The solder joints on a printed circuit board (PCB) are small and potentially delicate but must be able to withstand handling during the production process. Hand soldering production methods for such small elements is highly skilled, requiring extensive manipulation of the components and thus risk of break-off. In addition to pull-out testing, the joints are subject to compressive shear loading. International test standards exist for this type of mechanical compressive shear stress. The loading probe must be exactly aligned with the surface of the substrate in order to create the shear plane and not place the joint under a bending load instead. To test multiple joints on an intricate board design, a custom system may be required to quickly align all of the joints with the fixture at the specified angle. Selecting a loadcell of appropriate range to record the best accuracy is also a consideration – these tests may need to measure forces of around 300 N.
Mecmesin Systems: MultiTest console-controlled force test system
Case Study: PCB Pull & Shear Test
Standard: IEC 62137
The shear strength of soils and sands can be an expensive thing to test, since the shear force applied is perpendicular to the main compressive force, and universal testers operate in one direction. Our East European client required an affordable solution for more occasional testing.
Mecmesin designed a compression cell attached to an AFTI digital force indicator, that could be inserted into a Mecmesin twin column test stand to apply the shear force. This provided an accurate and cost-effective solution.
