Category Archives: Reliability


May29
Uncovering the Culprit: How CAF Turned Out to Be the Hidden Cause Behind PCB Micro-Shorts — From Suspicion and Analysis to Solutions

post on May 29, 2025

Workingbear’s company was having a tough time with a strange issue: intermittent micro-short circuits inside the layers of the PCB. Since the shorts didn’t show up near any components, it was really hard to figure out what was wrong. Recently, … Continue reading →

Case study, EDX/EDS/SEM/IMC/FTIR, PCB/FPC/PTF, Process, Quality, Reliability     WorkingBear    Views (1,278)     comment (0)
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May22
What is CAF (Conductive Anodic Filament) in PCBs? and How to Prevent It

post on May 22, 2025

One of our company’s products once experienced an issue called an “internal micro-short” in the printed circuit board (PCB). After investigation, we discovered the root cause was something called CAF (Conductive Anodic Filament). But let’s be honest—if you translate that … Continue reading →

PCB/FPC/PTF, Quality, Reliability, SMT, Soldering     WorkingBear    Views (1,225)     comment (0)
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May08
The Deep Dive: BGA Pads: SMD vs. NSMD (Strength, Voids & Design Considerations)

post on May 8, 2025

Hey folks, welcome back to the blog! Today, we’re diving deep into something absolutely critical for the reliability of almost every electronic gadget out there: BGA solder joints. You know, those tiny connections that hold complex chips onto our printed … Continue reading →

Design, PCB/FPC/PTF, Process, Quality, Reliability, SMT     WorkingBear    Views (1,400)     comments (1)
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Mar21
Electronic Product Burn-In and Run-In: What They Are and Their Pros & Cons

post on March 21, 2025

In the early days, when electronic component design and manufacturing were still in their infancy, burn-in (B/I) was widely used to screen out defective products. This process helped eliminate early failures before products reached customers, reducing the risk of complaints. … Continue reading →

Process, Quality, Reliability, Test/Inspection     WorkingBear    Views (577)     comment (0)

Mar06
What is the Popcorn Effect in PCBs and Electronic Components?

post on March 6, 2025

The Popcorn Effect in PCB and electronic components refers to the delamination (board cracking) or formation of bubbles when exposed to high temperatures during soldering. This phenomenon is similar to how popcorn pops—it happens because of trapped moisture inside. When … Continue reading →

Moisture Sensitive, PCB/FPC/PTF, Process, Quality, Reliability     WorkingBear    Views (1,377)     comment (0)
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