December, 2017
www.us-
tech.com
Page 33 Selecting an EMS Company for Aerospace Products Continued from page 23
adding nitrogen, yet only a small percentage of EMS companies actually use this feature. Nitrogen equipment has to be rented or leased and nitrogen- containing cylinders have to be stored. The nitro- gen has to be delivered in a very cold, compressed form, which is not suitable for maintaining hot- zone stability in the reflow oven. Then there is the added expense. Digicom embraced the challenge of adding
nitrogen to its soldering processes, including hand soldering, and decided to generate its own nitrogen. After it has been generated, the nitrogen is
piped directly to machine inputs and work areas at a prescribed volume and pressure. This achieves optimized saturation of the inert gas and eliminates oxidation at critical moments dur- ing soldering. Using nitrogen can make the
difference in quality in aerospace products, and EMS companies must seek every way possible to eliminate failure of the devices they manufac- ture.
Facilities You can tell a lot about a compa-
ny when you walk through the door, see the equipment and talk to the staff. When thinking of using an EMS company, contact the company and arrange a visit. Once there, some things to look for are:
Alpha Intros Low-Temp Solder Wire
Somerset, NJ — Alpha Assembly So- lutions has introduced a low-temper- ature, solid solder wire designed for long-term reliability. At an attractive price point, ALPHA® Sn42 Bi57.6 Ag0.4 is a lead-free solder wire pri- marily designed for the rework and touch up of low-temperature-based electronic assemblies. Compatible with all commonly-
used lead-free surface finishes, this low-temperature solution is useful for soldering sensitive components or connectors. It is available with vari- ous wire diameters at a minimum of 0.024 in. (0.6 mm) and is designed to be more versatile than SnBiAg alloy solid solder sticks.
l Equipment being used. l When the equipment was last updated.
l Attention to electrostatic discharge (ESD) control. l Tracking systems that are in place.
l Types and frequency of inspection and test. l How inventory is handled. l Cleanliness.
l Green practices.
l Length of service of employees. l
Location. Precision, reliability, throughput, and yield are
all affected by the equipment used. One differentia- tor that can be difficult to discern initially is the de- gree and type of service and support the company of- fers. Who will the point of contact be, who will man- age and supervise the manufacturing and work, and who will be responsible if changes need to be made or problems arise? How will they deal with any prob-
lems? How much actual engineering support and trouble shooting will be done to make sure the de- sign will be manufactured accurately? The EMS company should have the expertise to analyze a de- sign for manufacturability and potential problems, evaluate the bill of materials, and optimize the man- ufacturing process to find ways to build the product more cost-effectively. Look at the track record and metrics of the
EMS company, such as years in business, types of products being manufactured, business from re- peat customers and referrals, and on-time deliv- ery. Use due diligence in choosing an EMS compa- ny, and the rewards can be great. Contact: Digicom Electronics, Inc., 7799
Pardee Lane, Oakland, CA 94621 % 510-639-7003 fax: 510-639-7090 E-mail:
info@digicom.org Web:
www.digicom.org r
Sn42 Bi57.6 Ag0.4 lead-free, solid solder wire.
The ability to use low-tempera-
ture-compatible components and low Tg PCBs leads to a reduction of waste and scrap that can result in significant material cost savings. The new SnBiAg alloy allows the user to reduce exposure to thermal excur- sion during assembly, eliminating the need for a wave soldering process. This increases long-term re- liability and reduces energy costs. Contact: Alpha Assembly Solu-
tions, 300 Atrium Drive, Somerset, NJ 08873 % 908-791-3045 fax: 908-791-2399 E-mail:
laurie.kneller@
alphaassembly.com Web:
www.alphaassembly.com
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