-620 (El precio incluye la publicacin IPC A-620, Requirements and Acceptance of Wire Harness Assemblies, en ingls) Introduccin a los aspectos bsicos de control ESD Mexico Lead-Free Summit, Day Three Electronic In-Circuit Test Issues, Flying Probe and Vision Estndar de Reparacin y Retrabajo del IPC 7711 / 7721 (El precio incluye la publicacin IPC 7711, Rework of Electronic Assemblies, en ingls) Tecnologas sin plomo Robert Hansen, Americom (Presented in English) Tino Gonzales, ACME Consulting (Presentacin en espaol) 3-part seminar (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Numerous presenters Tino Gonzales, Acme Consulting (Presentacin en espaol)
4 - 5 p.m. 5 - 6 p.m. 6 - 8 p.m. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
113 114 115 201 202
Frederick Herzer, Motorola SPS (Presented in English) Paul Wood and Leonardo Huerta, Metcal (Presented in English) Gabriel Ortiz, Loctite (Presentacin en espaol) Robert Hansen, Americom Consulting Tino Gonzales, Acme Consulting (Presentacin en espaol)
Wednesday, October 22
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 1 - 2 p.m. 4 - 8 p.m. 4 - 7 p.m. 4 - 7 p.m. 7 - 9 p.m. 7 - 9 p.m. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
103b 204 211 212 213 214 215 301 302
3-part seminar (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Numerous presenters Keith Robinson, Frost & Sullivan (Presented in English) Robert Hansen, Americom (Presented in English) Tino Gonzales, ACME Consulting (Presentacin en espaol) Jose Manuel Mendoza, Sanmina-SCI (Presentacin en espaol) Gabriel Ortiz, Loctite (Presentacin en espaol) Tino Gonzalez, ACME Consulting (Presentacin en espaol) Robert Hansen, Americom (Presented in English) Tino Gonzalez, ACME Consulting (Presentacin en espaol)
Thursday, October 23
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 4 - 8 p.m. 4 - 7 p.m.
304 103c 311 312
Presented by the ESD Association (Presentacin en espaol) 3-part seminar (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Numerous presenters Robert Hanson, Americom Tino Gonzalez, ACME Consulting (Presentacin en espaol)
4 - 7 p.m.
313
Gabriel Ortiz, Loctite (Presentacin en espaol)
40
Circuits Assembly Mexitrnica Special Section OCTOBER 2003
PREVIEW
Seal, Tape and Reel Machine
The TM 50 is a universal heat and pressure seal, tape and reel machine. The machine features advanced electronic control capabilities typically only found in high price units and works on carrier tapes from 8 to 56 mm. No tools are necessary to go from heat seal to pressure seal, simply change over the carrier and cover tape and begin.
V-TEK Inc., Mankato, MN
Booth 800
Product
Lead-Free, No-Clean Solder Paste

NC254 lead-free, pin probe testable noclean solder paste offers broad process windows for printing, reflow and pin probe testing. The paste can be printed at high speeds without slumping, provides consistent stencil release and repeatable print volumes and performs well with open squeegees and enclosed pump printing processes. Postprocess residues are probeable from directly after reflow to two months later, even after multiple reflow profiles.
AIM, Cranston, RI
Booth 317
Lead-Free Selective Soldering System

PCBRM-15 is designed to handle the higher temperature and corrosive nature of high tin percentages normally found in lead-free materials. A restricted solder wave selectively reflows through-hole components for rework and selective soldering on mixed technology assemblies. Titanium flow wells direct the solder flow to any lead pattern or component. Custom flow wells can be designed with multiple openings to increase production throughput. Additional options include preheaters and spray fluxers.
AIR-VAC Engineering Co., Seymour, CT
Booth 816
Thermally Conductive Adhesives

Multi-Cure adhesives are ideal for bonding heat sinks or heat-sensitive components, or for applications where an increase in thermal conductivity between assembled parts is desired. The ultraviolet (UV) light curing option for fillets and encapsulants cures in less than 10 seconds at room temperature. Room temperature activator cure of the adhesive provides fixturing in 30 to 45 seconds.
Dymax Corp., Torrington, CT
Booth 1313
Label Applicator
A completely redesigned applicator head on label applicator ABA 04 improves cycle times to 2.5 seconds per label. The new lightweight head features theta rotation and a programmable z stroke for applications where labels need to be placed on the board and on components. Another new feature is the optional integrated camera that verifies label information and corrects for the printer offset during the x-y- movement to place the label.
ASYS, Suwanne, GA
Booth 709
Automatic Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Plotter

The ProtoMat H100 rapid PCB prototyping milling machine is fully automatic. The plotters new features include: automatic tool change, tool calibration through optical sensor, a camera system for automatic fiducial recognition and an integrated vacuum tabletop for proper mounting of thin and flexible substrates.
LPKF USA, Wilsonville, OR
Booth 712
Machine Vision Sensors

The DVT Legend 500 Series line of smart cameras includes Legend 520, a CMOS camera; Legend 530, the smallest Ethernet-ready vision sensor on the market; Legend 540, offering real-time machine inspections; Legend 542c, which combines color recognition and highspeed inspections; Legend 544, with 1280 x 1024 ultra-high resolution; and Legend 544c for full color inspections at 1280 x 1024 resolution.
DVT Corp., Norcross, GA
Booth 208-309
XYZ Dispensing Systems

The Ultra TT Automation Series x-y-z dispensing technology brings accuracy and convenience to automated tabletop assembly processes. Benchtop bonding, gasketing and filling operations can be programmed with a Palm handheld device. Intuitive user software provides control of positioning and dispensing parameters. The systems programming combines with closed-loop servo controls and powerful drive motors for positioning of the dispensing tip.
EFD Inc., East Providence, RI
Booth 1034
Lead-Free Solder Paste

NC-SMQ230 is an air reflow, no-clean solder paste specifically formulated to accommodate the high processing temperatures required by Sn/Ag/Cu and Sn/Ag lead-free alloy systems. The paste provides outstanding printing performance along with extended stencil life and tack time to handle the rigors of todays manufacturing environment.
Indium Corp. of America, Utica, NY
Booth 701
42
NEWS
Comparisons Made Among Mexico, China and Eastern Europe for Electronics Manufacturing
According to new studies by Technology Forecasters Inc. (TFI, Alameda, CA, www. techforecasters.com), electronics manufacturing companies have more choices than ever for low-cost manufacturing yet also have the most pressure to choose the best-suited regions for manufacturing. Insights on Mexico, China and Eastern Europes manufacturing costs, strengths and weaknesses were presented in September at TFIs Quarterly Forum for Electronics Manufacturing Outsourcing and Supply Chain in Monterrey, Mexico. TFI president Pamela Gordon stated, Time to market is short enough and pricing is competitive enough that choosing the wrong region for manufacturing a particular electronic product could easily cost the vendor its competitive position. Determining the optimal country for conducting various aspects of electronics production is now equally important to the bottom line, customer satisfaction, and risk management. The keynote presentation at the Quarterly Forum, Manufacturing Communications Equipment in Mexico, Comparisons with China, was delivered by Elcoteqs President of the Americas Douglas Brenner. Brenner said, Once the Mecca of high-volume manufacturing, Mexico is undergoing a metamorphosis. Mexico-based contract manufacturers have to reinvent themselves as the production of high-volume low-mix products transitions to China. Brenner emphasized that not all products are ideal for production in China. Larger, more complex, low-volume and high-mix products, such as communications-infrastructure products, are better suited for Mexico, he said.
Rest of World 7% Europe 28%
Mexico
Elcoteq Facility Receives Quality Award, To Manufacture WLANs for Strix Systems
Elcoteq Network Corp. (Irving, TX, www. elcoteq.com), a provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS), announced that Elcoteq Americas Monterrey, Mexico, facility has been awarded the 2003 Quality Award by the government of the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.The award recognizes those institutions, organizations or companies that have achieved a level of total quality management. Companies are judged on the basis of eight Elcoteq employees receive the Quality Award at a criteria: leadership, customer satisfaction, ceremony in July. organizational planning, personnel development, processes, information and analysis, the companys impact on the community and the results the organization has achieved. There are four award categoriesIndustry, Education, Health and Governmentand each of those is divided into sub-categories based on the size of the organization. Elcoteq was the large company winner in the Industrial category. Elcoteq also announced that it has signed an agreement to manufacture wireless local area network (LAN) systems for Strix Systems Inc. (Westlake Village, CA, www.strixsystems.com) in Elcoteqs Monterrey plant. Strix Systems flagship product, Access/One Network, is a complete wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) system providing a package of management and security features for network managers. The products will be used in enterprises worldwide.
United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

1. Publication Title: CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY 2. Publication No.: 1054-0407 3. Filing Date: 9/09/2003 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: $80.00 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: UP Media Group Inc. - 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339; Contact Person: Jennifer Schuler; Telephone: 918496-1476 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not printer): UP Media Group Inc. 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher, Pete Waddell - 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. - Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339; Editor, Lisa Hamburg - 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. - Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339; Managing Editor, Javier Longoria - 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339 10. Owner: UP Media Group, Inc., 2018 Powers Ferry Rd. - Suite 600 - Atlanta, GA 30339 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None ed on Form 3541(Include advertisers proof and exchange copies): 34,094; 29,683 (2) Paid In-County Subscriptions Stated on Form 3541 (Include advertisers proof and exchange copies): 0; 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors and Counter Sales and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 7,765; 12,186 (4) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0; 0 c. Total paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)): 41,859; 41,869 d. Free Distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary, and other free): (1) Outside-County as Stated on Form 3541: 0; 0 (2) In-County as Stated on Form 3541: 0; 0 (3) Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0; 0 e. Free Distribution Outside the mail (Carriers and other means): 529; 455 f. Total Free Distribution (Sum of 15d and 15e): 529; 455 g. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15f): 42,388; 42,324 h. Copies not Distributed: 586; 464 i. Total (Sum of 15g, and h.): 42,974; 42,788 j. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c. Divided by 15g times 100): 98.75200528; 98.92495983 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the October 2003 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner: I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including multiple damages and civil penalties). (signed) Pete Waddell, September 4, 2003.
2001
North America 33%
Japan 3%
Asia 29% Europe 24%
Rest of World 9%
2006
North America 17%
12. Does not apply 13. Publication Name: CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 1, 2003 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months; No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing date a. Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run): 42,948;42,831 b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (1) Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail Subscriptions Stat-
Japan 8%
Asia 42%
TFIs 2001 and forecasted 2006 electronics contract manufacturing revenues by six regions.
44
SPOTLIGHT
Substrate Support System
The Red-E-Set substrate support system for screen printers producing single-and double-sided printed circuit boards (PCBs) uses a spring-loaded pin support system and can be configured in less than five minutes. The system uses independently spring-loaded, non-abrasive support pins that lock into place to fit a boards contour for repeat usage. Units are available for most manufacturers semiautomatic systems; customizable units are also available.
Production Solutions, Poway, CA
www.production-solutions.com
Product
Through-Hole Placement, Soldering Machine

The Axion odd-form component placement and selective soldering machine provides full automation of through-hole components by picking and placing them onto the board and also soldering the component with a laser diode from the bottom side of the board. The machines design provides three separate configurations for throughhole assembly, selective soldering and oddform placement.
Applied Thermal Solutions, Shrewsbury, MA
www.appliedthermalsolutions.com
Dispensing Valve
The HY-FLO dispensing valve provides material control and repeatability by maintaining consistent temperature and material viscosity. An embedded thermocouple offers closed-loop control, compensating for temperature changes in the environment. The valve features advanced plastic that prevents heat migration to the gantry and motor. The rotation of the auger, controlled by a brushless motor with programmable encoder, provides more than 8,000 counts per 360 revolution.
DL Technology LLC, Haverhill, MA
www.dltechnology.com
Data Transport Software

The I/Gear data transport software platform provides connectivity between nearly all types of programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human machine interface software, enterprise software packages, bar code scanners, marquees, scales, printers, email
Bar Code Reader

The Gryphon D200 ESD bar code reader was developed for electrostatic discharge (ESD) control and is composed of a slightly conductive plastic to prevent the accumulation of triboelectric charges. Specific cables guarantee ESD safety between any two points. No charge accumulation on the plastic body is possible, and the reader itself will always be at the ground potential to avoid the possibility of ESD. The reader has a speed of 270 scans/sec., decoding capability and can read popular stacked codes as well as traditional bar codes.
Datalogic S.p.A., Bologna, Italy
www.codestar.com/main.html
systems, pagers and other tools used in the manufacturing environment. Intuitive wizard-based screens help users through complex connections, and a triggering system supports data exchange rules.
Advanced Production Systems (APS), Louisville, KY
www.teamaps.com
Depaneling Vision System

The Cencorp Vision System is capable of performing fiducial recognition, edge recognition, panel and board verification and
Wire and Cable Cords

Koiled Kords are used for computers, bar code readers, medical equipment, material handling equipment, production line tools, commercial vehicles and in a variety of instrumentation and testing devices.The light (UL-type SVO), medium (UL-type SJO) and heavy-duty (UL-type SO) cords are manufactured using a mobile, durable Neoprene jacket. The light and medium cords have a max voltage of 300 and a 300V cord. The heavy-duty cords have a max voltage of 600 and a 600V cord. In-stock cords are available as UL-listed SVO/SJO retractiles with a 125V cord.
Whitney Blake Co., Bellow Falls, VT
www.wblake.com
automatic product program selection. The system uses a proven software engine and a high-quality frame grabber for reliable camera image processing. The system can compensate for different environmental effects with adjustable lighting. An easy-to-use programming interface allows for quick setup and modification of all features.
Cencorp, Longmont, CO
www.cencorp.com
46
Les Hymes
The Customer is King Again

But everybody benefits when the right EMS provider is selected and process control is increased.
Ask Les
Q:
We are a small- to medium-size electronics products company and are considering outsourcing our printed wiring assembly activities. We are not sure whether we should consider one of the larger, multi-plant electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers or the smaller contract assembly companies. Our products are reasonably high-tech critical devices, IPC class 2 or 3. We consider ourselves a medium- to low-volume producer at this time with future growth expected; we do not have high-volume, low-tech products. Can you provide general guidance with respect to the size and type of EMS provider we might select? A: As you are no doubt aware, all contract assemblers are not alikenot just in size but also with respect to their capabilities, core competencies and perceived niche in the electronics manufacturing arena. Your organization must be prepared to formulate and define the extent of the services you will expect from your selected source. The services can range from strictly board stuffing and testing to component and materials procurement and overall supply chain management. In some cases, the EMS company assumes sub-assembly and upper level assembly activities. The scope of activities and the core competencies you expect from your EMS provider must be well defined and understood within your organization. With a definition in place, conduct a search for organizations that appear capable of meeting your needs. During the selection process, maintain close communication with your critical end item customers to assure compatibility with the overall perceptions of control, quality and service. Compatibility and communication are particularly important if you plan to establish a source capable of managing the total supply chain, as well as the assembly, soldering and board-level test. Understanding and clarifying your customers perception of the EMS provider is important. Concerns can sometimes be difficult to measure up front and need to be addressed early in the process. Your cusSend your process, technology or training question to les.hymes@worldnet.att.net. Please type "ASK LES" in the subject line and indicate your name and company or institute affiliation. All questions may not be answered.
tomers expectations, involvement and trust in the security of any information sharing with the EMS provider will be important benefits to a long-term relationship.
Q:
We are a small contract assembler. Since we began producing some new products for one of our customers that required a change in our liquid flux and solder paste, we have had increased activity in our touchup and repair operations and problems with returns from the customer for poor solder joint quality. Our shop management recommended that we significantly increase the final inspection and test operations rather than replace some older equipment. The decision was apparently based on the view that no capital expenditures should be made until it appears that we will continue producing these products beyond the next year. However, the problems have existed now for several months. What is your opinion about this path we are on? A: If you continue with the approach you are currently using, your company will most likely not have the opportunity to produce the new products beyond this year. However, you should be aware that the issue might not be just equipment-related. Your ultimate goal should be to produce good products, not to use a sort-and-fix approach to ship a product. In my experience, companies that just try to ship good products invariably lose out to those dedicated to producing good products. As the good old motto says, Make it right the first time. The development and control of a dependable, repeatable process assures that your process fits the product you are committed to produce. Control of the process requires attention to many factors, includingbut not limited towell-maintained and capable equipment. Other important factors include knowledgeable, trained and qualified personnel, as well as the use and control of materials suitable to the task. Lack of process control leads not only to unacceptable products, but also to increased process complexity extra steps added to deal with material, process and product deficiencies. The total manufacturing team is responsible for controlling the total process so that preventionnot detectionof defects is a way of life. In most cases, the quality of product output must be checked. However, control of both process and product quality starts well ahead of this time. Process control pays; it doesnt cost!
Les Hymes is the owner of Les Hymes Associates, Surprise, AZ; (623) 544-4646; e-mail: les.hymes@ worldnet.att.net.
DISCLAIMER: We believe the information provided in this work is reliable and useful, but it is furnished without warranty of any kind from the author. Readers should make their own determination of the suitability or completeness of any of the material included for specific purposes and adopt any safety, health and other precautions as may be deemed necessary by the user.
47
Problem Solved
Richard Boulanger and Heinz Dommel
Circuit-Level Traceability
Recent software developments help to monitor placement machines.
Problem We will consider two companiesthe first makes air bag sensors and the second produces pacemakers. Both have very stringent traceability requirements. The number of mission-critical parts for both automotive devices and medical implants is increasing so tighter production control over incoming components and outgoing goods in the automotive and medical markets is demanded. Companies must know not only where, when and how the components were consumed, but also on which product. Such demands for traceability will not only improve product quality but also help when production and field problems occur. Problem Solved In the last few years, many different attempts have been made to support traceability in and around assembly equipment. The attempts have run the spectrum from relatively simple component validation systems over multiple board levels to circuit-level traceability. Most of the previous attempts to implement traceability relied heavily on manual intervention, which creates many opportunities for error. Recent developments for integrated software solutions allow advanced circuit-level traceability. Such solutions allow the placement of several different components on multiple circuits on a panel or individual circuits in a carrier. Circuit-level traceability provides enough detail to determine which component from which vendor and which feeder was assembled on what circuit at what time. With this ability, multiple reels of the same component can be run concurrently. Software can now merge the component part number and the individual circuit with a time stamp. All reference pick-and-place data is added to a database with reports that help extract the pertinent information. The following example will give you an idea of the potential savings. Four reels with the same component are on a machine or line and are used for a board with four individCircuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003
ual circuits. Each reel has 5,000 components. If one reel is bad, you have two options. You can recall all 5,000 boards20,000 circuitsor you can recall 5,000 individual circuits. The database structure used by most suppliers allows precise monitoring of component consumption. Specific reports can be generated for better inventory control and automatic part reordering. Quality and volume warning thresholds can be programmed, and the integrated system allows real-time remote notification of feeder quality performance or feeders running low. Post-placement automated optical inspection (AOI) tools can be linked in a closed feedback loop. Security is paramount throughout the system at the machine and network level. Summary Automotive electronic devices, medical implant devices and complex router boards all use different options to monitor the factory, including the inventory. Rigorous traceability systems are imperative not only for mission-critical automotive and medical devices but also for other applications, such as expensive boards. The integrated use of new software systems and improved networking capability gives companies more options for their traceability requirements, inventory and closed loop quality control.
Richard Boulanger (pictured; boulange @uic.com) is vice president of the Advanced Semiconductor Assembly Division, and Heinz Dommel (dommel@ uic.com) is systems managerboth with Universal Instruments Corp., Binghamton, NY.
The number of mission-critical parts for both automotive devices and medical implants is increasing so tighter production control over incoming components and outgoing goods in the automotive and medical markets is demanded. Companies must know not only where, when and how the components were consumed, but also on which product.
48

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Welcome to the October 2003 digital edition of Circuits Assembly. Click here to view this issue.

American Society of Business Publication Editors

Show Issue and Preview

2002 Regional EDITORIAL Award Winner

DOUBLESIDED ARRAY ASSEMBLIES Can reliability be predicted?

Predicting Reliability of Double-Sided Area Array Assemblies

Cover photograph provided by Universal Instruments Corp., Binghamton, NY.

Crossing the Bridge from Dispensing to Mass Imaging

Conformal Coating Made Easy

Editorial Letters On the Forefront

IPC Standard Features

Show Preview Product Preview Mexico News

Ten Timely Tips Ask Les

Departments Online Exclusives

www.circuitsassembly.com Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

OEM Product Forecasting: Through a Glass Darkly

Lisa Hamburg, Editor-in-Chief

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Web Sites Worth Mentioning

Ingenico Selects MSL as Strategic Global Supplier

www.ec-central.org The Electronics Components,

Feinfocus Expands Relationship With the APiA

Would you like to contribute to NET gain?

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

SMTA Announces 2003 Hutchins Grant Recipient

Productronica 2003 Draws U.S. Companies to Munich

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Bluetooth Semiconductor Market Making Solid Progress

July 2003 Book-to-Bill

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Universal Instruments Establishes Dover Software India (DSI)

CoorsTek Expands Korean Facility

Flextronics to Acquire ODM Microcell

Mykrolis Expands Executive Presence in Asia

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall

The Balancing Act

TABLE 2: BOM totals divided into the three categories of components.

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

The Status of Lead-Free Standards

Assembly Standards Update

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Ten Timely Tips

using glass parts or other appropriate methods before accepting a machine.

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Predicting Reliability of DoubleSided Area Array Assemblies

Components and Test Configurations

Accelerated Thermal Cycle

TABLE 1: Measured cycles-to-failure.

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

Special Advertising Section

Technology that excites

News and resources for PCB industry professionals

For more information, call: Susan Jones 404/822-8900

FIGURE 2: 50% offset CSP model.

Finite Element Reliability Prediction

Finite Element Modeling

TABLE 2: Suggested constants for use in predicting 62Sn36Pb2Ag solder fatigue.

Circuits Assembly OCTOBER 2003

TABLE 3: Summary of assembly reliability results.

Crossing the Bridge from Dispensing to Mass Imaging