1708cover

 

FEATURES

SALARY SURVEY
Among Designers, Compensation, Job Satisfaction on the Rise

If PCD&F’s latest data are any indication, more than half of today’s PCB designers plan to work in the field for no more than the next 10 years. The good news: Salaries are at their highest point yet – and so is job satisfaction.
by Chelsey Drysdale

CLEANING
Evaluating Rinsing Effectiveness in Spray-In-Air Cleaners

In general, spray-in-air systems include wash, rinse and dry cycles. Engineered cleaning agents are critical to the process. In addition to the ability to solubilize the residues, they exhibit low surface tension averaging about 30 dynes/cm, whereas pure DI-water has an average surface tension of 70 dynes/cm. Given the low-standoff heights of components on today’s PCBs, low surface tension is required to enable the cleaning agent to penetrate underneath components for contact and solubilize the residue. The rinse cycle is critical to the process, for the rinse water must penetrate the same low standoff components in order to “rinse” or remove the residue-laden cleaning agent. However, rinsing uses pure DI water. Given the surface tension of water, how effective is this process?
by Umut Tosun and Jigar Patel

 

FIRST PERSON

 

MONEY MATTERS

 

TECH TALK

Submit to FacebookSubmit to Google PlusSubmit to TwitterSubmit to LinkedInPrint Article
Don't have an account yet? Register Now!

Sign in to your account