Teo, If you are looking for a measuring instrument to measure solderpaste conditions (dryness, moisture adsorption, oxidation,...) scientificully, there is one company that do make and market them. It checks the conditon of solderpaste using tiny probes and measures electrochemical changes in the paste. If you wish to know the company and the product, e-mail me off-line. It sounds like an advertising if posted in the forum. Don't dispose no-good-solderpaste, you recycle them. One way you do is dumping them in a wavesoldering pot, and use a plenty of Klneenox to prevent paste flux contamination in the pot. Good luck with your operators, Matthew NII-Norsat International Inc. e-mail: [log in to unmask] >>> <[log in to unmask]> January 19, 1999 8:46 am >>> Ladies & Gentlemen: We are currently experiencing a problem in our MPM printing process. Often, the solder paste gets dry and leads to product defects. As a result, operators dispose the "dry" solder paste. However, the measure of "dryness" is very subjective and varies from one operator to another. Consequently, our facility is disposing too much solder paste. Is anybody measuring the "dryness" of solder paste? If so, how are you doing this? I need a scientific way to determine solder paste dryness, and a guide that will let me know when the solder paste is no longer good. In addition, is there any way to "recycle" dry solder paste? Are there any solvents or chemicals that will restore the solder paste to its original condition? The solder paste is currently being placed by hand on the stencil. Before the stencils are washed, the solder paste is removed and placed back into the jar. This results in cross contamination of new and used paste. To resolve this cross contamination, we would like to use an automatic catridge dispenser which is available with MPM printers. Is anybody using these automatic dispensers? If so, do you have any "lessons learned" or "recommendations" for using this new equipment? -Thanks for your help, Teo Tijerina Conexant Systems, Inc. ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################ ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC's web site (http://www.ipc.org) "On-Line Services" section for additional information. For technical support contact Hugo Scaramuzza at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.312 ################################################################