Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1532052
30 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2025 True machine capability will be critical for assemblers: • With component spacing less than 3 mils, there is little room for placement error • As solder deposits get smaller, the self-cen- tering properties of surface tension diminish • Inspection windows will need to get tighter and shadowing may become a problem • Rework may not be possible so First Time Right is critical to profitability and tech- nology adoption e pie charts on page 28 illustrate a star- tlingly sad statistic about machine capability. It was provided by CeTaQ, the company that measures machine accuracy and repeatability (see sidebar). ere's bad news and good news here: While anywhere from 70–90% of SMT production machines fail to meet their OEM spec, 85–90% can be adjusted to pass their original specs. U.S. board fabricators are gearing up to build UHDI capabilities. Semiconductor man- ufacturers are investing in new foundries and packaging facilities. Will the SMT community get ready for the challenges or wait and tackle them on production lines? Assemblers who are planning for success in the next age of elec- tronics are looking to their futures now. SMT007 Battery engineers and their supporters have sought for years to build batteries cheaper than the dominant lithium-ion technology, hoping to capture some of lithium-ion's $50 billion-a-year and grow- ing market. The latest darling contender among researchers, startups, and venture capitalists— sodium-ion batteries—has received much atten- tion after COVID-induced mineral supply chain challenges sent lithium prices on a wild ride. Still, achieving a low-cost contender may be several years away for sodium-ion batteries and will require technological advances and favorable market con- ditions, according to a new study in Nature Energy. Sodium-ion batteries still face an uphill struggle. The amount of energy they hold per pound tends to be lower than lithium-ion batteries. So, possible lower materials prices aside, the cost per unit of energy stored remains higher for sodium-ion batteries. "The price of lithium-ion batteries rose for the first time in 2022, which set off alarms for poten- tially needing an alternative. Sodium-ion is perhaps the most compelling near-term challenger to lith- ium-ion, and many battery companies announced plans of major build-out of sodium-ion manufac- turing, promising pathways to lower prices than the incumbent," said Adrian Yao, the study's lead author and the founder and team lead of STEER, which began in October 2023 with the support of three offices within the U.S. Department of Energy. "We recognized that if, when, and how sodium-ion batteries might undercut lith- ium-ion on price was largely speculative, especially given that the price of lithium- ion continues to fall," said Yao, a doctoral candidate who returned to academia after eight years of being the founder and chief technology officer of a lithium-ion battery startup now producing its batteries on a large, commercial scale. Source: Stanford University Sodium-ion Batteries Need Breakthroughs to Compete