SMT Assembly Troubleshooting and Process Optimization at STI Electronics

Course Instructor:             Phil Zarrow and Jim Hall

Course Time:                      8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

SMT Assembly Troubleshooting and Process Optimization – Lessons Learned from the Trenches and a Decade of Board Talk

Description of the Course

In over 30 years of consulting, Phil and Jim have just about seen it all! You may be familiar with their popular podcast (started before podcasts existed), Board Talk, which addresses industry issues with deep understanding and a sense of humor. Join the “Assembly Brothers” for a journey through troubleshooting the most common defects in SMT with an emphasis on identifying the fundamental root causes, and an entertaining overview of SMT assembly process optimization techniques.

Topics Include:

• Why do we get voids in certain solder joints?
• Do we need to clean No-Clean residues before Conformal Coating?
• What is Causing Intermittent BGA Failures?
• Should We Measure Solder Paste Thickness?
• Are there effective countermeasures to “new” defects such as “Graping”, HoP, etc.?
• Should we consider changing to a newer Solder Paste formulation?
• What are the Pros and Cons of Cleaning No-Clean?
• What are potential issues with introducing Ultra-miniature chip components into products?
• Does Your Assembly Line Suffer From Floundering Time?
• How can we reduce tombstoning?
• Can We Skip Cleaning After Rework?
• What are the best practices for storing and handling PCB’s?
• How to build a “proper” profile board to set up a Reflow Oven ?
• How can we achieve adequate hole fill in wave soldering?
• Can we mix conformal coatings during rework?
• Will typical No-Clean residues pass an SIR Test?
• What causes “Icicles” during wave soldering?
• Solder pallets with titanium inserts: yes or no?
• Others

Q & A – “Stump the Chumps”: Jim and Phil answer process questions from participants