- Lead-Free Design Conversion
With the RoHs July 2006 deadline fast approaching, commercial electronics manufacturers must quickly develop methods to eliminate lead from their designs. The European Union’s Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) directive bans the use of lead in commercial electronics which reach EU store shelves as of July 2006. The military electronics sector is exempt, but as it only represents 1% of the entire market, the directive will indirectly impact availability of components for military applications. [Full Article]
- IPC-A-610 - Acceptability of Electronics Assemblies
Course materials are now available for both Instructors/Trainers and Application Specialists for IPC-A-610 Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies (Revision D). The Certified IPC Trainer course covers the entire specification, while the Application Specialist course is now modular, offering companies the flexibility to select the areas of training which pertain to their specific needs. Following is a description of the courses, including requirements which must be met to obtain trainer and specialist certifications.[Full Article]
- Flying Probe Tester
The EMPF manufacturing facility has recently added a flying probe tester to its extensive range of manufacturing equipment. The tester is intended for optimization of production yield for printed circuit boards (PCBs) after assembly. During incoming and outgoing inspection, the Seica model S40 Pilot (or “Wing,” outside the U.S.) Flying Probe Tester allows for the detection of misplaced, missing, and incorrect items and incorrect value parts on a board.[Full Article]
- Ask the EMPF Helpline!
The EMPF Helpline received a call from a manufacturer who had experienced plating issues with a lead-free solder base. The call led to a request for SEM testing of samples in order to help establish the cause.
The customer requested failure analysis of gold (Au) plated nickel (Ni) barrier atop tin silver (Sn96Ag4) soldered samples. Gold embrittlement was the concern. The lead-free samples included failed solder joints in a connector. The method of assembly included the joints (nickel-gold plated pins soldered to pre-tinned pads) being hand soldered, using a tin-silver based solder, and encapsulated in an aluminum housing. The customer supplied two samples for analysis. The EMPF was tasked with identifying possible causes of failure.[Full Article]
- Tech Tips... Implementing a Lead-Free Evaluation or Certification Test Plan
The following Tech Tips address lead-free evaluation or certification test planning. Implementing lead-free solder processing often requires evaluation of solder materials or certification of the assembly process. With the seemingly endless number of variables, including solder alloy, reflow profile, aperture reduction, flux types, and component finish, certification can become an unnecessarily arduous ordeal.[Full Article]
- Reliability Modeling of Lead-Free Soldering
Finite Element Modeling (FEM) has been widely used for analysis of tin-lead and lead-free solder reliability and prediction of their lifetimes. Many past research efforts have already modeled tin-lead solder reliability and given a relatively accurate prediction of lifetime reliability of tin-lead solder. Lead-free solder modeling and reliability prediction are still a great challenge to researchers and manufacturers.[Full Article]
- Manufacturer's Corner: X-Ray Flourescence Analyzers
Beginning in July 2006, EU Directive 2002/95/EC, also known as RoHS, on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, comes into force. From this date, the directive restricts manufacturers from placing any products which contain six banned substances onto the European markets. As a result, manufacturers and their suppliers falling under the directive are faced with a huge task to certify compliance. X-ray fluorescence analysis is considered to be the best solution for quick, non-destructive screening of these product parts and components.[Full Article]
- Upcoming EMLC Courses
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Empfasis is a publication of the American
Competitiveness Institute and the EMPF. The EMPF is the U.S. Navy’s
National Center of Excellence dedicated to advancing the state-of-the-art
in electronics and increasing domestic productivity in electronics manufacturing.
Our efforts in the field of electronics manufacturing, analytical services,
and our work with government and industry, yield the knowledge that we present
to you here.
