Interconnection Group, Loughborough University

Industry Impact

For process improvement the group has:

Determined the importance of specific heat capacity in consistent reflow soldering;
Established the origin of some specific types of reflow process faults;
Generated process understanding and process control relationships for adhesive dispensing;
By the construction of prototypes, improved processing conditions for the assembly of conducting adhesive joints in isotropic and anisotropic conducting adhesives;
Created a new generation of closed loop controlled reflow soldering ovens.

The group has also improved methods of measuring important materials properties such as:

The viscosity of adhesives,
The surface tension of solders, and
Has guided the evolution of new generations of conducting adhesives.

The group has made direct inputs in support of strategy formulation by companies and Scottish Enterprise with the Scottish Office.

e-medic seeks to explore the technological and business potential of integrating advanced electronics and information technologies with improved drug formulations into non-invasive drug delivery devices, and their exploitation to maximum benefit in healthcare. A platform device is researched based upon a pulmonary delivery system that is flexible, programmable, and potentially will provide remote patient monitoring through a distributed healthcare information system.

This project focuses on the development of a lead-free joining technology using metal droplets. Technological developments must not overlook environmental health and safety concerns. Traditional joining methods have often used solders of Pb-Sn composition, which are now intended to be phased out. Thus, novel processing methods must be sought to overcome this problem and provide a cleaner more effective solution.