Circuits Assembly - March 2008 - (Page 47)

Cover Story tion. In addition to the elimination of nitrogen, electricity use with vapor phase is much lower. Vapor phase systems under development will automate solder reflow. These systems will have the ability to monitor and control the thermal process during soldering. This would further reduce the number of hours spent profiling production assemblies, and would ensure the proper profile is sustained, no matter what the production load is on the system or process. Vapor phase systems can also incorporate vacuum environments that will produce zero-void solder joints, key to improving solder joint strength. While vapor phase reflow still has throughput constraints, overall the technology has advanced significantly the past few years. Rising energy costs, continued pressure to do more with each production line, and the migration to Pb-free components make vapor phase a viable alternative to convention and IR reflow processes. As such, vapor phase will see a comeback in the Pb-free, Lean manufacturing environment. ■ Figure 3. A Pb-free, tin J-lead processed using no-clean, vapor phase reflow. cost) FR-406. Higher temperature substrate material can add 10 to 15% to PCB cost. Vapor phase also offers processing advantages with large mass connectors because the thermal equilibrium is superior. In convection reflow, particularly in higher-temperature Pb-free processes, correctly soldering large mass connectors may overheat the rest of the PCB. Also, cost savings is attributable to lower energy consump- References 1. Steve Fraser and Chris Munroe, “Using Vapor Phase Reflow in Lead-free Processing,” SMT, April 2005. Chris Munroe is director of engineering at EPIC Technologies (epictech.com); chris.munroe@epictech.com. Coating Performance Under Your Control The NEW SelectCoat SL-940E Series from Asymtek ® The Most Accurate Conformal Coating System Available • • • • • • Traceability Closed-loop process controls Vision system Advanced integrated electronic controls and software Proprietary jetting and coating technology Excellent edge definition Increased Productivity with 30-50% Faster Throughput • 1,000 mm/sec. coating speed and 1g peak acceleration Lower Cost-of-Ownership Supported by International, Award-Winning Service Network HEADQUARTERS 2762 Loker Avenue West Carlsbad, CA 92010-6603 USA U.S. Toll Free: 1-800-ASYMTEK Tel: (760) 431-1919 Fax: (760) 431-2678 Email: info@asymtek.com INTERNATIONAL SALES Europe: +31 (0) 43-352-4466 China, Guangzhou: +8620-8554-9996 China, Shanghai: +8621-5854-2345 Japan: +81 (0) 3-5762-2801 Korea: +82-31-765-8337 S.E. Asia: +65 6796-9514 Taiwan: +886-229-02-1860 www.asymtek.com/products/sl_940 Recipient of Intel Corporation’s SCQI Award: 2003-2006. Visit Asymtek at APEX booth #511 and at NEPCON China circuitsassembly.com Circuits Assembly MARCH 2008 47 http://epictech.com http://www.asymtek.com/products/sl_940.htm http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - March 2008

Circuits Assembly - March 2008 Caveat Lector Letters Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business On the Forefront Screen Printing What Drives the Crowd? Mastering ESD Control in Automated Handling Systems Beating the RoHS Heat Trade Secrets True to Its Roots The Road Abroad - Strategic Alliance or Greenfield Facility? Tech Tips Wave Soldering Test and Inspection Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Materials World Equipment Advances Apex Product Preview Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - March 2008

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