Feature: Interconnections
packages. Component size reduction was accomplished by lead pitch reduction, which followed the so-called “80% rule” which mandated that each subsequent pitch reduction should be 80% of the previous. Tis resulted in increased choice, which some argue was not totally necessary. Te problem is that the standardisation body Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) does not pick winning or losing designs, it just registers them. In the end, area array packaging was recognised as a simple base pitch with many benefits.
A simple yet effective process Simplicity is fundamental to the Occam process, resulting in the smallest, lowest- cost, highest performing and most- reliable electronics. Te name “Occam Process” was
chosen as homage to William of Occam, a 14th-century English monk and philosopher who advised his followers that: “It is vanity to do with more that which can be done with less”. With that in mind, the Occam Process
proposes to minimise the number of manufacturing steps by fundamentally reversing the manufacturing process: i.e., there’s a simpler way to build electronics assemblies – by first building a component board, then building the circuits on them; see Figure 1. Since its introduction, the process has
attracted many manufacturing engineers who are very familiar with the challenges and shortcomings of the traditional printed circuit manufacturing process. In comparison, the Occam Process offers many advantages; see Table 1. Its robustness is also worth noting, as when properly managed it eliminates the need for most inspection, testing and repair because it bypasses the primary cause and sources of failures, which are typically the soldering process and faulty solder joints. In the end, while the ultimate cost
Table 1: The pros and cons of traditional vs Occam process electronics assembly
Note: Te relative value judgements offered above are somewhat subjective but based on decades of objective observations and analysis of industry technical literature, which routinely describe the problems related to the manufacturing processes which can manifest defects and failures in PCB assemblies
of an electronic assembly is heavily influenced by the components used, by choosing those components and designs carefully, layer counts and product size can be significantly reduced.
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