PCB Board Support Tooling: 6 Rules for Printing and Reflow Board support is the system that holds a panel flat while it is printed, populated and reflowed. On a thick, small board it is almost unnecessary; on a thin panel with a large area, the lack of it shows up…

PCB Plasma Treatment: 6 Controls That Raise Surface Energy Plasma treatment exposes a board to an ionised gas that reacts with whatever is on the surface, removing organic contamination and leaving chemically active groups behind. The result is a surface with higher energy that wets, bonds and plates more reliably…

Vacuum Printing: Filling Small Apertures From Below Vacuum printing applies a pressure difference across the stencil so that paste is pushed into the aperture from above and pulled into it from below at the same time. The vacuum is applied through the support under the board, and it acts during…

PCB Scrap Data: What the Numbers Say 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…

Component Loss on SMT Lines: 5 Accounting Rules Component loss is the difference between the parts issued to a placement line and the parts that leave it on shipped boards. On a dense product the number is small in percentage terms and large in absolute terms, because a board can…

SMT Feeder Setup: 6 Checks That Stop Placement Errors Feeder setup is the part of SMT preparation that gets the least attention and causes a large share of placement defects. A feeder that is loaded slightly forward of the pick position, or a tape that sits a fraction of a…

Tack Time: How Long Paste Holds Components in Place Tack time is the period during which a printed paste deposit is sticky enough to hold a component after placement. It begins when the board leaves the printer and it ends when the paste can no longer resist the small forces…

Solder Bar Purity: 5 Checks Before the Pot Solder bar purity is the freedom of the incoming alloy from elements that raise its melting range, thicken the dross layer or embrittle the joint. A bar can match its nominal composition and still carry enough copper, iron or antimony to change…

PCB Scrap Limits: Where the Edges Are 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 scrap limits from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering understanding…

Immersion Tin Coating Thickness: 6 Process Controls That Matter Immersion tin is a thin metallic coating deposited by a displacement reaction, where tin from the bath replaces copper on the surface of the pad. It gives a flat, solderable finish at a modest cost, and it is popular for fine…