Technical Library | 2010-09-09 16:44:48.0
The effectiveness of cleaning stencils and misprinted/dirty printed circuit boards can be effectively monitored. This can be done by washing known clean circuit boards and then checking to see if they have stayed clean as a result of the washing process.
Technical Library | 2016-08-04 14:33:23.0
Solder paste screen printing is known to be one of the most difficult processes to quality assure in Printed Board Assembly (PBA) manufacturing. An important process step in solder paste screen printing is the under stencil cleaning process and one of the key materials in this process is the cleaning paper1. This, often neglected, material affects the cleaning process and thereby also the print quality. It is therefore important to perform tests of different cleaning papers before one could be chosen. This article describes how cleaning papers can be tested and it also tells how big differences it can be between different materials.
Technical Library | 2023-06-12 18:33:29.0
This paper presents a real-time predictive approach to improve solder paste stencil printing cycle decision making process in surface mount assembly lines. Stencil cleaning is a critical process that influences the quality and efficiency of printing circuit board. Stencil cleaning operation depends on various process variables, such as printing speed, printing pressure, and aperture shape. The objective of this research is to help efficiently decide stencil printing cleaning cycle by applying data-driven predictive methods. To predict the printed circuit board quality level, a recurrent neural network (RNN) is applied to obtain the printing performance for the different cleaning aging. In the prediction model, not only the previous printing performance statuses are included, but also the printing settings are used to enhance the RNN learning. The model is tested using data collected from an actual solder paste stencil printing line. Based on the predicted printing performance level, the model can help automatically identify the possible cleaning cycle in practice. The results indicate that the proposed model architecture can predictively provide accurate solder paste printing process information to decision makers and increase the quality of the stencil printing process.
Technical Library | 2009-09-18 14:48:58.0
The stencil cleaner can be one of the most versatile tools on the manufacturing floor. It can be used to clean electronic modules in various stages of the manufacturing process. In fact, an automated stencil cleaner can clean just about anything you come up against in your PCB assembly process.
Technical Library | 2023-06-12 19:00:21.0
The SMT print process is now very mature and well understood. However as consumers continually push for new electronic products, with increased functionality and smaller form factor, the boundaries of the whole assembly process are continually being challenged. Miniaturisation raises a number of issues for the stencil printing process. How small can we print? What are the tightest pitches? Can we print small deposits next too large for high mix technology assemblies? How closely can we place components for high density products? ...And then on top of this, how can we satisfy some of the cost pressures through the whole supply chain and improve yield in the production process! Today we are operating close to the limits of the stencil printing process. The area ratio rule (the relationship between stencil aperture opening and aperture surface area) fundamentally dictates what can and cannot be achieved in a print process. For next generation components and assembly processes these established rules need to be broken! New stencil printing techniques are becoming available which address some of these challenges. Active squeegees have been shown to push area ratio limits to new boundaries, permitting printing for next generation 0.3CSP technology. Results also indicate there are potential yield benefits for today's leading edge components as well. Stencil coatings are also showing promise. In tests performed to date it is becoming apparent that certain coatings can provide higher yield processing by extending the number of prints that can be performed in-between stencil cleans during a print process. Preliminary test results relating to the stencil coating technology and how they impact miniaturisation and high yield processing will be presented.
Technical Library | 2014-06-05 16:44:07.0
Stencil printing capability is becoming more important as the range of component sizes assembled on a single board increases. Coupled with increased component density, solder paste sticking to the aperture sidewalls and bottom of the stencil can cause insufficient solder paste deposits and solder bridging. Yield improvement requires increased focus on stencil technology, printer capability, solder paste functionality and understencil cleaning.(...) The purpose of this research is to study the wipe sequence, wipe frequency and wipe solvent(s) and how these factors interact to provide solder paste printing yield improvement.
Technical Library | 2023-05-22 16:49:42.0
Our customers' issues • Apertures are getting smaller • Paste does not release as well • Contaminates the bottom of the stencil • Increases defects / reduces yield Insufficient solder Bridging Solder balls on surface of PCB Flux residue • Requires more frequent cleaning • Reduced efficiency (wasted time) • Increased use of consumables (cost) USC fabric (use "cheap" fabric to reduce cost) Lint creates more defects Cleaning chemistries (use IPA to reduce cost) IPA breaks down flux and can create more defects
Technical Library | 2017-10-26 01:18:49.0
Nano-coatings have been introduced by various manufacturers, with the promise of addressing some of the challenges relative to solder paste printing. Stated benefits include: Reduced underside cleaning, reduced bridging, improved solder paste release and improvements in yield. With several nano technologies already on the market and more likely to be introduced, how can the performance be quantified? How robust are these coatings? How can an assembler approach the ROI of these coatings? What hidden benefits or negative impacts should be considered? This paper will present a rigorous method for evaluating the performance and economic benefits of solder paste stencil nano-coatings.
Technical Library | 2023-05-22 16:42:56.0
Nano-coatings are applied to solder paste stencils with the intent of improving the solder paste printing process. Do they really make a noticeable improvement? The effect of Nano-coatings on solder paste print performance was investigated. Transfer efficiencies were studied across aperture sizes ranging from 0.30 to 0.80 area ratio. Also investigated were the effects of Nano-coatings on transfer efficiencies of tin-lead, lead-free, water soluble, no-clean, and type 3, 4, and 5 solder pastes. Solder paste print performance for each Nano-coating was summarized with respect to all of these variables.
Technical Library | 2020-10-27 02:02:17.0
Solder powder size is a popular topic in the electronics industry due to the continuing trend of miniaturization of electronics. The question commonly asked is "when should we switch from Type 3 to a smaller solder powder?" Solder powder size is usually chosen based on the printing requirements for the solder paste. It is common practice to use IPC Type 4 or 5 solder powders for stencil designs that include area ratios below the recommended IPC limit of 0.66. The effects of solder powder size on printability of solder paste have been well documented. The size of the solder powder affects the performance of the solder paste in other ways. Shelf life, stencil life, reflow performance, voiding behavior, and reactivity / stability are all affected by solder powder size. Testing was conducted to measure each of these solder paste performance attributes for IPC Type 3, Type 4, Type 5 and Type 6 SAC305 solder powders in both water soluble and no clean solder pastes. The performance data for each size of solder powder in each solder paste flux was quantified and summarized. Guidance for choosing the optimal size of solder powder is given based on the results of this study.
