SMT Apr2018

APRIL 2018 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 1
APRIL 2018 • FEATURED CONTENT
12 Automotive Electronics:
The Driving Force
This month’s issue of SMT007 Magazine looks
: into the latest developments, opportunities
and challenges in automotive electronics, and
why this market continues to drive the over-
all electronics manufacturing industry.
ry
12 Vehicle Electrification:
Disrupting the Automotive
Industry and Beyond
30 by Chandran Nair
20 Solving Reliability and Thermal

Management Challenges in
Automotive Electronics
Interview with Paul Salerno
30 System-Driven Approach
Ensures Automotive Electronics
Assembly Success
38 Interview with Mathieu Kury
38 Under the Hood:

Solder Joint Reliability
by Burton Carpenter
4 Under the
SMT007 Hood: Solder
MAGAZINE I APRIL Joint
2018 Reliability
APRIL 2018 • ADDITIONAL CONTENT
ARTICLES:
60 CFX: The Next Step Toward
the Future of Factories
by Stephen Las Marias
66 How the Factory Ecosystem

60 Positively Drives Exponential
Value
by Freddie Chan
72 3D Printing and Additive

Manufacturing in PCBA
by Zohair Mehkri, David Geiger,
Anwar Mohammed, and Murad Kurwa
66 COLUMN:
8 Automotive Electronics
72 Still in the Driver’s Seat
by Stephen Las Marias
HIGHLIGHTS:
18 MilAero
26 Supply Line
36 Markets
SHORTS: 82 Top Ten from SMT007.com
24 MEK Sees Increasing Demand
for THT AOI Systems DEPARTMENTS:
86 Career Opportunities
70 New Show & Tell Magazine: 92 Events Calendar
Complete Coverage of IPC APEX EXPO 93 Advertiser Index & Masthead
6 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018
Innovative solutions for complex
circuit board manufacturing
Click to see what we bring to each sector of the industry:
RF/Microwave Power High-Speed

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Automotive Lamination Startups

Electronics
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Still in the Driver’s Seat
Editor’s Note
by Stephen Las Marias, I-CONNECT007
The past few weeks had been hectic.

In mid-February, I travelled to San Diego,
California, to attend IPC APEX EXPO 2018.
It was just my third year of attending the
show but seemed bigger than the past two I Industry Driver
have attended. This year’s show highlighted The past year was one of the strongest years
new features, including the CFX demo, which that the PCB supply chain and the rest of the
I found interesting; it looks like Industry 4.0 is electronics manufacturing industry in general,
beginning to take shape and cement its pres- has seen. Everyone we talked to at the shows,
ence in the roadmaps of every stakeholder in including the HKPCA & IPC Show 2017 event
the industry. I talked to some of the partici- we attended last December in Shenzhen,
pants in the demo, and you can read inside China, were optimistic that the strong growth
what they have to say about CFX. in the industry in 2017 will continue through
By now you have probably seen our Show & 2018.
Tell special edition (if not, click here), which is And most industry players point to one thing
a comprehensive recap when it comes to what’s driving this strong
of the IPC APEX EXPO growth—automotive electronics. In fact, one
2018 event, complete of my RealTime with… interviews at IPC APEX
with our video cover- EXPO 2018 show was with Henk Biemans,
age, interviews of award managing director of MEK Europe. During
winners, as well as our discussion, he mentioned the increasing
insights from our expert use of THT AOI systems in the wave-solder-
columnists and editors, ing process because most power electronics in
among others. cars still use through-hole devices—and most
Less than two weeks of these assemblies are manual.
after arriving home, I All industry analysts are forecasting contin-
travelled to chilly Shanghai, China, to attend ued growth in the automotive electronics
the productronica and electronica China 2018 market. According to Global Market Insights,
shows, as well as the CPCA 2018 show. the global automotive electronics market will
The productronica and electronica China surpass $395.91 billion by 2024, up from
shows were massive and, by all accounts, very $206.33 billion in 2016. The growth is attrib-
busy. One exhibitor expressed to us that in uted to the increasing automotive electronics
the three days of the show, he had not had adoption in cars to deliver safety features such
a chance to walk the show floor—it was that as vehicle data recorder systems, emergency
busy in his booth. The CPCA Show likewise call systems and alcohol ignition interlocks, to
was a big event, and Happy’s presentations at name a few.
the conference, on topics ranging from auto- Infinium Global Research, meanwhile,
mation to Whelen’s lights-out factory, were expects the automotive electronics market
well attended. The shows were well-attended to register a compound annual growth rate
by engineers from Chinese PCB manufacturers. (CAGR) of 6.9% over the 2017 to 2023 period.

Another market analyst, Transparency While reliability continues to be one of
Market Research (TMR), on the other hand the main challenges in automotive electron-
predicts a CAGR of 7.4% between 2017 and ics, there are others. For instance, Marini
2022 for the global automotive electronics mentioned lead time. “Materials are leading
market. The market analyst firm expects the or extending out there like copper for PCBs or
market to be valued at $5.05 billion by the end just simple components like resistors. I was
of 2022, up from $3.53 billion in 2017. Fuel- having a conversation when I was in China a
ing the growth of the automotive electronics few weeks ago. There is a simple resistor there
market include rising safety considerations, that seems everybody in the industry is using.
demand for high-end electronics for naviga- Lead times are getting way out of the normal
tion, information, and entertainment, and the lead times, and it’s a challenge to manage that
rising popularity of electric and hybrid vehi- for ourselves and our customers to understand
cles due to environmental considerations, that. People that are used to see an eight-week
according to TMR. time for their products are now looking at two
One trend in the automotive electronics or three times that for some of these because
sector is the shift to LED lighting. In an inter- of the components they’ve selected. So, we
view, Greg Marini, director of business devel- try to mitigate that by offering alternatives, or
opment at EMS firm Vexos Inc., says the advent working with the customers to see if they can
of LED lighting in cars—from headlights to design with different components.”
tail lights to interior lighting—was one of the Aside from the challenges, the nice thing
biggest game changers in the past decade. about the automotive electronics market is
He also mentioned the prevalence of back-up that when you land some programs, there’s a
cameras, rear-view mirror systems, entertain- bit of peace of mind, so to speak, because you
ment systems, and the touchscreen, or just typically land platforms that last three to five
the display of information and content that years, according to Marini: “It’s nice from the
is available for the driver. “There’s so much new product development side; you can have
information that you put down into these cars some consistent income coming from programs
that I think there’s actually a pull back now on and start to focus on others. In other indus-
what’s going to be available for users, to keep tries, the program might be one, two, or three
them focused on driving the vehicle instead of years, and you worry about replacement busi-
being distracted by all the accessories that are ness. So, the downside is it takes a long time to
available for them to tinker around with.” get that business in the development side. But
Safety is another trend that’s driving inno- once you secured it, you are sure to have that
vation in automotive electronics, accord- for three to five years.”
ing to Future Market Insights. The research This month’s issue of SMT007 Magazine
firm added that powertrains, wheels, park- looks at the challenges, opportunities, and
ing assistance, and electrical suspensions new requirements from automotive electron-
are the major application areas most likely ics customers, and how these issues may be
to spur the growth of the market, as well as addressed. Enjoy!
increasing environmental sustainability plus Next month, I am travelling again to Shang-
rising demand of cutting edge infotainment hai, China, to attend NEPCON China. I hope to
systems. These, in turn, will fuel the demand see you there! SMT007
for complex electronics systems. In line with
this, protection of complex electronic systems Stephen Las Marias is managing
from damaging electrical hazards and strin- editor of SMT007 Magazine. He has
gent government regulation regarding vehicle been a technology editor for more
safety are some of the major challenges facing than 14 years covering electronics,
designers in the automotive electronics indus- components, and industrial
try, FMI added. automation systems.

Engineering And Providing
Balanced Interconnect Solutions
MIRACO
Miraco, Inc.
Manchester, NH
miracoinc.com
603-665-9449
...connecting technology
Vehicle
Electrification:
Disrupting the
Automotive Industry
and Beyond
Feature by Chandran Nair
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
Around the globe, governments are announc- passed around the world, and the importance
ing mandates that will bring about the demise and growth of the hybrid and fully electric
of the internal combustion engine. China has automobile industry can’t be overstated. Volvo
led the charge by requiring 8% of new vehi- has possibly taken the strongest stance of the
cles on the road to be “new energy” or zero automotive manufacturers by pledging to
emission vehicles in 2018, a huge growth over make only hybrid or fully electric cars by 2019
the current 2–3% on the road today. Simi- and committing to sell more than 1 million
lar strong government regulations limiting the electric vehicles by 2025. “This announcement
future of the internal combustion engine have marks the end of the solely combustion engine-
powered car,” said Hakan Samuelsson, presi-
dent and CEO of Volvo, in a July 2017 statement.
Although we have yet to witness such bold
and aggressive challenges in Southeast Asia,
the region is home to a fairly strong automotive
industry. For instance, Thailand is the base coun-
try for many automotive OEMs, while the Phil-
ippines and Malaysia are the go-to destinations
for supply chain vendors including component
designers and manufacturers as well as semi-
conductors. This signals tremendous opportu-
nities for the automotive industry in terms of
autonomous vehicles and electrification.
More than Electric Vehicles

The move from internal combustion to hybrid
and then fully electric power plants represents
only the most visible portion of the aggressive
growth of power electronics systems in vehi-
cles. Electrification applies just as significantly

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Tel: 88-501-9203
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to vehicle subsystems. As recently as 10 years In many vehicles, a safety system sits in the
ago, a fully mechanical coupling between the middle of this drive-by-wire steering system to
steering wheel and the front wheels was not make sure the vehicle stays in the traffic lane
unusual. The steering wheel connected to a and avoids obstacles in the roadway. As the
shaft that connected to a rack-and-pinion system number of power electronics subsystems in the
that turned the wheels, and even a more effi- vehicle grows, the automobile itself begins to
cient hydraulic version of the system still main- look like an electrical microgrid with a common
tained a mechanical coupling between the steer- power bus connecting a growing list of sources
ing wheel and the tires. The story is similar for and sinks of power, each managed by an inde-
the accelerator pedal and manual transmission. pendent embedded control system.
The explosion of drive-by-wire technology
throughout the modern vehicle has changed The Broader Impact—Challenges
this paradigm. A sensor, a remote actuator, Taking a slightly broader look at the implica-
and multiple control systems have replaced the tions of government automotive mandates, the
mechanical linkage. Instead of a direct connec- exponential growth in electrification and the
tion between the steering wheel and the front impending end of internal combustion engines
tires, a sensor on the steering column now represent a radical change in the infrastructure
measures the angle of the wheel. An embedded required to support the shift in vehicle power
controller then translates that measurement plants. A car with an internal combustion engine
into an angle and sends the value to the vehi- requires roughly 10 minutes at nearly any petrol
cle’s communication bus. Elsewhere on the station to fill up its tank for another 300 miles
communication bus, another controller picks of driving. However, even with a dedicated
up the value, translates that into an angle of supercharger, a similar pit stop requires at least
the wheel potentially based on vehicle speed an hour for a fully electric vehicle to charge.
and driver settings, and then commands an Even for the slow recharge associated with a
actuator to move the wheel to a desired angle. daily commute, the required charging hardware
In many vehicles, a safety system sits in the middle of this drive-by-wire steering system to make sure the vehicle
stays in the traffic lane and avoids obstacles in the roadway.

needs some thought. For homeowners, install- quickly would require an increased reliance on
ing an overnight charging station might be as real-time test, production test, and ecosystem
simple as putting in a high-current circuit in the partners who have vertical expertise building
garage, but this becomes more complicated for tools on top of an industry-leading, flexible, and
a renter in a house or an apartment. If a car open platform. With the right tools, engineers
owner happens to live in a city and parks on the can adapt to the disruptive technologies vehicle
street, the concept of a home-charging station electrification will require.
might be completely impossible. Additionally, given the advancements in
The future of vehicle electrification from the smart manufacturing that we are seeing taking
prospective of the electrical utility, the cyclic place as well as increased R&D investments
demands based on the in Southeast Asian
daily workforce schedule markets, the outlook for
combined with the high- the automotive indus-
load demands of fast try is, without a doubt,
charging present signif- positive. Engineers are
icant new challenges developing applications
for the electrical grid as ranging from new vehi-
well. If an entire work- cle technologies and
force returns home at capabilities for infotain-
5:00 p.m. and plugs in its ment systems, in-vehi-
electric vehicles around cle networks and sensor
the same time, this shifts fusion, to fully autono-
the timing of the typical peak demand on the mous driving, and V2X communications and
grid and refocuses the regional peak consump- infrastructure. Organizations as well are look-
tion from heating or cooling toward transpor- ing at addressing market needs and opportu-
tation. On the larger scale of a gas station, a nities from smart grid, to management and
collection of the superchargers for fast charg- distribution of power (the charging stations),
ing will require an amount of energy like that to the electric car itself. For instance, many NI
of a medium-sized neighborhood. Alliance Partners enabled by NI technologies
Indeed, the infrastructure required to enable are helping to make autonomous driving and
or support autonomous and electric vehicles is the electrification of vehicles a reality, faster,
a challenge. For autonomous vehicles, devel- such as the test bed project NI is working with
oping the V2X applications and infrastructure the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technol-
and ensuring they can co-exist with existing ogy Centre in Singapore on.
infrastructure and vehicles presents other chal- The shift to electrification certainly creates
lenges when it comes to scaling autonomous many new applications and those with a strong
vehicles with a very low margin of error. and keen focus on Industry 4.0 and smart cities
would therefore be placing themselves in an
Looking Ahead advantageous position. Electrification of the
The government-mandated trend of elec- automotive industry also means an increase
tric vehicles directly leads to growth in the in productivity as consumers could spend time
complexity of vehicles and indirectly leads to doing things rather than driving. That is the
an immediate need for growth in infrastructure. smart future we are heading towards. SMT007
The next-generation automotive industry will
drive the future of the grid, which will require Chandran Nair is the vice president
smarter control systems. Turning this into real- for Asia Pacific at National
ity represents a truly interdisciplinary chal- Instruments.
lenge to build safe and reliable control systems
among other needs. To get this to market

MilAero Highlights
Kitron Posts Strong Growth in Q4 2017 E Nortech’s Intercon 1 Group Expands
Kitron has reported improved revenue, order Existing Manufacturing in China E
backlog and profitability for the fourth quarter Nortech Systems Incorporated announced today
and full year 2017. that it has expanded capabilities at its manu-
facturing facility in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, to
IPC Honors Rockwell Collins and support its regional machine vision technology
Northrop Grumman with Corporate customers.
Recognition Awards E
IPC bestowed its highest corporate honors on Plexus Announces Revised Capital
two member-companies, Rockwell Collins and Allocation Plan, Employee Bonus E
Northrop Grumman Corp. during a luncheon Plexus Corp. announced that recent U.S. tax
at IPC APEX EXPO 2018. The Peter Sarmanian reform will enable it to tax-efficiently repa-
Corporate Recognition Award was presented to triate approximately $500 million of offshore
Northrop Grumman and the Stan Plzak Corpo- cash into the United States.
rate Recognition Award was presented to Rock-
well Collins. Dynamic Manufacturing Celebrates
11,000th Inspection Machine Installation
NASA’s Robert Cooke Wins IPC with Koh Young E
President’s Award E Dynamic Manufacturing, a Matric Group
In recognition of his significant contributions Company, recently installed a new Zenith AOI
of time, talent and ongoing leadership in IPC platform from Koh Young Technology to help
and the electronics industry, long-time IPC them deliver the highest quality products to its
volunteer Robert Cooke of NASA Johnson growing customer base.
Space Center was presented with the IPC Pres-
ident’s Award at IPC APEX EXPO 2018. Sypris Lands Additional Contracts
with Harris E
Neways Electronics Expands Production Sypris Electronics LLC, a subsidiary of Sypris
Facility at German Site E Solutions Inc., has recently received multiple
EMS firm Neways Electronics International is contract awards from Harris Corp. to manufac-
expanding its German site in Neunkirchen. ture a variety of mission-critical electronic assem-
blies for a number of government programs.
Rockwell Collins’ Dave Hillman Inducted

into IPC Hall of Fame E
In recognition and acknowledgement of his
extraordinary contributions to IPC and the
electronics industry, Dave Hillman, Rockwell
Collins, was presented with the IPC Raymond
E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at IPC APEX
EXPO.

Highly Certified Premier
Mil-Aero C5ISR
Electronics Contract Manufacturing
& Engineering Design Services
DESIGN
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RF Reliability Influenced by Design and Manufacturing
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■ Autocad ■ Solid Works
■ PADS ■ Rhinoceros
■ Altium ■ 3D Scan
■ Cadence Allegro ■ Thermal Analysis
■ Mentor Expedition ■ DfX capabilities Reliability Issues with RF Circuits
Influenced by Design and
Manufacturing Processes
DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER

at www.zentech.com
Baltimore, MD Fredericksburg, VA
www.zentech.com • 443-348-4500 • sales@zentech.com

© 2017 Zentech Manufacturing. All rights reserved.
Feature Interview by Stephen Las Marias
I-CONNECT007
Paul Salerno is the Global Portfolio Manager

for SMT Assembly Solutions at Alpha Assem-
bly Solutions. He has more than a decade of
experience in the electronics assembly industry
in roles such as application engineering, proj-
ect management, and product management.
Paul is responsible for developing and execut- cles. The continual adoption of the HEV/EV
ing strategies for the automotive and consumer powertrain, advanced driver-assist systems
electronics market segments, ensuring Alpha’s (ADAS), and in-cabin electronics is driving the
products continue to meet the evolving needs need for more sophisticated assembly solu-
of their global customers. tions. For example, advanced detection systems
In this interview with SMT007 Magazine, Paul such as lane departure warning, adaptive cruise
discusses the growing automotive electronics control, LIDAR, RADAR, and vision systems
industry, its impact on the soldering materi- that were once reserved for luxury vehicles are
als business, and how Alpha helps customers now becoming more common in the average
address the new challenges and requirements consumer vehicle. Each one of these technolo-
in the automotive market. gies presents itself with unique challenges that
require customized solutions.
Stephen Las Marias: The automotive electronics
market has been one of the driving forces of Las Marias: What are some of these “unique
the electronics manufacturing industry. What challenges”?
is the impact of this on your business?
Salerno: Reliability, of course, is a major driv-
Paul Salerno: The solder market continues to ing factor to the successful implementation
flourish, and we see an upward demand for of an assembly material in automotive elec-
automotive electronics from OEMs due to tronics. Specifically, exposure to high-temper-
the sophistication required for modern vehi- ature and high-vibrational environments for

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powertrain and advanced our products in a given appli-
detection devices creates a cation. For example, the abil-
need for assembly materi- ity to measure electrochemical
als that exhibit excellent creep migration and corrosion resis-
resistance. The combination of tance of our solder pastes on
the end product’s performance fine-pitch components ensures
requirements as well as expo- the reliability of our products
sure to environmental stresses in advanced detection devices.
is driving increased reliabil-
ity demands on the assembly Las Marias: Are there new
materials. requirements being placed
Thermal management is crit- upon you by your customers
ical from both application and dealing with automotive elec-
processing perspectives. In tronics?
powertrain applications facing
high-operating temperatures, Paul Salerno Salerno: As always, demands
the ability to develop creep resis- are unique to the given appli-
tant alloys capable of facing temperature ranges cation. The need for assembly materials capa-
from -40°C to 150°C is driving the need for ble of meeting operating temperatures above
high-reliability alloys such as InnoLot. Thermal 120°C is commonplace for devices located
management from a processing perspective is closest to heat-generating sources of the vehicle.
driving the need to develop low-temperature We are seeing thermal cycling demands of
alloys capable of high reliability to prevent -40°C/150°C with requirements above 2,000
component warpage during reflow. Alpha’s cycles for these powertrain applications. For
HRL1 alloy exhibits excellent mechanical advanced safety detection systems, not only
reliability relative to SAC305 while reducing are thermal cycling requirements increasing,
processing temperatures by 50°C. This has but there is a growing need for fine pitched
proven to have a profound impact on reduction electrochemical reliability. It is not uncommon
of component warpage leading to increased to see power density increasing and component
yields and enhanced product performance. sizes shrinking as these advanced detection
devices become more sophisticated and
Las Marias: How do you help ensure the reli- miniaturized. Finally, for in-cabin electronics,
ability of electronics assemblies for cars? a focus on total cost of ownership is driving
the need for low-temperature, high-reliability
Salerno: The answer to this question really alloys.
begins with the relationship we maintain with
our customers. Maintaining a strong voice of Las Marias: What new technologies from Alpha
customer enables Alpha to develop next gener- target these issues?
ation products to meet the upcoming needs
of the marketplace. Having a global R&D and Salerno: Alpha is committed to the develop-
technical service footprint allows Alpha the ment of next-generation solder alloy and pastes
flexibility to quickly address customer needs, chemistries to meet the current and future
albeit on a production line or in the lab. We needs of our customers. For high temperature
maintain a cutting edge analytical and diag- and vibrational applications such as powertrain
nostic lab capable of characterizing assembly and advanced detection devices, highly creep-
performance through use of equipment such resistant alloys, such as our InnoLot alloy, is
as SEM/FEM, as well as conducting field tests key to meeting the reliability requirements
such as thermal cycling and surface insula- of our automotive customers. Additionally,
tion resistance to qualify the performance of our CVP-390 solder paste chemistry delivers

world-class electrochemical reliability down to Las Marias: What are the key considerations for
100 µm spacing on fine-pitch components. success in automotive electronics assembly?
Our newest solder paste, Alpha OM-550
HRL1, is a revolutionary advancement in Salerno: The ability to meet reliability require-
low-temperature soldering that also aids in ments and reduce total cost of ownership are
increasing performance while helping to critical to success in automotive electronics.
reduce warranty failures. The HRL1 alloy The balance between product warranty cost
requires a soldering temperature of 50°C below and the implementation of more advanced
SAC305 while maintaining a similar reliability alloys that enhance long term reliability will
to SAC305. This results in a highly reliable and continue to be a challenge for design and
energy-efficient soldering process. manufacturing engineers alike.
Las Marias: What latest trends or developments Las Marias: What can you say about the future
in automotive electronics are changing the way of automotive electronics assembly industry?
electronics assemblies are being manufactured? How do you position Alpha in this market?
Salerno: The continual trend towards the Salerno: Alpha is well positioned to meet the
development of autonomous vehicles are current and future demands of the automotive
forcing manufacturers to rethink electronics industry. The continual adoption of HEV/EV
assemblies and once again push the reliabil- powertrain, advanced detection systems, and
ity demands on assembly materials. Advanced enhanced in-cabin electronics are three signifi-
detection systems are one of the key elements cant trends in the automotive electronics indus-
to building a safe and reliable vehicle capable try for which Alpha has well-established, proven
of predicting behavior of the three-dimensional products to meet the most stringent design
images it is sensing. To achieve this, electronics demands. Alpha can provide product solutions
need to embody artificial intelligence, process- to the automotive electronics market where the
ing advanced algorithms to enable the vehicle technology is rapidly changing and becoming
to quickly and automatically adapt to changing more complex. Alpha’s strong partnership with
circumstances. There’s also IoT considerations leading Tier 1 automotive suppliers is fostered
as onboard systems need to support machine- through delivering high quality products, supe-
to-machine communications to learn from rior technical support, and having a deep under-
other vehicles and adjust for weather changes standing of their next generation needs.
and shifting road conditions. As package sizes
decrease, demands to maintain thermal and Las Marias: Thank you, Paul.
electrical performance of assembly materials
will increase. Salerno: Thank you. SMT007
MEK Sees Increasing Demand

for THT AOI Systems
Henk Biemans, managing director of MEK (Marantz Electronics) Europe,
speaks with I-Connect007 Managing Editor Stephen Las Marias about why
the growing automotive electronics market is driving the increasing demand
for THT AOI systems. Other topics discussed include reliability issues, artifi-
cial intelligence, and machine learning in inspection systems.
To watch the interview, click here.

A Siemens Business
Supply Line Highlights
Siemens Addresses Digital Enterprise RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Indium Discusses
with Valor IoT Manufacturing Tool E Fighting Solder Voids E
Siemens today announced the Valor IoT Manu- Voiding has increasingly become one of the most
facturing Analytics product, a new comprehen- critical challenges in the soldering process. In this
sive big data and business intelligence platform interview, Christopher Nash, product manager
that monitors and manages global electronics for the PCB assembly solder paste business of
manufacturing operations for accurate, real- Indium, speaks about how the company is help-
time manufacturing utilization and overall ing customers address the voiding challenge.
equipment effectiveness (OEE).
Cirtronics Invests in Additional Pillarhouse
RTW IPC APEX EXPO: How Smart Factories Will Selective Soldering System E
Revolutionize Electronics Manufacturing E Pillarhouse is pleased to announce that Cirtron-
KIC president Bjorn Dahle discusses the smart ics has today placed an order for a 4th Pillar-
manufacturing trend in the electronics assembly house selective soldering system, for their
industry, and how KIC can help their custom- manufacturing facility.
ers with smart manufacturing transitions.
RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Addressing
Flextron Unveils New X-ray Inspection, Challenges in Automotive Electronics E
Failure Analysis Capability E Paul Salerno explains how Alpha Assembly
Flextron Circuit Assembly announces the avail- Solutions have addressed the challenges of the
ability of 3D X-ray imaging capability, through exponential growth in automotive electronics,
the acquisition of a Nikon XTV-160 system with specific reference to soldering in power
that provides Flextron with a powerful quality train, ADAS, and infotainment applications.
assurance and diagnostic tool.
RTW IPC APEX EXPO: Developments and
The IoT Event of The Decade E Reliability Improvements in Solder Alloys E
The IPC APEX EXPO tradeshow at the end of this Tim O’Neill of AIM Solder explains develop-
month is set to rock the manufacturing world in ments in solder alloys for cost-sensitive appli-
a way that has not been seen for many years. cations, and improvements in the reliability of
alloys subjected to sustained high temperatures.
RTW IPC APEX EXPO: COMET Technologies

Highlights Product Range and New Facility E
Craig Arcuri of COMET Technologies details
the numerous ways his company’s technol-
ogy is employed to manufacture and inspect
a wide range of products, from chips to jet
engine turbine blades. He also speaks about
Lab One, the company’s new technology and
application center in Silicon Valley.

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System-Driven Approach
Ensures Automotive Electronics
Assembly Success
Feature Interview by Stephen Las Marias
I-CONNECT007
Based in Neuilly-Plaisance, France, Asteel- To successfully support its customers and

flash Group is an EMS firm offering services capture new business in this segment, Asteel-
from NPI to mass production within a broad flash has developed its automotive-specific
range of markets, including defense, military footprint, including Tijuana, Mexico; Suzhou,
and aerospace, automotive, medical, indus- China; Bad Herzfeld, Germany, and coming
trial, telecommunications, and consumer elec- soon, La Soukra, Tunisia.
tronics. In an interview with SMT007 Magazine, Kury
The automotive electronics and systems talks about the new challenges and customer
market accounts for nearly 20% of the compa- requirements when it comes to automotive elec-
ny’s global revenue. It is spread out around troics assembly, trends driving the growth of
the key sub-segments (or end applications)
including, but not limited to, infotainment,
battery management system, power elec-
tronic modules, gateway and commu-
nication electronics, door controls,
smart-lighting modules, and new
technologies targeted towards
the autonomous or self-
driving cars such as vehicle
to grid or V2X integration
systems.
According to Mathieu
Kury, business devel-
opment manager at
Asteelflash USA Corp.,
in Fremont, California,
growth has been pretty
aggressive over the past
year and they expect it to
continue with new technol-
ogies and strong players in the
industry coming up with new
vehicles and/or technology
breakthroughs.

the market, and where the Kury: More than new demands
industry is headed. or sub-applications, our cus-
tomers require shorter and
Stephen Las Marias: Have you shorter lead times, which is
seen an increase in automotive something we can help with
electronics assembly jobs over by engaging at the early stage
the past two to three years? of the project—most specifi-
What are the main drivers for cally during the design stage.
this? This will allow us to guide
and support the customer
Mathieu Kury: We have indeed. in keeping the mass produc-
These assembly jobs are tion context in mind, which
mostly focused on PCB assem- is something overlooked too
blies and sub-assemblies, often.
including the full array of test- Mathieu Kury
ing services and conformal Las Marias: How are you help-
coating, among other steps of the manufacturing customers address their challenges?
ing process. This is a trend we expect to see
again this year, along with higher volumes for Kury: We’ve integrated design for excellence
customers/projects we started to support only (DFE) and design for manufacturability (DFM)
recently and for which we have very strong and principles into our processes. That helps us in
positive outlooks within the next few months. providing our customers with design support
services, with the right tools, at the right time.
Las Marias: What are the greatest challenges Qualifying alternate parts, identifying possi-
when it comes to electronics assembly for ble roadblocks to volume production, among
automotive electronics? others, are services we provide more and more
to our customers to make sure lead time is opti-
Kury: More than the assembly itself, I would mized, component selection is relevant and in
say the main challenges reside in the level of line with customer’s requirements, and allows
quality processes, procedures, and contain- mass production ramps up smoothly. Testing
ment/contingency plans you need to have in strategy is another area where we’re investing
place. This is something we’re not new to, of additional resources, supporting our custom-
course, and therefore have mastered over time. ers in defining the right testing strategy accord-
Traceability is another one. With the increasing to their specific use case, and supporting
ing level of electronics in cars on the market, the associated tooling development.
a lot of EMS/CM players are attracted to pene-
trate this industry. However, not all of them are Las Marias: What recent trends or develop-
able to provide the quality commitments and ments in automotive electronics are chang-
results needed to succeed on the long run. ing the way electronics assemblies are being
On another note, dealing with new technolo- manufactured?
gies can also be a challenge and the self-driv-
ing vehicle sub-segment will change the way Kury: Not sure if these latest developments are
we assemble automotive products as the liabil- changing the way products are assembled,
ity on the field will be even higher—but this is however we do see a lot more opportunities
something we’re ready to tackle. to bring our expertise inside a vehicle. From
sensors to infotainment and an ever-increas-
Las Marias: What new requirements or demands ing role of the screens and touchpads for inte-
are being placed upon you by your automotive rior control, we are regularly consulted to
electronics customers? support these types of assembly, in addition to
historical applications such as lighting or door I do believe the self-driving car will play a
controls. In addition, green technologies and greater role to making this happen, in addi-
the overall Smart City ecosystem is bringing tion to increasing electronic content on-board
additional opportunities to support the electric any vehicle. This will imply having capacity
vehicle industry especially the charging infra- available and capabilities in line with automo-
structure, for example. tive requirements. I also believe new sensing
technologies and Lidars, with new comers in
Las Marias: What are the key considerations for this very field, will boost demand for assembly
success in automotive electronics assembly/ services, such as box-build and finished prod-
manufacturing? uct assembly.
Kury: While I believe that most CM or EMS Las Marias: One of the biggest issues in the
companies can place components on a board, automotive industry is reliability. How do you
it is usually another story to make it successful ensure the reliability of your assemblies?
for high-volume production without compro-
mising on quality. To reach this goal of <20 Kury: This is also a challenge for any new comer
PPM, which we have and is below indus- in this industry. Reliability is key and we have
try standards for this specific segment, I integrated this into our processes and follow
really think you first need to have a system- industry best practices such as ISO 16949 and
driven quality approach. This will ensure becoming IATF compliant. Our traceability
your processes are system driven and prop- system is one of the most advanced for elec-
erly documented. The second contributor is tronic manufacturing services, allowing Level
people. I’m proud to be working at an EMS 3 traceability; in other words, it gives us the
company where everybody is accountable for ability to go back to the component level.
quality. As Ron Williams, our quality manager This very aspect is critical to us and to our
customers.
We’ve had our traceability system and
I’m proud to be working at an manufacturing execution system (MES) linked
to our ERP and other tools such as incom-
EMS company where everybody ing inspection/receiving software, etc. These
tools, being connected, allows us to always
is accountable for quality. keep monitoring every step of our processes.
Being system-driven allows us to go back to
the component level with our suppliers, on
in Fremont, California, (one of our automotive behalf of our customers, but also to struc-
certified facilities) repeatedly mentions, we ture our own engineering and manufacturing
have 350 quality managers in the plant; each process through forced routing, for example.
and anyone of us can raise our hand and hold A good example would be the possibility for
the line in case of an issue. That mindset is key us to avoid human mistake at revision level
to succeed in this very demanding industry. or making sure a specific assembly has been
going through each step it was supposed to.
Las Marias: What can you say about the future Such features are priceless to our customers
of automotive electronics assembly industry? and therefore to us.
What factors will drive its growth?
Las Marias: Thank you very much, Mathieu.
Kury: It all comes down to mass adoption on
the market and the readiness of the infrastruc- Kury: Thank you, Stephen. SMT007
ture for these companies to succeed, there-
fore boosting demand for assembly services.

Medical Electronics
Symposium 2018
May 16 & 17
University of Texas at Dallas • Dallas, TX
SMTA, INEMI, and MEPTEC have joined forces to again host KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
this international conference, focusing on advances in electronic
Sensorizing and Connecting
technologies and advanced manufacturing, specifically targeting
Medical Devices
medical and bioscience applications. Our last conference attract-
Cory Forbes, CTO
ed about 200 attendees and more than 30 exhibitors. In prior
Nypro
years, MEPTEC’s and SMTA’s conferences were held in Phoenix,
AZ and Milpitas, CA, respectively, drawing technology experts,
entrepreneurs and service providers that work in this niche
technology space. Typical applications within this space involve Robotic Surgery:
implantable defibrillators, neurostimulators and drug delivery, Where Are the Opportunities?
interventional catheters, pillcams, ultrasound transducers, hear- Kemp H. Kernstine, Sr., M.D., Ph.D.
ing aids, biosensors, microfluidics, wireless communications, as Division of Thoracic Surgery
well as future diagnostic and treatment solutions that may use UT Southwestern Medical Center
stretchable electronics, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)
or nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). ◆ Sensors for Medical Applications:
Unlocking the Value
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE John Burnes, Medtronic Technical Fellow
General Chair: Director of Implantable Core Teams
Chuck Richardson, iNEMI Cardiac Patient Monitoring and Diagnostics
Medtronic
Technical Chairs:
Don Banks, Abbott
Peter Tortorici, Ph.D., Medtronic Microelectronics Center Multiple Track Topics Include:
Dock Brown, DfR Solutions n TRACK 1:

Dale Lee, Plexus Corp. Designs, Components and Assembly for High-Density
Glenn Robertson, Processes Science Incorporated Medical Electronics Solutions
Nicholas Leonardi, TechDirect Consulting n TRACK 2:
Gary Tanel, Libra Industries Next Generation Microelectronics for Changing
Healthcare Markets
REGISTRATION SPECIAL Sponsorship Opportunities and

Four Registrations for the Price of Three! Exhibit Spaces Available
REGISTER TODAY AT S M TA .O R G /M E D I CA L
Electronics Industry News
and Market Highlights
Five Areas in RF Test & Measurement billings worldwide in January 2018 (three-
that Will Create Over $30B in New month average basis), according to the January
Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS)
Revenues by 2023 E Billings Report published by SEMI.
Frost & Sullivan expects Asia Pacific to be the
largest and fastest growing region for RF T&M
vendors, with estimated revenues of $1.99 billion High Demand for Wearable Lifestyle
by 2023. Devices Drives Sensors Market Growth E
The high demand for wearable lifestyle devices
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Market Worth is one of the major factors driving the global
wearable sensors market.
$52B by 2025 E
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market is
estimated to be $20.71 Billion in 2018 and is North American Semiconductor
projected to reach $52.30 Billion by 2025, at a Equipment Industry Posts
CAGR of 14.15% from 2018 to 2025. January 2018 Billings E
North America-based manufacturers of semi-
Flexible Electronics & Circuit Market conductor equipment posted $2.36 billion in
Worth $40B by 2023 E billings worldwide in January 2018 (three-
The market is expected to grow from $23.92 month average basis), according to the Janu-
billion in 2018 to $40.37 billion by 2023, at the ary Equipment Market Data Subscription
CAGR of 11.0% between 2018 and 2023. (EMDS) Billings Report published by SEMI.
North American Semiconductor Equipment Annual IT Spending by Western

Industry Posts January 2018 Billings E European Healthcare Providers to
North America-based manufacturers of semi- Reach $14B in 2021 E
conductor equipment posted $2.36 billion in According to an International Data Corpora-
tion (IDC) Health Insights IT spending forecast
report, IT spending by the Western European
healthcare sector is forecast grow from $12.9
billion in 2016 to $14.1 billion in 2021.
IDC New Zealand: Smartphone Shipments,

the Beginning of the End? E
According to International Data Corporation’s
(IDC) recently published fourth-quarter mobile
phone shipment results, tracked from October
to December 2017, the New Zealand smart-
phone market has observed a full year on year
shipment decline.

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©2018 Indium Corporation

Under the Hood: Solder Joint Reliability
A lookUnder
into the effectsthe Hood:
of substrate Solder
material and package pad designJoint
on solder jointReliability
reliability of 0.8 mm pitch BGA
Feature by Burton Carpenter while maintaining SMD pads under the die—
NXP SEMICONDUCTORS INC. could perform better than a pure SMD design.
Separately, lower CTE substrate dielec-
The automotive industry continues to drive tric materials were under investigation as a
increased solder joint reliability (SJR) for under- means to reduce package warpage. Below Tg,
the-hood applications. One aspect of SJR, the mold compound CTE is 9ppm/°C. The
temperature cycle on board (TCoB) assesses standard substrate dielectric CTE is 16ppm/°C,
thermal fatigue resistance of solder intercon- resulting in considerable package warpage at
nection between component and PCB during lower temperatures. It was hypothesized that
temperature excursions. In some instances, lowering the substrate dielectric material CTE
requirements on number of cycles to first fail- to 11ppm/°C would reduce package warpage
ure have increased 2x over previous product which in turn should reduce solder joint strain
generations. thereby increasing solder joint lifetime.
It has been long established that packages A six-cell experimental matrix was run to study
using NSMD BGA pads were more resilient than the impact of these two variables (substrate
ones with SMD pads to fatigue induced solder dielectric material and package pad design
joint cracks [1, 2]. However, NSMD pads in our type.) These experiments used standard daisy-
previous investigations on 292MAPBGA and chain temperature cycle testing methodology.
416PBGA packages failed sooner in AATS test- Assemblies were monitored in situ to detect
ing due to an alternate failure mode: substrate failures as they occurred, and 2-parameter
Cu trace cracks [3]. Weibull failure distributions were fit to the
Detailed failure analysis revealed that these data. Various metrics derived from the Weibull
cracks occurred exclusively on BGA pads in the fits were regressed against the DOE variables
die shadow. This led to the idea that a mixed to determine which had significant impact
design—NSMD pads outside the die shadow, on solder joint lifetime, and to what degree.

Crack growth was assessed using cross-section NSMD pads on the hybrid designs were slightly
and dye-and-pry techniques on unmonitored smaller to produce a similar ball height.
assemblies that were removed from the These packages were daisy-chain test vehi-
chambers at fixed readpoints. Conclusions on cles with pairs of solder joints electrically
the impact of the parameters were determined connected as illustrated in Figure 2. A complete
based on the totality of electrical test and crack circuit was created by connecting pairs on the
growth data. PCB side that were skipped on the package. All
solder joints were monitored as one “net.” A
EXPERIMENTAL: failure on any solder joint meant the remain-
ing solder joints could no longer be electrically
Design monitored.
The package attributes are summarized Except where parameters were intentionally
in Table 1. Those highlighted in yellow were varied, the daisy-chain packages were mechan-
varied in the experiment. The substrate dielec- ically similar to the final products: same die
tric details are in Table 2. BGA arrays are
shown in Figure 1. The baseline SMD design
in Figure 1a contained only SMD pads. Hybrid-
A in Figure 1b used the same footprint, but the
outer four rings were substituted with NSMD
pads, while the pads at the die edge were main-
tained as SMD. By contrast, the outer six rings
were NSMD for Hybrid-B, encompassing the
die edge. In all cases, the SMD pad SRO (solder
resist opening) was 0.45mm. To compensate
for solder wetting down the pad sidewall, the
Figure 1: BGA footprint showing arrangement of SMD and

NSMD pads for the three different designs.
Table 1: Package details. DOE variables in yellow.
Figure 2: A daisy-chain connection representation

between package substrate bottom metal and printed
circuit board top metal. The red dashed line illustrates
Table 2: Substrate dielectric mechanical properties. the electrical path.

size, area and thickness. Similarly, the same
material sets were used: mold compound, die
attach, and assembly factory.
Assembly
The PCB and assembly details are in Table
3. Assembly of daisy-chain parts to boards
followed industry norms. Solder paste printed
to boards used the alloy Sn3.8%Ag0.7%Cu
(SAC387) and a no-clean flux system. Place-
ment of parts to boards used a dual eyepiece Table 3: PCB and SMT assembly details.
placement machine for aligning parts to solder-
paste print. Finally, boards were run through a
10-zone reflow furnace with a peak tempera-
ture between 235°C and 245°C.
Experimental Matrix
The six experimental cell combinations
shown in Table 4 were built and tested.
Sixteen from each were subjected to monitored Table 4: Experimental matrix.
TCoB -40°C/+125°C cycling, with additional
unmonitored units included for crack propaga-
tion measurements. Non-destructive T0 char-
acterization was performed on all cells.
Cycling, Electrical Testing and

Data Analysis
Assemblies were tested in an Air-to-Air
Thermal Shock (AATS) dual chamber system
whereby one chamber remained hot (+125°C)
and the other remained cold (-40°C). An eleva-
tor system moved test boards between these
chambers within about 10 seconds.
Both chamber dwell times were set at 30
minutes totaling 1 cycle/hour. Typically, ~5
Figure 3: AATS temperature profile.
minutes was required to reach equilibrium,
yielding ~25 min dwells. Figure 3 displays a
typical temperature profile obtained by placing crack growth, but climbed quickly as the crack
thermocouples in the assembly solder joints. approached 100%. Therefore, a net failure was
Assemblies were monitored in-situ during logged when any one of the solder joints in
cycling using a 1.2mA current through each that net had a crack near 100%.
net. An event detector logged a failure when For each test cell, cycling continued until at
a net resistance exceeded 300 ohms. Failures least 75% of the samples failed, after which
were defined per IPC-9701[4]. Generally, daisy- the data were fit to a 2-paramter Weibull
chain resistances were few ohms at the begin- distribution using maximum likelihood esti-
ning of an experiment. mate (MLE). Three metrics of solder joint life-
Net resistance did not immediately change time were extracted from each distribution:
measurably during early stages of solder joint (1) characteristic life (Eta), (2) extrapolated

number of cycles for a 1% failure rate, and (3)
first failure. Each of these metrics were linearly
regressed versus the DOE factors.
Package Characterization
Solder ball height, diameter and coplanarity
of the unmounted packages were measured at
room temperature using an RVSI LS8000 scan-
ner. Ball height was measured relative to the
soldermask surface. The widest portion of the
ball was taken as the ball diameter. Coplanarity
was calculated according to the seating plane
method described in JESD22-B108A[5]. Package
warpage was measured using an Akrometrix
TherMoire PS400 according to JEDEC standard
JESD22-B112A[6], and reported here for the
temperature range of interest: -40°C to 125°C.
Measurements were made on the bottom Figure 4: Example dye-and-pry image and degree of
(substrate) side of the package after removing cracking calculation.
the solder spheres.
Crack Propagation Analysis measurements. In all cases, sections were

Two methods were used to examine crack made through the joint center line. Cross-
propagation in the solder joints during cycling: sections provided a more definitive picture of
dye-and-pry and cross-section. crack propagation location in the solder joint
Dye-and-pry was a quick and simple method than dye-and-pry. Often cross-section identi-
to obtain an overall view of cracking quantity, fied multiple cracks within a joint. One caution:
degree and distribution. A dye was applied crack front propagation may be at any arbi-
to the solder joint array to mark crack loca- trary angle to the cross-section plane, thereby
tions, followed by a forced separation of pack- distorting crack length measurements.
age from board. Cracks formed during cycling Samples were studied for degree of crack
were stained with ink, and were distinguish- growth, location within the solder joint, and
able from fracture surfaces created merely distribution across the array. For solder joints
because of the forced pry [7]. examined by cross-section, degree of crack-
Dye-and-pry had some limitations. First, it ing was calculated as the percentage of visible
only revealed one crack interface in each solder crack length divided by apparent pad diameter
joint, whichever cleaved first during pry. Some- (all linear). For dye-and-pry, it was the crack
times a solder joint cracked along both pack- area (red die visible) divided by pad area for
age and PCB sides simultaneously. Addition- each pad where a crack surface was revealed.
ally, PCB pads often ripped out during peel, See Figure 4 as an example.
even when solder joint cracking had occurred.
In these incidences it was assumed the degree RESULTS:
of cracking was low (<50%) since the solder
joint strength was greater than PCB pad adhe- Ball Size and Coplanarity Characterization
sion. Solder ball diameter and height of the
For cross-section, standard potting, section- unmounted packages are summarized in
ing, grinding and polishing techniques were Figures 5 and 6, respectively. Distributions for
used to prepare and study solder joint crack the SMD and NSMD pads are plotted sepa-
growth. SEM images were captured for the rately. Twenty packages were measured for

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each cell. For both dimensions, the balls on the
SMD pads were essentially the same across all
the cells. This was expected since these dimen-
sions were dictated by the package substrate
SRO and solder ball size, which were nomi-
nally. Likewise, the balls on NSMD pads were
the same among the cells.
Since solder wets the NSMD pad side-
walls, it’s expected that the height of these
pads would be lower than an SMD pad of the
same diameter. Surface evolver simulations
predicted the NSMD pads would be 22 µm
shorter if the same 0.45 mm pad were used.
To compensate, the NSMD pads were designed Figure 7: Solder ball coplanarity at room temperature.
slightly smaller. Surface evolver predicted only

a 3 µm difference for the compensated NSMD
pads. Figure 6 shows that an actual difference
of 6 µm was observed. No difference was
apparent in ball diameter.
Room temperature solder ball coplanarity is
summarized in Figure 7. There is a tendency
for the hybrid Cells 2-3 and 5-6 to be slightly
higher than the SMD Cells 1 and 4 due to the
slight difference in ball heights. Also, the low
CTE Cells 4-6 were higher than the standard
material Cells 1-3. This was unexpected and is
opposite the warpage results shown in the next
section. Reasons for this discrepancy are under
investigation. In any event, all are well within
Figure 5: Ball diameter measurement by RVSI scanner.
the case outline (package outline) specification
Error bars represent the data range.
of 200 µm max.
Warpage
Figure 8 plots the freestanding component
warpage across the thermal cycle tempera-
Figure 6: Ball height measurement by RVSI scanner.

Error bars represent the data range. Figure 8: Package warpage by TherMoiré.

ture range. One sample per cell was measured.
Pad design was not expected, nor observed,
to influence package warpage. Therefore, the
three samples for each substrate material type
were considered to be from the same popula-
tions.
Packages using the low CTE dielectric
warped considerably less on the cold side
(-40°C to +25°C), 25 µm on average. This
was expected based on the following analysis.
Package warpage is driven primarily by the
CTE mismatch between the mold compound
and substrate. Below Tg, the mold compound
expansion is 9ppm/°C. The low CTE dielectric
expansion is 11ppm/°C, but the standard Figure 9: Cross-section of typical SMD solder joint after
dielectric is 16ppm/°C. Therefore, the package mounting to PCB.
will warp as it is cooled from the neutral
temperature (roughly 150°C to 175°C.) But
since the delta between mold compound and
substrate is greater for the standard dielectric,
the warpage will also be greater.
Solder Joint Characterization

One unit from each of two hybrid cells 2 and
6 were selected for T0 solder joint characteriza-
tion after mounting to the PCB. Standoff and
solder joint diameter were measured for four
joints of each pad type (SMD and NSMD) for
each sample. Examples are shown in Figures
9 and 10. Surface evolver predictions based
on single joints anticipated the NSMD solder Figure 10: Cross-section of typical NSMD solder joint after
joints would be about 7 µm shorter. However, mounting to PCB.
the actuals were much closer since attaching
both types in a single package forces them to
a common standoff. The standoff differences are the fitted two-parameter Weibull character-
observed here between the two types possibly istic life (Eta) and shape factor (Beta). Good
resulted from PCB or package warpage. fits were obtained for all except cell 1, which
Overall the joints were shorter and wider than had an outlier first failure. Inspection of the
predicted. graphs suggests that the six populations can be
divided into three groups. From least to most
Temperature Cycle Electrical Test Results reliable: (A) cell 1; (B) cells 2,3&4; (C) cells
Sixteen components from each of the six cells 5&6. This suggests that the low CTE dielec-
described in Table 4 (p. 42) were mounted on tric or either hybrid design offered an improve-
PCBs and cycled -40°C to +125°C as described ment over the baseline, and that combining
above. The test was terminated after all cells them was best.
had at least 12 units fail (75%). The results Three metrics (Eta, extrapolated 1% fail-
are plotted in Figure 11. The legend symbol ure cycle and first failure) were extracted from
n/s represents the number of units tested (n) each distribution and have been summarized
and number of suspensions (s). Also shown in Table 5. Each of these metrics was linearly

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Table 5: Summary of Weibull results.
Cross-Section after Cycling

After 3,000 cycles, one unmonitored unit
per cell was removed from the chamber
for crack growth characterization by cross-
Figure 11: Weibull plot by experimental cell.
section. Each was sequentially cut, polished
and imaged by SEM at BGA rows B, F and K.
regressed against the DOE factors to assess Row B was selected for cross-section analysis
impact on solder joint lifetimes. Results are since it experienced more significant crack-
summarized in Tables 6 and 7 for number of ing than row A as discovered during previ-
cycles and percentage, respectively. Factors not ous investigations [8]. Row K was along the die
statistically significant at the alpha=0.05 level edge. From Figure 1, note rows B and F were
are designated with an “*”. Each of the three all NSMD for both hybrid designs. Row K was
metrics tells the same story. Examining Eta, the all NSMD for Hybrid-B, but contained both
low CTE material added nearly 1000 cycles, or types for Hybrid-A.
22%, to the solder joint lifetime. The hybrids The degree of cracking was calculated for
added about 1200-1300 cycles, or 30%. In each solder joint as described above. Figure
combination, the lifetime was improved over 12 shows a color-coded mapping of the BGA
2200 cycles, ~50%. This statistical analysis arrays. Red represents joints with over 90%
confirms the impression from inspection of the crack length, yellow for those with cracks
Weibull plots. between 50% and 90%, and green for those
* Not statistically significant * Not statistically significant
Table 6: Change in solder joint lifetime (# of cycles). Table 7: Change in solder joint lifetime (%).

with cracks less than 50% of the pad length. electrically, since the sectioning plane may
Cracks greater than 90% were observed only completely miss portions of the solder joint
on the SMD cells 1 and 4. However, these that are still intact.
occurred under the die edge along row K
which in principle should behave the same as Dye-and-Pry after Cycling
Hybrid-A for these particular joints. This result At 4,013 cycles, dye-and-pry was performed
also differs from the previous study [8] which on an unmonitored sample from each of the
found more advanced cracking in row B in cells, and degree of cracking calculated. Crack
the cross-sections. Overall the hybrid cells had distribution maps are shown in Figure 15 using
less cracking than the SMD cells, matching the the same color-coding as above. The patterns
electrical test results in this regard. here are consistent with the electrical test
The solder joints with the most advanced results. Cell 1—SMD with standard material—
cracking are presented in Figures 13 and 14. showed the most solder joints with significant
Failure locations within the solder joints are cracking. Only one solder joint with greater
very typical: in the bulk solder near the inter- than 50% cracking was observed in the low
facial IMC (intermetallic compound), predom- CTE cells versus 26 for the standard material.
inantly on the package side, but a few on the While cracking was observed in all portions of
PCB side as well. Keep in mind that a solder the array, the second-to-last ring of joints expe-
joint with 100% linear crack length measured rience the most. This ring experienced higher
in cross-section would not necessarily fail strain than the outer-most since the mold cap
Figure 12: Distribution of degree of crack growth after 3,000 cycles, as determined by cross-section.

Figure 13: Solder joints with most advanced crack growth after 3,000 cycles from cells 1-3. Pad type
is noted parenthetically.
Figure 14: Solder joints with most advanced crack growth after 3,000 cycles from cells 4-6. Pad type
is noted parenthetically.

Figure 15: Distribution of degree of crack growth after 4013 cycles, as determined by dye-and-pry.
did not extend to the package edge. This result Our recent investigations on 292MAPBGA and
is consistent with the prior published study, 416PBGA packages also demonstrated slower
which more fully explains the mechanism [8]. crack growth on NSMD BGA pads. However,
Example images of the dye-and-pry from cell these packages failed prematurely due to pack-
1 are shown in Figure 16. The fracture surfaces age side substrate trace cracks [3]. Once it was
were between solder ball and package BGA recognized that this alternate failure mode
pad, consistent with cross-section. occurred only in the die shadow, the hybrid
designs were created which placed NSMD only
Discussion on the outer BGA rings.
The original hypotheses were (1) a hybrid The hybrid designs outperformed the pure
design with SMD pads under the die and SMD designs in all metrics studied in the
NSMD pads outside the die have longer solder current investigation. They had on average
joint lifetime than a pure SMD design, and (2) approximately 1,300 cycles longer characteris-
low CTE substrate dielectric material would tic life, and 1,200 more cycles to first failure.
perform better than the standard material. Less cracking was noted using both dye-and-
Let’s examine each in turn. pry and cross-section.
It’s been long established that NSMD pads The manufacturability of mixing pad types on
reduce strain in the solder joint [1, 2], offer- the same package was proven feasible. There
ing potential to improve solder joint lifetime. were no abnormalities or yield issues reported

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Figure 15: Distribution of degree of crack growth after 4013 cycles, as determined by dye-and-pry.
Figure 16: Example dye-and-pry results after 4,013 cycles from cell 1. Images are PCB view, on top of BGA ball attached
to PCB pad after pry. Fracture surfaces were between solder ball and package BGA pad. Red area was fractured during
cycling. Shiny area was still intact.
during assembly of the packages. Ball geom- tion. Since Hybrid-A had SMD along the die
etry and coplanarity, while slightly different, edge, while Hybrid-B had NSMD, we expected
were within tolerance. These features can be some difference in behavior. Other aspects of
further fine-tuned with the appropriate choice the NSMD pads also need exploring, such as
of relative pad sizes. With package coplanarity the ability to withstand shock from handling
well within spec, the change was transparent and shipping, and performance in drop, shock
to board assembly. and vibration testing.
One factor not studied was comparison of the Lowering the substrate dielectric CTE from
hybrid design to a pure NSMD. Perhaps there 16ppm/°C to 11ppm/°C changes the over-
were facets of this 512TEPBGA package that all mechanics of the package. As noted above,
made it less susceptible to the trace cracking package warpage is driven primarily by the CTE
observed on the other packages [1]. The simi- mismatch between the mold compound and
larity in performance between the two differ- substrate. Given the mold compound expan-
ent hybrid designs leaves this an open ques- sion of 9ppm/°C, the low CTE core is only

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mismatched by 2ppm/°C, versus 7ppm/°C for • Greater than 3000 cycles to first failures for
the standard material. Therefore, at low temper- the 512TEPBGA package solder joint
atures the package using a low CTE substrate lifetime in -40°C to +125°C TCoB testing.
material should warp less. Though it was not
manifest in the room temperature coplanarity Acknowledgements
data, the TherMoire results clearly show a tran- The author wishes to recognize the support
sition to temperature range where the standard and contribution of Andrew Mawer, Paul Galles,
material package is significantly more warped. John Arthur, Alvin Youngblood, Roy Arldt,
Betty Yeung, Eli Trevino, and B.Y. Low. SMT007
Cross-section and dye-and-pry References

did not show clear trends. 1. A. Mawer, D. Cho and R. Darveaux, “The
Effect of PBGA Solder Pad Geometry on Solder
The inconclusiveness of Joint Reliability,” Surface Mount International,
September 1996.
the crack growth data 2. J. Suhling, et al., “Reliability of Small
BGAs in the Automotive Environment,” SPIE
likely resulted from the Proceedings, 2002.
3. B. Carpenter, T. Koschmieder, B. Wilker-
small sample sizes. son, T. Hauck, J. Arthur, “Design and Material
Parameter Effects on BGA Solder joint Reliabil-
ity for Automotive Applications,” SMTAI 2014,
Results of the electrical tests were clear: the
Rosemont, Illinois.
lower CTE added over 950 cycles to the char-
4. “Performance Test Methods and Qualifi-
acteristic life, and nearly 1,200 cycles to the
cation Requirements for Surface Mount Solder
first failure. Cross-section and dye-and-pry did
Attachments,” IPC-9701, February 2006.
not show clear trends. The inconclusiveness of
5. “Coplanarity Test for Surface-Mount Semi-
the crack growth data likely resulted from the
conductor Devices,” JEDEC JESD22-B108A,
small sample sizes.
January 2003.
Based on the strength of the electrical test and 6. “Package Warpage Measurement of
warpage data, the low CTE substrate dielectric Surface-Mount Integrated Circuits at Elevated
material did perform better. Verification will be Temperature,” JEDEC JESD22-B112A, October
needed to confirm the results, ensure it scales 2009.
across different package types, and to better 7. T. Burnette and T. Koschmieder, “Solder
analyze the crack growth mechanics. joint failure analysis: Dye penetrant technique,”
electroiq.com.
Conclusions 8.B. Carpenter and T. Koschmieder, “Solder
The conclusions are:
joint Reliability of 0.8 mm BGA Packages for
• A hybrid design, mixing SMD and NSMD Automotive Applications,” SMTAI 2015, Rose-
pads on the same package is feasible for mont, Illinois.
manufacturing, and was demonstrated to
improve the solder joint characteristic life Editor’s Note: This article was originally published
of a 512TEPBGA package by 30%. in the proceedings of SMTA International 2016.
• Lowering the package substrate dielectric Burton Carpenter is a senior

CTE from 16ppm/°C to 11ppm/°C was principal engineer at NXP
demonstrated to improve the solder joint Semiconductors Inc.
characteristic life of a 512TEPBGA
package by 22%

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Article by Stephen Las Marias This marks the industry’s introduction to a
I-CONNECT007 true Industrial IoT standard. Rather than being
constrained by legacy data formats and content
For the past two to three years, almost every that machine engineering teams created many
exhibitor in almost every trade show focused years ago, which were all OK in their day
on the electronics manufacturing industry has before the modern digital needs of customers
an “Industry 4.0 Compatible” sign in their was conceived, IoT data is now available that
booth. As of today, the best question to ask is, can support the most ambitious of Industry 4.0
“Compatible with what?” There has really been projects.
no standard yet developed toward this goal, I went around the show floor and talked to
and Industry 4.0 has been just a buzz word. some of the CFX demo participants to know
But for the first time in the industry, a more about the CFX from their perspectives, the
common machine communications standard importance of the demo, the next challenges to
for the electronics assembly supply chain is a overcome, and the impact of the demo to the
reality, edging the industry closer to the vision industry.
of a smarter factory.
At the recent IPC APEX EXPO in San Diego, Importance of the Demo
California, the IPC Connected Factory Exchange Major manufacturers traditionally ask for
(CFX) Showcase provided a technical demon- specific interfaces between their vendor’s
stration operating in real time with standard- equipment and their manufacturing systems.
ized machine data delivered from participating This has become more and more time consum-
exhibitors through the cloud and onto visitors’ ing and difficult to implement.
cellphones. This showcase was supported by Nearly two years ago, selective soldering
more than 25 vendors who, in the words of specialist Pillarhouse International was asked
Aegis Software’s Michael Ford, “have stepped to be involved with CFX. The company worked
up to create the world’s first conversion of a with the committee to put together a standard
show-floor into a digital factory shop-floor.” that would work across the industry. At last

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about our capabilities
www.eagle-elec.com
year’s IPC APEX EXPO, Pillarhouse demon- the iineo, both uploading livestream data to the
strated the base system, which they did in six CFX cloud server at the show.”
weeks. Working with the CFX team this year, the “Four weeks ago, we know nothing about
company was able to put together CFX. And here we are today with a
a demonstration in four days. “We fully working model. We think CFX
implemented all the modifications is the way to go. I know there are
on one selective system, over a some other standards out there, but
four-day period. And we have been the easier it is made for the R&D
running live for the last two weeks team to write and code software, I
and showing this information. It’s think the more people will get on
very simple and very easy to inte- board with it. We took CFX seri-
grate and work with,” says Simon ously as a company and wanted to
Smith, marketing manager at Pillar- not miss this opportunity at APEX
house. Simon Smith to show that Europlacer is willing to
“We were introduced into CFX put our R&D efforts into new things;
only about four weeks before the show, by we’re not standing back and watching it happen
Michael Ford of Aegis Software,” said David around us. Because when it does happen, it will
Fenton, group customer support manager be another tick box on the tender sheet. If we
of pick-and-place provider Europlacer. “He can’t tick it, we may not get the order. So, that’s
presented to the wider management team at why we jumped into it when we knew about it.
Europlacer, and we all felt that we needed to It is important to get as many vendors’ end
be involved in Industry 4.0. We’ve been inves- users and software companies involved so that
tigating it for over a year. Until now, we real- the industry can all talk the same language and
ized that there was no standard. People were make it easier, according to Smith. “There is no
talking about Industry 4.0, but, nobody really such thing as a production line that is supplied
knew what it was. People were advertising by a single hardware vendor; that does not exist.
4.0-ready, and we thought that can’t be right Multiple people are doing multiple things. CFX
because there is no standard to be ready for. So, brings them all together and makes it a very
when Michael spoke to us about CFX, we could simple to understand that everybody can use not
really see that somebody had put a lot of work only as a hardware vendor, but as an end user.
into trying to create a true standard—and Aegis You can be a head of production for a multina-
made it very easy for developers like ourselves tional company, and you can see line status, in
to be part of this demonstration. any factory anywhere in the world.
They created a software developer But the same system could also send
kit to be part of this demo, with very an SMS message to a technician in a
easy instructions and methods. We factory and tell them your machines
decided that we needed to do this, are about to run out of a commod-
so we set our R&D team to work. ity. Those are a really good way of
Within 48 hours, we had a test putting everyone together.”
running with the Aegis server and “This demo is to prove to the
messages from our software were industry that no matter how big
being allowed, interpreted, and or small an equipment provider is,
relayed back. After another week, David Fenton they can easily adopt this particular
we modified our machine software, standard,” said Khoo Yak Hua, R&D
and we were then running through live demo. manager at vision inspection company ViTrox
So, within a week—we went from zero to soft- Corporation Bhd. According to him, CFX is a
ware that is running correctly; Aegis helped us very flexible and easy to use format and proto-
with that, and Michael especially. Here at the col, and the company only took a few days to
show, we have both machines, the Atom 4 and create the whole demo.

“The importance of this demo is to show is in the factory, and if there are any issues,
people that there is a standard developing, problems, or delays. And they can find that out
but people don’t really know the benefits yet through their phones. But that’s just a small
of having the standard,” said Fenton. “The example of it. It is a brand-new standard that is
reaction to the demo has been mixed; nobody developing, so, more to come!”
is getting too excited about it yet. But that is
because I think people haven’t given it enough Impact of the CFX Demo
thought at the moment. Industry 4.0 is just a The demo has generated a huge amount of
buzzword for everybody. But for me, there is a interest, and according to Smith, there have
big opportunity for machine integrators. Right been a lot of vendors that have come up and
now, if you want to talk to a storage system, talked to them about their interest to get
you must develop your own interface proto- involved.
cols; whereas in the future with CFX, it will “The CFX demonstration in APEX is not just
be very easy to integrate another manufactur- unique for APEX; it is unique as a demonstra-
er’s equipment into a line because we won’t tion in any exhibition floor anywhere in the
have to develop a communications protocol. A world, in any industry. It has not been done
common protocol would make a big before; but we have done it in a very
difference.” short period. It shows that the indus-
Today, all the information that is try can pull together for a common
necessary for operating a production aim,” said Smith.
line, and then controlling and moni- “We are showing people what
toring it, is available in all machines can be done—and they are quite
and equipment in the electronics impressed,” says Fenton. “But at
assembly supply chain. But unfortu- the moment, it is us telling them
nately, all these machines are talk- what the future is, rather than the
ing in different languages. With customers asking us what we can
CFX, the industry is getting to one Tom Foley do. I think we will be pushing CFX
common language. as opposed to the end-user pulling
“The big benefit of CFX would be that all it. As it develops, maybe by the end of the year,
the vendors, all the machines, will speak the our potential customers will be asking us what
same language, and we can easily build appli- we can do.”
cations,” said Thomas Marktscheffel, Director
Product Management SW-Integration Platform, Challenges Remain
SMT Solutions, at ASM Assembly Systems. Of course, there are still many issues to iron
“So, software companies can easily build appli- out with the CFX standard. According to Smith,
cations that will work with all the machines. the specification is quite a big document. “The
They don’t need to focus on just translating most important thing to move the CFX forward
data. They can focus on features. That’s the now is if all of the other vendors will step up
opportunity we have for CFX.” and provide the information, and the help to
“The information is already there. As far as create the package of information and the spec-
our equipment and machines are involved, that ification. We want to be sitting here 12 months
information is harnessed, and then we could from now and saying not only is CFX is work-
give more guidance to our customers,” noted ing, but CFX is a ratified standard that the
Tom Foley, quality manager, SMT Solutions, at industry accepts and applauds. To do that in
ASM Assembly Systems. “One analogy can be what would be under two and a half years from
the tracking services of couriers. If a customer concept to standard finish is unheard of in IPC
wants to know about their order, for instance 50 terms.”
circuit boards for a job add, they can just go to Technically, the transport is not that difficult
a web portal and they can see where their order as it is just making use of the AMQP. But Khoo

said the format, the content itself, requires his business. I think, as manufacturers like us
further discussion. “What is the content that start advertising the fact that we can do it, it is
we should standardize and what is the data then down to us to push the benefits of why
that we should send from each of we did it,” said Fenton. “Being able
the process? These are the chal- to know that you can talk to other
lenges that we are facing right people’s equipment will be great
now. We do hope that the commit- for innovators of, maybe, different
tee can create more open concept robots, different storage systems,
so that more and more companies and dashboards for productivity,
will join in, and to create that envi- for instance, will be much easier to
ronment where the industry can write. Now, if you want to write a
easily benefit. It is also how we can dashboard to show efficiencies, you
convince more parties to adopt the must contact the vendor directly,
standard.” Khoo Yak Hua ask for their data formats, and then
“The challenge is always to define write a front-end system. Whereas
the content of the data and make sure every- with CFX, once that becomes standard, the
body understands the same content,” said people that write that type of software will
Marktscheffel. “For instance, if we are talking know exactly what the inputs will look like.
about temperatures, I say, it is 20°C, others And therefore, developing these productiv-
may likely see it as Fahrenheit. 20°F is quite ity dashboards and MES will be much easier. I
cold, while 20°C is a nice temperature. If the really hope it takes off, because it is going to be
data content is not properly defined, there’s important in the future. But the important thing
a big risk that we think we have a common is we must explain the benefit to the customer.
language, but we understand different things.” So that, I think, is for us the next step.”
Fenton said the integration had been easier “I am impressed with just how IPC was able
than they thought. “I think IPC and Aegis have to pull this together so quickly and made this
done a great job with creating the standard. exhibition and the CFX aspect to really work. It
It is already almost complete. The latest shows that the industry can pull together when
standard that I was sent has something like it wants to pull together,” said Smith.
120 message headers; it is going to be easy, Khoo said, “We do hope that the commit-
for people to integrate. I think the challenge tees will be able to create a great standard that
will be for other manufacturers to just put the everybody would adopt. I think this year is the
effort into it.” starting pace where we will create
more awareness for those parties
What’s Next to join in and to provide ideas and
Building a smart factory requires concepts.”
the cooperation of many companies. It is indeed important for every
And everyone must speak the same stakeholder in the industry to
language to have the same under- work together toward this goal of
standing. Setting aside personal a connected factory. In this Indus-
requirements for the betterment of try 4.0 vision, we are entering an era
the whole industry will result to where new technologies transform
more manufacturers adopting the Thomas Marktscheffel the look of systems and processes
standard. of the modern factory. This CFX
“I think there is more work to be done by IPC demonstration was just that. Imagine the near
and Aegis and other members of the CFX team future, where these vendors are integrated
to promote the benefits rather than the tech- together towards one common manufacturing
nology. The end-user really doesn’t care how goal—a true industry evolution. SMT007
it works, they care what it is going to do for

How the Factory Ecosystem Positively
Drives Exponential Value
Article by Freddie Chan The reflow profiler’s prediction software can
KIC identify the optimal oven set points for each
assembly and reduce NPI time. More advanced
We have all learned that synergy means optimization will enable near-instant oven
2+2=5. This is an old cliché but in today’s changeover time as well as reduced electricity
factories the output must far exceed the accu- use. This combination of spot check and opti-
mulative performance of each machine to mization impacts the entire line as well as the
stay competitive. No machine or process is an utility bill.
island—they must form ecosystems. The trend Most engineers estimate that reflow contrib-
towards extreme automation and the smart utes less than five percent of all SMT defects.
factory leads to ever more connectivity and Yet, when a production line is shut down due
interdependence. to a defect issue, much (expensive) down-
Let’s look at a few examples of the thermal time is wasted trying to determine whether the
process, which is close to my heart. This is argu- reflow process was the culprit. This is because
ably the least understood and the lowest prior- reflow is a black box process, and therefore,
ity in most factories. Most factories will use an unknown, as only spot checks have been
a manual profiler to spot-check their thermal applied to determine its status. When a yield
processes once monthly, weekly or daily. The problem occurs, the manual profiler is sitting
thinking is that the thermal process appears on a shelf somewhere. Adding a continuous
to be fine and does not need much atten- monitoring system provides insight into the
tion. As electronics become ever smaller and thermal process always, instantly verifying
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also will provide insight into what changed, Smart factories make good use of machine
enabling maintenance personnel to fix the and process data to run their operations
problem faster. Not only will adding automatic more effectively. Adding analytics to thermal
profiling improve the reflow process, but the process data enables a higher level of automa-
entire production line uptime will increase due tion and productivity. For example, an intel-
to faster troubleshooting and elimination of ligent database that learns the relationship
manual tasks. between each assembly, process window and
The average manufacturing engineer spends oven properties can eliminate or reduce the
40% of his/her time looking for equipment, need for manual profiling. Entering a new PCB
personnel, information, etc. Again, profiling is assembly length, width and weight into the
a contributor. There are multiple profile tasks software will produce a recommended opti-
for multiple jobs over multiple ovens. The new mal setup. Data analytics promises predictive
industry trend of producing products in larger process control and preventive maintenance
varieties builds further complexities. Central- to further enhance productivity and advance-
izing all reflow (wave, select) data in a single ment towards the zero-defect goal. The data
database allows the engineer to manage and will not only be used to sub-optimize the ther-
retrieve the exact data required with a few mal processes, but it can be shared with other
mouse clicks on any authorized PC or mobile machines and MES systems via the factory
device. Relevant data for each PCB produced network to optimize multiple lines as well as
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For more information, visit www.IPC.org/events

Article by Zohair Mehkri, David Geiger, Once the slicing of the drawing has been
Anwar Mohammed, and Murad Kurwa done the printer is ready to start the print.
FLEX For nearly all 3D printers, the above process
is the same, with the printing process itself
Contrary to popular belief, 3D printing being the main differentiator. In a fused fila-
and additive manufacturing are not the same ment fabrication printer, once the 3D drawing
thing; however, they can be used interchange- is sliced, the printer can begin printing. The
ably for the sake of ease. According to ASTM main components of the printer are, the print
F2792-12a “Standard Terminologies for Addi- bed, the extruder, the hot-end, and the mate-
tive Manufacturing Technologies,” 3D printing rial. Material for this technology usually comes
is “the fabrication of objects through the depo- in a wire form on a spool. This wire filament is
sition of a material using a print head, nozzle, fed into the extruder, the extruder uses torque
or other printer technology.” and pinch to control the speed of the filament
The process starts with a 3D model draw- being fed into the hot-end. Once the filament is
ing that is done on any standard CAD soft- in the hot-end, it is melted using heat.
ware. This 3D model file is then converted into The melted material is forced out of the hot-
a stereolithography file format by either the end by the extruder that is pushing in more
native program or a third-party file converter. material from the top. The hot-end, usually
Some printers have this file conversion capa- made of aluminum, deposits the melted mate-
bility as part of their software suite for their rial onto the build plate in a designated pattern
printers. The file is then converted into GCode as dictated by the software. As the material is
or a language that the printer can understand, being deposited by the hot-end, the build plate
essentially creating the file into cross sectional is moving in a X-, Y- or Z-axis depending on the
slices of the part. This step is commonly known part requirements of what is being printed. In
as “slicing.” some printers the build plate will stay station-

I T’ S B E E N Q UI T E A Y E A R A T A S C.
S h ari n g o ur E x p erti s e A w ar d- wi n ni n g t e c h n ol o g y T w o E- B o o k s
Everyo ne ca n tap i nto t he decades of We were rece ntly prese nted wit h t he We follo wed our first e Book o n Flex
co mbi ned experie nce a nd expertise of 2 0 1 7 Brilli a nc e i n B usi n ess A w ar d f or a nd Rigid-Flex wit h a guide to creati ng
our i n- house experts o n our rece ntly O utst a n di n g D esi g n a n d I n n ov ati o n RF/ Micro wave PC Bs w hic h has bee n
lau nc hed ASC Ex p erts w e bsit e . by t he City of West C hicago. called t he “ RF a n d micr o w av e
e n gi n e er's PC B f a bric ati o n bi bl e”.
M e et t h e A S C E x p ert s L e ar n M or e D o w nl o a d o ur e B o o k s
At A S C, w e’ r e n ot j u st b uil di n g b o a r d s,
w e’ r e b uil di n g t h e f ut u r e. L et’ s b uil d it t o g et h e r!
ary and the hot-end will move in a Cartesian it travels into a printhead, the printhead has
plane to create the print. This process describes several nozzles or resin dispensers (much like
fused filament fabrication (FFF), which is one a two-dimensional inkjet printer). The resin is
of the technologies that the company currently then extruded from the miniaturized nozzles
employs. onto a build platform in the two-dimensional
Fused filament fabrication currently is used cross section of the part. After, the layer is
mainly for plastic materials. If metal printing is passed over with a UV light source or other
required, direct metal laser sintering is utilized light activation that cures the resin that was
to print metal parts. The process of creating deposited. The printhead then deposits another
a 3D model to be understood by Direct Metal layer on the previously cured layer, this is done
Laser Sintering printers is as described above; repeatedly until the part is completed.
however, the process of printing is vastly
different. Metal printers are usually larger in Materials Evaluated
footprint due to the high-quality components There are several materials that are avail-
and the auxiliary processes required to ensure able for 3D printing for various engineering
effective operation of the machine as well as uses. Various vendors offer over hundreds of
quality of the print. The main components of different materials that are either specific to
a metal are the build plate, re-coater, laser and an application or to a specific desired char-
powder. acteristic. For this study, eight materials that
Before a metal part is printed, the build cham- are regularly used for engineering applications
ber will fill up with an inert gas, usually argon. were evaluated and characterized to determine
This is to ensure that no oxidation occurs which can be used in PCB processes. Material
during the process. The build plate where the identifying characteristic as well as the desig-
powder is residing, and the re-coater blade will nation is shown in Table 1.
be leveled. This can be done manually, but
most printers can be automatically calibrated TESTS PERFORMED
to level before a print starts. After the compo- To properly characterize the materials that
nents are leveled, the print can start. A laser could be used for engineering applications,
will sinter the powder in the cross-sectional various tests were chosen and performed so
geometry of the part. Once the sintering for that a decision tree could be created. The ulti-
that level has finished, a re-coater blade that mate goal of the project is to be able to have a
was located off to the side of the build area will
move over the sintered layer and coat a new
layer of powder on top.
The layer of powder that is re-coated onto the
sintered layer is very important to the integrity
and quality of the print. If too much powder is
re-coated, the layer below and the layer above
may not be sintered together well by the laser.
If there is too little powder, the laser might
sinter already sintered powder, causing vary-
ing layer heights in the print. The even distri-
bution of powder and the correct amount of
powder is a key area that currently affects how
the powder is re-coated on top of itself. Layer
by layer powder will be re-coated and sintered
by the laser until the part is complete.
Material jetting processes are very similar to
the above. Resin is loaded into a printer, where Table 1: List of materials evaluated for this study.

used was 300°C. The results
taken from this test help indi-
cate the lifespan of a material,
the faster it loses its weight, its
lifespan decreases.
Thermal Life Cycle Test

For this test, the 3D printed
test specimens were subjected
to 200 cycles of a predeter-
mined temperature profile.
Each cycle was the same in
duration of time. The results
of this test show what happens
Figure 1: Thermal mechanical analysis results. to a 3D printed test specimen
when subjected to high temper-
decision tree that can determine which mate- atures. Any indication of warpage, delami-
rial can be used for a specific application. The nation, degradation or other visible and/or
description as well as motivation to perform cosmetic damage is important to capture. The
each test is below. results from this test indicate which materials
are suited for high temperature applications in
the PCBA process.
Thermal Mechanical Analysis
This test is performed to check the dimen-
sional stability of a test specimen as well as
calculate its Tg. The results of this test are
important because they will indicate how the
3D printed specimen maintains its dimen-
sional stability. For materials to be used in
PCBA processes, all auxiliary components
must retain their mass as well as dimensional
accuracy.
Thermal Gravimetric Analysis

Thermal gravimetric analysis is performed to
determine the temperature when the material,
in this case, the test specimen, has lost 5% Figure 3: Thermal life-cycle test results.
of its weight. For this study, the temperature
Density Test
This test is a calculation based on the vari-
ous parameters of a test specimen. The density
was checked after thermal and chemical resis-
tance testing. The results of this test are used to
determine how well the test specimen can hold
its mass after being subjected to either chem-
ical or thermal stresses. The density check of
test specimens helps determine which applica-
tion it is suited for.
Figure 2: Thermal gravimetric analysis results.

Figure 4: Density test results. Figure 5: Chemical resistance test results.
Chemical Resistance Test Flexural Test

The chemical resistance test is performed by Flexural testing is performed by taking a test
subjecting the material to various chemicals. specimen and checking the materials ability to
The test specimens are submerged in a chem- resist deformation under a specified load. This
ical solution for a given period and then are is a significant destructive test since the results
subjected to a drying cycle for a given period. of this test indicate how well a material can
This test is important in the material character- perform under mechanical stress but how well
ization process due to it being an indicator of it can retain its dimensional accuracy. If the
how the materials will react in various chemi- material does not break but bends or deforms
cal exposure applications. under a load, the value or threshold at which
this occurs helps guide which application the
ESD Check 3D printed material is well suited for.
Electrostatic discharge check is a very crucial
test in the characterization process since this Thin Wall Flexural Testing
determines whether the 3D printed material Thin wall flexural testing is performed by
can be used with or around live PCBs or any taking a thinner specimen and subjecting it
other components that carry a charge. The to load to check the material’s ability to resist
values obtained with the ESD check for each of deformation. This test is different from the
the materials assist in the ranking of the mate- standard flexural test in the sense that it helps
rials for application use. identify how the 3D printed materials react
Figure 6: ESD check results.

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Figure 7: Flexural test results.
Figure 9: X-ray analysis results.
and how they are affected by various tests. The

significance of this analysis is that the results
Figure 8: Thin wall flexural testing results. can accurately reflect how the test specimen
has reacted in various conditions. The results
of this test are qualitative in nature and repre-
with thinner walls and less material support. sented by pictures taken of the test specimens.
The mechanical stress that the test specimens
are subjected to help determine how well the Qualitative Analysis – Optical Checking and SEM
specimens retain their dimensional accuracy. Throughout the process of the material char-
The results from this test also help guide which acterization, various optical recordings were
applications each of the materials are suited performed such as pictures taken of the test
for. As with flexural testing, any bending, specimens, X-ray analyses done, as well as
breaking, deformation, delamination or other scanning electron microscope pictures and
functional and/or cosmetic effect is recorded. measurements. The results of these tests and
analyses are to provide a deeper understand-
X-ray Analysis ing of what happens to the 3D printed materi-
The test specimens were placed in an X-ray als under various conditions and helps guide
machine before and after tests to determine if the application decision process.

Figure 10: Qualitative analysis—optical checking and SEM results.
Figure 11: Summary of all test results.
Conclusions Authors
From our testing we were able to see that the Zohair Mehkri is Manager, Worldwide Assembly
material that has the highest number of favor- Technology, at Flex.
able rankings is material F. This material was
able to perform well under thermal and flex- David Geiger is Director, Worldwide Assembly
ural tests, therefore opening up applications and Test Tech, at Flex
that require these types of characteristics. The
Anwar Mohammed, PhD, is a senior director at Flex.
material that had the second highest number of
favorable rankings was material G with mate- Murad Kurwa was previously the vice president of the
rial H following with third highest. SMT007 Advance Engineering Group at Flex (no longer with Flex.)
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Flex Advanced Engineering
Group in supporting this project: Jesus Tan, Fran-
coise Sarrazin, Ellen Ray, and Christopher Vu.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published

in the proceedings of SMTA International 2016. Zohair Mehkri David Geiger Anwar Mohammed

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Recent Highlights from SMT007.com
One World, One Industry: IPC Releases IPC/PERM-2901,

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More Important than Ever E Implementation Guide E
The future of the electron- IPC/PERM-2901, Pb-free Design and Imple-
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Here are nine essentials to look for when hiring
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Dan Feinberg recently met with

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IPC Issues Paper on Priorities

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In this first in a series
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Account Manager, North East KYZEN Regional Manager –

Midwest Region
Do you have what it takes? MacDermid Enthone
Electronics Solutions is a leading supplier of specialty General Summary: KYZEN is seeking a Regional
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bly industry and the ability to represent the
Valor solutions with authority and credibility. The candidate should also possess:
A solid background in PCB Process Engineer- • Expertise in Valor/Genesis CAD/CAM
ing or Quality management to leverage in software and PCB process
day-to-day activities is preferred. The candi-
• Ability to process DRC/DFMs
date should be a good “storyteller” who can
• Excellent customer/people skills
develop relatable content in an interesting
and compelling manner, and who is comfort- • Ability to be a self-starter
able in presenting in public as well as engag- • Ability to read prints and specifications
ing in on-line forums; should have solid expe-
rience with professional social platforms such American Standard Circuits is one of the
as LinkedIn. most diverse independent printed circuit
Success will be measured quantitatively in board fabricators in the country today,
terms of number of interactions, increase in building PCBs of all technologies, including
digital engagements, measurement of senti- epoxy MLBs, flex and rigid-flex, RF and metal
ment, article placements, presentations deliv- backed.
ered. Qualitatively, success will be measured
by feedback from colleagues and relevant To learn more about this position, please
industry players.
send your information to American Standard
This is an excellent opportunity for an
Circuits.
industry professional who has a passion for
marketing and public presentation.
Location flexible: Israel, UK or US

Technical Service Rep, North East

Field Application Engineer
Do you have what it takes? MacDermid
Enthone Electronics Solutions is a leading
supplier of specialty chemicals, providing Saki America Inc., headquartered in Fremont,
application-specific solutions and unsur- CA, a leader in automated inspection equip-
passed technical support.
The position of the Technical Service Rep ment, seeks two full-time Field Application En-
will be responsible for day-to-day support gineers (FAE), one in the Fremont headquar-
for fabricators using MacDermid Enthone’s
chemical products. The position requires a ters and the other for the Eastern and South-
proactive self-starter who can work closely ern United States.
and independently with customers, sales
group members and management to ensure
that customer expectations and company The FAE will support the VP of Sales and Ser-
interests are served. vice for North America in equipment instal-
• Thoroughly understand the overall PCB lation, training, maintenance, and other ser-
business, and specifics in wet processing areas vices at field locations. The FAE will provide
• Prepare action plans for identification of root
cause of customer process issues technical/customer support and maintain
• Provide feedback to management regarding positive relationships with existing and future
performance customers.
• Create and conduct customer technical
presentations
• Develop technical strategy for customers Strong analytic abilities and problem-solv-
• Possess the ability to calm difficult situations
with customers, initiate a step by step plan, ing skills are a must in order to understand
and involve other technical help quickly to customer applications and troubleshoot is-
find resolution
sues. The FAE will perform demos and pre-
Hiring Profile sentations for customers and agents as well
• Bachelor’s Degree or 5–7 years’ job-related as assisting in trade show activities. Candidate
experience
• Strong understanding of chemistry and must have a minimum of a two-year technical
chemical interaction within PCB degree, experience in AOI, SPI, and X-ray in-
manufacturing
• Excellent written and oral communication spection, and strong verbal and written com-
skills munication skills. The position requires the
• Strong track record of navigating technically ability to travel about three weeks per month.
through complex organizations
• Extensive experience in all aspects of customer Must be a US citizen and be able to lift up to
relationship management 40 lbs.
• Willingness to travel

Field Service Technician

Ventec Seeking U.S. Product
Chemcut, a leading manufacturer of wet-
Manager for tec-speed
processing equipment for the manufacture of
Want to work for a globally successful and printed circuit boards for more than 60 years,
growing company and help drive that success? is seeking a high-quality field service techni-
As a U.S.-based member of the product and cian. This position will require extensive travel,
sales team, your focus will be on Ventec’s signal including overseas.
integrity materials, tec-speed, one of the most
comprehensive range of products in high- Job responsibilities include:
speed/low-loss PCB material technology for • Installing and testing Chemcut equipment
high reliability and high-speed computing and at the customer’s location
storage applications. Combining your strong • Training customers for proper operation
technical PCB manufacturing and design
and maintenance
knowledge with commercial acumen, you will
offer North American customers (OEMs,
• Providing technical support for problems by
buyers, designers, reliability engineers and the diagnosing and repairing mechanical and
people that liaise directly with the PCB manu- electrical malfunctions
facturers) advice and solutions for optimum • Filling out and submitting service call
performance, quality and cost. paperwork completely, accurately and in a
timely fashion
Skills and abilities required: • Preparing quotes to modify, rebuild, and/or
repair Chemcut equipment
• Technical background in PCB manufacturing/
design
• Solid understanding of signal integrity solutions
Requirements:
• Direct sales knowledge and skills • Associates degree or trade school degree, or
• Excellent oral and written communication skills four years equivalent HVAC/industrial
in English equipment technical experience
• Experience in making compelling presentations • Strong mechanical aptitude and electrical
to small and large audiences knowledge, along with the ability to
• Proven relationship building skills with partners troubleshoot PLC control
and virtual teams • Experience with single and three-phase
power, low-voltage control circuits and
This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of knowledge of AC and DC drives are
a leading brand and team, with excellent benefits. desirable extra skills
Please forward your resume to
To apply for this position, please apply to
jpattie@ventec-usa.com and mention
“U.S. Sales Manager—tec-speed”
Mike Burke, or call 814-272-2800.
in the subject line.

IPC Master Technical Sales Engineer

Positions available in the
Instructor Chicago area and California
This position is responsible for IPC and Do you want to advance your career by
skill-based instruction and certification joining a globally successful and growing
world class CCL manufacturer and help drive
at the training center as well as train- that success? As a California-based member of
ing events as assigned by company’s the technical sales team, your focus will be on
sales/operations VP. This position may Ventec’s core market segments: mil/aero, auto-
motive and medical, offering a full range of
be part-time, full-time, and/or an inde- high-reliability materials including polyimide,
pendent contractor, depending upon IMS and thermal management products.

the demand and the individual’s situ- Skills and abilities required:
ation. Must have the ability to work
• Drive & Tenacity!
with little or no supervision and make
• 7 to 10 years of experience in the PCB
appropriate and professional deci- industry in engineering and/or
sions. Candidate must have the ability manufacturing
to collaborate with the client manag- • Detail-oriented approach to tasks
• Ability to manage tasks and set goals
ers to continually enhance the training
independently and as part of a team
program. Position is responsible for vali- • Knowledge of MS office products
dating the program value and its over-
all success. Candidate will be trained/ Full product training will be provided. This
is a fantastic opportunity to become part of
certified and recognized by IPC as a a successful brand and a leading team with
Master Instructor. Position requires the excellent benefits.
input and management of the train- Please forward your resume to:
ing records. Will require some travel
to client’s facilities and other training jpattie@ventec-usa.com and mention
“Technical Sales Engineer - California Based
centers. or Chicago area” in the subject line.
For more information, click below.

Arlon EMD, located in Rancho PCB Equipment Sales

Cucamonga, California is currently inter-
viewing candidates for manufacturing World-class manufacturer of wet process
and management positions. All inter- equipment for the PCB and plating indus-
ested candidates should contact Arlon’s tries, Integrated Process Systems Inc. (IPS)
HR department at 909-987-9533 or fax is seeking qualified candidates to fill a posi-
resumes to 866-812-5847. tion in equipment sales. Potential candi-
dates should have:
Arlon is a major manufacturer of specialty
• Process engineering knowledge in PCB
high performance laminate and prepreg
manufacturing
materials for use in a wide variety of PCB • Outside sales background
(printed circuit board) applications. Arlon • Residency on the West Coast to manage
specializes in thermoset resin technol- West Coast sales
ogy including polyimide, high Tg multi- • Knowledge of wet process equipment
functional epoxy, and low loss thermo- • Sales experience with capital equipment
set laminate and prepreg systems. These (preferred)
resin systems are available on a variety of
substrates, including woven glass and non- Compensation will include a base
woven aramid. Typical applications for salary plus commission, dependent
these materials include advanced commer- upon experience.
cial and military electronics such as avion-
ics, semiconductor testing, heat sink bond-
ing, high density interconnect (HDI) and
microvia PCBs (i.e., in mobile communica-
tion products).
Our facility employs state of the art

production equipment engineered to
provide cost-effective and flexible manu-
facturing capacity allowing us to respond
quickly to customer requirements while
meeting the most stringent quality and
tolerance demands. Our manufactur-
ing site is ISO 9001: 2008 registered,
and through rigorous quality control
practices and commitment to contin-
ual improvement, we are dedicated to
meeting and exceeding our customer’s
requirements.

Events Calendar
MicroTech 2018 E Medical Electronics Symposium 2018 E
April 9–10, 2018 May 16–18, 2018
Egham, UK Dallas, Texas, USA
Smart Systems Integration E SMT Hybrid Packaging & Micro

April 11–12, 2018 Electronics 2018 E
Dresden, Germany June 5–7, 2018
Nuremburg, Germany
NEPCON China 2018 E
April 24–26, 2018 EIPC 50th Anniversary Summer E
Shanghai, China Conference
June 21–22, 2018
Electronics in Harsh Environments Dusseldorf, Germany
Conference E
April 24–26, 2018 NEPCON South China 2018 E
Amsterdam, The Netherlands August 28–30, 2018
Shenzhen, China
2018 SE Asia Technical Conference
on Electronics Assembly E electronica India 2018 /
May 8–10, 2018 productronica India 2018 E
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia September 26–28, 2018
Bangalore, India
PCB EXPO Thailand E
May 10–12, 2018 electronica 2018 E
Bangkok, Thailand November 13–16, 2018
Munich, Germany
Additional Event Calendars

PUBLISHER: BARRY MATTIES
barry@iconnect007.com
ADVE RTIS E R IN DE X
Accutrace........................................................................ 33
SALES MANAGER: BARB HOCKADAY AIM..................................................................................... 43
(916) 608-0660; barb@iconnect007.com American Standard Circuits........................................ 73
APCT................................................................................... 45
MARKETING SERVICES: TOBEY MARSICOVETERE Blackfox Training Institute............................................. 9
(916) 266-9160; tobey@iconnect007.com
Candor Industries............................................................. 7
EDITORIAL:
Cicor................................................................................... 55
MANAGING EDITOR: STEPHEN LAS MARIAS Comet USA......................................................................... 51
+63 906 479 5392; stephen@iconnect007.com Creative Electron............................................................ 57
Eagle Electronics............................................................ 61
TECHNICAL EDITOR: PETE STARKEY Electrolube........................................................................ 13
+44 (0) 1455 293333; pete@iconnect007.com Eltek................................................................................... 67
General Circuits................................................................ 3
MAGAZINE PRODUCTION CREW: Hereaus............................................................................. 47
PRODUCTION MANAGER: SHELLY STEIN I-Connect007 eBooks............................................... 2, 21
shelly@iconnect007.com Imagineering................................................................... 49
Indium......................................................................... 37, 77
MAGAZINE LAYOUT: RON MEOGROSSI IPC........................................................................................ 71
Koh Young........................................................................ 39
AD DESIGN: SHELLY STEIN, MIKE RADOGNA,
TOBEY MARSICOVETERE
Kyzen................................................................................. 69
Manncorp........................................................................... 5
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY: BRYSON MATTIES MEK..................................................................................... 15
Mentor, a Siemens Business...................................... 25
COVER: SHELLY STEIN Meptec........................................................................ 35, 81
Miraco Inc.......................................................................... 11
COVER IMAGE: Nepcon China 2018........................................................ 79
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS - WERNER BAYER P Kay Metal...................................................................... 65
Prototron Circuits............................................................ 41
Saki..................................................................................... 31
Show & Tell............................................................... 28, 29
SMTA.................................................................................. 59
Sunstone Circuits............................................................ 17
Super Dry.......................................................................... 23
SMT007 MAGAZINE® US Circuit.......................................................................... 27
is published by BR Publishing, Inc., Zentech Manufacturing................................................. 19
942 Windemere Dr. NW, Salem, OR 97304
© 2018 BR Publishing, Inc. does not assume and Coming Soon to SMT007 Magazine:
hereby disclaims any liability to any person for loss
or damage caused by errors or omissions in the MAY: ALL ABOUT 5G
material contained within this publication, regardless
A look into PCB design, fabrication and assembly
of whether such errors or omissions are caused
accidentally, from negligence or any other cause. challenges in the 5G world.
April 2018, Volume 33, Number 4
SMT007 MAGAZINE is published monthly, JUNE: FLEX CIRCUIT ASSEMBLY
by BR Publishing, Inc.
Tackling the challenges in flex circuit assembly.
FREESUBSCRI
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DIT
ORI
ALC
ONT
ACT S
ALE
SCONT
ACT
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teph
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asMa
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s Ba
rbHo
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day
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tep
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@i co
nnec
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APRIL 2018 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 1

APRIL 2018 • FEATURED CONTENT

20 Solving Reliability and Thermal

38 Under the Hood:

66 How the Factory Ecosystem

72 3D Printing and Additive

RF/Microwave Power High-Speed

Automotive Lamination Startups

Our technology produces what our customers dream!

www.candorind.com | (416) 736-6306

The past few weeks had been hectic.

8 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

More than Electric Vehicles

12 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Scan the code to discover

14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

16 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Rockwell Collins’ Dave Hillman Inducted

18 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

RF Reliability Influenced by Design and Manufacturing

DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER

www.zentech.com • 443-348-4500 • sales@zentech.com

Paul Salerno is the Global Portfolio Manager

20 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

MEK Sees Increasing Demand

24 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

RTW IPC APEX EXPO: COMET Technologies

26 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

And our Exhibitor Product Showcase sponsors:

IPC APEX/EXPO 2019 is only 9 months away!

We would like to thank everyone who stopped by

I-Connect007’s Real Time with... has been covering

Based in Neuilly-Plaisance, France, Asteel- To successfully support its customers and

30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

34 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Dock Brown, DfR Solutions n TRACK 1:

REGISTRATION SPECIAL Sponsorship Opportunities and

North American Semiconductor Equipment Annual IT Spending by Western

IDC New Zealand: Smartphone Shipments,

36 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Edge Connector RF Shielding

Click our video for more:

• Increase solder volume to strengthen solder joint

Contact us for the Solder Fortification® Design Guide

©2018 Indium Corporation

38 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Figure 1: BGA footprint showing arrangement of SMD and

Table 1: Package details. DOE variables in yellow.

Figure 2: A daisy-chain connection representation

40 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Cycling, Electrical Testing and

42 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Crack Propagation Analysis measurements. In all cases, sections were

44 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

A Leading Manufacturer of High Reliability Printed Circuit Boards

APCT, “Where Our People Differentiate Us From The Competition”

slightly smaller. Surface evolver predicted only

Figure 6: Ball height measurement by RVSI scanner.

46 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018

Solder Joint Characterization

48 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2018