PCB manufacturing In 4 Steps
PCB Manufacturing
Printed circuit boards (PCB) take an extremely important place in today’s industry. There is hardly an industry in which computer-aided machine tools do not play a role. In today’s article we talk about the PCB manufacturing process.
What is PCB Production?
Printed circuit boards are manufactured by EMS Company (Electronic Manufacturing Services). The raw circuit board is first provided with a conductor and electrical contact. Then, fitted with components such as resistors, microcontrollers or capacitors.
The PCB assembly process is carried out using either SMD (Surface-mount Device) or THT (Through-hole Technology) methods. The components attached in this way are soldered by hand or by reflow soldering.
1. Understanding PCB Manufacturing Components
Computer-aided work is inconceivable without PCB . Before a circuit board can be installed, it has to be manufactured. The basic structure of a functional circuit board consists:
Today printed circuit board assembly consists of a wide range of different components, including:
Depending on the PCB project individual requirements, a printed circuit board can have very different dimensions. EMS service providers need the circuit board design and assembly plan for production.
PCB Assembly – SMD or THT?
Printed circuit boards are assembled using either the SMD or THT methods. And they both refer to the way a circuit board gets all its required components.
Surface - mount Device (SMD)
SMD principle assembly is based on applying the electrical components directly on the circuit board.
Through - hole Technology (THT)
THT is based on a slightly different assembly process. Other than that the individual components are soldered onto the board surface, it is inserted through contact holes to the conductor track and is reinforced by soldering.
PCB Soldering – Hand or Reflow
In the PCB manufacturing industry, everything is focused on the board design and assembly. The soldering process plays an equally important part. The SMD and THT processes in particular differ very clearly at this point. Wave soldering or hand soldering are used for the THT process. The latter in particular is time-consuming, but cannot always be avoided.
A different process, reflow soldering – is used specifically for SMD assemblies. The solder paste is first applied to the circuit board. Since this is sticky by nature, the components hold without separate fixation.
4. Quality Control
This is not about recycling a circuit board. Due to missing components, the new production can take up valuable time. Desoldering damaged or faulty components and replacing them, can save time and money for the PCB manufacturing process.