Topline, a designer, manufacturer, and provider of electronic components and packaging solutions for PCB assemblies, has been granted an exclusive worldwide license by NASA for “Particle Damping for Vibration Mitigation for Circuit Cards”. The NASA invention U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 14/196,203 describes a ‘Vibration Damping Device for Circuit Card Assemblies.’ The invention pertains to the use of PID – Particle Impact Dampers, to attenuate destructive vibrations in PCB assemblies. Usage includes PCB assemblies in all fields. The technology of PID and its benefits will be explained and discussed by the company’s President, Martin Hart, in the booth #923, at the IPC/APEX Expo 2017 trade show in San Diego, California February 14–16, 2017.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center invented a novel way to attenuate destructive vibratory forces to reduce damage in PCBAs. This innovation extends the life of the assembly, including IC packages that operate under harsh environmental conditions including thermal stress and vibration.
The Particle Impact Damper (PID) is mounted near the geometric center of the PCB where vibratory forces are the greatest. The kinetic energy is transferred to the PID to dampen vibration in the circuit assembly. PID provides better reduction in vibration than alternative methods such as adding heavy metal supports, bumpers, or increasing the thickness of the PCB.
PIDs are commercially available COTS components. Mounting methods include surface mount soldering, snap-in through-hole, screw mounting, and epoxy mounting with permanent adhesives. Engineering development kits are currently under development.