Epec's Blog | Chris Perry (3)

Chris Perry

Chris has been with Epec for almost two decades, including 8 years manufacturing experience within a quality control role and 2 years in the front end planning department. As a lab technician, Chris analyzed and maintained chemical processes within bare board manufacturing, while aiding with overall quality in all departments. He also monitored and maintained the company wastewater facility to comply with local environmental agencies. As Epec has grown, Chris has continued to accept new responsibilities within the company. Chris has also held the role of PCB planning, where he learned the entire process, through customer delivery. Chris has been certified through Addstan Management Systems as an ISO 9001:2000 Internal Auditor, and most recently received IPC-A-600 Certified IPC Specialist from Eptac Corporation. Chris received his A.S. degree in Environmental Science at Bristol College, was certified as Class III Industrial Wastewater operator, and also was certified as an emergency response operator.

What Causes Circuit Board Blow Hole Defects?

Blow Hole on Printed Circuit Board Magnified

Written by Chris Perry
Posted on July 3, 2014 at 2:19 PM

When a blow hole defect occurs during the assembly process as a result of the PCB card, the primary culprit tends to be entrapped moisture or air. With moisture, any non-plated and non-masked areas on a bare circuit board that expose internal laminate can be suspect to absorbing moisture. Absorption can occur either during the board fabrication process or from improper storage. Examples of highly suspect areas include non-plated drilled holes and routed features.

PCB with Organic Solderability Preserve (OSP) Finish

Written by Chris Perry
Posted on April 29, 2014 at 1:47 PM

It is not recommended to bake boards with an organic solderability preserve (OSP) surface finish. Although baking a printed circuit board with an organic solderability preserve finish can have negative consequences, the process itself can have positive performance in specific applications. OSP is a very thin protective layer of material placed over exposed copper, typically using a conveyorized process to protect the copper from tarnish.

Tenting Vias of a Printed Circuit Board Under a Microscope

Written by Chris Perry
Posted on January 28, 2014 at 12:42 PM

Within the printed circuit board industry the term "tenting" originally indicated that the mask would fully enclose the via at one end by forming a skin or tent over the opening. While dry film solder mask is more expensive, it is capable of forming a reliable tent, while liquid photoimageable solder mask (LPI) generally will not.

This lifted pad occurred during handling, right after wave soldering.

Written by Chris Perry
Posted on November 8, 2013 at 2:19 PM

Generally pads are small round or square areas of copper which are normally used to make a connection to a component pin. If these pads are not sitting correctly or are lifted, it can cause the connection between the printed circuit board (PCB) and the component to fail.

Heavily Oxidized PCB with ENIG Surface Finish

Written by Chris Perry
Posted on March 21, 2013 at 10:35 AM

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) with immersion finishes such as electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG), immersion tin, silver, and OSP are appealing because they are lead-free. However, if handled improperly, these materials are susceptible to oxidation and corrosion from exposure to moisture and humidity. This oxidation causes dewetting after soldering, which can lead to poor joints at assembly and ultimately lead to failure of the board.