Posts Tagged MAP Software
What’s New – July: M.O.L.E.® MAP 2.20a Release
Posted by Ray Pearce in M.O.L.E. MAP, Ray's Blog, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiler, Thermal Profiling on July 29th, 2011
Since the advent of the CPU, electronic products have been getting “smart.” And now, to the extent that software and an internet connection make it possible, even appliances which most of us would consider to be a block of steel and plastic with a singular function, such as a refrigerator, are now capable of keeping inventory, reminding you to go shopping – even placing delivery orders to restock! Yes, when you really think about it, it’s often the software that enables and drives product innovation and answers the question “What if we could….?” The latest ECD software is a perfect example. It allows us to give our profiling equipment the very capabilities that customers have had on their wish lists. A M.O.L.E.® can’t order you lunch, but here’s “What’s New.”
This month ECD announced availability of the new 2.20a version of M.O.L.E.® MAP software. Introduced in 2007, MAP (Machine-Assembly-Process) received multiple innovation awards, and is now the software platform for ECD’s entire line of thermal profilers: SuperM.O.L.E.® Gold 2, MEGAM.O.L.E.® 20, V-M.O.L.E.®, SuperM.O.L.E.®, Gold and PTP® VP-8
This version release coincides with the new SuperM.O.L.E.® Gold 2 availability and implements inputs from our Software Advisory Board (yes, we have one!) So without further ado, here are the top 5 new features and benefits of M.O.L.E.® MAP 2.20a.
- AutoPlay
This new feature auto-detects your M.O.L.E.® type and quickly links your plugged-in M.O.L.E.® to perform these basic tasks:
- View the status of your M.O.L.E.®
- Setup your M.O.L.E.® to perform a data run
- Download your most recently recorded data
- Start M.O.L.E.® MAP
This instant USB access eases the learning curve for the novice and focuses the operator on the basic profiling tasks at hand, shielding them from the full feature set of the software.
- Improved Navigation
When you do open MAP, the “Welcome” screen now displays links to recently used Directories and recently viewed Profiles. Quickly resume your previous work session by clicking where you left off with this convenient new feature.
- Bulk Import of Previous M.O.L.E.® Files
Speaking of Profiles, you will probably want to import your libraries of SuperM.O.L.E.® Gold profiles (from SMGSPC) into MAP, which converts the .mdm file into the new .xmg format.
This MAP version implements group importation of existing .mdm and collaborative .xmg profile data. With a simple click-shift and drag, you can now move the contents of old Workbooks (an SMGSPC term) into new Directories, M.O.L.E.® MAP’s term for the currently viewed data in the Spreadsheet Tab.
- PDF Printing to File and Email
Another way to collaborate your process engineering work between EMS/OEM is to provide documents to operators in PDF format. The new MAP integrates PDF printing with an improved Print Selection dialog to accomplish portrait or landscape orientation directly to Email or a File. Great when your customer demands hardcopy proof!
- Free Self-Serve Web Authorization and Automatic Upgrade Notification
Last but not least, licensing fees and pay authorization have been replaced with free “Self-Authorization” through the ECD website. We give you a 31-day window to go to the Help menu, select “Authorize” then click on “Web Authorize”. After you fill out the web form and agree to standard terms, our site sends you an email with your software unlock key.
It’s as simple as that! Plus, you will be notified of new releases in the future. We always want you to have the advantages of our current release. Thank you for reading this month’s What’s New!
Free MAP 2.20a download is available at ECD DOWNLOADS. (Check out the Readme file for the entire list of Rev 2.20a M.O.L.E.® MAP improvements!)
Till next time,
Ray Pearce
ECD Sales Engineer
ray.pearce@ecd.com
Total Heat – Another way to analyze your thermal profile
Posted by Paul Austen in Extracting Parameters, M.O.L.E. MAP, Reading Profiles, Reflow Profiling, Thermal Profiling on January 21st, 2011
One of the most popular ways to determine if a thermal profile of an electronic assembly is within specification is to consider the limits placed on four measurements or parameters: Initial Ramp Slope, Soak time, Time Above Liquidus and Peak temperature. Keep these four parameters within the specified (solder paste) limits and you can be assured that you are soldering the parts without damaging them.
Figure 1 Typical thermal profile with the four traditional parameters within spec
There are other ways to look at a profile which can be helpful in determining if the profile may threaten components and showing if it is consistent, both across solder joints, and over time.
In the profile example above, the Time Above Liquidus (TAL)on solder joints 1 and 3 are within 2 seconds, yet channel 3 (from the data; plot not shown for visual clarity) had more readings at higher temperatures. This means that although this part may have the same time above 183ºC, more readings were at temperatures higher than channel 1; higher risk of damage. Also note that the peak temperatures were not far apart; 222.2ºC vs. 223.5ºC.
So we added a new measurement to the MAP software to not only show Time Above Liquidus, but also consider the temperature values during the TAL portion of the profile. This new measurement has several names: “Total Heat,” ” Area Under the Curve,” or “Stress Integral.” It combines the time element of Time Above Liquidus with the temperature measurements during that time to give the Total Heat the component experienced, expressed in degree-seconds.
Figure 2 Total Heat measurements (component 1 only shown for clarity)
In this case, even though the Time Above Liquidus values are within 2 seconds and the peak temperature is less than 2 degrees apart, the Total Heat values are 2278º-sec and 2628 º-sec which differ by 350 º-sec! This clearly points out that component 3 had to withstand more Total Heat than component 1 and this simple parameter can now be examined in an instant, using the latest; version 2.18j of MAP software.
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