What Causes Popcorn Cracking in PCBs? | Moisture Control Guide

Popcorn cracking occurs when moisture absorbed by a moisture-sensitive component rapidly expands during high-temperature processing such as reflow. This internal pressure can crack or delaminate the package. See how moisture-sensitive components get damaged.

Why It Matters

Moisture exposure often begins during storage, staging, or handling before reflow. Uncontrolled humidity can lead to package cracking, delamination, assembly failures, scrap, rework, and reduced long-term reliability.

Best Practice

Store MSDs, PCBs, reels, and trays in a dry cabinet or electronic dry cabinet before reflow. Returning opened or partially used components to controlled low-humidity storage helps reduce moisture uptake. Browse Dry Cabinet Storage Systems.

Why XDry

XDry dry cabinets are self-contained, require no nitrogen, and provide ultra-low RH storage for MSDs, PCBs, reels, and trays. They help manufacturers build consistent moisture-control practices around IPC standards for moisture control explained (J-STD-033).

Browse XDry PCB moisture-control solutions

FAQ

Q: Why use a dry cabinet?
A: To prevent moisture-related damage by storing them in a low-humidity environment (less than 5%). Doing so keeps printed circuit boards and electronic components ready for production and eliminates harsh preproduction baking cycles.

Q: What RH is ideal?
A: Ultra-low humidity for sensitive electronics needing to be stored in an environment of less than 5%, ideally closer to 1-2%