Electroplating Additives in PCB Copper Deposition Plating is the step that turns a pattern of isolated copper features into a connected circuit, and it is the step most likely to be blamed when a board fails an electrical test. Copper that is missing inside a hole, or present where it…

PCB Ionic Contamination Specification: Setting the Cleanliness Limit Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB ionic contamination specification from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor,…

PCB Design Principles for EMI Suppression Electromagnetic compatibility is not a layer of varnish applied at the end of a project. It is a set of physical decisions taken during layout, and by the time the board is fabricated the opportunity to influence most of them has passed. Two coupling…

Layer Stackup Design: One Layer to Eight Layers The stackup is the foundation of the whole design and the one decision that cannot be repaired later. A routing mistake can be fixed with a patch or a rework, an impedance error can sometimes be trimmed with a resistor, but a…

PCB Corrosion Testing of Finished Assemblies: Watching Metal Go Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB corrosion testing of finished assemblies gives you a…

PCB Thermal Shock Versus Thermal Cycling: Fast or Slow Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB thermal shock versus thermal cycling from the perspective of a…

PCB Thermal Cycle Test Chamber Setup: Heating and Cooling Buyers and engineers often focus on the finished product and forget the production line behind it. In practice, most field failures can be traced back to process decisions made during assembly. Understanding PCB thermal cycle test chamber setup gives you a…

PCB Solder Ball Shear Test: Testing the Bump Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB solder ball shear test from the perspective of a PCBA factory…

Copper Flooding: Mesh or Solid, and How to Handle Ground Islands Filling the empty area of a board with copper is one of the oldest habits in layout, and like most habits it is sometimes applied without much thought. A pour is not decoration and it is not a free…

PCB Die Shear Test Method: Pushing the Die Sideways Electronics manufacturing has become a discipline of small details. Solder paste volumes, placement accuracy, temperature profiles and inspection limits all add up to the final result. This guide looks at PCB die shear test method from the perspective of a PCBA…