Is your preheat correct. We eliminated our shorting/cracked caps by improving our preheat process for Reflow.
Paul Stolar
Materials Engineer
Houston Technology Center
Baker Atlas
713-625-5376
713-625-4949 (fax)
-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Perkins
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003
6:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Cracking Ceramic SMT
Capacitors
Cracking Ceramic SMT Capacitors
" Is anyone else seeing an increase in the number of cracked and shorting ceramic chip capacitors? In our experience as a contract manufacturer we have, in the past, seen the occasional instance of ceramic capacitors cracking and shorting out. The cause of this problem is generally obvious, as it is isolated to components situated in areas of the PCB that are subject to flexing.
Recently however we have seen more frequent instances of this problem; very often in areas of the board that should not be experiencing any appreciable flex. Our process has not changed and neither have our sources of these components. Have chip capacitors themselves become more fragile?"
Rod Lafond
Manager, Quality Assurance and Technical Training
APEX-Micro Manufacturing Corporation