Manncorp's 'STARTER' PCB Assembly Line

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Manncorp's 'STARTER' PCB Assembly Line including RT2100 stencil printer, SMT 2000 manual pick and place machine and BT300C benchtop reflow oven. Only $9,995

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp's 'STARTER' PCB Assembly Line

Buy ECMRK1 Retrofit Kit on Manncorp Direct and Save $500

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Manncorp Direct Discount: Save $500 on ECMRK1 Retrofit Kit

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp ECMRK1 Retrofit Kit

Manncorp MC388 Pick and Place Machine Video

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We uploaded MC388 four heads pick and place machine video in our YouTube channel.

For more information, please visit the website: MC388 four heads pick and place machine

Manncorp SMT 2000 Manual Pick And Place Machine

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Manncorp SMT 2000 Manual Pick And Place Machine: Low cost, efficient and reliable batch assembly & prototyping, with integrated dispense

For more information, please check out the website: Manncorp SMT 2000 Manual Pick And Place Machine

Manncorp Launched New Turnkey PCB Assembly Lines Landing Page

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We launched our new turnkey PCB assembly lines landing page

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp Turnkey SMT Production Lines

Manncorp VP260 High Throughput Vapor Phase Soldering System

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Manncorp VP260 High Throughput Vapor Phase Oven. Front-Loading Two-Chamber Vapor Phase Does Lead or Lead-Free Automatic Soldering

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp VP260 Vapor Phase Oven

Manncorp MC385 Pick and Place Machine Assembles Drone's PCBs

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This is a picture of a drone manufactured by 3D Robotics flying outside their San Diego facility. The drone's printed circuit boards (PCBs) are assembled on Manncorp MC385 pick and place machine

The printed circuit boards (PCB) in the drone are very small and complex. This picture shows MC385 pick and place machine with many component feeders, vision system and dispense. The large panel is actually 25 separate small PCBs.

Manncorp Nitrogen Generators for Use with Reflow Ovens or Wave Soldering Machines

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Manncorp EconoGen™ Series Nitrogen Generators for Use with Reflow Ovens or Wave Solder Machines

For more information, please check the website: Manncorp Nitrogen Generator

Manncorp ML100 Vapor Phase Oven

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Manncorp ML100 Vapor Phase Oven: Vapor Phase Soldering System For Labs, Prototyping & Low-Volume Production

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp ML100 Vapor Phase Soldering Oven

Debunking Urban Legends about PCB Cleaning

By Mike Konrad, President and CEO, Aqueous Technologies Corporation

Trident batch cleaning system.

Within the cleaning sectors of the electronics assembly industry lays a strange mixture of science, tribal knowledge, contradictions and urban legends. As the electronics assembly industry again embraces cleaning as a mainstream process, it may be prudent to review the "conventional wisdom" as it relates to contamination removal from circuit assemblies.

First, let us begin with some basic historical facts. Cleaning is not a new process. In fact, cleaning has been a staple of the electronics assembly process from the invention of the electronic circuit board. In the cleaning industry, we divide our world into two sections; pre-1989 and post-1989.

Before 1989, virtually all circuit assemblies were cleaned after reflow. Flux and other contamination were removed from the assembly prior to use. We stuffed the board full of components, cut and clinched the leads, soldered the components to the board, then removed the flux. Much of that changed in 1989.

CFCs Banned from Cleaning
Chemicals containing CFCs were determined to be harmful to the Earth's ozone layer and, thus, were restricted or eliminated from production. The most common cleaning solvents used to clean assemblies contained CFCs that presented a problem for the electronics industry. While some manufacturers converted to environmentally responsible water-based cleaning technology, another option soon presented itself. So-called "no-clean" flux was introduced. No-clean flux was designed to not be cleaned. The majority of the electronics industry embraced no-clean technology except for military, medical and a handful of other high-reliability manufacturers. Virtually overnight, the cleaning industry shrank to a fraction of its pre-1989 size. Cleaning for the majority of manufacturers was dead.

Today, buyers of cleaning/defluxing systems fall into two groups. The first group is comprised of people who were in the industry before 1989. In many cases, their knowledge of cleaning machines and processes is obsolete. The second group is comprised of "younger" people who have had no direct experience with cleaning and who frequently lack any reference point. Those in either group may find this information helpful.

Cleanliness testing system.

So many things have changed since cleaning was considered to be a mainstream process. Today's assemblies, due in part to miniaturization, have a much lower "contamination tolerance" threshold. While some assemblies function reliably with a specific volume of contamination, others rapidly fail. Clock speeds, component densities, assembly geographies, solder alloys, environmental influences and other factors determine how much contamination an assembly can handle without failure.

Urban Legends Debunked
Water may be used to remove water-soluble (OA) flux but not rosin. False. Water, mixed with a low concentration of a water-based defluxing chemical, removes all flux types (water soluble, rosin, no-clean).

Solvents work better than water. False. While solvent technology works well, a water-based process works better — in most cases. Some in this industry may remember the pre-1989 days when an assembly that had to be "extra" clean — i.e. for conformal coating purposes — was cleaned using a solvent, then followed up with a DI water cleaning process to improve the cleanliness of the assembly's surface. Water-based cleaning and, more importantly, water-based rinsing, typically produces superior cleanliness results compared to solvent processes. This fact was reiterated in IPC's "Phase II" test results — a comparison of solvent vs. water-based cleaning.

Conveyor vs. Batch Cleaning
Inline (conveyorized) cleaning machines are better than batch cleaning machines. True and False. The fact is that both batch and inline technologies clean equally well. No one configuration cleans better or worse than the other. One should choose batch or inline based on the volume of assemblies that need to be cleaned. Batch cleaning systems are capable of cleaning volumes ranging from low to high. Inline cleaning machines normally are associated only with high volumes. When all cost centers are accounted for, the operational cost of a batch process is approximately 10-20 percent of the cost of an inline cleaning process. As the cleaning volume increases, the cost differential lowers. The cost per assembly on an inline cleaner begins to lower when the cleaning volume approaches several thousand assemblies per day. Volumes less than that generally are better suited for batch-format cleaning processes.

Dishwashers/Glassware washers work well. False. While many batch-format cleaning machines may resemble dishwashers, dishwashers typically are not compatible with the defluxing chemicals nor are they capable of acceptable under-component penetration. Dishwashers are for dishes.

We do not need a powerful machine. The defluxing chemical lowers the surface tension, allowing adequate impingement. False. While defluxing chemicals do lower the wash solution's surface tension and allow for improved under-component penetration, the real issue is the rinse cycle. Today's defluxing results fall into two categories: excellent and disastrous. The worst thing one can do is to partially clean an assembly. Wash solution allowed to remain on an assembly, due to inadequate rinsing, is far worse than flux being allowed to remain on an assembly. Rinse is the most critical part of a successful defluxing process. Rinse water, unlike chemical-enriched wash solution, has a higher surface tension. That means the rinse water must be forced into tight spaces to effectively displace the lower surface tension wash solution. This is accomplished by forcing water through multiple nozzles that diffuse the solution into smaller water particles. The smaller the water particle, the better its ability to get under tight spaces.

IPC standards state how clean is clean. True and False. While IPC TM650 does state "how clean is clean," we cannot recommend that anyone actually embrace that value. IPC allows for the use of a resistivity of solvent extract (R.O.S.E) test to determine the cleanliness of an assembly. These testers have been in production for more than 30 years. In fact, the cleanliness standard of >10µG NaCl/in.² was developed in the 1970s. Today's assemblies contain advanced geographies not imaginable in the 1970s. There are some that suggest that we abandon the use of R.O.S.E. testers. That would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water. Instead, one should calculate the cost of failure. If an assembly fails, will that lead to property damage, loss of life, loss of reputation? If so, one should consider selecting a lower pass/fail value. In short, the more critical the reliability, the closer to 0.0 one should strive to achieve.

Manncorp ULTRA-DRY V Series Desiccant Dry Cabinets Are Available On Manncorp Direct Now

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Manncorp ULTRA-DRY humidity control storage systems prevent damage to components & assemblies. Safely store trays and reels with "V" series desiccant cabinets. Avoid costly defects in this humidity controlled environment with an RH atmosphere of 5% or less.

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp Direct Desiccant Dry Cabinets

Manncorp Trident XLD PCB Cleaner/Defluxer Reclaims Rinse Water & Meets Local Environmental Codes

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Manncorp Trident XLD PCB Cleaner/Defluxer Reclaims Rinse Water & Meets Local Environmental Codes

For more information, please check out the website: Manncorp Trident XLD PCB Cleaner/Defluxer

Check out Manncorp July 2012 Newsletter

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Check out Manncorp latest Newsletter highlighting our desiccant dry cabinets, vapor phase soldering oven, turnkey SMT production line, trident XLD PCB defluxer and other SMT equipment.

Advantages & Benefits of Vapor Phase Soldering System

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The precise, defect-free characteristics of vapor phase have made it the soldering choice for military, aerospace and medical equipment applications.

Lead-free and tin/lead solders may be used interchangeably by simply changing the vapor phase fluid. The only adjustment is setting the process temperature in relation to the boiling point of the fluid used. For lead-free processing, fluids are available with high boiling points up to 260°C. For tin/lead soldering, fluids with lower boiling points are also available.

Vapor phase fluid chosen is also based on solder paste being used. There are fluids for every paste and the same formula fluid will provide consistent results.

Heat transfer coefficient of vapor phase is approximately 10x faster than hot air and 8x faster than IR heat.

Vapor phase oven takes place at only 5°C to 10°C over the melting point of solder paste. Other reflow methods require 30°C to 35°C for the same task due to their lower heat transfer rates. Lower soldering temperatures means less component stress, no delamination or popcorning.

There is no need for a nitrogen atmosphere in vapor phase oven, since the vapor condensate covers every component in the assembly. The entire atmosphere of the chamber itself is chemically inert with zero oxygen content without the need for nitrogen. The process thus provides an atmosphere for better wetting characteristics.

Assemblies cannot be overheated, since the boiling point of the heat transfer fluid is almost identical to the process temperature. The lower temperature vapor phase and even heat transfer ensure lower thermal stress and prevention of component "tombstoning".

Vapor phase oven is energy efficient and maintenance costs are significantly lower in comparison to radiation and convection soldering technologies. Heat transfer fluids are non-toxic and environmentally safe. They are non-corrosive, chemically inert, and do not contain CFCs.

Manncorp's small-footprint vapor phase ovens occupy almost 50% less floor space than other conveyorized soldering equipment.

Vapor Phase oven maintains consistent actual temperature, regardless of the size, shape or surface area of the PCB. Every component will likewise maintain the identical temperature, regardless of its size, density or location.

Manncorp Vapor Phase Ovens VP260 and ML100

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Manncorp vapor phase ovens VP260 and ML100. Produce perfectly soldered boards consistently with vapor phase.

For more information, please visit the website: Manncorp Vapor Phase Ovens

ACI Technology Upcoming Events

From ACI Technology Inc.

New Customer Testimonial

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"Manncorp technician is excellent. Quick response, problem solved. Thanks, guys!" - Lance Brown, Stellar Lasers, LLC

Thank you Lance!

Happy Independence Day

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