Soldertec site downloads show DT/NDT capabilities

The downloads highlight the capabilities for the testing of PCB laminates, electronic components and assemblies and soldering materials.

There are 11 non-destructive techniques and more than 20 destructive techniques available to help sort out various difficult issues, according to the company.

Dr Wayne Lam, laboratory manager at Soldertec Global, said: 'NDT allows products or parts to be tested in our laboratory and then they are functionally tested in a final product.

'However, there are times when only destructive testing can generate enough information in order to understand a part's structural performance or material behaviour, the latter generally yielding more information and the results being easier to interpret,' he added.

The laboratory has received a growing number of requests from companies whose products are currently exempt under the EU-RoHS regulations but are aware that this exemption will not always be the case.

Some long-term thermal cycling exercises on lead-free prototypes with continuous resistance monitoring, using event detectors, have been undertaken for those companies wishing to keep ahead of their competitors, according to Soldertec.

Another increasingly popular test is said to be the SIR and salt-spray service, which investigates the performance of conformal coatings on products destined for high-reliability applications.

The final growth area has been in the detection of counterfeit electronic devices bought on the grey market as older parts become more difficult to source.

Soldertec has also announced that it is one of the sponsors of the new UK Electronics Alliance website, which highlights this issue to UK electronics companies.