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. 

Dyed Board Banner.jpg

Dye and Pull

Dye and Pull, formerly known as Dye and Pry is a simple method of evaluating the presence of cracks in the solder joints of surface mounted components, typically Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs). Contact Elmet LLC for your quote today!

Dye and pull testing

Macroscopic view of pulled solder balls.

Macroscopic view of pulled solder balls.

Description of Dye and Pull Testing

The Dye and Pull Test, formerly known as Dye and Pry, is designed to detect cracks in Ball Grid Arrays (BGA), though it can be effective on other surface mounted components such as QFNs or DFNs. Detected cracks are then mapped and categorized for each component.

The method involves cleaning a circuit board or section of circuit board of solder flux and other residues before introducing a dye penetrant to the board. The dye is then allowed to fully dry before an anchor is attached to the component, which is then pulled off the board. We then inspect the surface of the circuit board and the surface of the component for evidence that the solder balls were cracked at the time they were dyed. The general method used is described in IPC-TM-650 2.4.53.  

Due to the multistep sequential nature of the drying and curing process, large dye and pull requests can have longer delivery times than a standard sequential grind and polish, especially considering Elmet’s great capacity for cross-sectional throughput.

Solder Ball Separation Location Map. This map shows the solder ball separation locations of a 5x5 solder ball grid array.

Deliverables

Elmet supplies overview photographs of every dye and pull target and labeled, high magnification photographs of cracked solder balls when they are present. Categorization and mappings of all cracks are also documented for each dyed and pulled component. Additional photographs may also be delivered as agreed upon with the customer. The photographs are organized into a written report along with a summary of observations.  CLICK HERE for an example report.

What to do next

In order to provide you with quality analysis and an accurate quote, we need to know certain things.

We need a layout or photograph of the circuit board with the target components marked.  Most customers draw a box around each target component indicating the desired target and include a technical drawing of each type of BGA for ease in labeling, and so we know the size of the ball grid. The photograph below shows an example.  Sometimes it is easier to provide us with a list of target components by their name in the layout, and we will label solder balls according to industry standards.  

Layout images are typically marked with a simple box.

We also need to know how many circuit boards you want evaluated, and we need to know if they are all arriving simultaneously or if some will arrive this month and more next month.

We need a specific scope of work.  This could be simple, such as “inspect for cracks,” or it can be more detailed, such as “inspect the board per ICP-A-610, followed by dye and pull and crack inspection.”

Call or email us with any questions that you have about the process, our capabilities, delivery, or price.  Alternativley, you can submit the layout and scope of work, and we’ll get back to you with a quote. Or, visit our Price Estimation form if you want a fast, informal idea as to scope of your project!