Great ideas for the practitioner of high technology, high performance assembly. Looking at: Soldering & Rework Selected for: Low-Cost Evaluation Kit for Lead-free SMT/PTH Mixed Technology The new PCB049 board and kit is the ultimate resource for evaluating mixed-technology lead-free assembly. This “do everything” kit allows companies to test a wide variety of JEDEC and EIAJ components. It has been put together by Indium Corp and our sales partners, Practical Components. The PCB049 Board used to evaluate solder paste wetting and spread, solder paste slump performance, solder preform pin-in-paste performance, and wave flux hole fill performance. Additionally, the board helps provide pick-and-place equipment and placement accuracy, reflow process capabilities, effectiveness of cleaning processes, surface insulation resistance (SIR), surface finish interaction factors, and lead-free underfill performance. The pcb is available in four different optional finishes for 8 x 10" boards: OSP, ImSn, ImAg and ENIG. Components included with the PC049 Indium kit consist of the following: A-TArray96-.5mm-8mm-DC-LF, PBGA256-1.0mm-17mm-DC-LF, LQFP64-7mm-.4mm-2.0 DC-Sn, FP208-28mm-.5mm-2.6 SnCu, QFP100-14x20mm-.65mm-2.0 DC SnCu, SSOP20T-5.3mm-DC-Sn, SO16GT-7.6mm-DC-Sn, PLCC68T-DC-Sn, 0201SMR-PA-0-Sn, 0402SMR-PA-0-Sn, 0603SMR-PA-0-Sn, 1206SMR-PA-0-Sn, A-PDIP20T-7.6mm-Sn, A-DIP16T-7.6mm-DC-SnCu, 0805SMR-PA-0-Sn, 1/4W-AR, TO5-Sn. Each Practical Components test kit includes a copy of CircuitCAM and CheckPoint software, ready-to-run CircuitCAM project files (CPFs), assembly documentation samples and templates, installation instructions, and user manual. As the Practical Components distributor for the UK, we now supply the AIM print test board and kit that was designed to include many printing challenges commonly encountered on manufacturers’ assemblies. In addition to BGA and microBGA pads, both have circular and square pad designs to test paste release. AIM has included the standard IPC slump test pattern in order to further challenge the properties of any product tested. This print pattern is more “real life” and can more accurately predict slump since individual pads are used as opposed to one pad that is common in the “thermometer” method. There is a number on the board indicating the distances between pads, ensuring that a hard number can be used for paste evaluations. Common pad sizes were incorporated into the layout including 1206, 0805, 0402 and 0201 rectangular pads for discrete components. These pads have varying distances between them, allowing users to determine paste solder beading. Four 250 x 250 mil pads are available for use with various aperture styles to allow for wetting tests. There are also several fine-pitch QFP pads designed to check for the propensity of any given product to cause bridging, and to confirm the existence of torn prints, peaking (dog ears) or bridging. Board material is FR4 170Tg with a standard ImAg finish. Additionally, the kit is available with lead-free components. We supply a very comprehensive range of dummy components and mechanical samples: nearly all package types are now available in lead-free formulations and dummy packages are available as small as 0402 metric. Request a copy of the full catalogue. Unit 17 Station Field Industrial Estate, Banbury Road, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, OX5 1JD, ENGLAND Tel: +44 (0)1865 842842     Fax: +44 (0)1865 842172 e-mail: info@intertronics.co.uk    www.intertronics.co.uk Read our web log Please don't send any more of these great ideas, thanks!