Indium Corporation, headquartered in Clinton, New York, is presenting five technical papers at SMTA International 2026, held 25–29 October in Rosemont, Illinois. The sessions cover solder paste printing fundamentals, defect mitigation in large BGA assemblies, and thermal interface materials — topics of direct relevance to contract manufacturers and OEM process engineers working to improve yield and reliability in surface-mount production.
Adam Murling, Technical Services Manager, opens the technical programme on 27 October with a back-to-basics session on stencil printing. The presentation revisits solder paste rheology and powder size selection in relation to stencil aperture design, area ratio calculations, and the five-ball rule — established heuristics that guide aperture-to-powder-diameter ratios and directly affect paste transfer efficiency. Printer setup parameters and their influence on deposit consistency and defect rates are also covered. For process engineers dealing with fine-pitch components or miniaturised boards, such fundamentals remain a practical reference point regardless of production volume.
Hongwen Zhang, Director of R&D, presents Phase III of an ongoing investigation into warpage-related solder joint defects in large BGA assemblies. Earlier phases validated lower-temperature soldering as an effective strategy for reducing dynamic warpage during reflow. The new work focuses on solder ball alloy selection, comparing SAC305 — the industry-standard lead-free alloy — against SAC-Bi, SAC-3Bi, and SAC-In variants. The evaluation covers bump strength, melting behaviour, and temperature-cycling reliability, culminating in five principal conclusions intended to guide alloy selection for lower-temperature process windows. The ability to reduce peak reflow temperatures while maintaining joint reliability is increasingly relevant for assembling large, warpage-prone packages on thin substrates, a challenge common in server, networking and automotive electronics.
Lee Hong Kim, Area Technical Manager for Malaysia, addresses a question that frequently arises in high-volume SMT lines: whether a controlled gap between the stencil and PCB surface during printing is detrimental to paste deposition quality. The session examines how print gap and board flatness interact to affect paste release and deposit geometry — parameters that influence first-pass yield in automated printing cells.
The broader programme also includes sessions on thermal interface materials and lead-free assembly protocols, reflecting Indium Corporation's positioning across the solder materials and advanced packaging supply chain. SMTAI serves as a key annual forum for North American electronics manufacturing, though its proceedings and technical papers are widely referenced by European EMS providers and materials engineers tracking industry developments in alloy formulation and process optimisation.
For European electronics manufacturers evaluating low-temperature soldering strategies or refining stencil printing processes, the research presented by Indium Corporation at SMTAI 2026 offers data-driven guidance applicable beyond the North American market.
Quelle: Indium Corporation – https://www.indium.com/press-releases/indium-corporation-experts-investigate-pcb-performance-and-connectivity-solutions-at-smtai-2026/
