April/May 2023


www.us - tech.com


Need for Development Currently, the selective soldering indus-


try sees innovation with the production of new machines, pump types and nozzle clean- ing however, there has been only minor development in the study of materials for nozzles. A new nozzle material will reduce oper-


ation and maintenance costs for manufactur- ers by reducing the number of nozzles required overall and reducing downtime caused by nozzle failure. Improving the wettability of nozzles will


allow for more challenging joints to be tack- led using the selective method. The current nozzles have a life- time of approximately 200 hours (smaller nozzles wear faster how- ever as they are smaller). This project has been undertaken due to customer requests to increase nozzle lifetime and reduce the maintenance required. Other players in the selec-


tive soldering industry have developed new nozzles with simi- lar structures based on commonly applied electroless nickel-immer- sion gold coatings but this approach has utilized materials that are already known to work in the industry. It is well known that the electronics industry is conservative in many regards and rightly so; “why fix what isn’t broken” especially when reliabili- ty is paramount. There has been a distinct


lack of research in nozzle devel- opment. Each selective soldering manufacturer is highly secretive surrounding the materials used for their nozzles but there has been some noted development in nitriding as a surface engineering technique to extend the lifespan


StenTech Opens Facility in


Philadelphia HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA — StenTech® Inc., a leading multina- tional SMT printing solutions company, is pleased to announce the opening of its newest facility in Huntingdon Valley, Philadel - phia. The new facility offers local support, manufacturing of laser cut stencils and laser welded steps. The Philadelphia facility also features the Advanced Nano coating. Over the last 21 years,


StenTech has built a reputation of quality, service and commit- ment. StenTech uses the highest quality materials and the latest technologies, supported by its highly skilled and experienced technical team members. Contact: StenTech, 2727


Philmont Avenue, Suite 325B, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 % 267-277-4164 E-mail: philly@stentech.com Web: www.stentech.com


of wave soldering apparatus. A ground-breaking research project,


Page 73


Selective Soldering: Need for Innovation and Development Continued from previous page


part funded by Innovate UK and Pillarhouse International Ltd. is partnered with Coventry University through a knowledge transfer partnership scheme. The aim is to develop a new, longer-lasting nozzle with excellent wetting properties. By applying the studies of tribology and materials science, fundamental work looking at different mate- rials and surface engineering techniques has selected a number of potential candidates that show improved performance. Contact: Pillarhouse USA, Inc., 201


Figure 4: an example of a non-wetted nozzle.


Lively Boulevard, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 % 847-593-9080 E-mail: sales@pillarhouseusa.com Web: www.pillarhouseusa.com r


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