Evaluation of tumbling processes of multilayer ceramic capacitors for surface mount device applications

During a tumbling process, sharp corners of multilayer ceramic chip capacitors are rounded to obtain smooth corners. The sharp corners of chip capacitors are susceptible to breakage during pick and place machine operation used in surface mount technologies. Tumbling of chip capacitors minimizes such breakage. The author describes various tumbling processes and their effect on electrical properties and life test performance of 0.1 mu F lead based multilayer capacitors, in 0905, 1005, and 1206 sizes. In conclusion, this study recommends a tumbling process involving bisque fired capacitors over other processes for lead based multilayer capacitors. A short discussion on the general methodology of the tumbling process is included.<
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