Inking Troubleshooting Guides

5.) Symptom: Ink dots are too large

Cause a): Dot size setting on the pneumatic controller is too high (pneumatic systems only).
Solution a): Decrease dot size setting.

Cause b): Air pressure to pneumatic controller is too high (pneumatic systems only).
Solution b): Set the air pressure to the pneumatic controller at 70 ±10 psi on all controllers except Motorized Z controller which should be set to 80 ± 5 psi.

Cause c): The cartridge size is too large.
Solution c): Change to a smaller cartridge size.

Cause d): Dot size potentiometer is defective (pneumatic systems only). Run Diagnostics Test B described in Controller Diagnostics section of the Operations manual. If test results are not within specified parameters, contact Xandex Customer Service.
Solution d): Replace dot size potentiometer.

Cause e): 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 e): Switch to a different cartridge size and/or a higher viscosity ink. If using a DM-2 cartridge, reduce the Dot Size Setting to compensate for the larger dots.

Cause f): 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. Lower viscosity leads to larger ink dots. Ink storage temperature and inking temperatures should be within the recommended range.
Solution f): Reduce the cartridge storage and inking temperature to the recommended range: Storage = 50^o-77^o F (10-25^oC). Inking = 67^o-77^o F (19.5-25^oC).

Cause g): 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 g): Return sample cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement.

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6.) Symptom: Ink dots are too small

Cause a): Dot size setting on the pneumatic controller is set too low (pneumatic systems only).
Solution a): Increase the dot size setting.

Cause b): Air pressure to pneumatic controller is too low (pneumatic systems only).
Solution b): Set the air pressure to the pneumatic controller at 70 ±10 psi on all controllers except Motorized Z controller which should be set to 80 ± 5 psi.

Cause c): The cartridge size is too small.
Solution c): Change to a larger cartridge size.

Cause e): Ink is being placed onto a surface with an unusually low surface energy. Depending on the type of material, spreading behavior and size of the ink droplet may vary significantly.
Solution e): Switch to a different cartridge size and/or a lower viscosity ink. If using a DM-2 cartridge, increase the Dot Size Setting on the pneumatic controller to compensate for the smaller dots.

Cause f): The ambient temperature in the inking area is lower than normal. Ink viscosity is higher at lower temperatures. Higher viscosity leads to smaller ink dots. For best performance, inking temperatures should be between 67^o and 77^o F (19.5-25^o C).
Solution f): Increase the ambient inking temperature to the recommended range. If storing the cartridges at less than 67^o F (19.5^o C), allow time for the cartridges to equilibrate to room temperature prior to inking.

Cause g): Ink has risen above 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 g): Return sample cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement.

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7.) Symptom: Dot skipping

Cause a): The inker Z-height is set too high. A consistent pattern of skipping dots often indicates improper Z-height adjustment.
Solution a): Lower the inker Z-height to a setting that yields round dots without any skipping.

Related Information: See Inker Set-up Procedure in the inker Operations Manual for detailed instructions.

Cause b): Cartridge was not primed correctly and needs to be re-primed (filament inkers only).
Solution b): Re-prime cartridge per instructions on cartridge packaging and run a thousand dots on a test wafer.

Cause c): Cartridge needle tip is damaged.
Solution c): Replace the damaged cartridge with a new one.

Cause d): The cartridge needle is clogged with a debris particle (pneumatic inkers only).
Solution d): Replace the suspect cartridge with a new one. Return the suspect cartridge to Xandex for test confirmation and possible warranty replacement.

Cause e): Air bubble (pneumatic inkers only). Small air bubbles are sometimes present during the first 1,000 dots after initial cartridge priming.
Solution e): Run 1,000 dots onto a test wafer. This should eliminate any bubbles that may have been present inside of the cartridge.

Cause f): Inking surface is not planar. This can be caused by variations in wafer thickness or if the prober head plate or chuck is tilted slightly relative to perfect horizontal. If the dot skipping only occurs on one side of the wafer, it is most likely due to planarity problems.
Solution f): Check the planarity of the prober head plate and chuck. Make planarity adjustments per the prober manufacturers recommended procedure.

Cause g): Prober Z stage equipment problem. The stage Z drive assembly photocells may be defective or contaminated with dust (if prober is so equipped). Z stage malfunction can cause the amount of stage travel in the z direction to be non-uniform, resulting in skipped dots.
Solution g): Refer to prober manufacturers recommended verification procedure to insure correct operation of the prober Z stage drive and clean, adjust or replace components as necessary.

Cause h): Inker equipment problem (pneumatic inkers only). Pneumatic inker shuttle is clogged with dried ink or other debris, or has been used outside the recommended shuttle preventive maintenance period causing inconsistent shuttle motion.
Solution h): Perform recommended preventive maintenance on the shuttle using the appropriate shuttle maintenance kit (available from Xandex). Replacement of the shuttle may be required if shuttle has been damaged due to a lack of regular preventive maintenance.

Cause i): Inker equipment problem (pneumatic inkers only). Pneumatic controller has not received regular preventive maintenance, resulting in inconsistent shuttle and/or cartridge actuator valve performance.
Solution i): Perform recommended preventive maintenance on the controller using the appropriate controller maintenance kit (available from Xandex).

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