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60 SMT Magazine • September 2014 ArTICle In the field of electronics manufacturing, the demand for void-free soldering is increasing due to changes in technology and processes. Lead- free soldering has a tendency to produce more voids in solder joints than the tin-lead solder process. BGAs and micro-BGAs with smaller ball size and pitches are more susceptible to the neg - ative effects of voiding. The reliability of power electronics depends on homogenous solder con- nections to ensure proper dissipation of heat from power devices. Newer technologies such as LED lighting and solar concentrators require low-void or void-free solder connections. The company's recent technical seminar, "Void-free Soldering," was attended by some of the top electronics companies in the Silicon Val - ley. The feedback was positive, with several ex- pressing a high level of interest in learning more about this process. Co-sponsored by Rehm Thermal Systems, with collaboration from Technica's other part- ners, ASM-Siplace and Heraeus Assembly Mate- rials, and participation from Asys Group/Ekra Printing Technologies, LaserJob Inc. and Viscom AG, a live demonstration of void-free soldering was part of the day's agenda. Technica USA opened up its West Coast Demo & Training Center at their San Jose, Cali- fornia, location last July in cooperation with ASM-Siplace, along with contributions from its other key partners Heraeus and Rehm. As the home of ASM-Siplace's West Coast Demo and Training Center, every calendar quarter ASM conducts three consecutive weeks of training and continuing education for existing and new users of their placement equipment. Customers from all over the Western U.S. have attended these sessions to participate in this value-added benefit. The center has also been used to con - duct other applications work at the request of OEM and SMT customers over the last year. The Tech Day was the first of planned an- nual events for Technica. "I believe as a major supplier to the SMT market that we are incum- bent to bring value to our customers each and every day," explained Frank Medina, president of Technica USA. "We believe the Demo and Training Center is one way to accomplish our objective. We also believe that providing infor- mation on technology trends, market trends and other pertinent topics is another way we can ful- fill our obligation as a value-added supplier. The industry offers many venues for providing infor- mation but it's not reasonable to think our cus- tomers can afford to send everyone who would benefit. Our approach to the annual Tech Day should provide more flexibility and opportunity by barb hockaday I-ConneCT007 SMT Engineers Declare Technica Tech Day a Success