Publication date: 02 February 2012
Building on 27 years in business, ACD is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing design and electronic manufacturing service companies in the greater southwest area of the United States. ACD strives to continually improve its process and ensure that customers receive a high quality product in a timeframe that meets or exceeds expectations.
Lance is a CERTIFIED INTERCONNECT DESIGNER (CID) – Awarded by the Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits (Association Connecting Electronics Industries). As ACD’s Production Manager, Lance oversees the test and assembly process teams as well as production maintenance and machine assembly. Here we catch up with Lance to find out how ACD is leveraging its world-class design and test capabilities.
A. We have a strong team of electrical engineers and test technicians who work directly with our customers’ engineering staff to develop test fixtures from concept to delivery. With support from our internal CAD departments and our partnerships with local machine shops, we can even provide solutions for the mechanical aspects of test fixtures. Over the past few years, this has definitely become an area where we have gained expertise and growth.
A. To me, this just makes sense. Instead of having us pack your product and ship it out in generic packing, only to unpack it and repackage for the end-user, why not just get it straight into the final box with accessories and get it to the customer. This service saves a lot of money and reduces the time-to-market.
A. I am very proud to say that complexity has always been a universal motivator for ACD. Just mentioning an ultra fine-pitch BGA or a massive board with thousands of parts makes our production team’s eyes light up. We are not shy about our enthusiasm for state-of-the-art projects or the challenges that go along with them. Not only are they fun to work on, but we are very often successful in trying things that other CMs might turn down. We enjoy partnering with customers who share our drive for solving engineering problems.
A. One thing is for certain; the smaller the BGA pitch, the more relevant proper BGA design becomes. Today’s PCB designer faces a much tougher challenge than ever before. There just is not a single magical formula that will work for every type and pitch of BGA on the market today. This is definitely an area where knowledge must be applied and experience defines success.
A. My first tip is to hire great process engineers or come to my shop and I will introduce you to some! With fine-pitch BGAs, the most common defect is most likely shorting. Other common issues, including Head-in-Pillow, insufficient solder and demarcation lines can be controlled with proper solder paste selection, stencil design and sound oven profiling.
Like we discussed earlier, it all starts with good design practice. You have to do your research to get the proper pad size and solder mask definitions as they apply to each particular BGA package. One size does not fit all.
If your design rings true and you are still experiencing defects, remember that even slight changes in stencil design might be key. Solder paste companies may tell you in the brochure that their products will solve all of your issues, but do not always believe the hype. It is best to read the literature from independent studies to get a true gauge on how to attack a particular defect.
A. We just had a very successful first phase for our AS9100 Aerospace certification. It is a tough certification to have and maintain, and I could not be more pleased with the results. I expect that we will complete this within the next couple of months. I think we employ more than our fair share of veterans at ACD, so achieving AS9100 will hold a special meaning for us. I am very excited to have the opportunity to support those who support the military.
A. Last year our CEO, Scott Fillebrown, made some major inv estments in our capabilities by adding two high-speed Juki lines. We could not be more pleased with the performance of these lines. It is a real game changer for us.
To compliment the hardware side, we are streamlining our software infrastructure with the addition of Omnify’s Empower PLM Solution and Cogiscan’s Track, Trace and Control (TTC) Solution. Adding these administrative efficiencies keeps us focused on making circuit boards instead of getting bogged down with systems and paperwork.
