Steve,
If you vacuum oven your boards (boiling off and evacuating any moisture),
then open them into an environment, perhaps 22deg.C and 60%RH, won't the
boards quickly absorb the moisture in that environment? If you then
manufacture the boards, then ATE and inspect them, then conformal coat /
dip them, you'll be sealing moisture in.

I only ask because I am researching into moisture sensitive components,
and one of the options is to put the components into a vacuum (oven /
chamber).

I am concerned that putting non-hermetically sealed electronics
components (boards or devices) into a vacuum oven leads to little or no
advantage, and only the acceleration of intermetallic formations between
copper and tinned layer as a result.

My question (finally) is would this be the case? Or would the rate of
absorption be so slow that it wouldn't really matter?

Regards,

Richard Tilbrook

##############################################################
TechNet Mail List 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 web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional
information.
If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask] or
847-509-9700 ext.5365
##############################################################