February 2006  

BEST Inc News

January 2006

in this issue BEST Commissions Laser for Precision Rework LASER Installation Allows for 24hr Rework Stencil Fab Lead Free BGA Study Results Now Available Custom Polyimide Shapes for Wave Soldering Available Welcome back from APEX! Highlighted in this newsletter are some of the newest capabilities BEST offers due to the commissioning of its new CO2 laser machining center. We are excited about this added capability for cutting rework stencils in as little as 24 hours, being able to make precision cuts in the solder mask on FR-4, to make custom low volume polyimide shapes for wave soldering as well as being able to mark various components. In June BEST will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary. We are in the midst of planning a celebration to mark the event and will let you know of the details as they unfold. Bob Wettermann, President   BEST Commissions Laser for Precision Rework Laser micromachining in the electronics industry requires that materials are either cut through, partially cut through, scored or marked in a very precise and repeatable fashion. BEST has the capability to precisely machine your PCB assemblies and components for marking, rework or production requirements. BEST’s LASER tool has a custom-built micromachining system with a broad range of capabilities. Its source is a 9.3 micron CO2 laser galvanometer based beam delivery system. Feature sizes down to 150 microns are possible with this system. Materials including plastics, glass, wood, thin films and other organic materials can be processed with this system using AUTOCAD and other file types as the templates. To find out more about these capabilities call Laura at (847) 797-9250 or better yet come in for a visit.   LASER Installation Allows for 24hr Rework Stencil Fab With the commissioning of its CO2 laser, BEST is pleased to offer expedited deliveries of its StencilQuik(TM) rework stencils. For any pattern we are offering a (5) business day delivery with expedites in as little as (24) hours. Remember that there are NO tooling charges! The major benefits of the StencilQuik(TM) rework technique include: Mask repair is simplified as the stay-in-place stencil provides for the repair of any mask damage saving many hours of touch-up work BGA rework is made more accurate and is simplified as the replacement BGA "fits" into place The 8 mil thickness of the stencil provides for a highly reliable paste printed interconnect To find out more about StencilQuik stencils   Lead Free BGA Study Results Now Available Recently Ray Cirimele, operations manager, presented the findings of a BEST-commissioned study which compared the reliability of various lead-free BGA rework methods. The results, presented at the recent Pan Pac Exposition and APEX, were summarized in these papers. This study was commissioned to compare paste printing and flux only rework attachment methods and the impact that they would have on the reliability of lead-free processed BGAs. Each of the samples were tested for the reliability of their interconnections as they temperature cycle through 1,000+ temperature cycles. To get a copy of the complete reliability test results   Custom Polyimide Shapes for Wave Soldering Available BEST has the capability to provide you with customized polyimide tape shapes for masking in the wave soldering or conformal coating process. Polyimide masking tape will withstand temperatures in excess of 300°C and is resistant to a variety of chemicals and solvents. This material has a high dielectric and insulation resistance making it ideal for high voltage insulation applications. Call BEST today to see if we can make a customized shape for your wave soldering application.   More BGA, CSP and other stencil patterns available Over 200 BGA and CSP Patterns Available for StencilQuik(TM) See the ONLINE Virtual Tour of the BEST Mobile Training Center Register for the February 23rd SMTA IN lead free finishes mtg?? Archived newsletters Use our prototype build estimator Use our rework calculator

email: bwet@solder.net phone: (847) 797-9250 web: http://www.solder.net