Rectifier Ripple: 5 Checks for Even Plating Rectifier ripple is the variation that remains in a direct current output after rectification, and it changes the deposit that a plating tank produces even when the average current is exactly right. The plating reaction responds to the instantaneous current at the cathode,…

PCB Quotation Standards: Agreeing the Rules 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 quotation standards from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering applying standards…

Artwork Film Control: 5 Checks Before Imaging Artwork film is the transparent master from which a panel is imaged, and it remains in use for outer layers, solder mask and legend on lines that have not moved to direct imaging. Because the film is a physical object, it changes with…

Exposed Pad Soldering: 6 Rules for a Flat Joint An exposed pad is the metal land on the underside of a package that carries heat out of the die and into the board. It is soldered at the same time as the pins around it, yet it behaves like a…

PCB Quotation Training: Teaching the Team 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. This article explains PCB quotation…

Hole Aspect Ratio: 6 Rules for Plating Hole aspect ratio is the board thickness divided by the drilled hole diameter, and it is the single number that best predicts whether a plated through hole will be reliable. A 1.6 mm board drilled with a 0.3 mm hole has a ratio…

PCB Quotation Records: Writing It Down 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 quotation records from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering recording quotation…

Legend Print: 6 Rules for Board Marking Quality Legend print is the silkscreen layer that identifies components, pin one positions, connectors and orientation, and it is the only part of the board a human reads directly. It does not carry current and it does not affect impedance, which is exactly…

Panel Edge Control: 5 Checks Before Lamination Panel edge control is the set of checks applied to the outside of a panel before it enters the press, and it decides both how the panel presses and how it behaves afterwards. A burr, a chipped corner or a film of resin…

HAST Test Setup: 5 Rules for PCB Reliability A HAST test puts a board or an assembly under high temperature and high humidity while it is electrically biased, and it is used to find humidity driven failure modes in days rather than in the months a steady state humidity test…