A bond tester is used to measure the mechanical strength of bonds as well as analyze bond strength distributions. These assessments determine compliance with specified bond strength requirements for various industries. A load is usually applied to a bond by a hook, at which point a force measurement is taken and the failure mode of the tested sample is recorded. Bond tests are often destructive in nature; therefore, samples are scrapped after testing. In aerospace and medical applications, nondestructive testing is more common. In these fields, the bond is loaded up to a point to reveal nonacceptable bonds while avoiding damage to acceptable bonds.
Thermal and electrical bonds make up an integral part of electronic and semiconductor construction. Modern electronic assembly methods employ multiple bonding processes in methodical steps to manufacture final products. For example, typical consumer products such as smartphones and laptops contain hundreds if not thousands of bonds. All it takes is one of them to fail to result in a system malfunction. Bond testing results can be analyzed and transferred immediately. Alternatively, they made be exported in multiple database formats for subsequent analysis. Powerful extended capabilities enable measurements such as force/time or force/distance curves to be made and deliver more data about the quality of the bond tested.