The circuit board base material comprises the substrate (or core) and the PCB laminate. The substrate is the non-conductive dielectric material, typically chosen based upon the dielectric constant (dk). Laminates when used in conjunction with substrates provide the copper foil or surface material. However, laminates may themselves be used as core material in some board […]
Itâs easy to leave the PCB design guidelines as an afterthought, spending most of your time focusing on circuit design, functionality, and component selection. However, not providing attention to PCB layout basics can lead to a design that translates poorly from the digital domain to physical reality. Thereby making it more difficult to fabricate. The […]
Surface Mount Technology is an area of electronic assembly used to mount electronic components to the surface of the printed circuit board (PCB) as opposed to inserting components through holes as with conventional assembly. SMT reduces manufacturing costs and also to make more efficient use of PCB space enabling more complex electronic circuits to be […]
Measling occurs when discrete white spots appear in the base epoxy-glass laminate of a PCBÂ (printed circuit board), usually when the resin is not properly applied to the board during the lamination process due to the presence of moisture or other contaminants. Measling signifies a malfunctioning or poor-quality board that can degrade electrical and physical performance. […]
Summarized below are some typical solder paste printing defects along with recommended corrections or preventative actions to improve your (PCBA) Printed Circuit Board Assembly manufacturing process and overall product quality. At Optima Technology Associates, Inc. we have over 25 years of experience manufacturing PCBs, PCBAs and providing engineering services to help you meet your quality standards and […]
Summarized below are some typical parts placement defects along with recommended corrections or preventative actions to improve your PCBA process and product quality. At Optima Technology Associates, Inc. we have over 25 years of experience manufacturing PCBs, PCBAs and providing engineering services to help you meet your quality standards and expectations. Contact us today to learn more […]
Summarized below are some typical reflow / solder defects along with recommended corrections or preventative actions to improve your PCBA process and product quality. At Optima Technology Associates, Inc. we have over 25 years of experience manufacturing PCBs, PCBAs and providing engineering services to help you meet your quality standards and expectations. Contact us today to learn […]
What are some of the most important factors you should consider when designing a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) to ensure efficient manufacturing? Consideration should be given to how the bare PCB will be supplied to the PCBÂ /Â PCBAÂ manufacturer for production. For volume manufacturing, the tools used throughout the process need âtooling stripsâ on at least two […]
With the increasing complexity of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assemblies, it has become more common for surface mount components to be designed on both sides of the PCB. This provides challenges when automating the soldering of the through-hole components. Typically components that need to be soldered are done so using âWave Solderingâ (the preferred method), however this […]
Below is a helpful reference sheet of key terms and definitions of the PCB or PCBA manufacturing process. At Optima Technology Associates, Inc. we have over 25 years of experience manufacturing PCBs, PCBAs and providing engineering services to help you meet your quality standards and expectations. Contact us today to learn more about working together […]
