Status of Lead-Free Solder Joint Reliability in Thermal Cycle Testing
Folks, Back in October, I posted comments on lead-free reliability. In this post, I mentioned that I chaired a session at SMTAI on “...
Will Multiple Reflows Damage My Solder Joint?
I just received a customer inquiry regarding a phenomenon that is little studied and even less quantified; “How many times can I reflow a s...
It's Wrong to Average or Add Cp and Cpk
Folks, Patty had been working with engineering on a new product that needed a very precise and controlled volume of the stencil printed “brick&...
Low Temperature Indalloy Solder Alloys for Heat Pipe Attach
After a long and involved conversation with colleagues regarding attaching heat pipes using a low temperature solder, such as Indalloy 290 (97In 3Ag; ...
Transitioning from Water-Soluble Solder Paste Flux to No-Clean Solder Paste Flux
I just visited a customer that was converting from water soluble solder paste to no-clean. Not exactly a slam dunk transition as this customer found o...
Lead-Free Solder Thermal Cycling & Drop Shock Reliability is Looking Good
Folks, I was at SMTAI (Surface Mount Technology Association International) from September 24 and 27, 2010. As I mentioned, I cha...
Think Like a 12 Year Old
Did you ever hear the expression, “think like a 12-year-old”? Meaning a 12-year-old has enough learning to address a problem but not...
The Importance of a Clean Soldering Iron
The following is an example of how a simple procedure like cleaning a soldering iron tip can make a world of difference in the quality of a solder joi...
Soldering 101 CTE Mismatch
The Northeast USA (as well as other parts of the country) have been experiencing quite a warm summer. And, if walking out into the humidity wasn...