Working With A Manufacturer For Printed Circuit Board Assembly

There are many types of materials that are put into a printed circuit board. There are many types of conductive materials and non-conductive materials. A PCB can do a variety of different functions, from common beepers to complex algorithms. The circuit board is very thin and has many circuits that perform a single function. The individual pieces of the circuit are placed on one side or on two sides. They can also be placed in layers. All of these components are connected by very thin wires. All of these components have different materials and purposes that mean that no two circuit boards are the same.

Major Materials

The biggest component of the
circuit board design is the board itself. The board is made of fiberglass reinforced epoxy resin with a copper foil on one or both sides of the board. PCB�s can also be made with paper reinforced phenolic resin with a copper foil. The paper one is used commonly in household devices, because they are cheaper and used for mass produced products.

The printed circuits are made of copper that is either etched away or plated on the service to leave the desired pattern. The pattern is filled in with either the fiberglass or paper layer. The copper is coated with a touch of tin to prevent oxidation. The fingers are made of tin-lead, nickel, and gold to increase conductivity. The major materials are filled in with purchased products like the resistors, capacitors, transistors, diodes, circuit chips, and other materials.

The board consists of these materials, a layer of copper etched in the shape of the connectors and the fingers, and the layer of fiberglass. These materials are used for their strength and their conductivity. The expense that can go into these materials as well as the layout of the PCB itself is the main factor going into the cost of the board. This is why the design process is so important.

Materials and Assembly

The materials need to be exact to the design, because the materials that are used are not easy to replace and are expensive to fix if they are wrong. Keeping the designs and the materials in check and finalizing the design before the assembly will save a lot of time and money in the long run.

The materials that go into the design of a PCB are hard to come by and costly to replace and repair. If not in the money, it is certainly in the time it takes to put something so small and intricate together. A hobbyist needs to be careful with getting the materials together and etching other materials in exactly. By nature, the design of these materials needs to be exact because of the conductivity of these materials. Quality control checks and stencils are used frequently in the process because it is such an exacting process. Some of these materials are also toxic, like lead. Being careful with these materials ensures that the final product or the prototype is in good working order.

Solder Masks In Circuit Boards

Circuit board design is a complicated process with many steps to a complex assembly of parts on a small scale. As such, mistakes can arise from circuit board design problems. The design of a circuit board is often changed before the assembly begins, but there are some that are not detected until after the process has started. Failing to get these board design mistakes handled before the assembly can cost a lot of time and money along with precious resources. There are many common mistakes that can easily be detected and handled.

Improper Stackup Design

The connection between circuit board layers in what is called a stack is something that is hard to change. In addition to having all of the connections being misaligned, an improper stack will render the circuits and the internal processes almost useless. If a system in the stack needs to be modified due to the processes being changed, then many parts of the stack need to be realigned.

Not Including Extra Components

There are always those 11th hour changes that need to be addressed. A lot of the time, there is some important component that needs to be added, but there may be no room for those items to fit. In that case, a complete redesign should be necessary.

Extra Processes

As with the designer, the fabricator may need some processes that the designer does not know about. It can be a problem if the processes are contradictory to another or proprietary. The best way to combat that would be to check with the fabricator as to what kinds of restrictions exist and to get the software that allows room for the processes that the fabricator would add later.

Not Having Design Reviews

It is always worth it to have more than one set of eyes look at a design. All of the stakeholders of a product should have a say in how they would want a product to operate. This will give the designer a better idea as to how to design the circuit board so that the designer does not have to change it down the road.

Not Doing a Backup Regularly

A designer�s worst nightmare is working on something and then having the computer program go wrong. Designers can tell more than one story about their horrific experiences with losing precious work. Every designer can tell a new one to back everything up and to save their work on multiple hard drives.

Not Communicating

With all the parties at play with a design, keeping in touch with all of them is something that will save a lot of time and money. It is easy to lose sight of team members through the long days and the complexities of the design. It is also worth the time to send design the other parties as well, especially the manufacturers, so that they can guide the design as needed from their end. A
pcb fabrication board is hard enough to design, so do not make simple and costly mistakes that could lead to months of lost work.

Solder Masks In Circuit Boards

A stencil is a solid piece of aluminum that helps a circuit board assembler with cutting out the top layer so that the copper layer is exposed to the specifications of the design of the circuit board. A stencil is easy enough to see the benefit of. A stencil costs a lot less than a copper plate and is easy to reproduce should there be a change in the design. There are two ways to obtain a stencil made out of the exact specifications of the design that the designer is looking for, and that is to either have one made or to make one at home.

Benefits of a Stencil

The stencil is an immensely valuable tool to have for the final design of the board. A custom stencil from a steel manufacturer often will have one made with accuracy, timeliness, and the opportunity for reorders. Often, a designer would want all of these abilities in assisting in the design of the actual board. The aluminum design is a lot easier to cut and cheaper to produce than a copper plated one and the mistakes will be less costly.

Effectiveness of a Stencil Maker

Prototype stencils are often used in the assembly process. Three edges of the stencil are bent at a right angle to make a sink for the eventual solder plate. It also makes it easier to handle and helps to stiffen it. Often, there are many iterations of a prototype board whose purpose is to assist the designer in coming up with any needed revisions. These stencils are accurate, affordable, manufactured quickly, compact, easy to handle, and easy to recycle. Often, this can help all parties with articulating what the finished product may look like and make any revisions in the design.

Cost Effectiveness of a Stencil

A stencil is cost effective when there is a significant number of surface mount components, when there are multiple revs planned while only one component placement is finalized, and results in an easier and higher quality soldering. There are many designs that are simple enough and straight forward enough for a simple hand soldering of a lot of the components. In other words, the more complicated the
pcb assembly is and the more parties that are at play, the easier it is to see the benefit in having a stencil. A stencil costs somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 dollars and the time to build one through a laser cutter takes a fixed amount of time and labor.

Even though a designer and a company may spend some money on seemingly useless prototypes, the cost and time saved on the final product or prototype could be substantial. The cost of one misaligned or mistaken prototype costs about the same as a stencil. It is a small price to pay for the possibility of having many different iterations of the design before the prototype is created. A good prototype always starts with a well thought out and planned design and a stencil helps in the work of creating a PCB.

Pc Board Troubleshooting

A stencil is a solid piece of aluminum that helps a circuit board assembler with cutting out the top layer so that the copper layer is exposed to the specifications of the design of the circuit board. A stencil is easy enough to see the benefit of. A stencil costs a lot less than a copper plate and is easy to reproduce should there be a change in the design. There are two ways to obtain a stencil made out of the exact specifications of the design that the designer is looking for, and that is to either have one made or to make one at home.

Benefits of a Stencil

The stencil is an immensely valuable tool to have for the final design of the board. A custom stencil from a steel manufacturer often will have one made with accuracy, timeliness, and the opportunity for reorders. Often, a designer would want all of these abilities in assisting in the design of the actual board. The aluminum design is a lot easier to cut and cheaper to produce than a copper plated one and the mistakes will be less costly.

Effectiveness of a Stencil Maker

Prototype stencils are often used in the assembly process. Three edges of the stencil are bent at a right angle to make a sink for the eventual solder plate. It also makes it easier to handle and helps to stiffen it. Often, there are many iterations of a prototype board whose purpose is to assist the designer in coming up with any needed revisions. These stencils are accurate, affordable, manufactured quickly, compact, easy to handle, and easy to recycle. Often, this can help all parties with articulating what the finished product may look like and make any revisions in the design.

Cost Effectiveness of a Stencil

A stencil is cost effective when there is a significant number of surface mount components, when there are multiple revs planned while only one component placement is finalized, and results in an easier and higher quality soldering. There are many designs that are simple enough and straight forward enough for a simple hand soldering of a lot of the components. In other words, the more complicated the
circuit boards is and the more parties that are at play, the easier it is to see the benefit in having a stencil. A stencil costs somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 dollars and the time to build one through a laser cutter takes a fixed amount of time and labor.

Even though a designer and a company may spend some money on seemingly useless prototypes, the cost and time saved on the final product or prototype could be substantial. The cost of one misaligned or mistaken prototype costs about the same as a stencil. It is a small price to pay for the possibility of having many different iterations of the design before the prototype is created. A good prototype always starts with a well thought out and planned design and a stencil helps in the work of creating a PCB.