Steve,

This sounds like a job for ANSI J STD-002 category 1!!!! This is nothing more 
than a dip and look test to see if the component leads will take solder " as 
received " at your incoming. You are quite correct that if you don't have any 
board level soldering problems and you don't have any customer returns for poor 
solder joints, then you are probably ok and a cost increase may not be prudent. 
On the other hand, if you are having sporadic problems in either of these 
area's, you may want to consider the use of a category 2 or 3 requirement. What 
is the risk vs reward? What happens to your customer if there are solder 
joint/electrical failures on the product you sold to your customer in the field?
If solder joint failure causes a toy malfunction, you may percieve the value of 
solderability test requirements differently than if a hard drive crashes or a 
CRT goes out or worse. Most quality suppliers will meet the category 3 
8 hr steam age requirement, even on the plastic/commercial grade product and do 
not charge more for it. Now the supplier may charge more if you insist that they
do the solderability test on samples from each lot they send you. Usually 
suppliers use a skip lot plan to monitor and guarantee the process is capable 
but that does not mean that your particulr lot will necessarily have a sample 
pulled and tested, although sometimes it will. 

I suspect that you are not talking to the right people at your existing supplier
or else the persons you are talking to think you want to add a solderability 
test to their manufacturing flow. I think what you are looking for is to 
determine the level of capability your component suppliers exhibit with respect 
to solderability test performance. It seems to me a reasonable request to ask if
a component supplier can meet category 1 or 2 or 3 of the ANSI J STD-002. This 
is just asking for what probably already exists in the lead finish manufacturing
or QA records of the component supplier. This is not the same as asking the 
supplier to provide QA solderability test data for each lot you buy. I would be 
amazed if any supplier was producing and shipping components without some kind 
of idea on the solderability of the units being shipped. That would be like 
assembling components and not doing electrical test!

Anyway,  good luck.

Regards,

 Mark Kwoka 
 Harris Semiconductor
  
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: j-std-002 parts
Author:  [log in to unmask] at smtp
Date:    2/19/97 1:09 AM


HI,
     
I'd like to inquire about the supply side market for commercial grade 
components that meet the requirements of IPC/J-STD-002 re. solderability
     
Currently we do not specify any solderability spec for the purchase of our 
electronic components.  We get many products that solder very well - both 
wave and hand with various fluxes(no clean - RMA - OA).  Some parts are not 
so good - even mil spec.
     
After talking with our major distributors it seems that the commercial grade 
parts that meet J-STD/IPC/Mil standards for solderability are not as 
available as straight commercial grade and will cost a bit more.  They also 
said I would have to change part numbers - which would be a horrific task.
 Is this true or am I talking to the wrong suppliers?
     
The second question is that given we do not appear to have a "problem" with 
most of our straight commercial grade parts, what gains could be made by 
sacrificing some cost and leadtime?  No strong evidence exists that suggests 
a field performance / reliability concern.  I can not see how I could justify 
"raising the bar", however many experts say that to change would be an 
improvement.
     
Anyone have a practical philosophy on this dilemma that I can borrow?
     
Steve Ross
US&S
     
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