How to enhance the efficiency of PCB assembly manufacturing?

By | Date posted: | Last updated: February 14, 2022
pcb-assembly-manufacturing

Printed circuit board assemblies are very crucial requirement nowadays. More and more PCBs are being produced nowadays and are extensively in use. PCB Assembly manufacturing contains numerous complex processes, and it’s going to be quite challenging to build it efficiently.

Efficiency is necessary when it comes to PCB assembly manufacturing. Productive management of PCB assembly manufacturing can increase the overall production rate and even improve its speed.

You have to focus on almost all the factors regarding PCB manufacturing and assembly. Even the smallest points can lead to Effective assembly and manufacturing of PCB.

The functioning of a device depends on a PCB indirectly depending on its assembly process. If there are inefficiencies in the PCB manufacturing and assembly, then problems may arise in the device. However, there is a way through which such problems can be solved.

There are various ways and steps to enhance PCB manufacturing assembly efficiency, resulting in a perfect functioning output. Let’s discuss such points below:

Target fewer component variations

In a PCB, you would see different components lying on the same board. Now, they play a very important role in the efficiency of the PCB assembly and manufacturing process. For, they used together to make a whole PCB.

Now, Variations in such components can lead to difficulties in the manufacturing process of a PCB. It is to be noted that if different parts of a PCB are taken from different manufacturers, they will be different. Not all manufacturers can produce the same components.

Their components may vary— The size, the shape, and the functions.
If component variations are there, it would be hard for efficient PCB assembly to take place. The component variation should be as lowest as probable in the manufacturing process.

Focus more on PCB Assembly – It’s manufacturing & requirement

How do you plan to enhance PCBA manufacturing efficiency if you are unaware of a PCB’s requirements? It is essential to know the conditions of a PCB thoroughly and work accordingly to it.

Here comes the important role of the manufacturing process. You should focus on taking on the manufacturing process in such a way that it can fulfill all the requirements of a PCB. The PCB assembly manufacturing process should ensure that the output would be efficient and of high quality.

You should be aware of every step in the manufacturing & assembly process of a PCB

Each step in the process of PCB assembly adds manufacturing is important. Various problems may arise in such steps and stages. Certain difficulties arise in the different processes, leading to quality issues and a fever performance rate. Through this, the production process can take more time, leading to the late delivery of products. It can be risky since your reliability will lessen.

All those problems will not arise if you are aware of each step taken during the assembly process. It will help you to point out where the mistakes have been made and how you can solve such difficulties. This can help in incrementing productivity rate, and your reliability will be on-point.

You should have enough and necessary materials for production.

Materials – They consist of the most important part of the entire assembly process. For, without materials, a PCB would be incomplete. Various problems may be noticed due to minimum stocks of materials during the PCBA Manufacturing Process.

According to the tech design forum, “Unmanageable volumes of raw materials lead to various problems. Mini material reels are not even used properly during the production process. During the surface Mount technology processes, Its materials are often compromised against the PCB management requirements. It results in the degradation of the output quality of the PCB.”

Thus, the focus should be made on the matters regarding the materials. One should make sure that the materials are being used efficiently and the stock is enough to complete the entire production process. It can help in enhancing the efficiency of the PCB manufacturing and assembly as a whole.

Monitor the defects of the PCB manufacturing process

Defects during the production processes can be very unhealthy for a PCB. A successful PCB manufacturing and assembly is that when there are no defects as a result. If there are defects, there can be a decrease in the quality of such outputs.

If one does not monitor the defects during the production process of a PCB, then it would only be noticed on the test. If that happens, the production time will increase, and your reliability would lessen.

Nowadays, there are various tools that one can use to test for defects in a PCB. Such tools can be a lot beneficial, and they can point out the problem quickly so that you will have more time to solve it. It can lessen the time you need to look for defects in the PCB, thus reducing production time.

Focus on the Conformance and traceability of a PCB

The quality of a PCB is a necessary aspect. There are different means through which ensuring the quality of a PCB is doable. Certain requirements can be noticed for the PCB manufacturing and assembly to be better. Two of such requirements are conformance and traceability.

Traceability is that requirement where if the effect is seen in a PCB, Then the manufacturers should be able to point out other defects of the product’s different units. This can help in ensuring that the defect would be solved without having to check all the products.

Conformance helps in keeping a proper procedure of PCB assembly manufacturing. If the PCB manufacturing and assembly process is already defined and proper, there would be fewer chances of a defect to arise in the output PCB.

Both disability and conformance can indeed have huge production costs if human labor is required. But why rely on human labor in such matters? There are various Software-driven requirements, and a quality check is one of them.

Suppose one starts using software to gather defect data and define a manufacturing procedure. In that case, the production costs can decrease since there would be no additional labor and manual data collection.

Team management is the basic requirement for efficiency.

There are different teams for different purposes in a PCB assembly manufacturing process. Different teams have different works and purposes, including production management, production operation, quality control, supply chain, industrial engineering, and more.

Competition may arise between such different teams to prove they can do better than the other. However, it shouldn’t happen in the process of PCB assembly. Themes should work with each other and combine their specialties so that they can create a perfect output.

Conclusion
People may get confused about whether it is possible or not to enhance their PCB assembly manufacturing efficiency. It should be noted that if they take various measures properly, they can make their PCB efficient. There are various ways to take place, including – Targeting fewer component variations, focusing on a PCB’s requirements, having proper materials, keeping a proper quality of PCB, focusing on the production procedure of PCB, etc.

Also, team management is a vital part of the PCB assembly manufacturing process. Thus, one should make sure that all the teams work together to produce a reliable and high-quality PCB.

At Technotronix, we are fully equipped to handle your PCB manufacturing and PCB assembly requirements. With over 4 decades of experience in rigid-flex PCB manufacturing as well as assembling PCBs with differing levels of complexities, our team of experts and state-of-the-art equipment ensure that all our PCBs meet the industry standards of quality and testing. Get in touch with us for high quality and defect-free PCB assembly manufacturing as per customer specification.

Best Practices to Ensure the Correct Component Orientation by Optimized assembly PCB board!

By | Date posted: | Last updated: May 28, 2021
Assembly PCB Board

A connection is something very important. No one can live in isolation for the entire time. This is not only applicable to living beings. Don’t get confused now. Here we are talking about the components of PCB (Printed-circuit boards). Without proper connections, do you think you would find a working PCB? It’s not possible.

One of the most important parts of making a PCB is its component orientation when talking about PCB. It is not at all possible to make it without a proper component orientation. Now, think of a fast-flowing river, and you have to swim across it. Do you think you can go in the opposite direction of the river’s flow?

Personally, I don’t think it’s quite possible. It will be a lot of effort to go the other way rather than how the river’s water is flowing – component orientation on PCBs. You cannot put it incorrectly, or else Loads of problems will arise.

All this describes how important it is to have the correct component orientation to optimize the Assembly of PCBs. Assembly of printed circuit boards won’t be that difficult if different components’ orientation is in an aligned order and correctly placed.

Why is correct component orientation necessary?

As I’ve already told above, component orientation is necessary for the Printed Circuit Boards Assembly Process. If the components are not in an aligned position, it can create various defects and functional issues after the PCB assembly service. It can lead to poor functionality of the PCB, defects in its services, and many other electrical problems. Thus, correct component orientation is necessary.

Work with the PCB Assembler

For the circuit board assembly, you will need the help of professionals. With their help, assembly PCB board will be much easier, and so will component orientation. PCB contract manufacturer that you appoint will help you understand your PC. they can make sure that the quality of the parts present in PCB is good, less time and labor is required, and there are no assembly issues to be found. And, if the component orientation is correct, so will the manufacturability. Thus you will know whether the component orientation of your PCB is correct or not.

Again, you will also need the help of an experienced PCB assembler. Only they can make your efforts worth it. They will provide better help to you as they know how the circuit board works and its Assembly requirements. Thus, professional help will be beneficial in the correct component orientation through optimized PCB Assembly.

Things to keep in mind before component orientation on Printed Circuit Board Assembly

To make sure that the printed circuit boards assembly is successful, you need to have a correct component orientation. But how can you do that? Well, correct placement and orientation is an important aspect of assembly PCB board.

  • Please do remember the orientation of the components that are similar to each other, which means putting similar components in the same direction. Thus, it can help you get the proper idea of Orienting all the components according to the PCB. Alignment is very important, and the assembly PCB board depends on it.
  • You will have to avoid placing any component on the solder side during the PCB assembly service. It is a crucial thing that you will have to take into consideration. If you don’t, then there might be bad or poor solder joints and electrical function problems.
  • Another thing that you should consider while Assembly of printed circuit boards is the placement of SMT components. You should try and place them on the same side of a PCB. Also, you need to place all the through-hole components on the PCB’s top-side.
  • On having mixed technology components, SMT and PTH, there will be a need for an extra process. the manufacturers might need it for the bottom components’ epoxy.

Manufacturing and functional considerations for PCB components Assembly:

There are two aspects that you should consider during component orientation on a PCB. You should make sure that your PCB is both manufacturable and functional. It is because the manufacturability of your board is important, and so is its functionality. Both of these aspects will decide whether your PCB will be perfectly working or not.

Manufacturable aspect

  • The quality of the parts or materials should not be defective so that the assembly process will be smooth.
  • In waved soldered boards, you should make sure that no components are misaligned as it can lead to various problems during the assembly process.
  • Separation of PCBs from their manufacturing panels is done with the help of V-groves scoring. You should make sure that the parts are oriented and placed so that the scoring tool gets enough place to work.

Functional aspect

  • Certain parts in a PCB need to be interacted with. for example – some cables, switches, or connectors may be required to be accessible for human interfacing. Thus, they should be oriented so that human interfacing will be possible without any damages.
  • Ensuring airflow across the board is also an important functional point here. You need to ensure that some parts are orientated in a specific direction so that its cooling can be maximum.

Conclusion
As discussed above, the correct component placement and orientation are necessary to output your PCB assembly successfully. Still, there are certain practices that you will have to undertake to do that. The perfect alignment of various components of a board is really important for the Assembly of PCB. But you don’t have to do it alone; some professionals can be of help to you. They can help in checking the manufacturability of your PCB and assemble it effectively.

Also, there are various things that you will have to consider for component orientation on PCBs. You need to ensure the correct alignment of components; components shouldn’t be placed on the solder side, SMT components are placed on the correct side.

Another thing that needs notice here is the manufacturable and functional aspect of a PCB. PCB Components assembly service needs a manufacturable and functional PCB. Thus, you should make sure that the quality of components should be good, components shouldn’t be misaligned, Human interfacing should be enabled, and a decent amount of airflow across the board is required.

Technotronix is a leading PCB Assembly company which has been operating for the last four decades. We are upgrading ourselves every day and offering the finest circuit board assembly, circuit board designs, PCB prototype and PCB fabrication services to our clients. We overcome every challenge that our customers can face, which helps to get perfect momentum in PCB making. You can rely on our PCB design tools that, in turn, lead to that perfect PCB Assembly. In case if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via email at sales@technotronix.us.

Request a quick quote for PCB Assembly!

Printed Circuit Board Assembly Process – The comprehensive Guide!

By | Date posted: | Last updated: September 21, 2021
printed-circuit-board-assembly-process

The use of electronics has been growing exponentially in our lives; so there is rapidly an increasing demand of printed circuit board assembly. Not just that we are seeing miniaturization as a rising trend when it comes to electronics. What makes all of this possible, however, are those small green chips that are at the heart of all electronic devices. Yes, we are referring to the Printed Circuit Boards or PCBs as they are popularly called. These are largely made of fiberglass; copper while being held together with epoxy and they are insulated with a solder mask.

What is Printed Circuit Board Assembly?

What gives these boards the complex functionality that you witness in the electronic products, are the components and the way they are assembled. Essentially, a Printed Circuit Board with components mounted on it is known as a printed circuit board assembly and this process of mounting components on the board is referred to as the PCB Assembly process. With the usage of PCBs becoming ubiquitous with increased usage of electronic products, it is important to understand the PCB Assembly process in detail.

The Printed Circuit Board Assembly process has a number of steps- some of these are automated and some are manual. Even before we get to the Assembly process, let us look at aspects of PCB design, types of PCB assemblies available and the component mounting technologies used.

PCB Design

The basic unit of the PCB has a number of layers. These layers include:

  • The base material of the PCB that gives the PCB its rigidity is known as the substrate
  • On each side of the PCB is a copper layer.
  • Above the copper layer is the solder mask. Essentially, what it does is to insulate the copper traces. The solder mask is therefore responsible for smooth working of the PCBA as it ensures that the soldering does not happen on unwanted parts.
  • The final layer on the PCB board is the silkscreen which adds labels and therefore indicates the function of the various components.

There are basically 3 types of Printed Circuit Board Assembly:

Rigid PCBs – As the name indicates, these are inflexible PCBs. For such PCBs the base is made of materials such as FR4, epoxy or phenolics.

There are also metal core PCBs. As the name suggests they are made of a metal core that spreads heat efficiently and therefore components that are heat sensitive, are protected.

Flexible PCB: Flexible PCBs offer more pliability than their rigid counterparts and therefore are of use in several applications. Some of the other advantages offered by Flexible PCBs include:

  • They offer greater connectivity
  • They are known for their reduced weight
  • They can absorb shocks and vibrations and are known for their durability
  • They are resistant to environmental forces such as heat, chemicals and more.

Rigid-Flex PCBs: This is a hybrid design that essentially has the qualities of both rigid and flexible PCBs. Typically, these are multi layered with flexible circuit substrates joined with rigid printed circuit boards. They find multiple applications such as:

  • Applications that are required to be highly reliable in the face of vibrations, shock etc.
  • High-density applications
  • Applications where there are 5 or more rigid boards.

When it comes to the component mounting technology for printed circuit board assembly, two types of technologies find favour:

Surface Mount Technology: Electronic products are marked by complex circuitry. A large number of electronics are today manufactured thus with Surface Mount Technology. This is particularly useful for small, sensitive components such as resistors or diodes. The main advantages of surface mount technology include:

  • It lends itself to automated production and soldering
  • It is cost-effective
  • It takes care of high component density
  • It offers better performance when the environment is subject to vibrations.

It’s biggest disadvantage, however, is that when subject to high heat, it isn’t quite reliable.

Through-hole technology- This is useful when components are to be mounted on the board through a process of plugging them through holes on the board. When there are large components, this technology is preferable. The other advantages that accrue with Through-hole technology include:

  • It creates strong bonds between the components and the board. In applications like transformers, for example, where there is high heat, these work best
  • The components can be swapped out, so it lends itself to testing and to prototypes.

The disadvantages of Through-hole include the fact that the drilling is both expensive and time-consuming. It also restricts components on one side of the board. Overall, it is also more expensive.

How to choose between SMT & Through-Hole Printed Circuit Board Assembly?

When you are dealing with complex boards with small parts and high density, SMT is largely preferred. For large components, applications that need to withstand heat, Through hole is the preferred choice. In many cases however, a combination of both may be the need of the hour.

Preparatory Steps for Printed Circuit Board assembly

Prior to the PCB assembly process, however, there need to be some preparatory steps. This largely includes assuring that the design of the PCB is right for which a Design for Manufacturability test is undertaken. This is to ensure that no operational issues are faced once the PCB is ready. A Design for Manufacturing check looks at the various design specifications, any missing features and more, which can impact the functionality of the PCB. For example, is the spacing between components too less, if so, if it not caught at the DFM stage, it could lead to short circuits at a later date. DFM can therefore go a long way in ensuring that costly errors are later avoided.

Printed Circuit Board Assembly Process Flow:

PCB assembly Process

Post the Design for Manufacturing (DFM) test comes the actual Circuit Board Assembly process.

Solder Paste Stenciling

The first stage begins with the Solder Paste Stenciling. Essentially this means applying a solder paste on the board. A thin stencil is placed over the PCB, this allows the solder paste to be applied on certain parts of the PCB. Essentially, the solder paste is a mix of solder with the flux, which needs to be applied to the board at the correct places. Once the stencil is removed, the solder paste remains in the exact location in which it was intended.

Pick and Place

The next step is what is known as Pick and Place. A robotic device now places the surface mount components on the printed circuit board. These are then soldered to the board. While earlier this process was manual, it is now automated that adds to precision and accuracy.

Reflow Soldering

This process ensures that the solder paste solidifies and that components are affixed to the board. Essentially, after pick and place the PCB board is moved to a conveyor belt. It is here that the board is heated to about 250 degrees Celsius, which melts the solder. Now it moves to cooler heaters where the solder cools and solidifies. This now connects the components to the printed circuit board.

Quality Control

After this process, comes the very important process of inspection. It is important to check to see that the connection isn’t poor and that there are no shorts as a result of misplaced components. There are a number of inspection methods that are in use. These include:

  • Manual Inspection- This works well for small batches. However, when the number of boards increase, visual inspection becomes impractical
  • AOI or Automatic Optical Inspection- This is suited for large batches where an AOI machine is used that has cameras at different angles. With different quality solders reflecting light in different ways, it is easy to identify the low-quality solder.
  • X-Ray inspection- For layered PCBs, this method works well

Through-Hole Components

The board also may contain a number of through-hole components, in which case these components require a special kind of soldering method.

This could be manual soldering where components will be inserted one at a time. The process can be lengthy depending on how many components there are.

There is also wave soldering which is an automated version. However, this isn’t possible for double-sided PCBs

Functional Test

Post this comes the final inspection to test for functionality. With simulated signals running through the PCB at this stage, its electrical characteristics are tested.

This completes the PCB Assembly process. However, soldering can make the process messy. What is therefore extremely important, is to wash the product after the soldering process. For this, a high-pressure washing apparatus is used, where the PCB is washed in deionized water. Washing is then followed by a drying process which is then followed by packaging and shipment.

It is also important to note that there are some differences between THT Assembly, SMT Assembly and Mixed Technology Printed Circuit Board Assembly.

Through Hole Technology PCB Assembly Process

In this Through Hole assembly process the first step is that of component placement where components are placed manually conforming to a number of regulations regarding polarity and orientation of components. This is, then followed by a process of inspection. The last step is to do with wave soldering which involves the THT components to be accurately soldered onto the circuit board.

SMT PCB Assembly Process

SMT Assembly process involves the steps of Solder Paste Printing where the solder paste is applied through a solder paste printer. This is then followed by mounting of components through an auto pick-and-place machine that sticks parts to the board. The final step is to do with reflow soldering which binds the components firmly to the board.

Mixed Technology Printed Circuit Board Assembly

With electronic products becoming increasingly complex and miniaturization becoming the order of the day, most boards have both Through-hole and SMD components. In such cases it is important to have a proper sequence in order. Hand soldering works well where there are many components on both sides and where SMD components are more. Where there are a small number of THT components, wave soldering is recommended.

It is important to choose the right Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA) USA who is technically sound and aware of all these nuances to do justice to your project. At Technotronix, we have over 4 decades of experience in both PCB fabrication and assembly. Our big advantage comes from our state-of-the-art equipment but also our experienced team of engineers who is equipped with the industry best-practices and ensures that you do not have to make any costly mistakes. In addition, our robust testing procedures ensure that what you get are reliable products. You can count on us for prototypes as well as large runs. With encouraging turnaround times, we are a go-to provider for clients across a wide variety of industries. In fact, a large body of clients who have complete faith in us, stands as the biggest testimony to our success.

Technotronix offers professional PCB Assembly services with 40 years of expertise. Our accurate PCB assembly process meets the quality standards, including ISO-9001:2015, RoHS, and more. You can rely on our PCB design tools that, in turn, lead to that perfect PCB Assembly. 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 sales@technotronix.us

Download this Printed Circuit Board Assembly Process

Get a quick quote for PCB Assembly!

Top factors that determine the cost of Multilayer PCB Assembly!

By | Date posted: | Last updated: February 2, 2023
Multilayer PCB Assembly

The use of multilayer PCBs has become ubiquitous with several industries employing complex PCBs in increasingly miniaturized products.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 4 Layer PCB Stackup

There are a number of factors that determine the cost of a multilayer PCB Fabrication:

Choice of material

The material used to fabricate the board has an obvious bearing on its costs. In making the choice of material for the Multilayer PCB boards you need to take into account several factors such as:

  • Do you need the board to withstand high operating temperature? For boards that need to work in high-temperature operating conditions, what you need are boards which have Copper Clad Laminate and PP materials with high glass transition temperature. With low Tg material you stand the risk of the resin being de-laminated and thereby the electrical connectivity to be broken when the temperature rises.
  • Another major factor to watch out for is the signal performance. The choice of material is thus determined by whether the material will facilitate uninterrupted electrical signals.
  • Mechanical properties of the board are also key in order to ensure that the board can withstand any foreseeable mechanical stresses and strains.

Size of PCB

The dimensions of the PCB are also a determinant of its cost. The base material is often charged by dimension so large PCBs will come at a certain cost. This does not however mean that the standard rule of the smaller the PCB the cheaper it will be, will apply. This is because in small PCBs the routing time as well as labour involved may be intensive. The size of the PCB along with the process time involved, thus impacts cost.

PCB Layer Count

Another major determinant of cost is of course, the number of layers. If you are talking of a double-sided PCB board, for example, you are talking of the fact that there is no need for copper foil lamination and that there aren’t added layers that need processing. As a thumb rule, therefore, the greater the number of layers, the more resources as well as time is required for the manufacturing process and hence the greater the cost.

Surface Finish

The choice of surface finish also impacts the cost of multilayer PCB fabrication. Certain finishes are known for their quality and longer shelf life and obviously come with an added cost. For example, if you opt for HASL surface finish, the cost is low. By contrast, ENIG finish comes with a slightly higher cost. When it comes to HDI PCB designs, there could oftentimes be the need to use a mix of finishes, which in turn could have an impact on costs.

Type of hole and density

The price of multilayer PCB fabrication is a function of the following:

  • Size of hole

  • Its density

  • Hole type

When it comes to the size of the hole, the standard aspect ratio to be followed is 8:1, if there is a change in the hole size, it means that there is the need to use customized tools to meet your bespoke requirements, which will come at an added cost. Similarly, while a hole density of less than 120Kpcs/sqm is normal, any change in that will once again come at an added cost. Similarly a standard thru-hole comes at a standard cost, however, if the board requires any blind and buried vias, the cost tends to go up.

Trace Width and Spacing

On a multi layered board to avoid overheating, there needs to be sufficient trace width. Engineers could therefore look at there could be a need of enlarging the trace width or adding extra solder, both of which add to the cost in terms of material as well as the work involved.

Thickness of PCB

Thicker material typically is costlier to produce, laminate as well as turn into a PCB. Add to this if the design is complex, the cost goes up. Another area that impacts price is the aspect ratio.

Requirement of any special processes

In case there are any unique design elements and the need for any special processes, it has an implication on the cost. Some of the processes that could impact cost include impedance control, carbon ink, blind vias, edge plating, depth-control, halogen free material and more.

A detailed evaluation of the above parameters can help in effectively determining the cost of multilayer PCB fabrication.

The above Factors affect multilayer PCBs cost so, be careful while you take any budget decisions for your multilayer PCB assembly. We have over four decades of experience in providing innovative PCB Assembly services using modern technologies and the latest machinery. We are adhering to strict high-quality standards and compliant with the RoHS quality management system. If you are looking for progressive Multilayer PCBs, you are at the right place. All you need to do is to reach out to us and have complete peace of mind, which comes from knowing that the people manufacturing your product are experts in their domain!

Get a Quick Quote for Multilayer PCB Assembly!