As kids, we were often challenged to “Spot the Difference” in two side-by-side pictures. At first glance, the images look identical. But of course, there are slight variations.

In the world of electronics, reliability and cleanliness go hand-in-hand. They ensure long-term success.

Terry Munson is the founder and president of Foresite, Inc. He founded Foresite in 1992, then known as CSL (Contamination Studies Laboratories, Inc.).

If you follow industry standards, does that mean you'll have improved reliability? It depends.

The process of coating electronic assemblies has been around for decades. And it would be pretty useful if CMs didn’t keep doing it wrong.

The key to maintaining cleanliness is asking more from your suppliers than you probably currently are. Remember, if you ask for nothing, you will likely get it.

Foresite’s problem-solving technicians take on a new project.

They couldn’t understand it. Their new Immersion Silver Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs) were experiencing corrosion, but the electronics company had examined its own materials and methods…

Need to determine whether a solder alloy has the proper concentration of silver? Do you ever want to know whether assemblies are RoHS compliant?

Contaminants remaining on an electronics assembly as a result of the product’s manufacturing process can contribute to unexpected field failures.

Contaminants that find their way into critical performance devices before, during or even after manufacturing can cause serious consequences.

X-ray inspection helps manufacturers identify defects hidden within their printed circuit boards and electronic components.

Cross-sectioning is a common reliability test method used to expose inner details of circuit boards normally hidden to the eye.

Many of our clients know us as a surface residues expert, but our growing lineup of new reliability test methods is an equally important part of our story.

Flux applied outside of the contact area escapes the high temperatures necessary to render it benign.

Redesigning the ground pad to increase standoff height resolves PCB cleanliness issues in both no-clean and water-soluble flux environments.

The C3 Corrosivity Index™ is an indicator of the cleanliness of a test site, and is calculated by dividing the maximum current seen during the test by the elapsed time of the test.

The C3 was designed and developed as a non-destructive process monitor tool for the electronics industry.

At Foresite, we experience a great deal of satisfaction when we are able to quickly and expertly identify the root cause and get our customers back on track when they face a difficult and time-sensitive challenge.

We recently investigated a pair of production defects that demonstrated the importance of material identification and process control.