Failure Analysis of Field Returns Why Field Returns Matter A field return is the most informative object in a manufacturing organisation, because it is a real failure with a real history rather than a hypothesis about a process. Its value depends on the discipline applied to it: a return that…

Footprint Creation and Verification The Footprint Is the Interface A footprint is the board’s interface to a component, and it decides where the paste is printed, where the part is placed and how the joint forms. It is usually drawn once, early, and reused for years, which is why an…

PCB Press-fit Connector Assembly: A Joint Without 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 PCB press-fit connector assembly gives you a practical advantage when…

Teardrops and Trace Entry Design What a Teardrop Is A teardrop is a small taper of copper that blends the trace into the pad, so that the junction is a smooth transition rather than a right angle. The taper adds copper at the point where the trace meets the pad,…

Annular Ring and Pad Design Rules What the Annular Ring Is The annular ring is the width of copper that surrounds a drilled hole on the pad. It is what remains after the hole has been drilled through the pad, and it has to absorb the drilling’s position tolerance, the…

SMT Reflow Solder Joint Tear Test: A Practical Manufacturing Guide 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 tear test gives you…

Thermal Relief Design for Soldering Why a Plane Makes Soldering Harder A copper plane conducts heat better than the laminate, so a pad that is connected directly to a plane draws heat away from the joint during soldering. The result is a joint that reaches a lower peak temperature, that…

Board Level Shielding and RF Cans When a Shield Is Needed A board level shield, often called a can, is a metal cover over a section of the circuit that confines the field of an emitter or protects a sensitive receiver. It is used when the layout, the filtering and…

PCB Laminate Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: How Much the Board Grows 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 laminate coefficient of thermal expansion from the perspective…

Microvia Reliability in HDI Boards What a Microvia Is A microvia is a small laser drilled via, usually with a diameter below about a tenth of a millimetre, that connects an outer layer to the layer immediately beneath it. It is the element that makes a high density interconnect possible,…