| Surface mount technology (SMT), used in the assembly of printed circuit boards, is now a mature technology. The advantages of SMT over the conventional assembly techniques, such as through-hole technology have been continuously realized. Nevertheless, the demand for smaller products and higher speed circuitry continue to drive the design of Surface Mount Components (SMC), to higher pin counts and reduced package size. Increased density at the chip level allows higher performance and power to be compressed into smaller and tighter packaging systems. However, as the drive to shrink electronics packaging systems continues, industry faces an ever increasing number of challenges, in the design of materials, processes, and models.;The present research introduces the Intelligent Print Process Control System (IPPCS). This system models the print process with an acceptable level of accuracy and generalization, such that proper control may be implemented in a variety of SMT print applications, under a set of predetermined conditions. Various modeling and control techniques are incorporated into the IPPCS. Based upon empirical data, the IPPCS is a superior methodology, which achieves its set objectives.;The solder paste screen printing process is a critical aspect of SMT. It is one of the major processes used in the assembly of SMC. This process is sensitive to stencil, solder paste, environmental, and machine related variables. The highly complex inter-relationship between these variables makes the selection, of proper parameters for the print process, crucial. Therefore, expert systems are implemented to insure proper parameterization. |
