Contact Us

Use the form on the right to contact us or,

email us at info@elmetlabs.com,

or call us at (248) 957-1170.

We will get back to you as soon as possible.

24073 Research Drive
Farmington Hills, MI, 48335
United States

(248)957-1170

Elmet LLC is primarily a metallurgical and metallographic laboratory focused on the electrical and electronics industries.  All circuit boards, connectors, clips, cages, and electrical devices have metallic components that can suffer damage or fail due to causes such as fatigue, corrosion, stress overload, dendritic growth, and fretting.  These are metallurgical issues, not electrical issues, and a metallurgical perspective brings insight into the problem.  We provide that insight through investigation and thorough explanation of the metallurgical factors at work, from manufacturing defects to design to conditions of use.

Much of our work is solder joint cross sectioning, and we have a large capacity to handle this type of work.  With five automated polishers we can process more than 20 cross sections per day, day after day.  We have two metallographic studios with studio cameras, stereomicroscopes, and metallurgical microscopes to document the incoming parts, the cross sections, and the microstructures. Our scanning electron microscope assists us in evaluating intermetallic layers, microstructures, fretting, and fracture.  The EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy) system allows us to analyze solder compositions, contamination, and debris observed on circuit boards.

We have staff holding certificates in IPC-A-610 inspection (CIS), electrical engineering, and metallurgical engineering, and we have a great deal of experience with failure analysis of metallic components. 

Dendrite Z stack (C).jpg

Dendrites/ Electrochemical Migration

Under certain conditions corroded metal is redeposited as a metallic filament called a dendrite.  A dendrite will cause a direct short if it bridges the gap between conductors, but even in the absence of a direct short circuit the current flow associated with electrolytic corrosion can cause problems. 

Dendrite Inspection / Electrochemical migration

Dendrites caused by Electrochemical Migration

Metal components of a circuit board can be induced to corrode by the application of an applied voltage whenever surface moisture supports current flow.  The presence of ionic materials promotes the surface conduction and greatly accelerates the electrolytic corrosion.  The corrosion products remain near the corrosion site or are transported a short distance across the surface of the circuit board by ionic migration.  Under certain conditions the corroded metal is redeposited as a metallic filament called a dendrite.  A dendrite will cause a direct short if it bridges the gap between conductors, but even in the absence of a direct short circuit the current flow associated with electrolytic corrosion can cause problems.  

Electrolytic corrosion can occur under conditions that do not promote metallic dendrites; however, the industry tends to refer to all superficial electrolytic corrosion deposits as dendrites.    

Description of dendrite inspection

Visual inspection is used to detect electrochemical migration and dendrites.  Circuit boards are optically examined at magnifications up to 50X.  If features of electrolytic corrosion or dendrites are observed the circuit board may be examined using scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive spectroscopy can be used to identify the corroding elements and corrosion accelerating ions such as chlorine and bromine. 

Close-up of dendrites

Deliverables

Elmet documents the inspections with representative photographs of the circuit board and all occurrences of electrochemical migration.  All photographs, SEM images, EDS analyses, and a summary of the findings are presented in a written report.  

What to do next

Please email or call us if you have questions.  If you are ready to ask for a quote, we would first like to see a photograph or layout of the circuit board.  We also need to know how many circuit boards you want inspected. Or, visit our Price Estimation form if you want a fast, informal idea as to scope of your project!