LTS2, long term storage solutions, is a new service offered by dry storage and humidity control specialist, Super Dry Totech. The service is designed for those companies that need to store components long term without risk of degradation, but do not wish to make the investment in capital equipment and are looking for a flexible and scalable off-site warehousing solution.
There is a growing trend in the electronics industry of increasing component lead-times, whilst reducing development cycles make it increasingly necessary to hold extra stocks on the operational side. Obsolescence and warranty management, and last time buys are also driving the growing requirement for specialized storage services. Also, IPC/JEDEC J-STD-033 addresses a range of fundamentals regarding moisture sensitive devices and their proper handling, but longer term storage is not addressed.
The company offers a comprehensive outsourced solution, which is the LTS2. The new facility in Zwolle, Netherlands, houses a safe, secure quarantined area that is compliant to international standards for MSD and LTS component storage. Patented technologies ensure temperature and humidity control with transparent and fully traceable management logging so that customers can access online information to verify the status of their stocks in real-time. A full range of interim testing regimes are available as required, including diffusion, moisture absorption, dewetting and wisker formation. Stocks can be called off for production at very short notice. Following customer instructions, parts are retrieved and vacuum packed in an electrostatic protected area before being dispatched via a customer designated courier service.
The company’s dry storage solutions deliver a low (0.5%), controlled level of humidity. Moisture absorbent materials including electronic components, circuit boards, nano fibers, contact lenses, laboratory samples and other vulnerable materials are kept dry and free from water ingress.
