PDC2: Impact of Harsh Environments on Post-Reflow Contamination in Circuit Assemblies:
Cleaning Methods, Equipment Selection, Costs, and Environmental Considerations
Wednesday, 15 May 2024 | 8:30 - 10:30
Mike Konrad, Aqueous Technologies
As electronic devices become even more integral to various industries, the reliability of circuit assemblies in harsh environments becomes a critical concern. This course explores the repercussions of post-reflow contamination on circuit assemblies deployed in challenging conditions, elucidating how residues compromise their tolerance levels and negatively impact overall reliability. This course delves into key aspects of mitigating contamination, covering cleaning methods, equipment selection processes, operational costs, cost per clean assembly, skill levels of operators, throughput, and environmental considerations.
This course offers a holistic perspective on the intricate relationship between harsh environments, post-reflow contamination, reliability of circuit assemblies, and the most suitable process for eliminating post reflow contamination. The findings provide valuable insights for industry professionals, aiding them in making informed decisions regarding cleaning methods, equipment selection, environmental sustainability, and budgetary requirements.
Course Overview
The first section of the course investigates various cleaning methods to eliminate post-reflow residues, assessing their ability to produce clean assemblies capable of operating reliably in harsh environments. We analyze the effectiveness of various cleaning methods in ensuring residue-free circuit assemblies.
The second section focuses on the critical decision-making process for equipment selection. The course outlines key considerations when choosing cleaning equipment, including the type of contamination, assembly specifications, required operator skill levels, logistical requirements, and environmental factors. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of batch and inline cleaning systems, addressing the trade-offs in terms of throughput, resource efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
Operational costs of various cleaning methods are reviewed, with an emphasis on understanding the economic implications of implementing rigorous cleaning processes. The course assesses the overall cost of ownership for various cleaning methods and equipment, taking into account the initial investment, consumable expenses, and labor.
Furthermore, this course provides insights into the cost per clean assembly, offering a practical perspective on the financial impact of contamination prevention measures. This analysis aids decision-makers in understanding the long-term economic benefits of investing in robust cleaning processes.
The skill level of operators is addressed to ensure the successful implementation of cleaning procedures. This course identifies the training and expertise required for operators to effectively manage and maintain cleaning equipment, reducing the risk of human error and enhancing overall process efficiency.
Throughput considerations are also explored, providing a comprehensive understanding of how cleaning methods and equipment choices impact production rates. The study evaluates the balance between achieving the required throughput and maintaining the desired level of cleanliness. This course also reviews the new IPC cleanliness testing and process monitoring requirements of IPC J-STD001H, including the objective evidence requirements.
Lastly, this course addresses environmental considerations, exploring the ecological impact of different cleaning methods and equipment. By assessing factors such as energy consumption, waste generation, and chemical usage, the course aims to guide the industry toward more sustainable practices without compromising the reliability of circuit assemblies.
About the Conference:
Thermal, power and signal integrity requirements can present challenges when on devices that operate within harsh environments. Component integration, paired with a growing complexity of the package architectures, larger form factors and higher interconnection densities increase the risk of in-field failures. Over powering or over heating of a device can have serious consequences including internal package failure, down-stream device errors and second level interconnect solder joint failures. Soldering residues are more problematic, and if not understood, can result in both intermittent and complete device failure.
This conference tackles the challenges and best practices for building reliable electronic devices that will perform to design standards when used in harsh environments. Specific topics include building reliable high density assemblies, power electronics, electric hybrids, product assembly challenges, cleaning, coating, process control, and monitoring and tracking production hardware. Challenging areas such as high temperature soldering, solder material advances, and new standards are presented.