Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services


NPL defect of the month

3 August 2011 Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services

This month we feature a recent issue submitted to the NPL defect database http://defectsdatabase.npl.co.uk of a BGA solder short. Or is it?

The accompanying optical inspection image of the BGA joints in question shows connection between two balls after rework and repair. This, in fact, is probably not a solder short, but is more likely to be a flux short. During inspection one can still see light through the material between the two balls. This is most probably caused by excessive amounts of flux or incorrect material being used on the rework process.

This was conducted in a lead-free process, on a telecommunications product in medium volume. Being a lead-free process, the higher process temperature may have contributed to the discolouration/darkening of the flux used. To confirm that this is only a flux short and nothing else, X-ray inspection should be used. With this volume of flux, cleaning may only make inspection more difficult. If X-ray shows the solder joints to be satisfactory and electrical testing provides a positive report, the BGA should be left in place. A review of the rework process should be conducted to confirm the procedures, rework training and the materials used.

August’s featured NPL defect video covers the causes of solder fillet lifting – watch it at www.dataweek.co.za/video





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

The impact of ML in robotics
Yaskawa Southern Africa Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
The integration of machine learning into robotics has the potential to revolutionise many industries, and particularly the manufacturing sector.

Read more...
ITW EAE wins product introduction award
Allan McKinnon & Associates Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
ITW EAE has earned a 2024 New Product Introduction (NPI) Award for Electrovert’s Deep Wave option for wave soldering machines.

Read more...
Revolutionising clean air in electronics manufacturing
Allan McKinnon & Associates Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
Designed to prioritise clean air in the electronics manufacturing industry, the ZeroSmog Shield Pro sets a new standard for workplace health and safety.

Read more...
High-speed multi-function dispensing
Techmet Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
The D-VIS and DL-VIS from GKG SMT printer specialists are high-speed dispensing systems that can handle multiple scenarios.

Read more...
Optical inspection for SMT
Techmet Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
The Xpection 1860 from Scienscope is a versatile X-ray inspection machine that offers comprehensive circuit board defect detection and quality assurance for the SMT industry.

Read more...
Yamaha introduces upgrades to its 3D AOI systems
Truth Electronic Manufacturing Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
Yamaha Robotics SMT section has revealed performance-boosting upgrades for the YRi-V 3D AOI system, including faster board handling, multi-component alignment checking, and enhanced LED coplanarity measurement.

Read more...
Flexible printed electronics substrates
Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
New LEXAN CXT film from SABIC offers high thermal process stability and transparency for demanding printed electronics substrates.

Read more...
Lead-free solder paste
Techmet Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
Indium8.9HF is an air reflow, no-clean solder paste specifically formulated to accommodate the higher processing temperatures required by SnAgCu, SnAg, and other alloys.

Read more...
Analog Devices and Mouser collaborate on eBook
Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
Mouser has released a new eBook in collaboration with Analog Devices, that offers a detailed analysis of the technologies being used to support sustainable manufacturing practices.

Read more...
Improved precision laser marking
RS South Africa Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
On-the-fly marking at high speeds is only one of the comprehensive features of Panasonic’s new LP-RH laser marker series.

Read more...