Interplex Junction - The Place to Connect

In conventional soldering processes, the two metal components to be joined are first brought into position and mechanically held in place. Then flux and solder are applied to the conjoined parts, typically by a dipping process.

The biggest issue is the inability of the solder dipping process to consistently assure precise and complete coverage of the desired areas on the pad and contact, which can result in variances of solder joint quality and reliability. In addition, this multi-step soldering process adds cost, time and complexity to the production environment.

In contrast, by including a precise amount of preformed solder and flux on the contact surfaces of a claw shaped design, it is possible to derive 100 percent solderability and consistent repeatability.  This is particularly helpful for implementing edge clip connections.

Just as the PC/104 standard allows a wide range of choices for creating a variety of system-level configurations, designers of board-level solutions and sub-system modules also need to be aware of different choices about how best to implement the PC/104 connectors on their products.

One of the key opportunity areas for improving quality, cost and production efficiency is using either solderless or self-soldering interconnects - both for the PC/104 bus connectors and others, such as the I/O edge-mount connectors typically found on most PC/104 assemblies.

Soldering continues to be the most widely used method for attachment of components on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and also for implementing a diverse range of interconnects between PCBs (mother-boards, daughter-boards, modules, etc.).

Flex circuits are being used in lots of applications today because they offer clear advantages in terms of higher circuit density combined with significant savings in weight, space and cost as compared to traditional PCB connectors, cabling, wire harnesses, etc. Flex circuits can provide up to 75% space savings compared with wiring harnesses and the low mass of flex circuits vs discrete wiring also makes flex circuits ideal for high shock, high vibration applications.

Integration of RF shielding is a critical element in a widening variety of product designs, especially the mobile handheld devices that have become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives. As these products are getting smaller, more complex, and are offering higher performance features, the integration of RF shielding has become more challenging.

For example, longer shields (over 30mm) can exhibit a gap between the shield and the PCB. This can be due to a combination of coplanarity issues with the PCB and/or the RF shield itself. It can also result from warping of the PCB during production line assembly and soldering, in which case, the problem does not become apparent until after initial assembly.

The extra thin PCB materials, denser circuitry and higher frequency signals in new-generation devices are all combining to make these shield assembly problems a critical issue.