Light PCB Assembly Manufacturer
Light PCB assembly is the process of assembling and soldering electronic components onto a printed circuit board (PCB) to form a functional electronic device. The PCB material should be chosen based on factors like fire retardant, dielectric constant, loss factor, tensile stability, glass transition temperature, and Z-axis expansion coefficient. Common materials used for Light PCBs are CEM-1, CEM-3, FR-4, aluminum, and copper alloys. The material should be selected based on the specific requirements of the electronic device being produced.
Description
How to Choose the Light PCB Assembly or PCB LED Lighting Assembly Manufacture in China?
With the development of the Lighting/LED industry, there are more and more assembly manufacturers for you to choose from。 As a Professional PCB and PCBA Manufacture, FX PCB gives you the suggestions below on finding the proper Light PCB Assembly manufacturer to get the LED PCB assembly cost and good quality.
1, Check the LED PCB Assembly Machine
You need to consider the performance of the PCB assembly equipment, for example, the placement speed and the placement accuracy. As if the speed is not fast enough, it won’t be a problem for you to produce the low volume /Small batch PCB assembly for your LED board, but you will have a problem with the high volume/ mass production light PCB assembly. The accuracy of the placement equipment is the key factor you need to take into consideration, as you don’t want to have the poor position of your LEDs on your board, which will bring you quality problems. So check the PCB Assembly machine of your manufacturer first before placing the order.
2, Check the Manufacturers of Your LEDs
Find reliable LEDs manufacturers for your products, there are many brands for you to choose from, for example, Lumiled, Osram, Cree, Samsung, Luxeon, Everlight (Taiwan Brand), and some other China brands. Different products can choose different LEDs, you just need to find the right one based on the function, usage, and requirements.
3, Check the PCB Assembly Process
The light PCB assembly manufacturer should have a detailed assembly process, as it can improve manufacturing efficiency and make the work process more standardized.
As a contract light PCB assembly manufacturer, FX PCB strictly follows ISO9001 and tries to be the best PCB assembly company for LED in Shenzhen China. Contact us and get the PCB assembly cost now.
What is a light PCB Assembly?
Light PCB assembly is the process of assembling and soldering PCB components onto a printed circuit board (PCB). The major purpose of this process is to build a functional electronic device. It includes inserting and soldering components such as:
- Resistors
- Transistors
- Capacitors
- and integrated circuits
Light PCB assembly includes testing the assembled PCB to ensure the functioning of the device comprehensively. Light PCB assembly is often used in the production of:
- consumer electronics
- automotive electronics
- medical devices
- and other electronic products.
How to Choose a PCB LED Lighting PCB Board Assembly Material?
Factors Determining Type of PCB Material
Fire Retardant
The material should be fireproof. If a fire breaks out, this material should be able to slow or stop its spread.
This characteristic is due to chemical reactions. Such reactions reduce the flammability of the fuels.
They also efficiently extend the fuel’s combustion time. This keeps the light board from catching fire.
Dielectric Constant
Another factor to consider is the substance’s ability to store electrical energy.
The dielectric constant should be able to tell you the magnitude of the electrical force as well. This is an important factor to think about. Generally, all light boards are intended for use in electrical appliances. Check the material’s ability to store electrical energy.
Loss Factor
Dielectric loss is another effect of the substrate material used. The dissipation factor is used to compare the loss performance of various materials.
If the dissipation factor is low, the laminate has a dielectric loss.
Check the dielectric loss of the laminate material utilized in the substrate.
Tensile Stability
This is the ability of a substance to break while under tension. In layman’s terms, it refers to the highest sustainable load that the material can withstand.
This means that no fractures will be reported even in cases of stretching.
Make sure your light PCB material has the necessary tensile strength.
Glass Transition Temperature (Tg)
This is an extremely significant feature to think about when choosing polymers for end use.
Plastics’ physical qualities are converted into crystalline or even glassy states at glass transition temperatures.
The same materials turn rubbery when heated above the glass transition point.
Make sure you use a material with a high Tg in your light PCB design. This will help to ensure that the board functions well even under adverse conditions (temperatures).
Z-axis Expansion Coefficient
The size of the object changes as a result of exposure to various temperatures. Thermal expansion is another way to describe it.
Calculating the thermal expansion coefficient requires constant pressure. There have been several techniques developed recently for monitoring thermal expansion. Volumetric, area, and even linear are some of them.
What Are Light PCB Board MaterialS?
CEM 1 and CEM 3
CEM-1 Three components are typically used to create composite materials. These comprise paper core and woven glass fabric linked together. After that, epoxy resin is added to these two.
The printed circuit board industry frequently uses this material. It often has great electrical characteristics and is simple to punch.
In comparison to grades made from paper, CEM has a higher flexural strength. This results in exceptional mechanical and even electrical qualities.
These factors have helped it become more well-known in the Asian market. Additionally, it is popular due to its benefit of being a flame retardant.
They are typically employed in the production of both multilayered and double-sided light PCBs.
As a new PCB substrate material, CEM-3 depends on the technology of FR4. This explains why it has recently been employed to replace FR-4.
FR4
Most manufacturers prefer FR-4 because it performs well in all the desired areas of a good substrate.
- Its strength-to-weight ratio is quite good.
- This material is also flame-resistant, which makes it particularly reliable in situations with changing temperatures. In such circumstances, its physical characteristics are unchanged.
- Mechanical and electrical abilities are included in this.
- High-performance FR-4 laminate has a higher glass transition temperature, which makes it more dependable.
- Due to its low dielectric characteristics, it is also more accommodating for circuits that operate at high frequencies.
- When producing light PCB designs, these characteristics are preferred.
Aluminum
This is talking about PCBs with an aluminum metal core. The PCB’s primary component in this PCB is aluminum. This contrasts with the standard FR4, CEM-1, or CEM-3.
Aluminum metal core PCB provides superior heat dissipation characteristics compared to other materials.
They can transfer heat away from the components in this way. Typically, a thermally conductive dielectric layer is used to achieve this.
Aluminum is the most popular material for Light PCBs because of its heat conductivity.
Copper Alloy
These are metallic alloys, primarily made of copper. They have a very strong resistance to corrosion as a result.
Moreover, conventional kinds are used. These include bronze, which requires a large amount of tin.
The third option is brass, which has a large amount of zinc.
Light PCB Manufacturing Process
The light PCB manufacturing process starts with design and verification and continues through circuit board manufacturing. Several phases demand computer direction and machine-driven equipment in order to maintain quality and prevent short circuits.
Step 1: Design and Output
Design is the first stage in the manufacture of PCBs. This will serve as the schematic blueprint that directs how the board is made. It is a laid-out plan that complies with all of the demands of the intended board.
Typically, the software is used to implement this design. The most widely used PCB design software is Extended Gerber, often known as IX274X. Altium Designer, KiCad, Eagle, OrCAD, and Pads are examples of commonly used PCB-design software.
Step Two: Design Review
This is a crucial stage in the production of printed circuit boards. It involves inspecting the design for potential flaws or defects, including breaches of the manufacturing standards and PCB layout rules, as well as ensuring that it adheres to the necessary specifications.
These are some crucial questions for this review:
- Is the design compatible with the requirements listed for the project?
- Can the design be manufactured?
- Are we certain that we won’t make common design errors?
Step Three: Printing the LED PCB Assembly Design
The PCB design is printed after all the checks have been carried out. The PCB design is printed using a unique printer known as a plotter printer. The printer creates a film that displays the board’s layers and finer details.
This film is exactly like the board itself in a photo negative. On the inside layer of the board, two ink colors are applied during printing: Clear ink is used to highlight non-conductive components like the fiberglass foundation.
Step Four: Light PCB Fabrication Process
Aluminum is the most often used material for light PCBs, as we already mentioned. This aluminum PCB’s fabrication procedure often differs slightly from that of conventional PCBs.
Cut Lamination
This is the method of cutting the big incoming sheets of material to the necessary smaller sizes for manufacture. As the title suggests, the procedure entails choosing and cutting the sheets.
The first piece’s size during cut lamination must be carefully monitored to ensure accuracy. Additionally, you must pay great attention to the scrapping of aluminum and copper and be cautious of blisters.
Drilling
Drill holes in the through-hole component holes once the lamination has been cut.
Make sure the holes you drill match the design in terms of size and number. Additionally, watch out for drilling that can scratch the sheet.
The burr on the metal surface should be checked as a further precaution. Additionally, make sure there are no hole deviations.
Always check the drill tool to make sure it is operating flawlessly before replacing it to get the best results.
Dry/Wet Film Imaging
In this case, you’ll grind the plate before exposing the film and developing it. The purpose of doing this is to draw attention to the components on the page that the circuit will require.
After development, make sure to check for open circuits. Additionally, keep an eye out for any changes in how the development is aligned. Potentially, this could stop the formation of dry film.
Additionally, keep an eye out for faulty circuits. Particularly if there is a surface scratch, they can happen.
When exposed, avoid air residue. If this happens, the exposure may be poor. Allow fifteen minutes to pass once the exposure is over before developing.
Acid/Alkaline Etching
The goal is to keep the necessary amount of electricity in while removing any excess. As a result, you will etch, strip, dry, and then check the board.
You must always pay attention to the circuit width and space when acid/alkaline etching. Do not let even light scratching or oxidation of the copper surface occur.
Solder mask and Silk Screening
In order to protect the board’s non-solderable areas and avoid short circuits, a solder mask is applied.
Make sure to properly inspect the board and eliminate any extraneous materials throughout this process. Additionally, check that the stencil you’re using is clean.
Once the silk screening is finished, procure at least 30 minutes to make sure the circuit is bubble-free. Chill the procuring plate to prevent it from sticking to the film.
Therefore, the entire silkscreening and solder masking process can be summarized as follows:
- silk-screening,
- acquiring,
- exposure,
- development,
V-Cut, Rout Out
Basically, the purpose of this process is to disassemble the constituent circuit units to make packaging and shipment simpler. Routing also aids in removing extra board components.
Make sure the “V “‘s” depth is appropriate while performing the V-cut. Additionally, look for flaws toward the edges. Be on the lookout for detours as well.
The routing tool needs to be checked frequently, exactly as we previously advised with regard to the drill tool. If necessary, repair or replace them to make sure they are in great operating order.
Make sure not to scrape the board when you remove the burr.
Electronic Test, OSP
This method is helpful in determining whether the circuit is functioning properly. Additionally, you may verify that the circuit can survive the required voltage environment. Additionally, it is to make sure that the circuit is flawlessly soldered.
Make sure to correctly discern between products with flaws and those that are good. Make sure the circuit is completely unharmed.
Packaging and Shipping
Here, you may confirm that the board has good quality by doing the final overall quality check. It entails selecting a few samples from the finished circuit boards and evaluating their caliber.
Separate outboards whose look does not demonstrate perfection via visual assessment.
The boards that pass this inspection are then packed and sent to the appropriate purchasers. Be careful when packaging to avoid mixing good and faulty boards or providing the wrong boards to the consumer.
Make sure the boards are stored in accordance with the recommended methods for storing aluminum substrates in the industry.
Step 3: Light Circuit Board Assembly Process
An extra level of care must be taken during light PCB assembly, just as it is throughout the fabrication process, to ensure flawless results. Boards with poor solder joints and alignment will be the outcome of reckless work.
This is especially true given how delicate the silver base material is. During the assembling process, different light PCBs will require different considerations.
The steps involved in light PCB assembly are as follows:
Preparation of the Materials
Check each component, PCB stencil, solder paste, and bare board in great detail.
Check the tools as well to make sure they are all in excellent shape. Keep in mind that even the smallest error in PCB construction can result in the complete failure of the finished product. Make sure, among other things, that the soldering iron, wire remover, pliers, and tin are ideal and prepared.
Additionally, you need to place your BOM list and Gerber file on the desk. During the assembly process, you will keep referring to them.
- Bare Board Baking When you start adding components to the bare board, make sure it is dry.
- Solder Paste Application Solder paste is put onto the necessary areas of the board using the solder paste printing machine. Make sure the soldering is flawless by performing a comprehensive inspection.
- Component mounting SMT components are precisely picked up by the pick-and-place machine and attached to the PCB. Before reflowing, you must still personally verify the board to make sure the location is accurate.
- Reflow Soldering Get your light-printed circuit board and put it in the reflow machine. The SMT components are soldered by the machine, and the junctions are strengthened by cooling.
Utilize the AOI tool to inspect the soldering for any issues after soldering.
- Insertion of Through-Hole Components
Connect the leads of the through-hole components to the boards through holes. Make sure each piece is inserted in the proper location.
- Wave soldering,
Put the wave soldering machine where you placed your light PCB now. For stronger joints, the machine will use spray welding flux, preheating, soldering, and ultimately cooling.
- Final Inspection and Packaging
Cleaning the board is the first step after completing the component assembly. After that, run the finished board through one more quality check to make sure there are no defects.
The final tests have been completed, and all PCBs are now prepared for packaging and shipping.
Conclusion
The manufacturing process for printed circuit boards (PCBs) is lengthy and complex and each step must be carefully carried out to guarantee the best possible performance of the finished board. Although the processes are repeated for a multilayered board, the fabrication process for single, double, and multilayered PCBs is essentially the same.
Shenzhen PCB assembly manufacturers like SFX PCB developed methods that enable the assembling of all LEDs. Shenzhen PCB assembly manufacturer is the ideal place for your Light PCB assembly needs. We can assist you in assembling everything from industrial high-power LEDs to commercial flood LEDs.