Some soldering processes, like SMT reflow soldering and through-hole wave soldering, have been around for decades, and are still used today by most contract electronics manufacturers. Others, like jet printing, are newcomers that have entered the market in the last five to ten years, bringing additional flexibility, speed, and accuracy with them.
Wave solder is used for through-hole manufacturing, where board components are pushed through the circuit board via plated holes in the board. The circuit boards are run through a conveyorized oven with a controlled thermal profile. This preheats the circuit board, preventing thermal shock while activating the flux before it goes over a molten solder wave, soldering the components from the bottom of the board.
New Circuits With Old Technology
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Using a jet printer, solder deposition accuracy is improved, allowing manufacturers to achieve accurate solder paste placement of any shape and size while reducing the time required for circuit assembly. New jet printing also negates the necessity for the traditional stencils needed to apply solder paste for reflow soldering. At several hundred dollars a stencil, these costs can add up for customers with higher complexity assemblies that may require several stencil revisions until the target assembly yield is achieved. Multiple versions of the stencils are often required, and can add costs and lead time for product developers as they prepare products for market.
When jet printing technology was initially introduced onto the market, there were concerns that the process could not be done as quickly as more traditional methods. These fears have largely been dismissed as the technology matures; by reducing changeover times and providing on-the-fly programming adjustments when necessary, the majority of projects will actually be done more quickly and at lower cost for OEMs.
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Almost everyone uses devices that incorporate printed circuit boards every single day. It might not be known that these are being used, but they are so widespread and offer so many benefits that almost everyone has them in nearly all of their electronic devices. Used to create electronics, there are many applications for printed circuit boards, many of which use surface mount technology (SMT) to integrate components faster and more efficiently than past technologies.
A printed circuit board or PCB is a board used to connect electronic components. These are essential parts of all the electronics that people use at home and work each day. PCBs are made using non-conductive material and come with pads, lines, and other features that are etched from a sheet of copper that can electrically connect various components inside of a device. When SMT technology is included, things like resistors and capacitors are soldered onto the board rather than using wires.
LEDs or light-emitting diodes are often used for lighting in both commercial and residential locations. LEDs are also used in many industries including computer technology, automobiles, and medicine. The biggest benefits of LEDs are their long life, energy efficiency, and compact size. PCBs are great for LEDs since they can help transfer heat away from the bulb. High temperatures make LEDs burn out faster, so the PCBs for them are typically made of aluminum to offer the best results. This eliminates the need for an extra heat sink and allows small, compact designs.
The industrial sector uses printed circuit boards and SMT technology in many different ways. Electronic components are used for much of the powering of equipment in distribution and manufacturing centers, as well as other kinds of industrial environments. PCBs in industrial environments need to be exceptionally durable and high powered to handle harsh conditions since they may be around extreme temperatures, rough handling, harsh chemicals, or vibrating machinery. Many of them are made with thermal-resistant durable metals and are often thicker than typical PCBs.
Aerospace applications of PCBs require them to be capable of handling extremely harsh conditions. These printed circuit boards may be used in all sorts of equipment ranging from planes to satellites, space shuttles, and communication systems. The materials used for these PCBs need to withstand harsh conditions like extreme temperatures and large amounts of vibrations. Some are made to be used in outer space and are even more durable. Lightweight PCBs made of things like aluminum can also be useful in some situations.
Whether used for homes, government buildings, or commercial businesses, security systems often rely on the use of PCBs and SMT technology. They have a huge effect on security and safety beyond what many are aware of. The PCBs used for these applications can vary based on the actual application, however, all should be reliable since these products must operate correctly at all times. Since some security devices operate outside the home or business, they need to be able to withstand that type of environment, as well. PCBs are used in everything from modern electronic door locks to security cameras, and even smoke detectors.
New technology is constantly being incorporated into the healthcare sector and PCBs add additional capabilities to devices. Printed circuit boards are used in devices for diagnostics, treatment, monitoring, and more. These PCBs need to be exceptionally reliable since they are used to improve patient health. They also often need to meet specific sanitation standards and tend to work best when very small. Some of the devices that use PCBs in healthcare include medical imaging systems, infusion pumps, monitors, and even internal devices.
Advanced Circuits offers a wide variety of printed circuit boards that can use SMT technology. We operate as a one-stop manufacturer and assembler of PCB solutions. We offer innovative technology with quick manufacturing and assembly for a wide variety of industries. Individuals and businesses can reach out to us with an order of any size to see what options we can offer.
Advanced Circuits has been the leading PCB quick turn manufacturer since 1989. We specialize in both Small quantity, Quckturn, and Production printed circuit board Quantities. Advanced Circuits is MIL-PRF-31032, MIL-PRF-55110G, AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008 Certified, IPC 6012 Class 2, 3 and 3A Qualified, and ITAR Registered. Advanced Circuits, with divisions in Aurora, CO, Tempe, AZ, and Maple Grove, MN is ranked among the top 3 circuit board fabricators in North America and is well-known for its expedited turn time capabilities and its reliable best on-time shipping record.
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of miniaturized transistors and other electronic components are integrated together on the chip. This results in circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and less expensive than those constructed of discrete components, allowing a large transistor count. The IC's mass production capability, reliability, and building-block approach to integrated circuit design has ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using discrete transistors. ICs are now used in virtually all electronic equipment and have revolutionized the world of electronics. Computers, mobile phones and other home appliances are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies, made possible by the small size and low cost of ICs such as modern computer processors and microcontrollers.
ICs have three main advantages over discrete circuits: size, cost and performance. The size and cost is low because the chips, with all their components, are printed as a unit by photolithography rather than being constructed one transistor at a time. Furthermore, packaged ICs use much less material than discrete circuits. Performance is high because the IC's components switch quickly and consume comparatively little power because of their small size and proximity. The main disadvantage of ICs is the high initial cost of designing them and the enormous capital cost of factory construction. This high initial cost means ICs are only commercially viable when high production volumes are anticipated.
In strict usage integrated circuit refers to the single-piece circuit construction originally known as a monolithic integrated circuit, built on a single piece of silicon.[2][3] In general usage, circuits not meeting this strict definition are sometimes referred to as ICs, which are constructed using many different technologies, e.g. 3D IC, 2.5D IC, MCM, thin-film transistors, thick-film technologies, or hybrid integrated circuits. The choice of terminology frequently appears in discussions related to whether Moore's Law is obsolete.
An early attempt at combining several components in one device (like modern ICs) was the Loewe 3NF vacuum tube from the 1920s. Unlike ICs, it was designed with the purpose of tax avoidance, as in Germany, radio receivers had a tax that was levied depending on how many tube holders a radio receiver had. It allowed radio receivers to have a single tube holder. 2ff7e9595c