CeTaQ Announces 'Lead-Free' Process Optimization
Hudson, New Hampshire, USA - Lead-free processing narrows the 'process window' in many ways. To keep defect levels down and yields up, SMT assembly equipment must operate at full performance specifications, especially with regard to precision - in dispensing, printing, placement, and reflow. CeTaQ Americas offers machine capability analysis (MCA) testing designed to improve lead-free yields by ensuring that production equipment is performing to specs, without errors and offsets.
According to Michael Sivigny, General Manager of CeTaQ Americas, "Lead-free solders, for example, don't wet as readily as traditional tin/lead solders; thus, printing and placement accuracy is more important. In an instance where SMT pads are not accurately printed, such as partly printed onto a non-solderable area, or mask, it is likely in some cases that the solder will not wet the entire pad. Similarly, a lower surface tension in the liquidous solder may inhibit the 'auto-centering' effect that assemblers always counted on to center slightly offset components with tin/lead solders. Thus, placement accuracy is more critical than before. Keeping the lead-free process window as wide as possible requires, at the least, that assembly equipment operate optimally at its original performance specification. This keeps the process in control and helps ensure minimal defect levels and maximum yields."
Recently, CeTaQ Americas announced the availability of a new service that verifies feeder and shuttle motion repeatability. This service was developed, Sivigny says, because one of the consequences of the move to lead-free assembly is less tolerance for even slight variations in placement accuracy. Components do not self-center as easily during reflow with lead-free solders. CeTaQ's feeder calibration service is critical to ensure repeatability of pick location, feeder indexing, component location, and sprocket repeatability. This is of particular importance for handling components such as tiny 0201 and 01005 chips.
Additionally, CeTaQ's Lead-free solutions testing is applied to automated dispense systems. This is especially important as SMT passive components grow ever-smaller, making dispense accuracy for adhesives and solder paste increasingly critical.
CeTaQ Americas provides state-of-the-art measurement technology for equipment and process capability analysis for SMT assembly and other production equipment. The data and measurement results obtained provide the base for stable and controlled processing. Many types of production machines in electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries are easily validated by CeTaQ, including placement, reflow, printers, chip shooters, and much more. Innovative software operates the measurement equipment and provides statistical specification based results on machine quality performance. Comprehensive certification reports validate accuracy and repeatability performance, which allows users to improve product quality and optimize performance for increased manufacturing profitability.
For more information, visit www.cetaq.com, or contact CeTaQ Americas (formerly EAGLE-EYED ONE) at P.O. Box 7332, Nashua, NH 03060, Office: 603-883-7843; Fax: 603-484-8478; Mobile: 603-566-2141; Email: solutions@cetaq-americas.com .
Press Contact: Michael L. Martel
Tel. (401) 254-1473
E-mail: mmc@mmc-marketing.com
