Conductive Anodic Filament: CAF Failure Explained What CAF Is Conductive anodic filament is a copper-containing path that grows inside the laminate along the resin and glass interface, from an anode toward a cathode, while the board is under bias in a humid environment. It is not a surface phenomenon and…

SMT Reflow Solder Joint Grain Size: The Crystals in the Solder 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 SMT reflow solder joint grain size gives…

Selective Soldering: Process and Design Rules Why Selective Soldering Exists Modern boards are mostly surface mount, but they almost always carry a few through-hole parts: connectors that must survive insertion force, transformers, relays, power terminals and parts that are simply cheaper in a leaded package. Those joints still have to…

Reflow Profile Design for Mixed Assemblies What the Profile Actually Controls A reflow profile is the temperature the assembly experiences against time, and it does three jobs at once. It has to bring every joint to a temperature above the melting point of the alloy for long enough that the…

PCB Surface Finish Thickness Control: Holding the Finish Depth 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 surface finish thickness control from the perspective of a PCBA…

SMT Placement Offset Correction: Moving the Part Back on Center 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 SMT placement offset correction from the perspective of a PCBA…

PCB Via Pad Size Calculation: Sizing the Pad for the Hole 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 via pad size calculation gives you…

SMT Reflow Solder Paste Flux Activity: How Strong the Flux Cleans Modern electronics depend on boards that are assembled correctly the first time. Every product – a phone, a charger, a medical instrument or an industrial controller – relies on thousands of solder joints that must conduct current for years.…

Solder Mask Slivers: Causes and Design Fixes What a Sliver Is A sliver is a narrow strip of solder mask that is not fully supported by the board surface, either because it is thinner than intended or because it sits between two openings that leave it barely attached. In its…

PCB Copper Trace Bend Radius: Turning the Trace Gently 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. The same discipline applies to PCB Copper Trace Bend Radius, where a small process drift…