Laser Soldering: Spot Size and Heat Input Control Laser soldering delivers energy to a joint as a focused beam rather than by conduction from a hot tip. The heat is absorbed at the surface where the beam lands, and it spreads into the joint by conduction from there. That makes…

Tin Whisker Inspection and Mitigation in PCB Finishes A tin whisker is a thin, single-crystal filament of tin that grows out of a tin-plated surface without any applied voltage. Whiskers are typically a few micrometres in diameter and can reach several hundred micrometres in length, which is enough to bridge…

Electropolished Stencil Apertures: Paste Release and Surface Finish An electropolished stencil has had a thin layer of metal removed from the walls of its apertures by an electrochemical process, which smooths the surface left by laser cutting. The change is measured in fractions of a micrometre, but it acts on…

PCB Etch Factor Audit: Checking the Practice 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…

Entry Burr Control in PCB Drilling: Causes and Removal An entry burr is the ring of copper pushed up around the rim of a hole where the drill enters the board. It forms because the drill lifts the copper foil as it cuts through, and the material has nowhere to…

PCB Etch Factor Cost: From Design to Repeatable Production 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 etch factor cost gives you a practical advantage…

PCB Etch Factor Problems: From Design to Repeatable Production 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 etch factor problems gives you a practical advantage…

Voids in Through-Hole Solder Joints: Where the Gas Comes From Voiding in through-hole solder joints is the formation of gas pockets inside the solder that fills a plated barrel. The joint can pass a visual inspection and still carry voids that reduce its cross section, and the barrel fill measurement…

PCB Etch Factor Checklist: What to Check Etch factor describes how far a copper trace is undercut during etching. It compares the thickness of the copper with the sideways loss at the trace edge. A low etch factor means straighter sidewalls and a trace width closer to the design. A…

SMD Adhesive Dispensing Before Wave Soldering On a mixed technology assembly, the chip components on the underside are held in place by dots of adhesive before the board crosses the wave during wave soldering, where the contact geometry is covered in the notes on wave height and contact. The adhesive…