SMT PCB Assembly Terms: BOM, DIP, SMT and SMD Guide SMT PCB assembly terms such as BOM, DIP, SMT, and SMD are used in almost every electronics manufacturing document. A customer who understands these terms can communicate more clearly with the PCB assembly factory, review the process, and check the…

PCB Trace Width and Copper Weight Chart Guide Why Trace Width and Copper Weight Matter PCB trace width and copper weight decide how much current a conductor can carry, how hot it gets, how much voltage it drops and how reliable the board remains over its life. A trace that…

SMT Component Selection Guide for PCB Assembly SMT component selection is one of the first and most important steps in PCB design. The component package determines how the part is placed, soldered, inspected, and tested. A well-chosen package saves PCB area, improves reliability, and makes the assembly process easier to…

GPU PCB Guide: Layers, Materials, Design and Cost for Graphics Cards What a GPU PCB Is A GPU PCB is the circuit board that carries the graphics processor and every component around it, from memory and power delivery to the PCIe connector and control circuits. The GPU PCB provides the…

Ceramic PCB Materials Guide: Alumina, AlN, BeO and Si3N4 What Ceramic PCBs Are Ceramic PCB materials replace the epoxy glass of a normal FR4 board with a ceramic substrate that carries copper circuitry directly on its surface. The switch to ceramic is driven by applications such as electric vehicles, 5G…

SMT Chip Thrust Test and Assembly Strength Guide The SMT chip thrust test measures the adhesion strength and soldering fastness of surface mount components on a PCB. It is also called a shear test. The test applies a controlled force to the side of a component until the solder joint…

Burn In Board PCB Guide: Design, Materials, Process and Cost What a Burn In Board Is A semiconductor burn in board, often called a burn-in board, is a high performance PCB that carries chips through accelerated reliability testing. The board is installed inside a burn-in oven or an ATE system,…

Improve SMT Production Line Throughput: Placement Optimization SMT production line throughput is usually limited by the placement machine. The printer, mounter, and reflow oven must work at a balanced speed so that no single machine waits for another. Improving throughput is not only about buying a faster mounter; it also…

20-Layer ABF Substrate Guide: Structure, Materials, Process and Cost What a 20-Layer ABF Substrate Is A 20-layer ABF substrate is a high density IC package substrate built with ABF build-up film as the dielectric, used to connect a semiconductor die to the PCB motherboard. AI processors, GPUs, CPUs, FPGAs, ASICs…

SMT PCB Assembly Process Control: Error Prevention Guide SMT PCB assembly process control measures are defined for every step from solder paste application to component placement and reflow soldering. SMT is a popular assembly technology because it allows high density and fast production, but it can only produce reliable boards…