Flux Specific Gravity and Acid Value Control Liquid flux is supplied as a concentrate or as a ready-to-use mixture, and its activity depends on the concentration of the solids it contains. As flux is used, the volatile solvent evaporates and the solids concentration rises, so the flux becomes progressively more…

Plating Current Efficiency: What the Tank Actually Deposits Current efficiency is the share of the electrical charge a plating tank consumes that actually ends up as metal on the work, and the rest is lost to side reactions. It is the number that connects the rectifier setting to the deposit…

Press Fit Pin Insertion: Hole Tolerance and Insertion Force A press fit pin forms its connection by deforming the copper in a plated hole rather than by being soldered to it. The pin is slightly larger than the hole, and pressing it in creates an interference fit that produces a…

Dosing Pump Calibration: 5 Steps for Accurate Chemistry Addition Dosing pump calibration is the step that connects an analysis result to a chemical addition, and it is where many wet lines quietly lose control. An operator titrates a bath, calculates the make-up volume and dials a pump setting. If the…

Laminate Shelf Life Control: 6 Rules for Storing Cores Laminate shelf life is written on the datasheet and then quietly ignored until a lamination problem appears. Resin systems continue to change after manufacture: prepreg advances in cure, cores absorb moisture and both are affected by how they are stored. Panels…

Exhaust Scrubber Maintenance: 6 Checks for Clean Discharge Exhaust scrubber maintenance is invisible when it works and expensive when it does not. A scrubber that loses efficiency does not stop the line, it simply lets more chemistry leave through the stack, where it corrodes nearby structures, stains the building and…

Spray Bar Maintenance: 6 Checks for Even Coverage Spray bar maintenance decides whether a wet process line treats the whole panel the same way. Spray bars look simple: a manifold with nozzles aimed at the work. In practice, each nozzle has its own flow rate, pattern and blockage history, and…

Etch Line Dryer Control: 5 Checks for Spot-Free Panels The etch line dryer is the last thing a panel touches before inspection, and it determines whether the surface leaves the line dry and clean or carrying residue into the next process. Drying does not remove contamination; it fixes it in…

Plating Tank Liner Inspection: 5 Signs of Liner Failure Plating tank liner inspection is the kind of maintenance that only becomes urgent when it has already failed. A liner that blisters, cracks or separates at a weld does not announce itself; it drips slowly into the containment area, corrodes the…

SMT Paste Cartridge Handling: Thaw, Purge and Dispensing A paste cartridge feeds a dispenser or a jetting head instead of a stencil, and the cartridge becomes part of the machine rather than a container that is opened at the bench. That changes how the paste has to be stored, thawed…