Soldering Technology Webinars
The Soldering Webinars were developed to keep electronics professionals up-to-date on industry changes in techniques and technology. Anyone can participate. No special hardware is required. Some Webinars may require Windows Media Player 9 or better to view.

Boards: Get the Bare Facts on Bare Boards (inspection and fabrication)

You are probably aware of IPC-A-610 "Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies" which covers the accept/reject criteria for stuffed printed circuit boards, but you may not be aware that there are other standards that help you deal with issues relative to bare printed boards covering design, fabrication and inspection. We take a look at IPC-A-600, IPC-6012 and other standards that can be crucial to support your efforts from start to finish in the fabrication process of the most critical component in your assembly.

Topics we will be reviewing are:

• IPC specifications to use.
• Documents required to get a board fabricated.
• Common board problems affecting manufacturing.
• Process changes due to RoHS/WEEE.

Flux Classification Part 1: Interpretation of J-STD-001 & J-STD-004 Regarding Fluxes

J-STD-001 "Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies" and J-STD-004 "Requirements for Soldering Fluxes" are two critical industry documents for interpreting and classifying fluxes used in any soldering process.

This Webinar will provide a brief view of fluxes from the perspective of:

• Material and Process Nonconformance
• Material Requirements
• Flux Requirements
• Flux Identification

If you build product to Class 3 specification, this information is vital to your understanding of how flux classification can impact an audit of your process.

Flux Classification Part 2:
Selecting the Right Flux for Your Application

Understanding how a flux in general can impact your production process is important to any soldered assembly. Selecting the right flux for a particular job is crucial to the quality of the final product. Identifying all the materials and how they interact with each other takes on a whole new meaning in making the right choices.

This Webinar will provide you with a brief insite into:

• The Purpose of Flux
• Impact of Flux Residue
• Selection and Qualification Process
• Flux Performance Specifications

Q & A on Solder Resists
and Conformal Coatings

The majority of boards built today are coated with solder resist or solder mask as it is sometimes referred, but care should be taken to make sure that this process does not result in contamination. We will take a look at this concern along with issues you may want to consider if you want to take this a step further and apply conformal coatings to the final assembly.

Some questions we will be looking at are:

• Is any type of contamination ok?
• How clean does a board have to be prior to coating?
• What is a salt spray test?
• What do IPC specifications 830, 6012, and TM-650 have to say?

Defects: Lead Protrusion
and Damaged Pins

Questions always arise about how much lead protrusion is enough or too much. This session will review issues related to lead protrusion in both supported and unsuported holes and what is considered acceptable or a defect. In addition, if you have damaged pins, are they "fixable" and what does IPC-A-610 allow you "to do" or "not to do" with this defect?

Topics we will be reviewing are:

• Lead Protrusion and Solderability
• IPC-A-610 Requirements
• Damaged Components and Boards
• What should you repair and what can be done?

Key Tips and Techniques for
Manual Reflowing of Solder Paste

Did you know that when quickly heating solder pastes it can volitize off the fluxes and carrying vehicles leading to a poor solder joint? This program discusses whether this is an acceptable practice and under what conditions manual reflowing of solder paste can be effectively accomplished. Lean the proper techniques, tooling and procedures to create a perfect connection each and every time.

Topics we will be reviewing are:

• Should it be Done? Yes or No
• Alternative Heating Solutions
• Recommended Tooling
• Some Special Techniques to Use

Training: Do You Really Need All This Certification Stuff?

You see it everywhere you turn in electronics assembly. There is training and/or certification for so many operations in the production process, but what do you choose? How does this certification compare to that one? Is it really worth the time? Is it worth the cost? Take a moment to learn about a variety of programs that are offered, which ones are right for you and how they can improve your bottom line.

Topics we will be reviewing are:

• Why train or certify at all?
• What programs are available?
• The costs and value of training.
• The hidden costs of NOT training.

Assembly: Understanding the HARD(ware) Side of IPC-A-610

The Accept/Reject Criteria for soldered joints right? That is what IPC-A-610 "Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies" is all about. Well, yes and no. There is a lot more that goes into an assembly than just soldered connections. This HARD(ware) from the board, screws, wire, handles, latched, heat sinks and formed components all have criteria that must be met by IPC-A-610 too. This webinar takes a look at these requirements and their impact on a final assembly.

Topics we will be reviewing are:

• General hardware installation.
• Tolerances and torque requirements.
• Component mounting, forming and orientation.
• The impact of bow and twist during post assembly.