Where to Put a Stiffener on a Flexible Printed Circuit A stiffener is a patch of rigid material bonded to a flexible circuit to give it local rigidity, and it is what allows a connector, a component or a screw hole to survive on a board that is otherwise designed…

Comparator Hysteresis and Interface Design A comparator converts an analogue level into a logic decision, and the decision is only as good as the circuit around it. A comparator with no hysteresis will switch repeatedly when the input passes slowly through the threshold, and the resulting burst of edges is…

Assembling MEMS Flow Sensors on a Production Line A micro electro mechanical flow sensor measures the movement of air or gas across a small heated element or a diaphragm. The sensing structure is on the scale of tens of micrometres, and it is packaged in a cavity that has to…

Assembly Data Preparation: BOM, Placement File and Rotation Errors The assembly machine is programmed from data, and the data arrives from several sources that must agree. When they do not, the result is a board that is built exactly as instructed and is nevertheless wrong. What the Data Set Contains…

SMT Component Identification: Packages and Markings Surface mount parts are identified by their package, their marking and their position on the board. The information is small and often abbreviated, and being able to read it quickly is what keeps an assembly line moving and a repair from turning into a…

PCB FIFO Control: From Prototype to Volume 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 FIFO control gives you a practical advantage when you…

PCB Hazmat for Solder Paste: From Prototype to Volume Production 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 hazmat for solder paste from the perspective of a…

Battery Tab Welding: Welding Battery Tabs, Connecting Plates and Terminals A battery pack is assembled from cells that are joined to each other and to the outside world through tabs, connecting plates and terminals. Those joints carry the full current of the pack, they are made from dissimilar metals in…

PCB Export Crating: Practical Process Controls 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 export crating from the perspective of a PCBA factory floor, covering crating for…

PCB Dual Sourcing A Board: Practical Process Controls 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 dual sourcing a board from the perspective of a PCBA factory…