The following three primary requirements must be addressed for verification of press-fit zone designs:
- Plated Through Hole integrity (cross-section analysis)
- Mechanical Forces (insertion & retention forces)
- Contact Resistance (electrical measurement)
Before considering the use of any press-fit zone design, it is critical to know that it has been through and has passed a comprehensive environmental test program based on IEC-60352-5 requirements.
Maintaining contact resistance within specified parameters is a critical performance factor for the success of any press-fit application. Therefore all press-fit zone designs must be tested to meet the specific application's contact resistance requirements within the targeted operating environments.
Resistance testing should be conducted both before and after multi-axis environmental stress, which includes but is not limited to: thermal shock, high/low temperature exposure, vibration, climatic cycling, temperature and humidity cycling and other similar test requirements. The test criteria should include the specified test current level and the maximum change of contact resistance for each application, using IEC-60352-5 requirements as a baseline guide.
The pre-post analysis should address a range of specific contact resistance factors as shown below:
For more detailed information, test configurations and methodologies, download the Tech Bulletin on Contact Resistance Analysis for Press-Fit.
