Lockheed Martin Pb-free Electronics Workshop in College Park, MD on October 27

Lockheed Martin has invited Craig Hillman to present on the broad range of Pb-free research and development activities currently being performed at DfR Solutions. If you would like a similar informative update at your facility, please contact June Caswell.

Lead-Free Reliability Workshop: Oct. 31st in Irvine, CA

IPC Conference on Reliability:
ASSEMBLY PROCESS for a RELIABLE PRODUCT

LEAD-FREE RELIABILITY WORKSHOP: October 31, 2011

CONFERENCE: November 1–2, 2011 • Irvine, Calif.

This unique event will take you through the assembly process — from materials to test and inspection — and provide you with the latest information so you can increase your reliability.

LEAD-FREE RELIABILITY WORKSHOP

October 31
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Design for Reliability in the Lead-Free Era

Instructor: Cheryl Tulkoff, Senior Member of Technical Staff, DfR

This workshop provides a focused but comprehensive discussion of all issues that can arise during the transition to lead free. All areas of potential risk will be examined, including:
• popcorning
• tin whiskers
• plating failures associated with various solder materials
• plated-through hole (PTH) barrel cracking
• pad cratering
• thermomechanical wearout
• high-cycle fatigue

For each reliability concern, the latest research will be shared and you will learn the best ways to mitigate risk based on a product's design, materials, complexity, volumes and customer expectations of reliability. A final summary will provide you with a roadmap for ensuring the reliability of your lead-free product.

Who Should Attend?
This course is designed for engineers and manufacturing personnel who need to fully comprehend the characteristics of design for reliability (DFR) and how it applies to unique applications.

Register Now!

DfR Solutions' Cheryl Tulkoff will be teaching at the ICSR in Toronto on May 3rd

Cheryl Tulkoff, a Senior Member of the Technical Staff at DfR Solutions will be in Toronto, Canada at the International Conference on Soldering and Reliability, May 3-5. On May 3^rd, she will be teaching two programs: “2^nd Generation Lead Free Alloys: is SAC the Best We Can Do?” and “High Reliability: Solving Problems with Reliability in the Lead-Free Era”. Check website for details: http://www.smta.org/education/symposia/symposia.cfm

While Cheryl is in the area, she will be available an onsite complimentary presentation, please contact June Caswell at jcaswell@dfrsolutions.com. If you would like more information regarding DfR’s services, please contact ctulkoff@dfrsolutions.com.

DfR at The International Conference on Soldering & Reliability 2011

International Conference on Soldering & Reliability 2011

Co-located with Lead-Free Academy & SMTA Toronto Expo

May 3-6, 2011
Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The drive for smaller, more functional consumer electronics along with the need for highly reliable electronics for industrial, bio-medical, aerospace and automotive applications have kept the material, process and quality engineers busy planning for the future. These drive the many challenges such as the use of finer powders in solder paste, the greater need for heat dissipation, the use of novel components and technologies. In addition, the European Union’s RoHS directive has now been joined by those of REACH, the dimethyl fumarate ban and the new Canadian Management plan on substances of concern for electrical and electronic equipment complicating matters considerably. The use of tailored alloy systems, the variety of alloy choices, and smaller passive component assembly are among the concerns being addressed. Soldering and reliability engineers and designers need to come together to share their knowledge and their vision for addressing these challenges.

PROGRAM OUTLINE
SMTA Lead-Free Academy
Tuesday May 3, 2011
Click on the tutorial titles below to view the full descriptions.

Tuesday, May 3
T1: 2nd Generation Lead Free Alloys: Is SAC the Best We Can Do?
Cheryl Tulkoff, DfR Solutions: 8:30a.m. – 12:00p.m.

T2: Solder Joint Reliability—Failure Mode and Root Cause Analyses (Fatigue, Brittle Fracture, ENIG)"
Werner Engelmaier,Engelmaier Associates, L.C.: 8:30a.m. - 12:00p.m.

Tuesday, May 3
T3: High Reliability: Solving Problems with Reliability in the Lead-Free Era
Cheryl Tulkoff, DfR Solutions: 1:30p.m. – 5:00p.m.

T4: Solder Joint Reliability—Acceleration Models, Accelerated Reliability Tests and Screening Procedures
Werner Engelmaier,Engelmaier Associates: 1:30p.m. – 5:00p.m.

Conference Schedule Wednesday, May 4, 2011 Hours: 8:50a.m. - 6:00p.m. Thursday, May 5, 2011 Hours: 8:50a.m. - 5:30p.m. Friday, May 6, 2011 Hours: 8:40a.m. - 12:00p.m.

The 2011 ICSR speakers include: Vladimar Igoshev, SENTEC Testing Laboratory Emad Al- Momani, Binghamton University Barbara Koczera, Test Research USA Keith Howell, Nihon Superior Walter Jager, Intertek Mike Bixenman, Kyzen Corporation and many more...

Registration

DfR Launches the Shock and Vibration Partnership

With companies representing a range of industries (medical, military, avionics, solder), DfR Solutions launched the Shock and Vibration Partnership on January 21, 2011. This activity will use a combination of simulation and testing to identify the most effective vibration and shock mitigations. Solutions such as underfill, staking compounds, dummy ball, solder alloy, and corner slots will be benchmarked in regard to cost, manufacturability, effect on thermal cycling, and ability to mitigate shock and vibration damage. If you would like more information on this activity, contact Joelle Arnold, jarnold@dfrsolutions.com.

DfR Solutions Presents at IPC High Reliability Workshop

Cheryl Tulkoff, Senior Member of the Technical Staff, will be presenting "Solving Problems with Reliability, Repair and Rework in the Lead-Free Era" at IPC's High Reliability Workshop on December 8, 2010, in Santa Clara, California.

This session addresses potential reliability issues within lead-free processes, current state of industry knowledge and risk mitigation based on product design, materials, complexity, volumes and customer expectations of reliability. The session summary includes a roadmap for ensuring the reliability of lead-free product.

For more information or to register, please visit the IPC event website.

Shock and Vibration of Pb-free

DfR has announced it is building upon its successful SBIR Phase I Partnership Program. Where SBIR Phase I Partnership focused on capturing the behavior of Pb-free solder under shock and vibration, the SBIR Phase II Partnership will focus on quantifying the value of various mitigation strategies, including staking, underfill, dummy ball / ball removal, and cutouts. Participants will not only have exclusive access to the largest investigation into Shock and Vibration of Pb-free solder ever performed, they will also finally be able to capture the cost / risk tradeoffs necessary for a successful product launch. For more information, please contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com.

DfR at Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) meeting in Bloomington, IN: September 21-23

Jim McLeish will be attending the PERM meeting in Bloomington, IN September 21-23. For more information or to arrange a meeting during the conference, contact Jim McLeish, jmcleish@dfrsolutions.com.


The Pb-free Electronics Risk Management Consortium

About PERM
The purpose of the Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) Consortium (formerly known as LEAP) is to provide overarching leadership and coordination of Pb-free electronics risk management activities for the government and industry aerospace and defense communities.

The goal of PERM is to better respond to the long term challenges of Pb-free solders and finishes over a systems life cycle.
The PERM Consortium addresses executive leadership, communications, research coordination, standards, training, advocacy, supply chain, and international cooperation through dedicated task teams and advisory groups.

The PERM Consortium is chartered by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and includes support from DoD, DoE, Army, Air Force, Navy, FAA, NASA, and industry.

PERM White Paper

CTEA Electronics Design & Manufacturing Tech Forum & Expo: Oct. 7th!

Central Texas Electronics Association

Electronics Design & Manufacturing Tech Forum & Expo
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Norris Conference Center at Northcross Mall in Austin

Program:

10:30 – 5:00 Trade Show Open

11:00 - First Presentation, Dr. Randy Schueller, DfR Solutions:

"Key Reliability Risks on Pb-free Products"

Noon - Complimentary Lunch and Door Prize Drawings

1:00 - Second Presentation, Iga Hallberg, HelioVolt:

"Solar Power - Macroeconomic Trends"

2:15 - Third Presentation, Dr. Ron Lasky, Indium Corporation / Dartmouth College:

"Establishing a High-Yield, Pb-free Process, including Ultra Fine Pitch Printing
for Passives and CSPs"

3:00 - Afternoon Refreshments, Networking, and Door Prize Drawings

3:30 - Fourth Presentation, David Carey, UBM TechInsights:

"Packaging for Portables: Going Vertical and Getting Small"

5:00 - Door Prize Drawings & Trade Show Closes


Registration Via SMTA Website

This event is complimentary for SMTA and IMAPS members and non-members.

Event Location: Norris Conference Center at Northcross Mall (backside), 2525 West Anderson Lane, Austin, Texas

In Central Texas, SMTA and IMAPS work together as the Central Texas Electronics Association. (CTEA)

Shock and Vibration of Pb-free

DfR has announced it is building upon its successful SBIR Phase I Partnership Program. Where SBIR Phase I Partnership focused on capturing the behavior of Pb-free solder under shock and vibration, the SBIR Phase II Partnership will focus on quantifying the value of various mitigation strategies, including staking, underfill, dummy ball / ball removal, and cutouts. Participants will not only have exclusive access to the largest investigation into Shock and Vibration of Pb-free solder ever performed, they will also finally be able to capture the cost / risk tradeoffs necessary for a successful product launch. For more information, please contact Craig Hillman, chillman@dfrsolutions.com

Manhattan Project Report - Phase 2

The DoD continues to move forward on Pb-free with the release of Phase 2 of the Lead Free Electronics Manhattan Project. This report details the projects and costs believed to be necessary to characterize and mitigate the risk of Pb-free solder in severe environments. Anyone have $100 million lying around? For more information on successfully transitioning to Pb-free, please contact Cheryl Tulkoff, ctulkoff@dfrsolutions.com.

The Tin Commandments - Just in Time for the Holidays!

The Tin Commandments
Copyright © DfR Solutions, College Park, MD, 2009 All Rights Reserved.

1. Thou shalt have no Lead (Pb) in the solder for EU (among other) applications.
The European Union, the USA, most industrialized Asian nations, etc., all require that all commercial products to be sold in their Countries must have hazardous materials (like Mercury and Lead) removed from PC Boards. The deadline for compliance was 2006 with elimination of some exemptions forthcoming. The most common Pb-free solder alloys consist mostly of tin with small additions of silver an copper. Some question why the electronics industry, which accounts for less than 0.1% of the lead in land-fills, was targeted by the EU. It matters not, since the train has now left the station. Even exempt industries such as telecommunications, medical, and the military are finding it increasingly difficult to continue using Pb.

2. Thou shalt not make Tin (Sn) whiskers that will cause short circuits.
Pure Tin tends to make “whiskers”, a short growth from the main body of Tin, and small Tin lands make the whiskers grow the most. Historically 1-2% Lead (Pb) was used to prevent whiskering in tin coatings. Various methods are used to mitigate whisker growth without use of Pb but the only way to prevent it is use coatings such as Pd or Au.

3. Thou shalt not take Pb-free ball grid array components and solder them onto a Pb-based solder pad.
Though it is not impossible to achieve a reliable mixed solder joint, the component must reach 230°C to do so. The PCB and other components must be designed to survive the higher temperature.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day (and 2nd and 3rd shift workers).
Building high quality products with Pb-free solder requires consistently hitting a much more narrow process window. Your off hour workers must be trained just as well as the 1st shift workers.

5. Honor thy supplier qualification and process control requirements.
In order to ensure that you get the materials you specify, trust the documentation from your suppliers.

6. Thou shalt not kill your boards with the higher temperatures in reflow ovens in a Lead-free application.
Notice that the temperature difference in most SMT re-flow ovens between a Leaded Solder and a Lead-free Solder is about 35 degrees C. Specifying the appropriate board properties is critical to prevent delamination, warping, cracked vias, or worse. Components must also be specified to survive reflow conditions (JST-020C should be followed religiously).

7. Thou shalt not mate female Gold connectors with male Tin connectors (or vice versa).
The reason for this is because of the inter-metallic that is made between Gold and Tin (or a solder Tin alloy) when they are repeatedly rubbed together. Build up of this inter-metallic can cause an open connection. If you need a good connection, use gold with gold. Tin with tin is also acceptable for applications where fretting is not a concern.

8. Thou shalt not steal published quality and reliability data.
Since your environment is unique to you, don’t expect to get similar results when you application differs from that of published reports.

9. Thou shalt not bear with the same rework standards after going Lead-free.
Experience shows that the re-work stations in most PC Board manufacturing facilities are often overlooked as an essential area that must be controlled. Hitting the small process window requires well controlled rework profiles and often new equipment. “Touch up” areas are becoming extinct because of the extra heat of the solder iron that’s required in a Lead-free process. The quality of all rework processes should be validated with close inspection.

10. Thou shalt not covet the Tin mines in China, Indonesia, and South America.
It’s true that our planet’s main resources for Tin are in China (40%), Indonesia (20%) and South America (20%) and yet it seems that Chinese companies are buying up another Tin mine every week. Tin is available in mines across our world, but the best mines are not in the Americas or Europe.


Copyright 2009 by DfR Solutions and VALUE Engrafting. All Rights Reserved.