Inking Troubleshooting Guides |
Inks and Ink Cartridge Troubleshooting |
This section lists common symptoms that are most closely related to Ink and Ink Cartridges, however, many of these symptoms may also result from or be magnified by problems in one of the other areas listed on the troubleshooting link page. Click here to submit an ink or cartridge related problem report form. You will receive a response within one (1) business day of our receipt of the form.
Beneath each symptom listed below, possible causes and solutions are posted in order of their most common occurrence. |
1) | Ink dots crack after curing |
| 2) | Ink dots flake after curing |
| 3) | Ink appears thin, or runny |
| 4) | Ink dots are irregular in shape |
| 5) | Ink dots are too large |
| 6) | Ink Dots are too small |
| 7) | Dot skipping |
| 8) | Inconsistent Dot Size |
| 9) | Poor Ink Adhesion |
| 10) | Ink is more transparent than normal |
| 11) | Cartridge tip does not reach the wafer surface |
| 12) | Unit functions normally, no dots, no shuttle movement (pneumatic inkers only) |
| 13) | Unit functions normally, shuttle moves, no dots (pneumatic inkers only) |
| 14) | Inker produces dots during "puff pulse," or ink flows out of the cartridge with the toggle switch in 'SETUP' (pneumatic inkers only) |
| 15) | Ink “backflows” out of the top of cartridge (filament inkers only) |
| 16) | ”Halo” around ink dot |
| 17) | Donut shaped dot (hollow center) |
| 18) | Leaking Ink Cartridge |
| 19) | Dot size variation (inconsistent dot sizes) |
| 20) | Ink appears thicker than normal |
| 21) | Ink Buildup on Needle Tip (Ink “Balling”) |
| 22) | Ink splatters onto adjacent die during inking |
| 23) | Ink dot spreads onto adjacent die during inking |
| 24) | Ink dots are removed by solvent exposure or mechanical stress during post-probe processing |
| 25) | Cured ink dots are too tall |
| 26) | Ink did not cure within the normal cure time (air curing inks only) |
| 27) | Cartridge had a lower dot count than normal |
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| Format for Symptom/Cause/Solution: Symptom: State Symptom
Cause a): State Cause A for Symptom
Solution a): State solution(s) for Cause A
Cause b): State Cause B for Symptom
Solution b): State solution(s) for Cause B (continue with Cause:Solution as required)
Related Information: Included if there is related information/referral to other causes, for example: "See pneumatic shuttle maintenance procedure" |
1.) Symptom: Ink dots crack after curing
Cause a): The time interval between inking the wafer and heat curing is too long (Markem 699x-series inks only).
Solution a): Xandex recommends curing inked wafers of 699x inks within 2 hours after inking. Under some conditions of high air flow or high temperature, even two hours between inking and curing may be too long. Cause b): Ink has been placed over the interface between two types of wafer surfaces that have different coefficients of thermal expansion. When the wafer is heated during curing, the two surfaces expand differently and cause cracks to develop.
Solution b): Place the ink dots in a different area of the device that has a uniform surface. Cause c): Ink was partially cured at low temperature (somewhere between ambient and 50 C) prior to oven curing. Under certain conditions, only the edges of the dots will cure at the low temperature. When the partially cured dots are placed in the oven, the uncured middle portion of the dot contracts as it cures and causes cracking.
Solution c): Reduce (or increase) the amount of time that the wafers are exposed to the lower temperature. If using a hot chuck, change the chuck temperature or do not use the hot chuck. Markem 699x inks are not recommended for use with a hot chuck. top of page |
2.) Symptom: Ink dots flake after curing
Cause a): Ink is being placed onto a surface with an unusually low surface energy.
Solution a): Take steps to increase the surface energy prior to inking. Gas plasma cleaning/surface activation and/or solvent cleaning may lead to improved adhesion. Increasing the ink cure temperature to around 150o C will also improve the adhesion in some cases. Cause b): Wafer surface contamination.
Solution b): Any type of contaminant that weakly adheres to the surface of the substrate or lowers the surface energy will cause the ink to adhere poorly and flake off.
Related Information: See DieMark Ink Remover data sheet Cause c): Ink dots have cracked during curing, compromising the adhesion quality.
Solution c): See Ink Dots Crack After Curing section for possible causes and solutions. Cause d): Batch specific ink problem.
Solution d): Return cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement.
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3.) Symptom: Ink appears thin or runny
Cause a): Ink is being placed onto a surface with an unusually high surface energy. Depending on the type of material, spreading behavior and size of the ink droplet may vary significantly.
Solution a): Switch to a different cartridge size and/or a higher viscosity ink. If using a DM-2, reduce the Dot Size Setting to compensate for the larger dots. Cause b): The ambient temperature is higher than the recommended maximum temperature listed on the cartridge packaging (or higher than your normal operating temperature). Ink viscosity is lower at higher temperatures. Ink storage temperature and inking temperatures should be within the recommended range.
Solution b): Reduce the cartridge storage and inking temperature to the recommended range: Storage = 50o-77o F (10-25o C). Inking = 67o-77o F (19.5-25o C). Cause c): Ink has dropped below the specified viscosity range. This should not occur under normal conditions, as long as the cartridges are not past their expiration date and have been stored and used properly. Some inks, however, will experience viscosity changes if exposed to temperature extremes during shipping.
Solution c): Return sample cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement. top of page |
4.) Symptom: Ink dots are irregular in shape
Cause a): Ink is being placed onto a surface with a non-uniform topography. A rough or patterned surface will lead to irregularly shaped dots as the ink flows unevenly across peaks and valleys on the surface.
Solution a): Place the ink dots in a different, more uniform area of the die. Cause b): The Z-height is set too low. A consistent pattern of non-uniform dots often indicates improper Z-height adjustment.
Solution b): Raise the z-height to a setting that yields round dots without any skipping. Related Information: See Inker Set-up Procedure in the inker Operation Manual for detailed instructions. Cause c): The needle tip has been damaged.
Solution c): Replace the damaged cartridge with a fresh one. Cause d): Ink is being placed onto a surface with a non-uniform surface chemistry. Variations in the surface chemistry lead to variations in the surface energy. The ink flows more readily in areas with higher surface energy.
Solution d): Take steps to improve the surface uniformity. If the cause of the non-uniformity is determined to be organic contaminants, a cold gas plasma or solvent bath cleaning process may be helpful. Cause e): Cartridge filament length, filament diameter, or needle diameter is out of specification (filament systems only).
Solution e): Replace with a fresh cartridge. Return the suspect cartridge to Xandex for test confirmation and possible warranty replacement.
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