Category Archives: Soldering


Oct28
A Collection of Articles on Component Detachment and BGA Solder Joint Cracking

Figure: BGA solder joint craking: causes, analysis & reliability solutions. BGA solder joint cracking is one of the most challenging issues I’ve encountered throughout my career in electronics manufacturing. It’s also one of the topics that comes up most often … Continue reading →

Oct21
Can Increasing Solder Paste Volume Improve BGA Soldering Defects Such as HIP?

X-ray image of a BGA showing more solder on the outer rows than on the inner rows. Improving BGA solder joint quality is an ongoing goal for SMT engineers, especially when working with fine-pitch BGA components. In general, BGAs with … Continue reading →

Sep30
What Is HASL Surface Finish? Advantages and Disadvantages

Figcaption: What Is HASL Surface Finish? Advantages and Disadvantages HASL stands for Hot Air Solder Leveling and is one of the most common PCB surface finishes. It is commonly referred to simply as HASL or a solder coating. During the … Continue reading →

Sep16
Component Drop-Off on PCBs: How to Analyze, Troubleshoot, and Identify the Root Cause

Figcaption: Component Drop-Off on PCBs: How to Analyze, Troubleshoot, and Identify the Root Cause Components falling off a PCB can be a nightmare for many process and quality engineers. Workingbear has previously shared several cases involving components falling off PCBs. … Continue reading →

Sep09
How to Read a BGA Red Dye Penetration Test Report: What the Results Really Mean and How to Interpret Them

Figure 1: How to interpret the deeper meaning of a laboratory BGA red dye penetration test report If I showed you the microscope image above (Figure 1), taken right after a Red Dye Penetration Test, could you tell Workingbear what … Continue reading →