3 PCB Soldering Simple Steps: PCB Assembly China 2022

/ / Informative
Ceramic PCB

 

In order to ensure a high quality, safe and reliable finished product, it is necessary to carefully follow each stage dedicated to the production of the electronic board.

The realization of each board requires several steps, to be carried out with meticulous precision: starting from the design of the board, in which the customer’s idea takes shape, passing through the assembly, in which the components are positioned and correctly welded on the printed circuit, arriving at the packaging, in which each card is carefully packaged, to avoid damage during transport. Each phase, therefore, is essential to obtain a perfectly functional and effective finished product.

In this article, FXPCB shows you how the soldering phase is carried out, in which each element is precisely fixed on the electronic board.

Manual Soldering of Printed Circuit Board in 2022

How FXPCB carries out the soldering phase of the pcb boards?

After having correctly positioned the components above the printed circuit during the assembly phase, the product, defined as semi-finished product, arrives at the soldering department. This phase is of fundamental importance as it guarantees the perfect seal of the individual components on the circuit, thus ensuring a safe and defect-free finished product.

The ways in which the components are permanently fixed on the printed circuit vary according to the type of assembly that has been performed: from SMT assembly to PTH assembly; in fact, both the instruments and the application techniques vary.

PTH soldering

In PTH (Pin Through Hole) assembly, the components of the pcb board are assembled manually. The reasons may be different: either because there are non-advanced components and, therefore, there are no equivalents in SMT, or because the customer has expressly requested the use of these components and, consequently, this assembly method.

In this case, soldering is also done manually: the procedure is performed on a soldering station equipped with a stylus with an interchangeable tip, available in various sizes to be selected according to the size of the components of the board itself, capable of heating up to 360 degrees.

Used together with the tin wire, it welds the lead, which is the terminal conductor wire of the electrical components assembled with the PTH method. The tin wire used in FXPCB is lead free and is composed solely of 99% tin , with an addition of 0.5% copper and 0.5% silver. Its use allows a more performing finish, which at the same time guarantees a greater , brighter and brighter aesthetic .

Also Read: How To Etch A Circuit Board?

SMT soldering

In the SMT (Surface Mount Technology) department, in which the electronic boards are assembled automatically by means of the Pick & Place machine, soldering is also carried out through the use of an automated oven. There are mainly two types of furnaces for soldering components:

Vapor-phase ovens, which work by means of a liquid which, turning into a vapor, solder the elements on the circuit;

Hot air / nitrogen reflow oven, which solder through a recirculation of hot air.

FXPCB has chosen to use only vapor-phase furnaces, since they are machines that allow you to control the soldering process in detail from start to finish. A dedicated profile is created for each type of electronic board which, when inserted in the oven, allows you to understand if the calibration of the same is correct: by carefully checking the temperature variations, it is possible to avoid sudden changes that could generate thermal shocks, which could cause damage to the components. Present on the printed circuit.

Through the inserted profile, a graph is obtained that is comparable to a photograph of what happened in the furnace during soldering: during the procedure, in fact, a trace is generated with a curve that indicates the temperatures inside the furnace, the total duration of the soldering cycle and which temperatures were used .

The same graph, at the end of the realization of an electronic board, is attached to the FXPCB report, to demonstrate at any time how the soldering itself took place.

Thanks to this, in the event that problems arise on the components, it is possible to review how it were welded and if any anomalies occurred during soldering. Each component has its own data sheet, that is a card in which various information is indicated, including which types of welds this element can receive.

In both PTH and SMT soldering, however, the process occurs by means of different thermal shocks depending on the components to be welded.

Material availability

What happens after soldering?

In case the project foresees it, the pcb board now passes to testing. During this phase, the electronic circuits are tested in every detail, in order to ensure that their operation is in accordance with what was determined in the design phase.

Thanks to these tests, it is possible to verify the presence of any critical issues in one of the products: in this case, the tests would be promptly interrupted and we would dedicate ourselves to solving the problem.

Alternatively, if testing is not required, the electronic boards would be transferred to the packaging: here they are packaged in special boxes equipped with internal honeycomb hives, specifically designed to guarantee the protection of the products during storage and the subsequent transport.

In conclusion

Soldering electronic boards is a very delicate step in the creation of a new product for your company. The precision in carrying out this procedure determines the effectiveness and safety of your new electronic board.

Are you looking for a reliable partner to entrust with the realization of your new project? Contact FXPCB: the experience gained in the electronics sector, in over thirty years, will allow us to guarantee you a finished product that meets your wishes.

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