What is Staking?
Staking is an application that involves dispensing a bead of adhesive to bridge a component and a circuit board surface to create an anchor for additional support. The materials used to create this bridge can include epoxies, silicones, or urethanes and can be either single or dual-component formulations.
When to Use Staking
Staking is a common application in the aerospace and defense industries where rugged electronics assemblies are crucial. It can be applied to a variety of part types from small surface mount components up to large, heavy through hole components.
A simple staking process can be implemented using a dispense valve on a three-axis robot. While dots and lines can be applied in 2D and 3D patterns, for more complex tasks, four-axis motion allows you to tilt and rotate the dispense head to access difficult to reach areas. Process controls such as a fiducial camera, height sensor, flow monitoring, and needle calibration can help improve the reliability of your process.
Benefits of Staking
- Additional support between device and PCB surface
- Fracture prevention in solder joints
- Alleviates pressure on component leads
- Added protection from excessive shock, vibration, or thermal stress
