Gen3 Systems extends industry-leading MUST solderability platform
FARNBOROUGH, UK – April 30, 2007 – Gen3 Systems Limited today announces the launch of the MUST 3 solderability tester. The tester will be displayed on the company’s stand (L46) at the forthcoming Nepcon UK event 15-17th May at the Birmingham NEC, UK.
MUST System 3 solderability platform
The MUST System 3 is the latest evolution of the original Multicore Universal Solderability Tester (MUST) platform that formed the basis of all modern solderability test standards from its introduction 32 years ago (1975). The MUST solderability tester family remains the unquestioned industry benchmark for solderability testing and test systems with over 2,500 users worldwide.
The MUST 3 performs solderability testing – namely Wetting Balance and Microwetting Globule Testing (see “About Solderability Testing” section below) – in accordance with all major international standards and is capable of performing all forms of solderability tests.
This includes IEC 60068-2-69 plus subsequent -20/-54/-57 Revisions; MIL-STD-883 Method 2022; IPC/EIA J-STD-003A; IPC/EIA/JEDEC J-STD-002B; and EIA /JET-7401. This includes the Edge Dip Test methods of IEC 60068-2-20 and 60068-2-58; IPC/EIA/JEDEC J-STD-002B; and IPC/EIA J-STD-003A.
Key enhancements of the MUST 3 include greater measurement accuracy (> 0.01 mN force resolution) and sampling rates, Windows® Vista™ compatibility, plus accelerated and quieter operation.
“As PCBs and components continue to become smaller and finer in lead pitch, coupled with the widespread use of less active fluxes and in particular the move to higher lead-free soldering temperatures, soldering process windows have narrowed and the impact of poor solderability is more dramatic,” explains Graham Naisbitt, Gen3 Systems’ Managing Director.
“Although components and PCBs are generally assembled from parts of known (good) solderability, there is no way of guaranteeing this without testing: especially given that the prime cause of poor solderability is poor storage conditions and extended time on the shelf.
“Gen3 Systems co-operates with IEC, ISO, IPC, BSI and other official standards authorities to help maintain and develop measurement standards including solderability metrology. The Must 3 represents decades of our collective experience and expertise channelled into the latest enhancement of what was already the industry-leading benchmark for solderability testing,” concludes Naisbitt.
About Solderability Testing
The objective of all solderability test methods is to determine how well a printed circuit board’s (PCB) surface conductors, attachment lands, and/or plated-through holes wet with solder. This measurement is a good indication of how well the PCB will withstand the rigours of storage and the likelihood of a high quality solder fillet forming between the component termination and PCB land when the board is wave- or reflow-soldered.
Solderability is determined by evaluating a specimen portion of a board or representative coupon that has been processed as part of a panel of boards and subsequently removed for testing.
The most effective quantitative method for measuring solderability is the Wetting Balance. Although the type of Wetting Balance used for through-hole (TH) and surface mount (SM) components does differ, both are based on the same physical principles. In essence, a Wetting Balance exploits the fact that if a metallic body is dipped into a bath of molten solder, the weight and speed with which the solder meniscus climbs upwards on the body’s immersed surface - measured as a change in the vertical force acting on the suspended specimen - indicates how well the solder wets and thus indicates its propensity for solderability. In simple terms, the greater the solderability, the higher a meniscus will climb and the better the solderability.
For TH components, the specimen is fluxed, dried and suspended from the measuring head of the Wetting Balance device. It is then immersed in a bath of molten solder and the forces of buoyancy and surface tension acting on it are measured. For SM devices, a higher resolution method is required: the Microwetting Balance or Globule Testing procedure. Here the solder bath is replaced by a globule block of 4, 3.2, 2 or 1 mm size employing 200, 100, 25 or 5 mg pellets of solder alloy (depending on specimen size).
The Microwetting Balance technique produces a larger wetting force for analysis and also allows small surfaces, such as 0402 or smaller terminations, including 0201s, and the individual leads on a multi-leaded component, to be tested. As before, the specimen is fluxed, dried and suspended from the measuring head of the Wetting Balance.
More About Must 3 Solderability Tester (product page)
The MUST 3 is a high precision solderability tester for surface mount (SM) and through-hole (TH) components designed to test in accordance with the requirements of all major international standards. This includes PCB pads and plated through-holes (PTHs). It is also ideal for the laboratory testing of fluxes and other soldering materials.
By eliminating problems associated with poor solderability, the MUST 3 can significantly improve product quality and yield large potential cost savings by lowering defect rates during the soldering process. It can also help facilitate the use of less aggressive (lower activity) no-clean and environmentally-friendly soldering materials – including, of course, lead-free alloy testing – and is capable of testing at temperatures in excess of 260 °C.
In operation, the MUST 3 automatically detects a small solder bath (for TH devices) or globule (for SM components) that is mounted on a computer-controlled worktable capable of being motor-driven in all three X-Y-Z axes. This allows the instrument to align contact between the component termination and solder precisely, guaranteeing test reproducibility and accuracy. Furthermore, for multi-leaded components, this allows the globule to be advanced automatically to each subsequent termination.
In each case, a component outline-specific specimen clip firmly holds the component in the correct position for testing. 12 specimen clips are provided as standard to allow testing of the majority of leaded and SM components, and a policy of continuous product development at Gen3 Systems means that clips are made available for new components.
The MUST 3 exploits easy-to-use Windows-based software that guides users step-by-step through the entire test procedure via on-screen prompts. It also controls the semi-automatic replacement of the solder globule block or bath and the operation of a safety cover, preventing users from making accidental contact with the molten solder.
Testing is initiated by simply selecting the relevant component code and its associated set of test parameters (the MUST 3 stores hundreds of parameter and default test files of various SM components). This procedure ensures that each test is performed correctly. The MUST 3 software then automatically calculates and records the component’s solderability value and wetting curve, which can be presented as an immediate pass/fail for each device or stored for future reference. The MUST 3 also allows bare board manufacturers and assembly companies to test and guarantee the solderability of their PCBs.
About Gen3 Systems
Gen3 Systems is dedicated to tackling the demanding electronics reliability challenges of lead-free assembly and further electronics miniaturisation. The company is a specialist manufacturer of test and measurement equipment used to predict the reliability of electronic circuits and systems in the field. In addition, the company designs and manufactures conformal coating process equipment in both in-line and bench-top formats.
Gen3 Systems’ Managing Director Graham Naisbitt is a member of the IEC’s TC91 WG3, the working group that formulates test standards for the assembly industry. He is also leader of Solderability Testing Standard IEC 60068-2-69, Co-leader of Solderability Testing Standard IEC 60068-2-54, Co-Chair of IPC-TM-650 Test Methods Sub-Committee, and Member of IPC-J-STD 002 and IPC-J-STD 003, among many others.
Gen3 Systems is founded on the former Concoat Systems Limited. Concoat Systems and its company slogan “Engineering Reliability in Electronics” (which has been retained by Gen3 Systems) was a familiar name in Europe, Asia and much of North America. The new company was launched by its family owners after former sister company Concoat Limited was sold to US firm Chase Corporation in 2005.
Process Product Support is the new UK / Ireland market Division for Gen3 Systems, also bringing together many new distributed products from Marantz (AOI), ACE (Selective Soldering), Kirsten (Jet Wave Soldering), SAWA (specialist USC Systems) as well as R&D Technical Services (Vapour-Phase Systems), MB Tech (Cleaning Systems) and several others.
Gen3 Systems operates from new premises near Farnborough Business Park, on the M3 corridor and just 30 minutes from London’s Heathrow Airport. The company has an entirely new management team focused on the needs and requirements of its customers around the world.
Gen3 Systems also provides training, equipment and expertise for manufacturers requiring assessment of their electronic products’ reliability. The company also assists with standards development via both the IPC and IEC.
The company’s product range and services include:
- AUTOSIR Surface Insulation Resistance (SIR) test system
- MUST 3 solderability test system
- SOLDAPRO thermal profilers
- CM SERIES cleanliness test systems
- SC SERIES spray conformal coating systems, both batch and in-line
- DC SERIES dip conformal coating systems, both batch and in-line
- TEST SERVICES for circuit reliability, solderability and cleanliness
30th Apr 2007
