Advanced Search
Search Results
85 total results found
1.23 Receiving & Identification
The receiving dock is not just where boxes land; it is the Process Firewall. This is the single control point where raw materials acquire their official factory identity, and the first critical check against supplier quality issues occurs. Every reel, tray, pa...
1.24 Environmental Controls
Environmental control is the invisible shield that keeps components reliable. Moisture and static are the silent killers in electronics manufacturing, causing latent failures, costly rework, or critical field returns. By clearly defining storage zones, locking...
1.25 ESD Control Program
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is invisible, unpredictable, and often devastating to sensitive electronics. A robust ESD Control Program transforms this lurking threat into a managed constant. By consistently grounding everything and using shielding only where ...
1.26 MSD Handling & Baking
Moisture damage is one of the most deceptive threats in electronics assembly—parts look fine until reflow, when trapped vapor explodes into cracks, pad lifts, or hidden reliability risks (The Popcorn Effect). The defense is a disciplined system of clocks, cabi...
1.27 Solder and Flux Storage
Solder paste and flux are unique: they are among the most time-sensitive materials in the factory, and their stability directly sets the stage for clean prints and reliable solder joints. Unlike static or moisture, their quality constantly degrades over time a...
1.28 Kitting, FIFO & Shortage Management
Kitting is the discipline that keeps a factory floor flowing, ensuring the exact right parts from the exact right traceable lots arrive at the exact right time. By linking every kit to a frozen BOM/AVL snapshot and adhering to strict inventory rules, kitting t...
1.18 Why Traceability Levels Matter
Traceability is the backbone of control in electronics manufacturing. It turns a sea of parts and processes into a verifiable story of each unit's creation. The level you choose is a fundamental strategic decision: it determines how precisely you can isolate f...
1.19 Marking Methods & Materials
Marking methods transform bare boards into traceable products, bridging the physical and digital world of manufacturing. Choosing the right method and material determines if the unit ID survives harsh processes like reflow, aggressive cleaning, and conformal c...
1.20 What to Encode & How
Encoding is where your traceability plan turns into data that systems can trust. The codes you print are the resilient anchors of a unit's history. The key is to encode only the essential data and pair the code with the right symbology and placement for maximu...
1.21 Surface Prep & Cleanliness
A traceability code is only useful if it's readable a year later. Surface preparation is the quiet step that ensures your unit ID doesn't lift, smear, or fade during harsh processes like reflow, cleaning, or coating. A mark that sits on flux, oil, or glossy re...
1.22 Scanning, Databases & MES Links
Scanning and data integration are where physical marks become actionable traceability. This is the digital backbone that transforms a barcode into an audit trail. By wiring readers directly to your MES (Manufacturing Execution System), you create a continuous ...
2.1 Paste Chemistry & Alloy Choice
Solder paste is the nervous system of Surface Mount Technology (SMT). Its chemical mix dictates every step of the line — from how clean your stencils stay to how reliable your joints are years down the road. The balance of alloy, flux, and powder size defines ...
2.2 Storage, Thawing & Handling
Solder paste is not a simple commodity; it is a fragile chemical system with an expiration date, and its performance window begins to close the moment it leaves controlled storage. Every misstep in handling — from opening a cold jar to over-mixing — immediatel...
2.3 Stencil Types & Thickness
The stencil is where the two critical elements of SMT — the paste and the PCB — first meet. Its geometry defines the exact volume of solder that gets deposited. The material, thickness, and surface condition of this piece of metal set the baseline for transfer...
2.4 Aperture Design Tactics
Aperture design is where physics meets geometry to determine printing stability and final joint quality. The design is a high-leverage defense strategy, using tailored shapes to mitigate defects like tombstoning, bridging, and voiding at their source. By combi...
2.5 Printer Setup & Cleaning
The screen printer is where perfect design meets physical reality. Its setup is a high-impact, low-visibility discipline. The goal is to make the machine boring — to consistently produce stable paste deposits so that when defects appear, you know it's a materi...
2.6 SPI Metrics and Closed Loop
SPI (Solder Paste Inspection) is your 3D radar for printing quality. It doesn't just catch defects; it measures and tracks every single paste deposit, turning your stencil print into a quantifiable data stream. When correctly configured, SPI moves you from rea...
2.7 Machine Architectures
Machine architecture defines the DNA of the Surface Mount Technology (SMT) line, establishing a fixed trade-off between raw speed (CPH), component flexibility, and capital investment (CapEx). The choice dictates how the placement process manages the physics of...
2.8 Program Creation & Tuning
A pick-and-place machine's performance is governed by the program that drives it. From the moment CAD data is imported, decisions regarding rotations, vision teaching, feeder layout, and placement sequence determine whether the line achieves maximum throughput...
2.9 Feeders, Splicing & Replenishment
Feeder performance is the silent determinant of pick-and-place uptime. Even the fastest machine stalls if the cover-tape peels erratically, splices break, or replenishment lags. Feeders must be managed as precision tools — with disciplined maintenance, smooth ...