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Quarantech Tuesday Talks Longer-Lasting Stencil Coating

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by FCT Solder and BlueRing Stencils, have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Back by popular demand, we are rebooting our “SMT Nano-Coatings, Breaking the Longevity Barrier” webinar. Gain access to this advanced technology for your stencils in the coming weeks. Register for Quarantech Tuesday to learn more about impressive findings regarding upgrades to the longevity of NanoSlic Gold.
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: February 2, 2021
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: SMT Nano-Coatings, Breaking the Longevity Barrier
SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as Greg Smith from BlueRing Stencils and Steve Johnson from Florida Cirtech discusses research to date on this new technology including background of the chemical and physical modification, how it affects the stencil production process, performance test results including novel test methods developed specifically to measure coating longevity and a comparison of major coatings on the market with emphasis on longevity.
 
Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

 

Free Panel Discussion: Step Stencils and Alternatives for Large, Odd-form Components

Free Panel Discussion: Step Stencils and Alternatives for Large, Odd-form Components

BRS Manager of Stencil Technology, Greg Smith, will be featured on a panel discussion TOMORROW about when to use and when to avoid step-stencils, along with tips on how to optimize printing with step stencils. Tune in on Tuesday, January 19th at 10:30 AM EST.

Connect with Greg on LinkedIn! 

Register Here

Learn Something New! Register for Quarantech Tuesday

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Learn something new! Register for the next Quarantech Tuesday!
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: January 19, 2021
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Maximizing Deionized Water Efficiency in the Electronics Assembly Process
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Simplify your DI treatment system. Learn what to look out for, how this applies to the electronics assembly process and the importance of quality deionized water. Figure out how to troubleshoot issues and optimize system design to maximize throughput. Demystify the DI setup and decision process with FCT Water Certified Water Technologist.
 
Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

 

Start off the New Year with Quarantech Tuesday

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Kick off 2021 learning something new. Register for the next Quarantech Tuesday!
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: January 5, 2021
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Solder Joint Reliability – The Effects of Solder Paste Volume on Reliability
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Printing of solder paste and stencil technology has been well studied and many papers have been presented on the topic. However, very few studies have looked at how solder paste volume affects solder joint reliability. It is the aim of this work, by FCT Solder FAE Tony Lentz, to correlate printed solder paste volume to solder joint reliability.
 
Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

 

Quarantech Tuesday Featuring Guest From Röchling

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Tune in to hear from a featured guest with the Röchling Group as we discuss Durostone material. 
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: December 15, 2020
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Effective Wave Soldering Using Durostone® Solder Pallet Materials
SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as Kenny Munro from Rochling introduces all the grades of material, their advantages and performance levels. It will also explain how to choose the correct material and design a solder pallet that provides maximum production yields, minimizing the possibility of soldering defects such as solder bridges, poor hole fill and solder spatter.
 
Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

Get the next webinar on your calendar!

Effective Wave Soldering Using Durostone® Solder Pallet Materials on December 15th:
 
PRE-REGISTER TODAY

This is a Topic You Don’t Want to Miss! Register for the Next Quarantech Tuesday

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Don’t miss out on the fourth webinar! Be among the first to learn about a brand new development in nano-technology for SMT Stencils.
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: December 1, 2020
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: SMT Nano-Coatings, Breaking the Longevity Barrier

* Webinar was originally scheduled for November 17, but had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. 

SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as Greg Smith from BlueRing Stencils and Steve Johnson from Florida Cirtech discusses research to date on this new technology including background of the chemical and physical modification, how it affects the stencil production process, performance test results including novel test methods developed specifically to measure coating longevity and a comparison of major coatings on the market with emphasis on longevity.
 
Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

Get the next webinar on your calendar!

Effective Wave Soldering Using Durostone® Solder Pallet Materials on December 15th:
 
PRE-REGISTER TODAY

Interested in Learning More About Stress-Free PCB Depaneling? Register for Quarantech Tuesday!

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Don’t miss out on the third webinar!
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: November 3, 2020
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Take Advantage of Design Versatility & Cut Costs with Laser Depaneling
SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as Joe Azevedo from A-Laser discusses numerous advantages for using Laser Depaneling during the SMT Assembly process. Achieve high accuracy cutting and minimize board stress with Laser Depaneling especially for demanding jobs.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:

Find Joe Azevedo on LinkedIn

Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 – High-reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

Get the next webinar on your calendar!

SMT Nano-Coatings, Breaking the Longevity Barrier on November 17th:

PRE-REGISTER TODAY

Keep Up with Industry Trends! Register for Quarantech Tuesdays

Keep up with industry trends by registering for our technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Don’t miss out on the second webinar!
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: October 20, 2020
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC: Root Cause Workshop – Stencil Design for SMT Component Thermal Lands
SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as BlueRing Stencils’ Greg Smith and Tony Lentz from FCT Solder discuss their paper, originally presented at SMTAI.
 
ABSTRACT Recent studies on stencil design to minimize voiding on quad flat no lead (QFN) thermal lands suggest higher paste volumes create lower voiding percentages. However, volume must be reduced to eliminate the possibility of float during reflow. Thermal land stencil designs on components other than QFN’s must also reflect a reduction in printed volume to eliminate float while minimizing void percentages. The IPC 7525B Stencil Design Guideline [1] recommends a 20% to 50% reduction in the printed area of the thermal/ground plane for leadless chip carrier (LCC) / bottom terminated component (BTC) devices which is a very broad window. This guideline also recommends the window pane design for printing these thermal lands but does not specify the size of the gaps between panes. It also does not specify how close these panes can be printed to the edge of the thermal land without creating shorts to the perimeter leads or creating solder balls on components such as Decawat Packages (D-Pak). This window pane stencil design remains the most used design for the reduction of paste on thermal pads as many other designs such as rounds, diamonds, diagonal pads etc. have not been shown to dramatically impact voiding percentages. This paper specifically explores the effect of the window pane design on void area percentage after reflow for surface mount technology (SMT) component thermal pads without introducing float to the component. Specific window pane gap sizes, total area printed and distance of the outer pane edges to the copper thermal land edge will be varied to determine guidelines for thermal pad stencil design.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS:

Find Tony Lentz on LinkedIn
Find Greg Smith on LinkedIn 

Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 –  High reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  …and MORE!!!

Get the next webinar on your calendar!

Take Advantage of Design Versatility & Cut Costs with Laser Depaneling on November 3rd

PRE-REGISTER TODAY

Quarantech Tuesday: FREE Technical Webinar Series

We are excited to announce a new technical webinar series, Quarantech Tuesday! The webinar episodes, co-hosted by BlueRing Stencils and FCT Solder have SMT Experts on the show to share their knowledge and answer any questions you may have in real-time. Tune in every other week as we discuss common assembly defects, yield issues, and simple solutions to enhance every assembly process. 

Don’t miss out on the first webinar!
WHERE: Zoom
WHEN: October 6, 2020
TIME: 2:00 PM EST
TOPIC:  How to Fill the Void – Mitigation of Voiding For Bottom Terminated Components
SIGN UP - SPACE IS LIMITED!
Join us as BlueRing Stencils’ Greg Smith and Tony Lentz from FCT Solder discuss their 2020 APEX paper. 
 
ABSTRACT Voiding in solder joints has been studied extensively, and the effects of many variables compared and contrasted with respect to voiding performance. Solder paste flux, solder powder size, stencil design, circuit board design, via-in-pad design, surface finish, component size, reflow profile, vacuum reflow, nitrogen reflow and other parameters have been varied and voiding quantified for each. The results show some differences in voiding performance with respect to most of these variables but these variables are not independent of each other. Voiding in solder joints is a complex issue that often requires multiple approaches to reduce voiding below required limits. This paper focuses on solutions to voiding for commonly used bottom terminated components (BTCs). When voiding is an issue, it is often not possible to change the solder paste or circuit board design due to end user requirements and time constraints. It is much easier to change the stencil design and the reflow profile in an effort to reduce voiding, and this can be done in a timely manner. Stencil design and reflow profile can be used to minimize voiding for BTCs like Quad Flat No Lead (QFN) components. Optimization of the window pane size and web width can help with voiding. Changing the volume of solder paste on the I/O perimeter pads of QFNs also has an effect on voiding. Use of linear ramp-to-spike (RTS) reflow profiles reduces voiding with some solder pastes, while ramp-soak-spike (RSS) profiles work better for other solder pastes. Stencil design and reflow profile were optimized for a variety of QFN components in order to minimize voiding. The results of this testing were quantified, summarized and recommendations given for ideal voiding performance.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS:

Find Tony Lentz on LinkedIn
Find Greg Smith on LinkedIn 

Look for more information about future topics, including:

 –  Unique printing technologies
 –  High reliability alloys
 –  Tooling and fixture advancements
 –  Stress-free depaneling solutions
 –  …and MORE!!!

Get the next webinar on your calendar!
Root Cause Workshop – Stencil Design for SMT Component Thermal Lands on October 20th

PRE-REGISTER TODAY

COVID-19 Update

COVID-19 Update – March 18th, 2020

At BlueRing Stencils, the safety and well-being of our employees and our customers is always our priority, and we recognize the important role we play in providing our customers with supplies and services during this critical time. We are actively monitoring the COVID-19/Coronavirus situation and taking steps to help keep our communities safe. We wanted to share with you some steps we are taking.

Aligning with public health authorities

Due to the “Shelter in Place” order given by 6 bay area counties in California (including Santa Clara county), BlueRing Stencils has halted operations in its Milpitas California facility. We will continue to supply product to “essential” businesses in this region and the surrounding areas via our other 5 manufacturing locations. There will be no anticipated interruption in service. We are closely monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization regarding COVID-19. We will continue to seek guidance from these agencies, public health officials and government agencies on an ongoing basis.

Protecting our employees and customers

As our employees interact with customers and the general public, we have taken steps to limit exposure to the virus. We have put restrictions on travel, postponed large-scale events, limited the size of meetings, provided remote-work solutions, and continue to reinforce safe behavior in every work environment. Additionally, we have protocols in place for increased cleaning, disinfecting and appropriate quarantine procedures based on recommendations by government and health agencies.

Our commitment to our customers

The role our company plays within your supply chain is incredibly important to us. We have been developing manufacturing measures and proper contingency plans to ensure minimal disruption in the supply of products and services for our customers during this time. As developments happen across the country in within our company, we will notify our customers immediately about any changes.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immediately. As always, thank you for being a customer and for your continued trust as we manage through this time together.

Thank you,
BlueRing Stencils

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