In electronics manufacturing, small changes in the environment can have big consequences. When the air gets too dry, static builds up, tiny components become harder to handle, and materials like solder paste break down faster. For contract manufacturers serving medical and aerospace customers, those variables have to be kept in check.

K&F Electronics knows this well. In this case study, President Sean Kincaid shares how adding an AKIMist®E Dry Fog humidifier beside the company’s surface mount lines put an end to static-related placement issues, extended solder paste life, and helped keep his team healthy through long Michigan winters.

Based just outside Detroit in Fraser, Michigan, K&F Electronics has been building circuit boards since 1972 and is now led by the third generation of the Kincaid family.

K&F designs, fabricates, and assembles printed circuit boards, from one-off prototypes to full production. Many of its customers are OEMs that don’t have their own surface mount or through-hole lines, or that need volumes they can’t build by hand.

“They’ll come to us and say, ‘Hey, can you manufacture our product for us?’ And that’s what we do.” Sean Kincaid, President, K&F Electronics

Quality is central to how K&F operates. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and ITAR registration, meets IPC-6012 Class 1 through 3 standards, and keeps its return rate under 1%. It also keeps investing in its equipment, most recently with a new surface mount line in 2025.

As K&F took on more medical and aerospace work, customers began expecting tighter control over every part of the production environment. Humidity is one of the toughest variables to manage, because it shifts with the seasons. Michigan winters are cold and dry, and a hygrometer kept on the production floor logged a low of 16% relative humidity before the Dry Fog system was installed. Summer brings its own problem, since air conditioning constantly pulls moisture out of the air.

Dry air also meant static, and static was causing a costly problem on the surface mount lines. As a feeder pulls component tape, static can make tiny parts flip so they get placed upside down. Sean tried desktop ionizers, then placed multiple ionizers throughout the room, inside the machines, and directly on the parts. The parts still flipped.

“Before I decided to go with the system we have today, I tried every single option out there.” Sean Kincaid

K&F installed an AKIMist®E hang-down unit in its production area. The unit sits right by the surface mount pick and place machines, where static is the biggest risk and steady humidity does the most good.

No pooling, condensation, or drips. Sean admits he was skeptical at first. With fog visibly streaming from the nozzles and a brand new building to protect, he expected to find water somewhere. Because Dry Fog droplets are small enough to evaporate before they settle, none of that happened.

“It’s a brand new building with a brand new roof too. So if there was going to be anything, I was going to notice it.” Sean Kincaid

Zero maintenance since day one. From the moment it was installed over a year ago, the system hasn’t needed any maintenance or a single service call. The nozzle cleaning kit and spare nozzles that came with it are still unused.

Built to grow. K&F’s facility is laid out in repeating bays of about 6,000 square feet, and Sean plans to bring Dry Fog to more of them. Because AKIMist®E is modular, each expansion only takes another head and more pipe.

“To add to the system going forward, I just need to get a new head and run more pipe, and everything stays the same. It was one of the determining factors of why I wanted to go with these guys.” Sean Kincaid

The flipped-part problem that ionizers couldn’t fix is gone, and the benefits have reached well beyond the surface mount line.

Year-round consistency. Humidity is now a variable K&F controls, which is exactly what its medical and aerospace customers asked for. During the interview, the same uncalibrated hygrometer that once logged 16% read 36%.

“Whether it’s the high heat of the summer or the coolness of the winter, one thing that we know for sure is the humidity is going to be the same whenever the customer requires their product to be built.” Sean Kincaid

Consistent placement. For Sean, eliminating flipped parts mattered beyond quality and inspection.

“It’s truly been a blessing for us internally. Since I’ve had the system, that is not an issue anymore. The parts don’t flip.” Sean Kincaid

Longer solder paste life. Solder paste data sheets rate shelf life at a specific temperature and humidity. With humidity held steady, K&F no longer has to scrap and replace paste as often during the winter months.

A healthier team. Sean calls this the biggest benefit. His employees spend 8 to 10 hours a day on the floor, and the drier Michigan months used to take a toll. Since the system was installed, he says their sick days have decreased 14-fold.

“While it’s great that I have all this benefit for everything else, I also have increased capacity because now they’re not sick anymore. So it’s a win-win for everybody.” Sean Kincaid

Sean admits he once saw humidification as a cost that wouldn’t pay for itself. A 35-year veteran of the industry told him from day one to get a humidification system. After seeing the results firsthand, Sean now agrees.

“Most people overlook the importance of humidification in their process, and I’m guilty of it myself. Seeing the results, it’s just unquestionable at this point.” Sean Kincaid

For a contract manufacturer whose customers demand consistency, AKIMist®E made humidity a reliable constant. It stopped static-driven placement errors, reduced solder paste waste, and gave the K&F team a healthier place to work.

Thank you to Sean Kincaid and the K&F Electronics team for sharing their experience.

-The Fog Engineers at Ikeuchi USA

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