MOLE® Thermal Profiler Calibration – Why and When?
Posted by Paul Austen in Thermal Musings, Thermal Profiler, Thermal Profiling on July 26th, 2010
MOLE® Thermal Profiler Calibration – Why and When?
Calibration of electronic measurement instruments is a necessary process, even though most electronic equipment is very stable and somewhat “resistant” to the effects of environment and changes due to aging.
Q: So why calibrate if my MOLE is “in spec” every time I send it in for calibration?
Because calibration is not so much an adjustment process but rather a proofing process that shows, over time, that your MOLE has been in calibration and thus should remain in calibration, because you have a track record to prove it. Documented history of a MOLE’s performance is the only way to claim your MOLE is in calibration at any given instant.
Most good labs will tell you that when your MOLE is calibrated, it is compared to standards , typically standards that have traceability to NIST, and if it is shown to be measuring within its specified accuracy they will not make any attempt to “adjust” it. Only if it is “on the edge,” which usually means it is getting to the last 10% to 20% of the specified accuracy limit, will they make any adjustments. Your MOLE may still be “in spec” and thus “in calibration,” when the lab received it, but getting close, so they will adjust it closer to the middle of the spec. range.
If it is out-of-spec when received by the lab, then a red flag goes up and calls into question every measurement made since the last calibration! The lab will tell you how far out of spec it is, and you can decide if its measurements during that time affect the quality of the measurements made more than can be tolerated, or if they are “close enough” to still be acceptable.
Q: So, when should the MOLE be calibrated?
The number one best time to calibrate the MOLE is on a regular time-based interval, which is recommended once a year. However, there are other events which may cause you to want to seek calibration at other times of the year, such as:
- When the MOLE is subjected to rough treatment like a fall to the floor,
- When your MOLE is accidently “over heated” ,
- When you are starting a new product introduction and you are characterizing an oven and new assembly to find the right recipe,
- When a new customer’s contract stipulates you use equipment that has been recently calibrated,
- When your in-house quality program requires a calibration interval.
Getting your MOLE calibrated is easy and we want to make sure you are always making the highest quality temperature measurements.
MOLE Talk
Posted by Paul Austen in Thermal Musings on June 28th, 2010
Yes I know, I’m ripping off the Car Talk radio program name, the truly funny call-n show where two well educated brothers have the best of fun giving advise (correct for the most part) to their call-in victims about everything from car repairs to personal relationships. If you’ve not heard the program, find your local NPR radio station and check it out. And also, I’m following on the heels of Board Talk, a web based collection of questions and answers by two respected members of the electronic assembly community who do a nice job (in a “Car Talk” like format) of answering many common questions submitted by followers of the Circuitmart web based electronic assembly resource.
So why take the risk of being yet another abuser of the “Car Talk” theme? Well because I have been asked this question many times: “Why did you call it a Mole?” Call what a Mole?
You know the M.O.L.E. ® Thermal Profiler, that pocket sized 6-channel temperature measurement logger used to see if you are getting the right temperature to your solder joints without overheating your thermally sensitive components (J-STD-075) in reflow or wave soldering machines.
There is a mouth full! Well, to answer this question I thought I’d take a look at the many really cool things a Mole can be. Here are a few:
A Mole of any substance shall have the same number of atoms, molecules, ions, or other elementary units, as the number of atoms in 12 grams of carbon. That number is: 6.0225 × 10^23, AKA: Avogadro’s number. So if you want to calibrate your scale, simply pile up 602,250,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms of carbon and you’ll have 12.001 grams.
An annual celebration of the date and time represented by the numbers 6.02×10^23 or October 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. There is a cool web site in honor of this important number in the world of chemistry and physics. Check it out.
A small gray burrowing mammal, that is for the most part blind, although they probably can tell night from day. Moles tunnel through dirt and eat small worms living mostly underground. Moles can be found in most parts of North America, Asia, and Europe, although there are no moles in Ireland.
What do you call a Mole’s baby? Yes, a Pup. A female Mole is called a sow and the male is called a boar. And if you have more than one Mole you have a “company” of Moles.
A benign skin tumor found on human skin appearing as a small, sometimes raised area, with darker pigment.
A Mexican sauce made from chili peppers, other spices, and chocolate. However, it’s pronounced “Mole-Ay” and I often take service calls from Spanish speaking customers who say they have a “Mole-ay” that is due for calibration. I recommend this dish at your favorite Mexican restaurant. However, there are many different ways to make it so if you don’t like it at one restaurant, don’t be afraid to try it again at another.
A spy who has worked their way into an organization or country for the purpose of getting information. Wasn’t there a TV show?
A pier, jetty, or junction between places separated by water. I did not know this could be called a Mole until today.
A complete line of stage and production lighting products made by the Mole-Richardson Co I’m into theatrical lighting so naturally I’d know about this one.
OK, so this has been fun. Can we get on and just answer the question, “Why did you call it a MOLE?” Taking from the best parts of the many uses of the word Mole, we grabbed the following:
- A Mole crawls through tunnels.
- A Mole secretly spies on the goings-on of something or someone without detection
- A Mole of something is a number that starts with the number 6 (6.02…)
- A Mole is a delicious Mexican sauce. OK, we took nothing from this possible definition of Mole.
Put these together and you get an instrument that goes through the dark tunnels of many different thermal processes, measures the temperature of that process without disturbing it, and does it in 6 (or 3, or 20, since the original naming of the brand) locations of that process. Only a M.O.L.E. ® can do that. So that is why we called it a Mole. So what does the acronym M.O.L.E. stand for?
M = Multichannel – more than one temperature measurement input
O = Occurrent – events that happen (or occur) at the same time
L = Logger – a recording instrument
E = Evaluator – one who makes a judgment, as in the “OK” button on the new V-M.O.L.E. and MEGAM.O.L.E.
On Reflow Soldering
Posted by Paul Austen in Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiling on May 3rd, 2010
You know, at ECD we have been in the thermal profiling business for over 25 years. Most of what we profile is the reflow soldering process. There are many others like wave soldering, baking, drying, curing, and a host of other industrial temperature process. Still, reflow soldering is the most popular use for a thermal profiler like the MOLE. And yet, most of what can be found on the subject of reflow soldering, at least on the web, focuses on specific portions of the reflow process and not on the entire process as a whole.
For example, component manufacturers would have you avoid certain limits in temperature or temperature change rate (slope) to avoid damaging their parts. And that’s ok, but that only tells you what to avoid, temperature wise. Most solder paste manufacturers would have you believe that their paste can take most any reflow thermal process so as not to be excluded from purchase. This too is understandable and in reality, most solder pastes are good and will solder your components to your circuit board. Many standards (like IPC standards) on the subject suggest what your product MUST withstand to be considered robust and not necessarily an ideal reflow process thermal profile. This makes sense, because there is no one reflow thermal profile that will solder every possible circuit board assembly, and standards must be general in their application. Then there are the public websites that are often peppered with bias toward a specific brand of profiler in their description of what’s important or how to view it.
Each year new talent enters the work force and training in the art of reflow soldering is limited or costly. Worse yet, some learning about the reflow process only occurs from failures caused by incorrect reflow process settings. And perhaps worst of all, many reflow solder machine are still running the same setting set generations ago because no one currently available has the skill to make them better. Just because many industry veterans understand the issues around reflow soldering and thermal profiling does not mean the new talent can hit the road running. And, since most every electronic assembly will pass through either reflow soldering, wave soldering, or sometimes both, I thought it important to take a look at the reflow solder process, dissect it and consider what’s important to measure and control. Click here for the more in-depth look.
IPC Government Relations
Posted by Grant Peterson in Thermal Musings on April 16th, 2010
We’ve just returned from APEX in Las Vegas, where we had a chance to participate in the IPC Government Relations Committee’s Open Forum. For your information, an annual opportunity to gain insight, or get your voice heard, is upcoming.
Capitol Hill Day, scheduled for June 9-10, 2010 is just around the corner. If you’ve ever wanted a chance to voice your company’s concerns related to trade policy, RoHS regulations, counterfeit parts, or any other weighty matter, IPC makes it easy for you.
They can set up appointments ahead of time with many Representatives or Senators and often even send someone from IPC with you. It’s being held in conjunction with the IPC “Executive Market and Technology Conference: High-Reliability Electronics and the Future of American Electronics Manufacturing“. One can go to either Capitol Hill Day, or the Conference, or both.
Seems like a good way to get your voice heard. Check it out at the links above, or for more information you can contact Ron Chamrin, IPC manager of government relations at: email:RonChamrin@ipc.org or +1 703-522-0225. He invites inquiries, and the effort just might be worth your while.
VP Marketing & Sales, ECD
Diverse Needs, Diverse Solutions – We’ve got an App for That!
Posted by Paul Austen in M.O.L.E. MAP, MegaRIDER, OvenCHECKER, OvenRIDER, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiling on March 29th, 2010
How many different MOLE profilers and Test Pallets does it take to monitor a reflow solder machine? It depends on who you are and why you are monitoring it? We just want to make sure there are as many tools as there are reasons for running a thermal profile. Here are a few good reasons:
1. “I’m from the Metrology lab and it’s time for the annual calibration of your reflow oven.” We’ve got an app for that. After you’ve finished with the oven’s calibration procedure, you can run the MegaRIDER-20 with a Process Test Pallet to see if the machine is uniform across the conveyor width and has the same heating capacity as it did the last calibration or maintenance.
2. “I’m the Manufacturing Engineer and our QC Department wants me to show that this oven is in control.” We’ve got an app for that. You probably need more information than the once a year Metrology profile can provide. So weekly you can an OvenRIDER and see that every zone in the oven is performing the same using X-Bar R charts to prove it.
3. “I’m on the New Product introduction team and I need a good recipe to solder a new board without killing the parts.” We’ve got an app for that. The Super M.O.L.E.® Gold thermal profiler will let you connect T/Cs to the board to see exactly what’s going on, thermally, on the areas where you and the designer have the most concern. Use the Prediction tools in the new MAP software to lock in the perfect recipe.
4. “I’m a Line Technician and I have to know my reflow oven is ready to run product without all the wires and circuit board stuff.” We’ve got an app for that. OvenCHECKER is one pallet loaded with the most powerful profiler on the market today. It takes no more time to run than the first production board and it lets you know if the reflow oven is ready or not. No downloading, no comparing numbers on a chart, just Go, or No-Go.
The Fastest Way to Know Your profile is “OK”
Posted by Paul Austen in Extracting Parameters, M.O.L.E. MAP, Reading Profiles, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiler, Thermal Profiling on February 25th, 2010
Now there is a way to verify that your profile requirements are being met in less time than you ever thought possible. The letters in the name M.O.L.E.® thermal profiler have always stood for Multi-channel Occurrent Logger Evaluator. Now the patented* “OK button” feature truly makes “E” in MOLE a reality, because now the MOLE profiler can automatically compare the measured temperature profile to your pre-programmed profile requirements.
The ECD V-MOLE with patented one button “OK” profile evaluation
(The OK Button is also available on the 20-channel MEGAM.O.L.E.™ thermal profiler, and OvenCHECKER™ )
Taking only seconds, the MOLE can tell you and your oven operators if the profile just measured is in or out of specification with the universally understood Green for good (GO!) or Red for bad (STOP!).
You get to set the specification limits for any or all of the four most popular profile parameters:
- Ramp Slope
- Time Between temperatures
- Time above Liquidous
- Peak Temperature
…and you can choose which of the MOLE’s input channels to include, up to 20 channels on the MEGAM.O.L.E.™, and three on the V-M.O.L.E.™ thermal profilers.
The Specification Table in MAP Software
Using the MAP™ Profiling software, enter your specification limits for the four profile parameters in the Upper and Lower Limits table in the “Target-10 OK” tab. These values will automatically be sent to the MOLE profiler when you use the Verify Process Wizard to confirm that a previously characterized oven recipe is still performing within specification.
MAP™ Profiling Software Target-10 OK Profile tab
Once programmed, the MOLE profiler can be used many times (up to 96 times) to Verify your oven is producing the same profile, without reconnecting to your computer. Simply run the profile and press the “OK Button” on the MOLE. No more running back to the PC software to download to see the results. One push of the OK button, and you get your answer…Go, or No-Go. It’s that simple!
*U.S. Patent Number 7653502.
Why do an Oven HealthCHECK™? Why Calibrate Instruments?
Posted by Paul Austen in Reflow Oven Verification, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiling on January 27th, 2010
Why do an Oven HealthCHECK™? Why Calibrate Instruments?
You might ask, why should I perform an Oven HealthCHECK? In other words, why should I run a rather sophisticated measurement system through my oven to produce a rather nice looking 3-D plot of the cross belt temperature uniformity?
Figure 1: An example 3-D plot of the oven with very good cross belt uniformity, < 3ºC
I may not like the answer because I might find out my oven has a problem that I cannot fix? Sounds like a “head in the sand” sort of excuse to me.
I would ask a different question: “Why do you calibrate your bench test instruments?” Is it to find out that the instrument is out of spec? Heavens no!! That would be a nightmare because it would call into question everything that instrument was used to test since the last time it was calibrated. So why do you calibrate if the results could be so disastrous? Simple, it allows you to show and document that the instrument is and always has been “within specification.” So when the auditor asks, how do know your instruments are in calibration, you pull out the Certificates of Calibration.
Figure: What’s the first thing you check after you receive your Certificates of Calibration? The “As Received: Within Tolerance”
ECD’s Oven HealthCHECK is designed to certify and document your oven’s performance or health. It is a “calibration” done on a regular interval, say once a year, to show that the oven performance is within specification and not changing over time. It can also provide a baseline level of performance around which you can compare into the future. Further, if you have several ovens, the HealthCHECK can show you which ovens are best for applications where oven uniformity is critical.
Back this up with much simpler and more frequent verification profiles of your oven using OvenRIDER or OvenCHECKER, where simple software-generated Xbar-R control charts show daily indications of a thermal process that is “in control,” and you will no longer have to steer the auditor around your reflow oven. You can proudly show that you know your oven’s performance level and that it is consistent because you have taken the steps to measure your oven’s health as part of your Thermal Quality Management program. Such a program should be marketed, since it shows you commitment to understanding your oven’s thermal nature and you have the data to show it. This sure beats the “head in the sand” quality program which may characterize your competition.
GR&R as it applies to ECD products – OvenCHECKER™, OvenRIDER®, WaveRIDER® and MEGARIDER®
Posted by Paul Austen in G R&R, M.O.L.E. MAP on November 6th, 2009
Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (GR&R) studies are designed to show the amount of variation certain portions of the measurement system contribute to the total variation in measurement, often expressed in percent. There are many ways and products available to help you calculate these numbers, which range from a piece of graph paper to full blown software packages costing 1000s of dollars.
So let’s take a look at the values produced by a typical G R&R study and then see how they could fit with the data produced by the OvenRIDER® or OvenCHECKER™ software:
Appraiser Variation (AV%) – This is the percent of the total variation which we humans introduce because the measurement method may vary due to physical or subjective interpretation issues. Things like value interpolation between two tick marks on a ruler or how hard they squeeze a caliper around a part. This is the “Reproducibility” part of a measurement. The lower the measurement variation caused by the appraiser, the better its reproducibility and so almost anyone can do it and get the same or very close answer. If it is more than 30%, then there is too much variation from one person’s measurements to another’s. You will want to make sure they are following the procedure and not taking some shortcut.
Equipment Variation (EV%) – This is the percent of the total variation which is caused by the measurement equipment or tools used to make the measurement, like a ruler for length or thermometer for temperature. This is the “Repeatability” part of a measurement. The lower the variation caused by the equipment, the better its repeatability. Again, more than 30% means a good portion of the variation lies with the measurement tools.
Reproducibility and Repeatability (R&R%) – This is the combination of the AV and EV and is the percent of the total variation due to the tools and the people used to measure the parts. The measurement system, people and tools should produce a percent of less the 10% to know you have a good measurement system. Between 10% and 30% and you should work to improve the component(s) contributing the majority of the variation.
Part Variation (PV%) – This is the percent of the total variation which is caused by the parts being measured. This is where most of the variation should be found no matter how small the variation. After all, the part variation is what you are trying to measure, no matter how small. So expect to see this number in the 90% range, which means your parts are what is varying.
Total Variation (TV) – The TV is typically not given in percent and is a “standard deviation” like number where one can expect 99.73% of all the measurements to fall between +/-3 times the TV.
The form shows a typical example of a GR&R with sample data one way the values can calculated. How the numbers are calculated is not too important at this point. What they mean and how one can apply them to the data captured from an OvenRIDER® or OvenCHECKER™ is the real question.
So what does it take to do a GR&R?
- Two or more Appraisers – These are the people who are going to use the measuring tools to measure the parts.
- At least 5 sample parts – These are the things the manufacturing process is designed to produce.
- At least two trials measurements – This means measuring the same value from the same part at least two times.
How do these three things map into to the data produced by the OvenRIDER® or OvenCHECKER™:
- We have two or more appraisers, no problem!
- How about at least 5 sample parts? Well, what is the “part” we are making? We have an oven, and the oven has a recipe which was characterized to melt solder without killing the parts on your boards. So, the oven is set up to make … thermal profiles, or time vs. temperature graphs of a specific shape. We assess the shape in many ways, just like we could assess a bolt made by a screw machine. On the bolt we could measure its length, diameter, thread pitch, hardness, etc. On a profile, we measure the initial ramp slope, soak time, time above liquidous, peak temperature, etc. So the profile is the sample part, and one of the profile measures is the value we want to study. Let’s say, peak temperature. Then you run the RIDER through the oven at least five times to make at least 5 sample parts (profiles). So far so good.
- Now each appraiser is to take at least two trial measurements of the same value off the sample parts. So for a given profile, instruct each appraiser to measure the same value off the part (profile) at least two times. How? The software, which takes the data out of the profiler which was recorded from the RIDER, extracts that data from the profiles automatically. No matter how many times or who you instruct to ask the software to give you the peak temperature for a given profile, it will produce the exact same value. If you wanted to do it the hard way, and have each appraiser look at the profile graph using a straightedge and pen, and interpolate the peak value from the graph, you would likely get some appraiser caused variation. But no one in their right mind would do this.
What does this mean? It means that no matter what version of GR&R you use to run the math, the AV and EV will be 0%, leaving all the variation in the parts, which does not make for a very practical GR&R study.
But wait, could you just run the RIDER through the oven again to take a second trial measurement of the SAME profile (or part)? That is NOT a second measure of the same part. That would be producing another new sample part, not a second trial measure of the same part.
This is a typical problem with over half of the measurements we are asked to take in industry these days. It can only be measured once, and then it’s gone. If you want to pull to failure test a bolt as the GR&R studied value, you can only do it once, and then the bolt is broken. You can’t put it back together to make a second or third trial measure. It is the same with a profile. It happens in time and once the profile is produced, that specific profile at that instant in time cannot be measured again. It’s gone! You can only produce another profile (or part), which is not the same as measuring the same profile value twice.
So GR&R is not really the best method of assessing a RIDER product’s variation. The real question is, what is the accuracy of the instrument (the MOLE® thermal profiler), which is stated in the specification, and the variation in the RIDER sensors?
Great care is taken to manufacture sensors to a tight tolerance and tested to show that they have consistent response time to temperature changes. That, coupled with the fact that the materials do not break down or alter properties with use, makes it reasonable to accept any variation measured by the RIDER products lies most completely with the machine producing the profiles.
References and Tables:
“DataMyte HandBook Sixth Edition – A practical guide to computerized data collection for Statistical Process Control” by DataMyte Business, Allen-Bradley Company, Inc.
Understanding Gage R&R by Rick Sloop, Quality Magazine, September 2009
Profiling ovens and processes with multiple conveyor speeds
Posted by Rex Breunsbach in M.O.L.E. MAP, Profiling, Solar Cell Manufacturing, Thermal Profiling on September 29th, 2009
BTU Tritan Solar Cell Furnace
Ovens used in the metallization of solar cells can have 20 or more heating and cooling zones. These ovens can become quite long if the conveyor speed in the initial curing and final cooling sections are the same as the firing section. By speeding up the conveyor speed in the firing section the oven can be shortened and temperature of the cells can be increased and decreased more quickly.
Multiple conveyor speeds are also encountered in food processing lines where the food product passes through a several machines running at different speeds.
ECD’s newest profiling software can accommodate multiple conveyor speeds. Most profiling software assumes the
Solar Cell Metalization Time-Temperature Profile
conveyor speed in all zones is the same. ECD’s new M.O.L.E. MAP® software version 2.18a allows entry of a different conveyor speed for each zone.
Proper positioning of oven zones on profile time-temperature data requires accurate knowledge of the conveyor speed. By knowing the sampling interval, length of each zone and the conveyor speed one can calculate how many temperature samples “long” a particular zone occupies.�
Verifying Wave Solder Machines using a WaveRIDER
Posted by Paul Austen in Wave Solder, Wave Solder Profiling on September 28th, 2009
Much of what takes place in a Wave solder machine boils down to 4 basic measurements:
(see Figure 1)
- (Max preheat) How hot the board is just before it hits the wave
- (Dwell time) how long do you spend in the wave
- (Contact temp) Temperature of the solder at the contact surface with the board
- Conveyor speed
All the rest of the many measurable parameters are secondary to these in my opinion. Let’s talk a little about each of these as measured by the WaveRIDER SPC software:
Figure 1: WaveRIDER SPC Software
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