Solder Paste Printing Performance Comparison

This technical report presents a study comparing the performance of coated and uncoated stencils in solder paste printing. The study aims to optimize solder paste transfer efficiency by examining the effects of solder alloy powder size and stencil types. Initial phases utilized coated stencils to minimize stencil-induced variations, while the follow-up explored uncoated stencils commonly used in manufacturing. The report details the testing methodology, which involved extensive comparisons of print quality metrics, specifically Transfer Efficiency (TE) and Coefficient of Variation (CV). Results indicated that coated stencils generally achieved higher TE across various aperture ratios, with T4 paste yielding the best performance. The findings highlight the significant impact of stencil coating on print quality, particularly in high-volume or high-precision applications. The report concludes with recommendations on the cost-benefit analysis of using coated stencils to reduce print variations and improve overall efficiency in solder paste application.