If I can have a moment of your time, I would like to ask for your opinion on materials analysis in electronics manufacturing. I work with AMT Ireland in the Interconnect service. We offer a wide range of materials analysis tests and consultancy with a large proportion of electronics companies in Ireland. I have experienced that our service is required by Process Engineers and Manufacturing Engineers who wait for the problem to arise on their PCB assembly. We offer prompt attention to companies who panic in the face of emerging defects and perform the required tests in our Electronics Manufacturing Centre. The main tests include; SIR testing Ionic Contamination testing Electromigration testing Microsectioning Flux corrosivity testing etc which are all implemented into helping develop new processes, such as No-Clean, Paste Evaluation, Cleanliness, BGA Analysis etc I would appreciate if you could forward your opinion on whether companies should monitor key elements within the process on a continuous basis instead of waiting for the defect to occur before taking action. Are companies ignoring the importance of such process monitoring tools in your experience? We have a few companies who control their process using our services. Why in your mind are the rest not? Would the downtime in production be significantly decreased if process checks were carried out on a continuous basis. Any comments and opinions are much appreciated, Thanks in advance, Regards, Moss Dore Phone: 353-61-331588 AMT Ireland Fax: 353-61-330316 Electronics Manufacturing Centre Email: [log in to unmask] University of Limerick National Technological Park Limerick