{"id":3358,"date":"2023-09-22T11:29:33","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T11:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smans.falkor.alcor.cloud\/?post_type=knowledgeportal&#038;p=3358"},"modified":"2026-08-03T15:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T13:45:08","slug":"how-to-avoid-tombstoning-during-pcb-assembly","status":"publish","type":"knowledgeportal","link":"https:\/\/smans.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-avoid-tombstoning-during-pcb-assembly\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid tombstoning during PCB assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Tombstoning<\/h2>\n<p>A situation that occurs during the reflow soldering process, especially in a vapour phase or vapour phase reflow system.<\/p>\n<p>It means that\u00a0<strong>passive chip components<\/strong>\u00a0such as resistors and condensers\u00a0<strong>stand upright<\/strong>\u00a0during soldering.<\/p>\n<h3>The cause of tombstoning<\/h3>\n<p>The cause of this problem is to be found in\u00a0<strong>the accidental flow of solder paste<\/strong>\u00a0on the two contact ends of the component. When one of the two ends goes into liquid phase in front of the other, the liquid solder paste pulls the component upright.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>uneven thermal loading<\/strong>\u00a0of the connection surfaces of this component on the PCB is responsible for the\u00a0<strong>uneven flow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3>Methods of preventing tombstoning<\/h3>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">There are several ways to address this soldering defect.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">The most obvious, but also the most far-reaching, solution is to <strong>redesign the copper layers<\/strong> of the PCB so that the thermal load on the solder pads is balanced. This is a complex process that requires access to the design files as well as specialised expertise. In many cases, this is not a feasible option for a subcontract manufacturer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">Another approach is to <strong>modify the stencil design<\/strong>. This involves adjusting the shape and position of the solder paste deposits on the PCB pads. It requires a new stencil, specialised knowledge and, in most cases, a number of test runs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\">A third option is to use a <strong>modified solder paste<\/strong>. Thanks to its specially formulated composition, the paste reflows evenly and simultaneously, helping to prevent this soldering defect. This solution has the least impact on the production process and does not require specialised knowledge from the operator.<\/p>\n<p>Interflux\u00ae IF 9057 ATL is a SAC305 Type 4 solder paste with a built-in anti-tombstoning function. It leaves a clear, minimal residue after reflow soldering and is completely halogen-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":56399,"template":"","kb-brand":[],"kb-category":[],"class_list":["post-3358","knowledgeportal","type-knowledgeportal","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to avoid tombstoning during PCB assembly - Smans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smans.com\/en\/knowledgebase\/how-to-avoid-tombstoning-during-pcb-assembly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to avoid tombstoning during PCB assembly - Smans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tombstoning A situation that occurs during the reflow soldering process, especially in a vapour phase or vapour phase reflow system. It means that\u00a0passive chip components\u00a0such as resistors and condensers\u00a0stand upright\u00a0during soldering. 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It means that\u00a0passive chip components\u00a0such as resistors and condensers\u00a0stand upright\u00a0during soldering. 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