Episode 89: A Conversation About Tombstoning Mitigation with Tony Lentz

Tombstoning is a reflow issue causing components to stand up, creating opens. FCT Solder's Tony Lentz discusses the causes and mitigation techniques to illuminate tombstoning.

Tony Lentz has worked in the electronics industry since 1994. He entered the industry as a process engineer at a circuit board manufacturer and worked there for 5 years. Since 1999, Tony has worked for FCT Companies as a chemical laboratory manager, production facility manager, and most recently a field application engineer. Since 2013, Tony has focused on field application and R&D for FCT Assembly solder and stencil products.

Tony has extensive experience in research and development, quality control, and technical service with materials used to manufacture and assemble printed circuit boards. Tony has published and presented many papers at industry events. Tony is a speaker of distinction with SMTA, and participates in IPC J-STD-004 and J-STD-005 standards development task groups.

Tony holds B.S. and M.B.S degree in Chemistry. Tony was my guest way back in episode 32 (56 episodes ago) where he talked about stencil design and void reduction.

Tony may be reached here:
[email protected]
https://fctsolder.com

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Welcome to Reliability Matters
00:02:28 - Introduction to Tombstoning in Surface Mounting
00:04:41 - Defects in SMT Assembly: Causes and Remedies
00:06:54 - Factors Influencing Tombstoning in Soldering
00:09:08 - Issues with thermal dissipation for components
00:11:18 - Creating Representative Pad Sets
00:13:40 - Skewing Issues and Component Placement
00:15:54 - Dealing with Component Placement Issues
00:18:06 - Influence of Stencil Designs on Reliability
00:20:12 - The Physics of Tombstoning
00:22:23 - Reducing Tombstoning Defects with Solder Paste Changes
00:24:46 - Creating Tombstoning through Board Design
00:26:56 - Substitution of Components to Combat Chip Shortage
00:29:18 - Anti-tombstoning alloys and surface finishes
00:31:32 - Skewing Components during Placement
00:33:36 - Soldering Solution: Stencil Designs, Reflow Profiles, and Solder Paste
00:35:46 - The Downside of Anti-Tombstoning Solder Paste
00:37:57 - Designing a Reliable Circuit Board for a Life-Saving Application
00:40:08 - Quality Work and Lead Usage in Manufacturing
00:42:21 - The Future of Solder Paste Technology
00:44:32 - Temperature Control in the Cleaning Process
00:46:48 - The Importance of Reflow Profiles and Process Stability
00:48:56 - Hope for Live Events in 2022
00:51:13 - Reliability Matters Podcast