Milwaukie, OR, USA – Participants in a survey begun at APEX and continued through April were asked to answer specific questions about their practices regarding thermal processing. With confidentiality promised in return for candid answers, a surprising finding emerged. While over 90% were diligent in creating a correct profile, nearly a full 60% did not display that same diligence when it came to verifying that profile on a regular basis.

When posing the question “Why?” it became clear that perceived difficulty and/or time required often dissuade otherwise vigilant manufacturers from doing so. ECD has addressed this issue on three specific levels.

First, cutting production time considerably, the V-M.O.L.E.® thermal profiler, using only three thermocouples, is an outstanding way to “verify” previously established profiles. This method, when using correct parameters, has been established as quiteeffective by a study at Binghamton University in N.Y. (study available at http://www.ecd.com/). Like its twenty-channel "sister" profiler, the MEGAM.O.L.E.®20 used for original “characterization” of the profile, the V-M.O.L.E.® provides an OK Button®. With no profiling knowledge required of the operator, it gives him/her a clear “Go/No-Go” signal, meaning the operator need not involve the engineer to "ok" a run – a true aid to maximizing production throughput, as well as assurance of quality.

The second way in which ECD encourages the profile verification of successive runs is with the newly released M.O.L.E.® AttachEz™ since attachment of TCs is one of the most commonly reported barriers to consistent thermal profiling. Because so much accuracy depends on the TC itself, the method to “stick it down” should have both ease of use and minimum impact. Feedback to the M.O.L.E.® AttachEz™ introduction indicates they are not only comparable to all the other popular methods for accuracy, but are proving to save both time and money, and should therefore encourage better process control and profiling protocols. Fast to attach, sticking well to flat or curved surfaces, reusable, Pb-free profiling temperature compatible, and providing number identification, they are reported to have many more uses than the ten ECD outlined at their APEX introduction. An EMS provider who is currently doing a lot of prototyping, reports after a few weeks of use that “the Attach-Ez™ work very well to hold parts that are in very close proximity to parts that are being reworked!! This has allowed us to…rework QFNs without purchasing additional specific rework nozzles at between $160 and $220 each. So far we have saved about $500.”

Third, this continued verification of the profile throughout successive runs assumes added significance in light of the newly released J-STD-075 standard. Showing degradation of thermally sensitive passive components during reflow to be one of the main causes of product field failure, it concludes that such degradation often is not picked up by traditional assembly test and inspection. Instead, it often appears years later, after the product is in the user’s hands. Thus, profiling remains the key to preventing both degradation of components andfield failure of the product...a process of trade-off management that includes art, as well as science.

As it has done since 1964, ECD will continue to seek out, address, and provide award-winning solutions for thermal process control problems as they occur. For a thorough discussion of the various methods of thermocouple attachment, please visit our BLOG at: http://www.ecd.com/blog/ and read the entry on Thermocouple Attachment.