Electro mobility, automation, autonomous driving, 5G-communication and Industry 4.0 are major current trends which, in many areas of life, go hand- in- hand with extensive digitalization. All of these require electronic solutions and increasing computing capacity in systems and equipment. For the developers and manufacturers of corresponding technology, this means great potential and well-filled order books. At the same time, the challenges involved in the electronics manufacturing process are increasing all the time, and the spectrum of assemblies and circuit boards is becoming daily more complex every day. This results in a rise in the challenges faced in the area of electronic module reworking and repairs. New concepts and automated systems are required.
Electro mobility, automation, autonomous driving, 5G-communication and Industry 4.0 are major current trends which, in many areas of life, go hand-in-hand with extensive digitalization. All of these require electronic solutions and increasing computing capacity in systems and equipment. For the developers and manufacturers of corresponding technology, this means great potential and well-filled order books. At the same time, the challenges involved in the electronics manufacturing process are increasing all the time, and the spectrum of assemblies and circuit boards is becoming more complex every day. This results in a rise in the challenges faced in the area of electronic module reworking and repairs. New concepts and automated systems are required.
As a specialist for electronics production equipment, Ersa has been involved in the professional reworking of modules since as early as the late 1990s. Back then, when the Ball Grid Array (BGA) was still a relatively new type of packaging for integrated circuits, the expertise was developed for selective processing of this kind of surface mounted device in rework.
Today, a good 25 years later, BGAs are among the indispensable elements in modern, high-performance electronics. They have become standard in some fields, have already been partially replaced by more modern, more economical designs in others, and it is impossible to imagine the area of high-performance electronics without them. In 5G applications, BGAs with an edge length of up to 110 x 110mm and a grid dimension of 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm are used. A single assembly has up to 12,100 solder balls.
At the other end of the assembly scale, we find the tiniest of electronic circuits: Still indispensable today are passive, discreet, two-pin SMD assemblies. 01005 chip condensers or resistances with dimensions of 0.4 x 0.2 mm have become common, and ever smaller versions are already in use.
The spectrum of assembly forms between these critical values is practically continuous. The challenge for electronics manufacturing is therefore to be able to process all assemblies in the line process and to have corresponding repair concepts available where faults occur.
Are soldering defects avoidable?
Defects occur in the manufacturing process, as experts in the branch will always be able to confirm. While system and processing engineering has become steadily more sophisticated in all areas of manufacturing over recent years, new challenges have continued to regularly emerge over the same period. Ever-decreasing grid dimensions or rising complexity of the circuits are just two examples.
Solder paste printing, for example, is still responsible for many of the soldering defects on SMT modules. Only with state-of-the-art stencil printers, a sophisticated stencil technique (e.g. multi-stage stencils) and integrated 3D inspection can print errors be recognised and corrected inline. Placement errors or the use of incorrect assemblies and many further factors mean that the “zero error” production target cannot always be achieved.
Electronic modules and highest precision permit the Ersa HR 600/3P Hybrid Rework System to also process 01005 components Placement of an 01005 chip with the Ersa Hybrid Rework System HR 600/3PAnd what’s to be done in the event of a defect?
Line-up of 01005 assemblies in the belt
Pin transfer of soldering paste in 01005 assemblies
For BIG BOARD rework – The Ersa HR 600 XL permits automatic processing of modules with dimensions of up to 625 x 1250 mm and BGAs with edge lengths of 120×150 mm
Easily visible in the view from above –the HR 600 XL permits the processing of boards with enormous dimensions 
The XL heating head of the Ersa HR 600 XL is suitable for assemblies of up to 150 x 120 mm edge length
Matrix lower heating of the HR 600 XL with warmer edge areas (left) and Matrix lower heating of the HR 600 XL with cold spot (right)
Dip & Print Station in the HR 600 XL – for defined application of the fluxing agent in the BGAShare this article:
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