Top 10 Tips to Ensure PCB Assembly Success

By | Date posted: | Last updated: April 23, 2021
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At the outset, it is important to differentiate between Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing and Printed Circuit Board Assembly. While the former deals with fabrication of the board, the latter deals with assembling the components on the circuit board thus manufactured.

Not just in PCB Manufacturing, when it comes to PCB Assembly as well, you need to ensure that you get a solution that is both high quality as well as cost-effective. This is made possible if you pay the process due attention and treat the PCB Assembler as a consultant who can offer effective suggestions not just in terms of assembly, but also on aspects such as design of the board, new product techniques, industry best practices and more.

Here are some handy tips which when followed, will go a long way in ensuring PCB Assembly success.

Use your PCB Assembler as a valued resource as you start to design your PCB

Typically PCB Assembly is regarded as a process that comes at the end of the cycle. The fact, however, is that you need to consult your PCB Assembly partner early. In fact the PCB Assembler can give you important inputs at the design stage itself, given their vast experience and expertise. Not doing so, may mean that you have to contend with costly changes, which could also delay your go-to-market which itself can turn out to be an expensive affair.

Look for Onshore Assembly

 While cost can be a key determinant when it comes to offshore assembly, the fact is that there can be many hidden costs that can cost you dear. Consider the cost of getting low quality products or delay in delivery. These issues can offset the initial low cost that you would have factored in your product pricing.

Choose the PCB Assembler wisely

 Often times you may land up choosing a supplier, who is the sole supplier of the PCB parts. There is always the risk of being stuck if the supplier cannot deliver parts on time or if he discontinues production of a certain part. In such cases you would not have any back up. Often times this criteria may not feature in your decision-making matrix, but is exceedingly important, nevertheless.

Consistency in labeling

It is important to ensure that your labels are consistent- be they on the design document or the component parts. While we are careful of the document labeling, component labeling does not get too much attention from us. However any inconsistency may lead to wrong components that can impact your product.

Readability

Ensure there is readability on your documentation and that all parts are numbered correctly. Any miscommunication can cost you dearly.

File Formats

Similarly, ensure that there is parity in the file formats. It shouldn’t happen that the assembler isn’t comfortable with the formats you send and that leads to wastage of time. This is fairly important as not all assemblers cater to all file formats. Gerber & CAD remain among the two popular formats.

Make use of the tools available with the Assembler

 The PCB Assembler can help you with the initial design and schematic creation. This can go a long way in ensuring that there are no issues at a later stage which can prove to be extremely costly as you would need to redo the prototype not to mention the fact that you would also have lost out on precious time.

DFM Reviews

It is also prudent to conduct a DFM Review before you send the design to the PCB Assembler. DFM or Design for Manufacturing checks to see whether the design aids the manufacturing process. DFM can identify many issues such as those to do with spacing or component polarity, for example. It can go a long way in pointing out discrepancies if any at the outset instead of in the end. Check out how to reduce the cost and make manufacturing process faster using PCB DFM.

List the desired capabilities

 It will help to list the desired capabilities that you want in the board. Is strong signal transmission your primary requirement or high power output a key requirement. Accordingly it will help to arrive at a design. There could be the need to arrive at some trade-offs basis what your objectives are. This will also ensure that the final product matches your expectations and that there are no discrepancies. If there is a way to enhance the capabilities given your specific requirements, the Assembler may come back with recommendations too.

Ensure you factor in the lead time

 It is important to factor in the lead time when it comes to both the design phase as well as the assembly phase. This will in turn help you arrive at your time-to-market accurately. It will also help to test before you place the final order as you will be able to check how reliable the partner is. This, in turn, will give you the necessary confidence in moving ahead.

Technotronix Inc is a California based PCB Manufacturing company offering dedicated PCB assembly, SMT PCB Assembly, Prototype PCB Assembly, Led PCB Assembly, Overseas PCB Assembly, Mastering Mixed PCB Assembly and more services as per customer requirements and specification.

In case if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 714/630-9200.

Click here to get custom PCB Assembly Quote

10 Benefits of Choosing Dedicated PCB Assembly Partner in USA

By | Date posted: | Last updated: September 4, 2024

In business, if there is one rule that works, it is to focus on what you do best and to outsource the other services to experts in the domain, for you to reap a competitive advantage. This is especially true in the electronics business where products are becoming increasingly compact and complex. It is only when you can take advantage of the latest printed circuit board assembly that you can offer a state-of-the-art product. This is the exact reason why you stand to gain tremendously when it comes to choosing a dedicated PCB Assembly partner.

Here are some of the top reasons to choose a dedicated printed circuit board assembly partner:

Design efficiency

The job of a PCB Assembly partner does not just include managing the PCB Assembly process. In fact it actually starts at the PCB design stage. With their experience and expertise they can point out issues, if any, at the design stage itself. In turn what it will do for you is to ensure that you have an efficient design and that you do not have to face costly errors and delays at a later date when you are ready to go-to-market. A PCB Assembly partner, on account of their knowledge and expertise in handling many such projects can proactively point out any improvement areas at the design stage itself. It will help for them to take a look at your plans so any flaws can be addressed early. Check out top 8 Things to Help in PCB board assembly That You Must Know.

Time-to-market

A direct corollary of the above is the reduced time-to-market especially since that can be a big competitive advantage in today’s day and age. Partnering with a professional printed circuit board assembly partner ensures that since any issues are brought to light early, there isn’t any wastage of time. Also a professional partner will stick to deadlines and therefore not cause a vicious cycle of delay by delaying their deliverables.

Takes away the need for multiple prototypes

Having put his expertise into your design at an early stage, a PCB Assembly partner takes away the need to create multiple prototypes. Now that can result in a host of savings in terms of time, effort and money.

Latest technology

Another significant advantage of an assembly partner is that he brings to the table the latest design and manufacturing technology. In turn, this ensures that the boards are designed with advanced processes as well as with precision.

Cost advantage

On account of the scale of their work and the relationship they have with suppliers, PCB Assembly companies have a distinct advantage when it comes to offering optimal costs. In turn, of course, it helps you price your product competitively. Contrast this with a situation where you have to procure supplies yourself. Not only does it result in wastage of a lot of time, odds are that you will not be able to match the costs. Visit the blog to of Simple Ways to Reduce PCB Assembly Cost.

Ease of pricing

With the PCB Assembly partner giving you one firm cost estimate, it becomes easy for you to price your final product and not be constrained by changing cost estimates, which can render your product pricing awry.

Manage Supply Chain

What the PCB Assembly partner, in effect, helps you to do, is to manage your supply chain with ease. You no longer have to contend with multiple partners and spend your time and energy on them. The issue of dealing with multiple partners also is that delay on any one front can lead to a cascading effect and derail your timelines.

Save on Repairs

When you procure supplies on your own, troubleshooting and repair tends to consume a lot of your time not to mention the costs that you incur when it comes to faulty units. With a PCB Assembly partner, on the other hand, you can rest assured that warranty replacements are an issue that he has to contend with.

Time to focus on your core competence

Should you choose not to go with a PCB Assembly partner, the biggest toll that is taken is on your time. You tend to spend a lot of time going back and forth on logistical issues and aren’t able to focus on your core competence, when in fact focusing on it will give you a significant advantage in the market place.

Range of services

A PCB Board Assembly Partner also offers you a range of services including but not limited to:

  • Data management
  • Reverse engineering
  • Compliance testing and more

It is therefore prudent to seek out a professional partner that can help you harness a host of advantages. In choosing the right PCB Assembly partner, do ensure that you do a due diligence to identify partner strengths. It may be a good idea to look up their list of satisfied customers as also to get their testimonial.

Technotronix inc is a California based PCB Assembly Company offering dedicated PCB assembly, PCB prototyping, PCB fabrication, PCB box build, turnkey PCB assembly, PCB material management, flexible PCB, SMT and more services as per customer requirements and specification.

In case if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 714/630-9200.

 

Click here to get custom PCB Assembly Quote

Selective versus Wave Soldering: Which One is Better for PCB Assembly?

By | Date posted: | Last updated: January 23, 2023
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Selective and wave soldering are among the commonly used soldering methods when it comes to Printed circuit boards. Each of these methods however comes with their own set of advantages & disadvantages.

Let’s take a look closure at Selective vs Wave Soldering – Which One is Better for PCB Assembly?

Wave Soldering

Wave soldering, also popularly referred to as flow soldering, this soldering method is undertaken in a protective gas atmosphere as the use of nitrogen is known to considerably reduce possibility of solder defects.

The wave soldering process comprises of:

  • Spraying a layer of flux to clean and prepare the components. This is necessary as any impurities can affect the soldering process.
  • Preheating of the board. This activates the flux while also ensuring that the board doesn’t suffer from thermal shock.
  • Passing of PCB through molten solder. With the PCB moving over the wave, an electrical connection is made between the electronic component leads, the PCB pads as well as the solder.

Wave soldering is extremely beneficial when it comes to volume production, however it comes with its own set of disadvantages, primary among them being:

  • The consumption of solder is known to be high
  • Similarly it consumes high amount of flux
  • Wave soldering is known to use electricity intensively
  • It is also known to be high on nitrogen consumption
  • Wave soldering necessitates the need of solder rework post he wave soldering
  • It also requires that the wave solder aperture pallets as well as the soldered assemblies are cleaned
  • Commercially all of this translates into high costs. In fact, the operating costs are seen to be nearly five times as much as selective soldering.

Selective Soldering

Selective soldering is a type of wave soldering used for soldering PCBs that are assembled with through-hole components. With double-sided PCBs becoming increasingly common today as they allow for smaller and lighter products, the usage of selective soldering has also increased exponentially.

Essentially selective soldering comprises of three stages:

  • Application of flux to components that need soldering
  • Preheating of board
  • Fountain of solder used to solder specific components

Selective soldering advantages:

  • Process reproducibility
  • Process optimization
  • Reliability of solder joints
  • Since flux is applied locally, it takes off the need to mask certain components
  • There is no need for using glue
  • It allows for setting different parameters for each component
  • There isn’t any need of using expensive aperture wave solder pallets
  • It can be used in boards that cannot be wave soldered
  • Overall it leads to cost optimization

Additionally Selective Soldering is used when:

  • Components are tall and hence they can block the wave from soldering the board
  • There is tight spacing of components and hence there isn’t enough place to have a protective fixture around the SMT Assembly parts.
  • The boards are thick or have thick copper layers and therefore there is a chance of uneven heating and hence hand soldering is not an option. Selective solder can however use a far-side infrared preheater.
  • Dense concentration of through-hole pins do not allow the soldering iron to solder the large number of pins. Selective soldering however allows for use of a wider nozzle which can solder rows of connector pins.

Also as opposed to hand soldering, selective soldering offers the benefit of consistency.

There are, however some disadvantages associated with Selective Soldering as well. These include:

  • It requires creating a unique program for each circuit board, which is time consuming and hence the process isn’t particularly suitable for mass production.
  • There can be processing errors as there are a host of parameters.

To sum up:

Wave soldering is an ideal method when it comes to Printed Circuit Boards that have through-hole components as well as larger surface mount components. Selective soldering, on the other hand is useful for a densely populated board allowing for a number of parameters to be taken into account. It however is unsuitable for mass production as it requires creation of a unique program for each circuit board.

It is imperative therefore that the soldering partner be chosen dexterously, who can study your distinct requirements and offer the soldering process that fits your bespoke needs. With years of expertise the partner can study the technical requirements as well as ascertain the time & budgets allocated by you to come up with a feasible option.

Technotronix offers PCB Assembly service with 40 years of expertise. Our accurate PCB assembly process meets the quality standards, including ISO 9001:2015, RoHS, and more. Our superior engineering capabilities mean that each board matches your exact requirements and technical specifications. In case if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at [email protected]

Solder Bridging Issues, Causes and Recommendations during PCB Assembly

By | Date posted: | Last updated: April 20, 2021
Solder Bridging Issues

With smaller and more compact electronic appliances here to stay, one problem that is increasingly being faced by manufacturers is to do with solder bridging. A common defect, as it name suggests, it occurs when solder flows between the connectors, causing a bridge. With two points in a circuit board that are not meant to be connected, being connected by solder, an electrical short can result, which in turn can create havoc.

Bridging can occur in different stages of the PCB manufacturing process. Some of the common causes of bridging include:

  • A poorly designed PCB where the large components are placed on one side and therefore there is an issue of unequal weight distribution
  • Lack of proper orientation of components
  • Lack of enough space between pads
  • Setting of the reflow oven
  • Placement pressure of a component, and several other causes

Some of the commonly known Soldering Bridging issues include:

  • Tombstone- This refers to a condition where a component is lifted up during wave soldering and resembles a tombstone. This is often caused on account of having an incorrect lead length or using components that have different solderability requirements.
  • Excess Solder- As the name suggests, this results from an excess build up of solder. This could be on account of a fast conveyor belt or an incorrect lead length to pad ratio.
  • Solder Balling- This is a result of solder attaching itself to the Printed Circuit Board during wave soldering. Solder balling can result on account of the temperature being too high or on account of the solder splashing back onto the board.
  • De-wetting and non-wetting- De-wetting refers to when the molten solder covers a pad and retreats, leaving behind a mound of solder. Non-wetting on the other hand refers to the solder leaving behind exposed copper. This is often on account of the fact that the flux needs to be changed or that the brass components haven’t been plated well.
  • Lifted Pads- This is known to occur when a soldered component needs to be removed and results in the pad being lifted from the PCB. Lifted pads are often a result of an overworked pad joint or even an uneven layer of copper plating.
  • Pin holes and blow holes- These are caused on account of excess moisture in the board or even poor copper plating.

Irrespective of what solder bridging is on account of, the fact is that it can pose a host of problems. While we cannot ensure that solder bridging never occurs, there are certainly some key measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of soldering significantly. Check out the complete guide on how Solder Bridges becoming a major challenge during PCB assembly.

Here are some handy tips to reduce solder bridging:

1) Printed Circuit board design.

A close look at the circuit board design can be an effective step in reducing bridging. Common areas to watch out for include adjusting the aperture width or looking at area ratios. Often adding solder mask dams can also arrest bridging

2) Reflow profile.

Broadly speaking, liquid solder tends to flow towards warmer surfaces. If leads are warmer than the pads, that is where the solder heads first. To change this, it will work if the soak time is increased. What this will do is that it will equalize temperatures.

3) Off-contact solder paste printing.

This can be prevented by changing the stencil as well as the board design so that there is no off contact printing.

4) Solder paste volume

Bridging can also be reduced by reducing the solder paste volume. Using components with increased leads also goes a long way in not allowing the solder to flow between the leads.

5) Solder masking

Proper application of solder mask goes a long way in reducing the risk of solder bridging

6) Correct lead lengths

Long leads with through-hole components often lead to soldering bridge. What needs to be done, therefore, is to use correct lead lengths depending on the size & thickness of PCB, type of soldering etc.

7) Fiducials

Fiducials or precisely designed markers that are put into the PCB design can go a long way in aligning the components on the board. Typically three marks are recommended. Poorly placed marks can lead to improper alignment of parts, which in turn can lead to solder bridges.

While you may not be able to control the manufacturing process what you can definitely control is the choice of a partner that has enough experience and hence can take the necessary measures to control solder bridging. Armed with the knowledge of how solder bridging can be prevented, you could ask the PCB Assembly House, pointed questions about their process, board design, reflow profile and more so that you are sure about their expertise in stemming the issue of solder bridging.

Technotronix offer high quality and defect free PCB Assembly and PCB manufacturing services as per customer specification. We also offering dedicated SMT PCB Assembly, Prototype PCB Assembly, Led PCB Assembly, Overseas PCB Assembly, Mastering Mixed PCB Assembly and more services as per customer requirements and specification. To know more, please explore our PCB Assembly!