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FEATURES

Cover Story
Lead-Free Assembly Design for Manufacturability Considerations
The changeover to lead-free has brought with it serious implications for many key design rules. A look at the system-level management requirements and key DfM elements shown to improve overall yield, quality and reliability of high-complexity, high-reliability hardware.
by Matt Kelly and Mark Hoffmeyer, PH.D.

Factory Layout
‘U Turn’
How one EMS company slashed production time by half by switching from a straight line flow to a “U” shaped layout.
by Per Jennel

Quality Assurance
Availability Index and Minimized Reliability Costs
A model for quantifying how the total cost of improving and maintaining reliability can be minimized, and the relationship of that minimized cost to the availability index.
by Ephraim Suhir, Ph.D., and Laurent Bechou, PH.D.

ESD Basics
How Much Protection Is Enough?
Five questions to ask concerning ESD protection.
by The ESD Association

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Rethinking responsibility.
  Mike Buetow

• Talking Heads
  HDPUG’s Marshall Andrews.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  The great equalizer.
  Peter Bigelow

• Focus on Business
  Evaluating technology improvements.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• Designer’s Notebook
  Footprints' accuracy.
  W. Scott Fillebrown

• In Flex
  Reducing flex assembly thickness.
  Dale Wesselmann

• Screen Printing
  Material volumes.
  Clive Ashmore

• Selective Soldering
  Double row headers.
  Chris Denney

• Tech Tips
  Solvent approval.
  Brian Ellis

• Materials World
  Learning to love QFNs.
  Jie Bai

• Technical Abstracts
  In Case You Missed It.