What is an effective way to assemble a Printed Circuit board?

by Kristen White Blogger

As we have noticed, over the time, things are getting smaller and finer in almost every industry. The change in the spacings between traces and the miniaturization of the components on printed circuit boards have brought a big revolution in the electronics manufacturing industry. Their compact size and improved efficiency have made a huge impact in this industry and helped electronic manufacturers automate the process of circuit assembly by minimizing the point-to-point requirement of wiring. Today, the manufacturers of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) use Surface Mount Technology (SMT) PCB stencils for board assembly. To achieve quality printing performance, it is important to use best solder stencils.

About solder stencils

Using a stencil printer is the most common method of applying solder paste on a PCB. Stencils are thin sheets usually made of polymer, brass or stainless steel. These stencils normally have a circuit pattern that is cut into it to match the pattern of the surface mount devices (SMD) required to be attached on the PCB. The stencil consists of a bunch of holes in it representing the SMD footprint layout.

The process

The process of applying the solder paste is known as solder paste stencilling. Solder paste stencilling helps you quickly apply the solder paste on all the pads on your bare PCB. The solder paste stencil helps you accurately deposit the right volume of solder paste on the desired surface of the PCB maintaining a correct solder height so that the solder joint between the PCB pad and the component terminals are robust thus establishing strong electrical connection. This solder paste practically acts as an adhesive that helps the components to stick to the board and stay in place.

Different Types of SMT Stencils

Stencils can be divided into the following types based on the application of solder paste:

· Prototype stencils - These SMT stencils are designed for the printing application of manual solder paste. Such stencils help eliminate any kind of printing mistakes. These are made from Computer-aided Design (CAD) or Gerber files provided by the client.

· Framed stencils - These stencils are permanently fitted on the frame. They obtain the required tension from the border mesh. These framed stencils are used in the production of bulk volume of PCB. Framed stencils feature smooth aperture walls that assure excellent print performance.

· Frameless stencils – Unlike framed stencils, these stencils are not permanently mounted on any frame. These stencils are comparatively available at an affordable price than framed stencils and are recommended for prototype runs or short runs.

Choose the best

We at Soldertools.net work together with electronic companies to help them effectively rework, repair and assemble PCBs. We have gathered year of experience in processing boards and reworking on them. Our team comprises of highly-trained IPC-certified soldering technicians who have experience in some of the most complex Ball Grid Array (BGA) repair and PCB rework. We deal in different state-of-the art equipment that ensures 100% guarantee on PCB and BGA works.

With us you will get all different types of metal SMT stencil frame that are designed based on the exact standards you provide under the guidance of our SMT engineers. They precisely know how a particular stencil needs to be designed so that it can offer optimal performance. Our standard SMT metal stencils are made of the best quality high tension material that ensures that the maximum amount of solder paste would be deposited on the surface of the PCB.

The laser cut SMT framed stencils are designed to work on different SMT printing machines. These can be easily considered for repeatable continuous operation. Our fixed frame SMT stencils are available in a range of different sizes. So, whenever you are in need of a reliable service provider of SMT metal stencils, always choose Soldertools.net.