| |
OPINION: ESD Safe
Barcode Labels....
Who Needs Them (Really??)
This opinion may
seem strange to many of you who know
Polyonics, and know that we pioneered
static dissipative barcode label
materials....BUT......we've heard for several
years now about the importance of ESD-safe
polyimide labels and other materials for the
PCB/PWB industry. Yet the results to date, in
terms of actual use in the field, have been very
disappointing. Highest praise go to to my
engineering and physicist colleagues in terms of
exponential increases in both chip and board
yields, as well as "six sigma" strides in quality.
Their continuous vigilance against ESD damage to
circuitry and components has truly expanded the
market for microprocessor based equipment. So, it
was logical to develop ESD safe labels, especially
when asked to by more than one large contract
manufacturing company.
I remember seeing a
"reverse auction" on the web a couple of years
ago. Initially, the RFQ required the several
million labels to be static dissipative. The
number of bidders was small, since there were only
2 companies who manufactured esd safe polyimide
label materials (one of which is Polyonics, of
course !!). When that technical requirement was
removed, in favor of "normal" polyimide labels,
the number of bidders on the bid list quadrupled.
Sounded like plain ol' economics to me...the more
bidders, the lower the price."..the heck with 'the
ESD' in ESD labels". So, even though we have
developed the TRIBOGARD(R) family
of polyimide label materials
(and others), I
have wondered whether it's just "one of those
things" you have do and make available to our
customers, in order to show that technical
sophisticaton and readiness..... if the need
arises. Is this technical feature truly needed
in the PCB industry? Any thoughts from you
all? I welcome your comments at newsletter@polyonics.com.
I have a few thoughts
which I'll share in the next issue, but I did not
want to prejudice anyone else's thinking this time
around. I look forward to your ideas on this one.
Jim
Williams
PS. I've been asked by
many people if the adhesive for an ESD safe label
needs to be electrically conductive, or
dissipative. I've been told that a paper has been
published and presented, that shows that the
tendency for a label to be dissipative can be
measured by the surface resistivity of the
ADHESIVE.
__________________________________________________________
Thermal Transfer
Ribbons Exhibit Chemical Resistance in Some
Applications and Not others..Why?
..........Why are there so
Many Polyimide (Kapton(R)) Products out
there?
There are dozens of
Polyimide and Kapton label materials available
today, each with its own unique characteristics.
Why so many? And why do some ribbons work with
Brand A material and not with Brand
B? ("Work" here means that it not only prints,
butalso that the resultant label survives the
production process).The key to success is to
remember that neither the ribbon nor the substrate
is suitable for a given application, but that the
two IN CONCERT must
work.
There is no single
combination of ribbon and label material which
will pass all the chemical resistance requirements
in the manufacturing world. Each combination may yield different
results when exposed to a set of chemicals,
solvents, and the like. For the complete article,
click on Thermal Ribbons for
Harsh Environments, to get a
downloadable PDF copy of the complete article
written by Dr. Jim Williams, Polyonics'
founder.
__________________________________________________________ |
__________________________________________________________
Did you miss earlier
editions of Label
InterfacesTM ? ...........Check out the
Newsletter Archives
- Vol1No1. Introduction to thermal
transfer ribbon questions (FAQs from you, which
prompted further discussions in this
issue)
- Vol1No2.
First barcode label
trivia question. Introduction to lead-free
soldering in electronics and lead free
labels
************************************************************
We have a WINNER
!!!
Your response to the
barcode trivia
contest was terrific. Out of 200 or
so correct answers, the winner (drawn at random)
was.....Duane Mahnke of Rogers Corporation.
He was duly sent the 128 Meg pen drive as his
reward. Congratulations to Duane, as well as to
all participants. Next time I'll try to make it
harder.
And the answer
is....The first grocery
item scanned using the Universal Product Code
happened in a Troy, Ohio Marsh Supermarket on June
26, 1974, The item was a 10-pack of Wrigley's
Juicy Fruit chewing gum. Incidentally, this pack
of gum is on display at the Smithsonian in
Washington, DC.
__________________________________________________________
"Growing"
International
As you may recall, we
opened our Asian Sales office in Singapore in
February, 2003 (See Newsletter
Archives). Now, the Polyonics' website
features several "mirror sites" each in a
different language:German, French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Portugese,
Chinese,
Japanese,
and Korean.
__________________________________________________________ |
UPDATES...
"Hot off the
Press"
__________________________________________
ANOTHER NEW
PRODUCT ..........
for LEADFREE LABEL
APPLICATIONS
XF 552 Yellow polyimide
passes the 50 minutes at 300 deg.
C test, without changing color or
PCS.
_____________________________________________
UL Recognition for
LEADFREE Labels...........XF 552, 581, 582, 583,
and 584
POLYONICS
UL. gives you the FILE #, Ribbons used,
and Data Sheets, along with other UL Recognized
Polyonics label materials.
NEXT ISSUE:
- The influence of the printer used
on harsh environment label performance
- Hopefully provocative
opinions
- New
applications...........
STAY TUNED........
*******************************************************************
If you want to be removed
from the mailing list for this newsletter, click
on unsubscribe. | | |
|
| | |
