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Why is SMT technology beneficial for PCB assembly?
If you are looking for a turnkey PCB assembly manufacturer. Their timely PCB assembly services, including PCB manufacturing, PCB assembly, component sourcing, and functional testing, have helped thousands of electronic project engineers with prototyping and even mass production for many years.
Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is now used in almost all commercial devices because it offers numerous advantages in PCB manufacturing. Due to the many advantages of SMT in PCB manufacturing, production costs can be reduced while maximizing the use of PCB space. In this article, we will discuss the various advantages of surface mount technology. There's good reason for the global popularity of surface mount technology. However, beyond the advantages SMT already possesses, SMT still has a long way to go.
What is Surface Mount Technology
Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is a method of mounting electronic components directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board (PCB). Electronic components mounted in this way are called surface mount devices (SMD).
Essentially, the basic concept employed by SMT is through-hole technology (THT). However, unlike THT, manufacturers do not need to drill holes in the substrate; they only need to paste solder on the stencil and place the electrical components on the PCB.
Surface mount technology improves the efficiency of PCB assembly and simplifies the PCB assembly process. Although there has been a long-standing debate about the advantages and disadvantages between surface mount and through-hole assembly, surface mount technology does have many advantages, so SMT is a more common choice than THT in PCB assembly.
1. Five Common Steps of SMT in PCB Assembly Plants
1. PCB Production - Before PCB assembly, the fillets and fiducials will be confirmed in this step.
2. Paste Solder Flexible Board - Use a solder paste printer and PCB stencil to neatly print the flux onto the PCB.
3. SMD Placement - With the help of automated equipment such as pick-and-place machines, electronic components can be correctly placed on the circuit board.
4. Baking the Flux - Manufacturers use reflow ovens and wave soldering machines to consolidate surface mount devices.
5. Quality Inspection - In addition to QC inspection, manufacturers also use equipment such as AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) machines or X-ray inspection machines to check the correctness of the PCB components.
2. Advantages of Surface Mount Technology
1. Surface mount technology solves the common problem of insufficient space in PCB assembly. Because surface mount devices are small enough, engineers have more design space when designing circuits, which also means that more components can be placed on a single PCB, thus reducing the amount of PCB used per product and saving production costs for companies.
2. Surface mounting is lead-free and more environmentally friendly compared to THT.
3. Because surface mount devices have shorter lead lengths than through-hole components, surface mount technology can reduce propagation delay and package noise.
4. SMT PCBs can achieve high density because components can be mounted on both sides of the board.
5. SMT is more suitable than THT when companies want to shorten product development cycles.
6. Surface mount technology can increase circuit speed. In fact, this is also why most manufacturers choose SMT in PCB assembly.
7. The surface tension of the molten solder pulls the electronic components into alignment with the pads. That is, SMT automatically corrects any minor errors that may occur during component placement.
8. It has been proven that electrical devices soldered using surface mount technology are more stable than those using through-hole technology.
9. Generally, surface mount devices are cheaper than through-hole components.
Can SMT Accelerate PCB Assembly?
Importantly, because no drilling is required, SMT can significantly reduce production time. In addition, surface mount equipment can mount thousands of components per hour, while through-hole mounting equipment mounts less than a thousand components per hour. It achieves the required productivity and shortens the time to market. Therefore, if you want to speed up PCB production time, SMT is the answer. By using Design For Manufacturing (DFM) software tools, the need for rework and redesign of complex circuits can be greatly reduced, thus improving the speed and feasibility of complex electronic product design.
All this does not mean that SMT does not have inherent drawbacks. SMT is unreliable if used as a method of fixing components that are subject to significant mechanical stress. Components that generate a lot of heat or withstand high electrical loads cannot be installed via SMT. This is because the solder will melt at high temperatures. Therefore, where special mechanical, electrical, and thermal factors exist that render SMT ineffective, through-hole mounting will likely still be used.
How to Do PCB Assembly
Assembling more than ten PCBs is not easy. If you are not an amateur, self-assembly will not be an economical and time-saving option. By cooperating with some PCB manufacturers, you can do other designs or relax while the manufacturer assembles the PCBs.
Today, turnkey PCB assembly services are a better option for companies. The process of PCB manufacturing and assembly is seamlessly integrated. It can significantly reduce the time in the prototyping phase and save production costs.
If you are looking for a turnkey PCB assembly manufacturer. Their timely PCB assembly services, including PCB manufacturing, PCB assembly, component sourcing, and functional testing, have helped thousands of electronic project engineers with prototyping and even mass production for years.
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