Minority Owned PCB Fabrication Manufacturer Saturn Electronics Corporation to attend NMSDC New Orleans 2009

Saturn Electronics Corporation, MBE PCB fabrication manufactuerer, will be attending the 2009 National Minority Supplier Diversity Council (NMSDC) Conference and Business Opportunity Fair this October in New Orleans.

The conference's theme this year is: "Minority Businesses and Corporate America: Recipe for Success."

The NMSDC Conference is the benchmark forum on minority business development in the country, and the Business Opportunity Fair is a much-anticipated event during our Conference. You can meet with hundreds of corporate representatives within a matter of hours.

Growth and Capacity Development for Minority Suppliers
Panelists will share processes for assessing the need for capacity development, analyzing current options and implementing the most eYective growth trategies for MBEs. Included are real-life examples of MBEs adding value to their customers.

1. Theme: Minority Businesses and Corporate America: Recipe for Success
2. Date: October 25 through October 28, 2009
3. Location: New Orleans Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer: Saturn Electronics Corp.

Saturn Electronics Corporation, Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer, is a leading manufacturer of high-reliability, technologically advanced bare printed circuit boards. Dedicated to quality since inception, Saturn delivers steadfast PCB manufacturing that ranges from quick-turning elaborate PC Board prototypes to principal volume circuit board production.

Heavy Copper PCB: The Beginning
At one point in recent history, Saturn Electronics Corp., Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer, was one of North America’s largest users of heavy copper laminate, which we used in the bare PCB manufacturing of power distribution boards for the automotive industry.

We retained our skill set in precision etching Heavy Copper PCBs and applied it to other industries, namely power conversion boards for the Power Supply Industry, power distribution boards for the Aerospace Industry, and thermal management boards for Military applications.

PCB Quality and Reliability
Saturn’s adherence to bare board quality resulted in being the first PCB Manufacturer in North America to achieve TS16949 certification. Saturn’s obligation to fiscal prudence makes it debt-free, financially strong Corporation allocating profits for expansion, certification, improved capabilities, and reduced cost.

Leading Bare Board Manufacturer
Providing solutions while lowering costs is the reason Saturn can meet all your Printed Circuit Board needs. Saturn Electronics Corporation offers stability its customers can rely on.

IPC 4101

IPC 4101
Lead Free Delamination
Tired of Printed Circuit Board Delamination?
IPC 4101/99 and /124 are the Answer

For some time now the Industry has had to deal with delamination in its Lead Free Boards as it waited for a solution, which would ideally get back to processing the way we did when everything was SnPb. Delamination has occurred primarily on boards made from phenolic laminates, which are used for lead-free and high temp PCBs. While these materials have great thermal properties (Tg > 170C° and Td > 340C°, and conforming to IPC 4101/126/129), they are extremely weak in the fundamental areas of moisture absorption and copper to laminate adhesion.

Moisture Absorption
Standard 130Tg FR4 materials typically have a moisture absorption rate of 0.20% when measured using a 0.028" core material. Phenolic materials often measure moisture absorption of up to 0.45% when measured using the same test vehicle.

Copper to Laminate Adhesion
Standard 130Tg FR4 materials generate peel strength results of 6-9 lbs. Holding all parameters equal, phenolic materials generate peel strength results of 3-4 lbs.

Vapor Escape
These material characteristics take on much more value when you consider the effects of lead-free assembly parameters. Any moisture trapped or absorbed into the PCB will escape during assembly in the form of water vapor, the force of which is measured in psi (pounds per square inch). The vapor will escape from the dielectric from the weakest point in the board, which is typically plated via holes. During standard SnPb assembly at 200C, the vapor pressure is 225 psi. At Pb-Free assembly temperatures (250C), however, the vapor pressure increases to 575 psi.

The Perfect Storm
Combining the increased vapor pressure with phenolic material characteristics of increased moisture absorption and lower adhesion strength gives you a perfect storm capable of ruining entire production runs. In fact, the forces here are so strong that often instead of just blowing vias, entire layers can separate from each other forming delamination areas of 1 square inch or greater.

The Saturn Solution
Our solution is move towards non-phenolic materials, many of which can be found under IPC 4101/99 and /124. To qualify under these IPC categories for lead-free materials, they must have 150Tg and 325Td. While the thermal properties are not as high as the /126 or /129 materials, the mechanical characteristics more than make up for this, as demonstrated by lab tests we commissioned on standard test vehicles.

For more detailed information, please view our webinar we had on this topic at http://www.saturnelectronics.com/webinar_leadfree.htm.

Other Modes/Issues that this improvement will address:
Processing Lead Times
Drill Quality
Total Cost of Ownership

Cavity Boards

Cavity Boards

Cavity boards are multilayer designs that expose inner layers to air by requiring pockets of material to be cut out. This requires laminating precut materials, controlled-depth fabrication, tight processing controls, and manufacturing versatility. Also, our standardized Multi-Line tooling systems have been critical in the processing of cavity boards.

Industries Served
Military
RF/Microwave
Automotive - Close Proximity Radar

The exciting part of the Printed Circuit Board fabrication business is the integration and application of various fabrication processes for the manufacture of high technology, exotic, and other non-standard products. Cavity Boards are just one of the many examples Saturn Electronics Corp. offers its customers.

For examples of specific boards offered by Saturn, please follow this link: Examples of Current Technology Applications

RoHS Laminates and Pb-Free HASL

Current Cost Drivers:
High Temp Laminates
Final Finishes

Indirect Cost Drivers:
Increased Scrap Rates
Delamination
Solderability

Pre Baking
Storage Handling

Lead Free HASL

Lead Free HASL

Lead Free HASL

Definition

SN100CL-
SnCu alloy stabilized with Ni, composed of:
99.3% Tin
<0.7%>

Industry Misconceptions

Predictions of HASL’s Demise
Solderability Issues
Short Duration of Usage

Benefits of Pb-HASL

Lower Copper Erosion on PCB surface and vias

Quick Process

Long Shelf Life

Cost

Forgiving
a.) Humidity
b.) Handling
c.) Temperature

Solder Joint Strength

Thickness Criteria
•Generic Thickness Requirement
•Not proper to have only one
-Smaller Pads receive thicker solder deposition
•Solution
• Minimum Alloy Thickness should be segregated by Ranges of Pad Size

•Specific Design Set-Up
–Each Design may require its own specific set-up
–Adjustments
•Air Knife Pressure
•Retract Speed
•Dwell Time

Implementation
•Alloy Control
•Lower copper content of alloy increases solderability
•Standard Drossing of solder pot is not enough to keep copper content below 0.90%
•Recommend a 1/4 - 1/3 solder pot dump once weekly measurement reaches 0.90%

SN100CL Study Conclusion

•No Solderability Issues at any customer
–Fab Notes
•Fab notes can specify the use of these coupons or range of solder thickness standards
–Forcing your supplier to meet these specs will give you:
»Control over the Process

•By implementing these proposed solutions, you can:
–Save up to 30% of your bare board cost
–Increase performance of your products
–Standardize your fab notes to remove risk of non-performing products
–Improve your supply base

For more information on Lead Free Finishes please click here to read more:

Saturn Lead Free Finishes

http://www.saturnelectronics.com/docs/SN100CL_HASL_1.doc
http://www.saturnelectronics.com/docs/SnCu_solderability_paper___Florida_CirTech_final_version.doc
http://www.saturnelectronics.com/docs/SN100C_Newsletter_July_2004.doc
http://www.saturnelectronics.com/pdf/Cu_Dissolution_Information.pdf

PTFE / Hybrid Technologies for PCBs

PTFE / Hybrid Technologies

PTFE / Hybrid Technologies supplier Saturn Electronics Corporation, bare board manufacturer, revved up production of their Advanced Technologies with the addition of the March plasma treatment system allows us to offer our customers PTFE ( or Teflon) based products. These are commonly used in designs with signal integrity concerns. Standard PCB fabricators cannot offer these materials easily due to the plasma treatment these materials typically require. In order to plate this material effectively, the surface must first be activated. We have in-house capability and materials inventory that enables us to best serve our customers. We have also developed the proper laminate recipes that are required to produce hybrid boards using PTFE-based and FR-4 materials together in one design.

Industries served include:

RF/Microwave

Aerospace

Military

Automotive - Close Proximity Radar

The exciting part of the Printed Circuit Board fabrication business is the integration and application of various fabrication processes for the manufacture of high technology, exotic, and other non-standard products. Fine Line and Spacing is just one of the many examples Saturn Electronics Corp. offers its customers.

For examples of specific boards offered by Saturn, please follow this link:

Examples of Current Technology Applications