DISCLAIMER
All listed information is just for general purposes and is given with reservation
| WORD | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| ABGA | Advanced BGA*. Has much better thermal and electrical characteristics than a normal BGA and can have up to 1008 balls. |
| Adhesive | 1. SMT adhesive: used to hold components on the PCB until soldering. 2. Conductive adhesive: used to form a mechanical and electrical connection as a alternative to soldering. |
| Air Knife | Well-defined blast of air in a oven. It is used after the last wave to remove bridges. |
| AOI | Automatic Optical Inspection. Unit inspecting solder paste print or soldered PCB’s using vision technology. |
| Aperture | In screenprinting an opening in the stencil through witch the paste is squeezed. The apertures together correspondend to the pattern of the PCB. |
| Assembly | The production process of mounting parts and components onto a PCB. The soldering or joining process is sometimes considered as part of assembly. |
| ATE | Automatic Test Equipment. Test equipment that performs automatic testing of assemblies. |
| Back-light | Used in a placement machine. Components are lighted from behind and a camera recognizes them by the shape of their shadows. |
| Ball pitch | Distance between the centres of two balls on a BGA. |
| Bare Board | A fully manufactured PCB without any parts, components, jumpers, connectors, etc. |
| BGA | Ball Grid Array (or Bumped Grid Array), a large surface mount package consisting of a plastic substrate, whose input/output connections consist of solder balls in an array on the bottom of the package. It can have up to 672 balls and has a 1.27 mm. ball pitch. |
| Blade Attack Angle | The angle between squeegee and stencil during solder paste printing. |
| Board support | Units (mainly in screenprinters and placementmachines) that support the PCB from below. |
| BQFP | Bumpered Quad Flat Package. A QFP with four corner bumpers. |
| Bridge | A solder defect characterized by connecting to otherwise electrically non-connected conductors (leads, pads, lines) |
| Bulk feeder | Is used to feed chip components delivered in bulk containers, which hold up to 50,000 components. The container is placed on the bulk feeder and the components fall into a small chamber where compressed air whirl around the components and force them into a slope channel ending at the pick-up position. The bulk feeder must be designed to a components specific dimensions. |
| Center-to-Center Spacing | Refers to the way the pitch of leads on components is measured: center lead to adjacent center lead. |
| CF Style feeder | Most new type of JUKI 700-series feeders |
| Chip Component | The class of passive components packaged in leadless ceramic; glass or plastic form (resistors, capacitors and inductors). |
| Chip shooter | Fast SMT placement machine primarily placing small chips. |
| CL type feeder | Older version of the Philips GEM feeders. After these came the new version FV-type. |
| Cold solder joint | A defect of soldering caused by adhesion of solder without proper chemical reaction between the base metal and the tin of the solder. Usually caused by inadequate thermal conditions. |
| Component | An electrical building block of an electronic circuit. They function as resistors, capacitors or inductors. There are others, which are processors and memory modules. Components come in a variety of body shapes and forms. |
| Component range | Range from smallest to biggest component that can be placed. For example: 0201 to sq75 mm means that the smallest is 0.02 x 0.01 INCH (=0.5 x 0.25 mm) and the biggest is 75 mm square. |
| Condensation | A method of reflow soldering using highly specialized liquids. These liquids are boiled and the latent heat of evaporation is used to heat those items which have been lowered into the vapor. |
| Conductive adhesive | An adhesive that is mixed with certain metal flakes (copper, silver, gold) to make it electrically conductive |
| Convection | A method of reflow soldering. Convection is a heating method which employs either gases, liquids or vapors. |
| Cph | Components per hour |
| CSP | Chip-Scale Package: a very small component type. |
| Cure | The polymerization of a material that usually changes it from a soft to a harder form by lengthening and intertwining the molecular chains. Curing needs the application of energy in form of heat (convection, radiation). |
| Delta T | The difference between the lowest and the highest temperature on a PCB in a furnace. |
| Dewetting | A condition where the solder has withdrawn from a previously wetted surface. |
| Edge clamping | Method used by new SMD placement machines to lock the PCB in place. This is done by pneumatic pistons pressed against the PCB edge. |
| Edge conveyor | Device transporting and supporting the PCB on the edge. |
| Embossed tape | See *tape feeder. Usually cheaper than paper tape. |
| EUP | Equipment Utilisation Program: methods to understand DEK-machine's to realise serious productivity. |
| FAC | Forced Air Convection. Most types of reflow ovens use this method. The heat transfer occurs by forcing air over the PCB. |
| FC | Flip-Chip |
| FCBGA | Flip Chip Ball Grid Array. A kind of BGA with optimum thermal and electrical characteristics. It can have up to 3000 balls. |
| FF Style feeder | JUKI 700-series feeders, about four/five years old |
| Fiducial mark | A PCB can have at least two of these marks, used by a camera to calculate the PCB position relative to the placement head. |
| Fine pitch | Refers to a distance smaller than 0.5 mm between the centres of two leads on an IC. |
| Flat Pack | A low profile IC package, which typically has gull wing type of leads on two or four sides. |
| Flip Chip | A bare silicon IC flipped and attached directly onto the PCB |
| Flow soldering | Wave soldering*. |
| Flux | Chemical mixture, when heated used to clean component and PCB surfaces for oxides and contaminants. |
| FNC | Flying Nozzle Change |
| Front-light | Used in placement machines. Components are lighted from the front and a camera recognizes them by all details in dark and light colours. |
| FPGA | Field Programmable Gate Array, a small programmable chip |
| FTP | Fine Pitch Technology |
| FV type feeder | Newest version of Philips GEM feeders. Came after the older CL type. |
| GEM series | Platform of Philips/Assembleon placement machines. The GEM platform consists of 4 main models, the Topaz, the Emerald, the Sapphire and the Opal. Each model represents a specific application area: the Topaz is a multi function machine with a unique mix of high speed and a very broad component range; the Sapphire is a dedicated chipshooter and the Emerald can be used when fine pitch and odd capability is required. |
| IC | Integrated Circuit. Package containing multiple components forming a specific circuit. |
| ICT | In Circuit Testing |
| In-circuit testing | A test method that uses probes to make connections to the internal nodes of a circuit for signal injection or signal monitoring. |
| Intelligent feeder | A feeder with a microprocessor which can avoid set-up and inventory errors. |
| Large component mounter | A SMT placement machine capable of handling large components. |
| Matrix tray | Flat plastic tray with components ready to be placed on the PCB by the placement head. |
| Mounting tact | Time needed to place one component (sec/pc) |
| MSD | Moisture Sensitive Device, a component with moist in it. This can expand during soldering which can result in cracking. |
| NF Style feeder | Oldest version JUKI 700-series feeders |
| Nitrogen | This gas is used in reflow furnaces during the soldering process to avoid oxidation of components, solder paths and solder alloy. |
| Node | A test point on a PCB that is contacted to check the performance of the electrical circuit that is connected to it. |
| Nonwetting | The condition that results when solder is not accepted or did not move onto the surface. |
| Nozzle | 1.A vacuum device on the head of a placement machine that holds a component during transport from feeder to PCB. Some special nozzles have mechanical tweezers for handling of odd-shape components that cannot be lifted by vacuum. 2. One of many holes in a forced convection reflow oven through which hot air is forced into the processing chamber. |
| OLE | Off Line Editor, this is a sysytem of DEK. Uses a digital image of the board to determine pin locations. (Tooling details are established and verified long before the assembly enters production). Can be stored on any drive in the network. |
| Paper tape | See *tape feeder. Usually more expensive than embossed tape. |
| PBGA | Plastic Ball Grid Arrey. See BGA. |
| PCB | Printed Board Circuit. Also called PWB (Printed Wire Board). |
| Pick and Place | The method of certain placement equipment of picking components (mechanically or by vacuum) from tapes or magazines and placing them in the correct position on the PCB. |
| Pick and Place head | Pick-up head unit in a placement machine, mounted on a X-Y gantry, that picks up the component from a feeder placed in a fixed position and moves it to the placement position on the PCB that is also placed in a fixed position. |
| Pitch | The distance between a feature and the adjacent feature on a component. Also the distance between two pockets on a tape of a feeder. |
| Placement machine | (Automatic) equipment used to mount components onto a PCB. |
| Placement rate | Number of components that is mounted in the hour. It is very depended on the PCB design and components used on the PCB. But the throughput is also depended on the changeover time between product runs, down time due to change of empty component reels and unbalance between sequential set-up placement machines. |
| Placement tact time | Time needed to place one component (sec/component) |
| PLCC | Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier. A plastic IC package for surface mounting applications that has leads, generally "J" leads, on all four sites. |
| PTH | Pin Through Hole |
| Pyrometer | IR detector to measure the temperature of a PCB. |
| QFP | Quad Flat Pack, a large component from square 10 mm (36 leads) up to square 40 mm (230 leads). Leads are on all four sites and the pin pitch is 0.4 to 1.0 mm |
| Radial component | A component that has the leads attaches radially, i.e. at the ends. |
| Reflow soldering | A process in which solder, either in paste or solid form, is placed between the component lead and land before soldering heat is applied. When sufficient heat to melt the solder is applied, the solder forms the connection. |
| REM | Remote Event Monitor. From DEK, brings each machine's internal event log to the desktop |
| Rotary head | Pick and place head* that can rotate in a vertical direction |
| SCC | Square Chip Carrier. A chip carrier with a square body. |
| SCFH | Standard Cubic Feet per Hour. For measuring the amount of nitrogen used in a reflow oven: total cubic feet of gas used divided by the number of hours in which it is used. 35 SCFH = 1 cubic meter / hour. |
| SMC | Surface Mount Component. These components are designed for and used in surface mount technology. (any electrical or mechanical component that can be attached to the surface of a substrate with solder. |
| SMD | Surface Mount Device. A PCB mounted with SMC's. Also another name for a SMC*. |
| SMT | Surface Mount Technology. A technology that came after the conventional pin-thru-hole technology. Components are attached directly on the PCB surface. |
| SO | Small Outline. A package resembling a flat pack with leads on only two sides. |
| SOIC | Small Outline Integrated Circuit. A specific IC component with leads on two opposite sides. |
| SOJ | A plastic IC package with "J"leads on two sides. |
| SOL | Small Outline - Large. Also called SOW (SO - Wide). This package is about two times as wide as a SO. |
| Solder ball | Spheres of solder on the PCB after soldering. Their mechanism of creation is different in wave soldering and reflow soldering. |
| Solder joint | A conductive joint which was created by soldering between the conductors of the PCB and the leads of the component. |
| SOT | Small Outline Transistor. A plastic leaded package for diodes and transistors. |
| Squeegee | A metal or rubber blade in a screenprinter. It forces the solder paste or adhesive through the apertures of the stencil onto the PCB. |
| Stencil | A foil (mostly metal) with apertures to reflect the pattern to be printed. |
| Stick feeder | Feeder with components in one or more tubes / sticks. It works by using a gentle pulse of compressed air which moves the components along the tube to the pick-up position. |
| Tact rate | Time needed to place one component (sec/component) |
| Tact time | Time needed to place one component (sec/component) |
| Tape feeder | Device that feeds components from paper or plastic embossed tape to the head of a placement machine. The components are hold in the carrier tape pocket by a thin transparent cover tape. The tape pocket pitch is the distance between the components on the tape and the tape width ranges from 8 to 136 mm. They can be machanical activated, pneumatic activated or electrical operated by moters. |
| TBGA | Tape-Automated-Bonding-Ball-Grid-Array. A kind of BGA with improved thermal characteristics. |
| TM10 | Tray module, can randomly access up to 10 JEDEC trays. Mounts to the rear of the machine and takes up no feeder space. |
| Tray feeder | Is used to feed large components supplied in trays. Different approaches are possible. If only a few trays are used for a job, some machines allow single trays to be placed into the machine feeding area. Another way is to fit the machine with an automatic tray-handling unit. These units have a elevation system for tray "storage" and move the trays needed for the product one by one into the machine. |
| Turret head | A placement head with multiple heads rotating parallel to the PCB. They pick up the component in one position and place it in another position. The feeders are then moved to the pick-up position and the PCB is moved in the X and Y direction to the placement position. |
| VibBase feeders | Vibratory base feeders. They move components by vibration through usually more than one stick / tube in order to hand them to the placement head. Adjustment of a vibrating stick feeder is very delicate. |
| Vision on the fly | Vision system in a placement machine. The components picked up, move over a camera for recognition and alignment and then move to the placement position on the PCB. |
| Wave soldering | A soldering technique which uses a system that flows solder against the bottom of a PCB, making connections between solderable surfaces that are close enough for the solder surface tension |
| Wetting | The formation of a relatively uniform, smooth, unbroken and adherent film of solder to a base metal. |
