Publication date: 31 July 2009
Practical Dummy Components is the exclusive distributor of mechanical samples for Amkor Technology as well as distributing components from most other leading SMD manufacturers. Practical has a worldwide distribution network and in-stock availability of most popular package types. Practical distributes both of SMT and through-hole Components.
Another major part of Practical Components product lineup is both hand solder training kits and machine setup kits.
Q. Kevin, we hear that Practical Components has added quite a few new items to its new 2009 catalog. Can you give us an overview of them?
A. We are excited about the range of new cutting-edge technologies in our new catalog plus some updates to our classics. We have added new test boards, body sizes and configurations of our Amkor FusionQuad® as well as the PoP components. There are numerous new body sizes and pin counts of our other components, as well as additional availability of lead-free formulations. We also have added new lines of dummy flip chips and several other test boards and kits.
Q. What are the new Amkor® PoP Test Kits and boards, and what do they consist of?
A. The Thermal Cycle boards use both top and bottom components that are daisy-chained to the board, which allows customers to conduct testing on solder joints under compressive and tensile strain during cycling as a result of differential thermal expansion.
These are available as board only or as kits with board, top components and/or bottom components in SAC305, SAC405, SAC105 and SAC125Ni formulations.
The PoP Drop Test Board and Kit are designed to test products such as cell phones, cameras and other mobile applications. Lead-free solder joints have an increased tendency to break due to their brittleness. This board and kit are designed to test the joints’ reliability on these fine-pitch components.
These also are available as board only or as kits with board, top components and/or bottom components in SAC305, SAC405, SAC105 and SAC125Ni formulations.
Q. Tell us about the new boards for the FusionQuad® components.
A. We have new FusionQuad® Thermal Cycle and Drop Test Boards and Kits for the 14 -0.4 mm-DC-Sn component. They both have pads for 15 daisy-chained parts. These are welcome additions for this component that is growing in popularity.
The standard board finishes are OSP Entek CU-106A-HT.
Q. What other new kits can you tell us about?
A. The new Practical Components B-52 CRET (Cleanliness & Residue Evaluation Test) Kit is designed to help determine the ionic cleanliness of customers’ manufacturing processes. The test boards and components follow guidelines associated with the IPC-B-52 Test Vehicle.
The Practical B-52 CRET test vehicle is divided into four primary segments:1. The main SIR test board2. The Ion Chromatography (IC) test coupon3. The solder mask adhesion coupons4. The SIR mini-couponsCustomers should note that Practical will offer both tin-lead and lead-free versions of the B-52 CRET Kit.
Q. What other developments can we expect from Practical Components over the next year?
A. We expect an increased interest in hand solder training kits and intend to aggressively service that market. The economic climate has necessitated another look on both initial quality and efficient rework skills on both tin-lead and lead-free assemblies. We have seen an increased interest in our PC016 kit, which conforms to the J-STD-001D specification as well as our PC013 through-hole training kit. We also have seen an overall increase in interest across our kit range. Dummy components and training kits save money! Dummy components can be used instead of live, functioning components with our array of kits and, since there is no expensive die inside the package, the cost for performing mechanical testing and training is significantly lower.
