SMT Training

April 2022

Norbert Süli
SMT Training
Agenda
• Stencil’s technologies
• Comparison of different stencil’s
• Printing & Design’s rules

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Different Stencil’s Technologies
& Stencil’s production methods with basic comparison

3
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Stencil’s Manufacture
Stencil
Squeegee Side

Aperture tapered from both

sides to center of foil.
Aperture walls usually smooth.
Board Pad
Chemical Etch

Tapered aperture with Microscope views

More textured walls. of stencil apertures

Can be Electro-polished to
smooth the walls.
Laser

Tapered aperture with

very smooth walls.

Gasket Nickel Additive

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The Chemical Etching Process Negative Image of
Stencil Apertures Clear Film
Material
• A negative photo image
is transferred to the acid
resist layer
• The acid then etches 1. Gerber Artwork
around the resist from
both sides
Gerber Acid Resist Stencil Apertures
starting to etch on Etching
Artworks Layers Spray
both sides of foil

Stencil
Foil
2. Imaging 3. Etching

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The Laser Cutting Process
• The CAD data from the PWB design is converted into laser machine coordinates
• The laser cuts the stencil from the board side
– The foil could be mounted in the frame before the laser cut
• The un-mounted foil can then be hand and electro-polished
• The foil is then mounted to the frame
Laser

Apertures cut from

Board side of Foil

Machine
table

CAD Data Processing Laser Cutting Polishing and Finishing

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Laser Cut Aperture’s Geometry
• Textured walls
– Can be electro-polished to
remove small burs and smoother
walls. Squeegee Side

• More expensive 0.0092"

– Price is dependent on the

number of apertures
• Tapered Aperture 0.006"
0.0100"
– Better release
– Tight Tolerances +/- .0003”

0.0065"
Generally used for .020” and less
Pitch components
0.012" Pad

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Laser Cut Stencil Aperture

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The Nickel Additive Process
• Additive process
• Unlimited thickness variability
• Harder and stronger than Stainless Steel
• Better wear characteristics
• Smooth, tapered aperture walls
• Special gasketing feature results in less needed
wiping and paste bleed through
• Can be more expensive
– Used for special applications such as printing onto wafers for
flip chip bumping

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The Nickel Additive Process
• Sometimes called E-Fab or E-Form
– Exposed photoresist image from Gerber Photo Resist
Artwork Layer
Gerber Data
– The image is transferred into the
mandrel to create a form Mandrel

– Solid nickel is plated on to the 1- Imaging

conductive mandrel

Plating starts at Reverse Image

the root of the of Stencil
Mandrel Form on Mandrel
Form being
Etched on
Etching
Mandrel
Spray

Mandrel

2 - Etching 3 - Electro Plating

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The Nickel Additive Process
• Highly accurate, tolerance <.0001”
• Smooth aperture walls
• Best paste release characteristics of the three types

Completed Foil
Separated from
the Mandrel

4 - Foil Separation and Inspection

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E-Form Stencil Aperture

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Stencil Selection

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Stencil Selection –Fine Grain

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Stencil Selection –Fine Grain

S.I. (Surface index) comparism:

• Electroform NIckel 1,15

• Laser Cut SS 1,216
• Laser Cut SS with electropolish 1,282
• (Old YAG Laser Cut SS 1,349)

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Stencil Selection –Fine Grain

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Stencil Selection –Electropolished
• Aperture’s size>>
• Stencil thickness<
• Roughness of the aperture’s
wall increasing

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Comparison of different laser cut stencil’s materials

Images were taken

before surface
polishing!

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Paste Printing and Design’s rules

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Paste Printing

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Paste Printing

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Paste Printing PERSONNEL & ENVIRONMENT
MATERIALS
Environment Slump Metallurgy Residue Chemistry Activity Level Procedures Training Discipline

Paste Flux Handling

Temperature Humidity
Viscosity Rheology Solid Particle Size / Residue Viscosity
Content Distribution Pad Clean- Pad Environment
Size & Shape of Metallurgy Warpage Planarity Standard Knead
Hardness liness Geometry
Edge Material Procedures
Parameters
Squeegee Board Setup

Length Thickness Angle of Thickness Mask ComponentSupport Pad Finish Paste Stencil Paste Bead
Rate of Issues Mix
Blade Wear Storage Storage Diameter
Aperture Aperture Aperture Auto./ Alignment
GOOD PRINT
Taper Material Layout Geometry Size SPC Continuous
Semi Auto. Accuracy Serviceability Defect Data
Program Improvement
Stencil Machine Collection
Process
Polish Method of Thickness Aspect Area Maintenance Ease of Set-up Time Stroke Print Frequency of Control
Ratio Ratio Repeatability Speed
Fabrication Length Cleaning
Procedures Operation
Stencil Cleaning Frequency Metrology Process
Cleaning Parameters
Repeatability Reproducibility Print Separation
Print Gap
Pressure Speed
Chemistry Procedures OPERATION &
EQUIPMENT & TOOLING METRICS

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Paste Printing

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Paste Printing

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Paste Printing
• Clear work instruction
• Right acces level
• Proper tooling/working environment
• Visibility of order and discipline
• Motivated staff

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Paste Printing
• Transportation
• Storage
• Replacement
• Cleanning
• By the squeeguee (machine, extra component, replacement of
squeeguee)

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Paste Printing
Squeegee Check by:
• Visually
• Touch
• Decreasing of the printing force, check the paste distribution on the stencil.
• Generally every 6th squeegee has got damage.

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Paste Printing
The bending of thicker squeegee is lower.
Less possibility for the paste thacking to the holder with wider squeegee.

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Paste Printing
PWB Support

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Paste Printing
Effectivness of stencil under wipe during the cleaning.

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Paste Printing
Solder paste viscosity vs shear stress
• Shear stress is proportional
with printing speed

Viscosity dropped down during printing.

(Paste fills the aperture more easier.)

Viscosity jump back after printing.

(Paste forms uniform deposits.)

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Solder Paste Printing
Examples
F=0 kg F=x kg
V= 0 mm/s V= y mm/s

Squeege holder Squeege holder

Overtravel

Squeegee angle 60° Contact angle 45°- 60°*

Stencil
*In ideal case the contact angle has to be 45°during the printing.
Overtravel is generally ~2mm

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Solder Paste Printing
Examples
F=0 kg F=x kg
V= 0 mm/s V= y mm/s

Squeege holder Squeege holder

Overtravel

D: Squeege overhanging
from the holder

Squeegee angle 60° Deflection*

Stencil
*Deflection depends on: Material, Thickness and overhanging of squeegee & Force and Speed of printing.
The contact angle is >45°, it causes paste smearing and improper rolling which results poor solder paste volume in the smaller apertures.
Te practical rule: D~15-18mm Thickness of the squeegee 200µm, D>20mm Thickness of the squeegee 300µm (Satinless Steel-SUS340)

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Solder Paste Printing Force
Examples
Speed

Flow lines
Paste
Rolling

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Solder Paste Printing
Examples
F=x kg F=x kg
V= y mm/s V= y mm/s

Squeege holder Squeege holder

Stencil

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Solder Paste Printing Squeege holder

Examples
Squeege holder

H: Lift Height

H: Lift Height
H
H

Stencil
Lift height after printing has to be 10-15mm, it depends on the paste bead diameter. It has to be continous paste curtain between the stencil and squeegee.
Too high lift height could cause air entrapping into the paste roll.

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Solder Paste Printing
Examples Weight of solder paste

 

 ⋅

,

⋅  **

F=x kg
Squeegee
V= y mm/s length 8” 10” 12” 14”

243 304 365 425

Squeege holder 1.8
Dpaste roll 74* 93* 111* 130*
in cm 469 586 703 820
2.5
106* 132* 159* 185*
Paste amount on the stencil in
gramm
Dpaste roll

Stencil
*The weight of the used solder paste in that case of the paste roll’s diameter reduced by 3mm it means.
**The gravity of the solderpaste is ~4.7gramm/cm3

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Solder paste aperture’s fill.

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Printing’s Rules
• Clear work instruction (Limits for the basic parameters, dedicated
program for every stencils)
• Right acces level and recording (Technician and Engineering level with
follow up)
• Proper tooling (squeegee sizes related to the product and support table.)

• IMPORTANCE OF ZERO SNAPOFF, ON CONTACT PRINTING WITHOUT

STENCIL’S BOUNCING

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules 120.00% 250.00
  
Aspect Ratio =    
> 1,2
100.00%
200.00

Standard Deviation (SD)

Transfer Efficiency (TE)
! "
Area Ratio = # "
> 0,6 80.00%
150.00
$% &%
Transfer Efficiency =$% "
60.00%

100.00
40.00%

50.00
20.00%

0.00% 0.00
0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

Area Ratio (AR)

The higher the Area Ratio,

the higher the Transfer Efficiency,
the lower the Standard Deviation

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Solder paste releases with differenet AR.

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Select the right stencil-paste combination

Solder-Paste:
• Powder type to the used component’s set (smallest pitch size).
• Metal loads to the used technology (stencil print, dispense, jet, dipping...).
• Alloy to the to the application (white goods, high reliability, automotive, aerospace...).
• Flux system has to fit to the alloy and application (further production’s processes...).

Stencil:
• Material (Stainless Steel, Fine Grain, Ni Laser cut or Ni Electroform)
• Basic design (simple SMT process or Pin In Paste process, step stencils + additional preform,
dispensed/jetted paste)
• Design (some design and component related problem could be solved by the stencil’s design, due to the
component’s selfalignment during re-flow soldering, ).
• Used rounded apertures (R≥50µm) avoid the paste stuck into the corners.

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Step stencil’s basic rules.
In case of small QFP with
BTC for colling there is not 3-4 mm CUT
(~25µm width)

enough space between the

step and signal terminals,
there is better to use
precision milled step up
ithout 5°rotation.
It is better to use dedicated
squeegee for the product
with 1mm length
perpenducular single cut line
on the edge of it.

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules SOLDER RESIST Gap < 120
Mid Chip Balling (Solder Beading) micron

-
10...15
%

50-70% COMPONENT

50-70%

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules SOLDER RESIST Gap < 120
Tombstoning (Manhattan-effect) micron

<50% -50µm

>50...70% COMPONENT

> 50%

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Dog Earing, Peaky - increased risk of shorts Extended oblong to touch the edges of solder mask

Decreased width

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Better Result WITHOUT
Dog Earing, Peaky - increased risk of shorts
(From PWB design point of view) solder mask

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Short circuit due to the paste protrusion

Solution

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Head In Pillow effect

≤0.6xPitch

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
Machine and label related problem’s solutions (with step stencils)

Label

Label

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
PIP application

Vmetal = 2 x Vfillet + Vhole - Vlead

Vhole
Vfillet
Vprinted
Vmetal = ' Vlead

In the Solder paste:

Vmetal = Vflux

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
PIP application from PWB’s and component’s point of views

Stand Off

0.5-1.5mm
Tapered cut

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
PIP application – Overprint and Step stencil

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Paste Printing and Design’ Rules
PIP application - Increase solder volume Vpreform ≤ 4 x Vpaste in Air re-flow
(Vpreform ≤ 10 x Vpaste in N2 reflow)
Preform paste overlapping min. 25%

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