With the advancements in electronic structures and designs, there is a common use of SMT technology. In the 1980s, this method for PCB manufacturing became common and was used for the creation of different devices and projects. Now it is used in small electronic devices to make larger circuits and is also part of smartphones. Components in vehicles are also connected with the use of SMT assembly. Here we learn about the features of SMT technology and discuss how we can get low-cost SMT services. So let’s get started with What Is SMT Assembly?
What Is SMT Assembly?
- In this method, electronic circuits are made through the direct connection of components on boards. SMT is best used as a replacement for the through-hole PCB production process.
- The use of SMT services for electronic project creation provides an effective and good process. SMT for PCB production is used for different purposes.
- PCB SMT assembly is a reliable technique since it has different benefits like high efficiency, good reliability, and the best space for maximization.
Surface Mount Technology Advantages
Affordability
- The main cause of SMT assembly is to reduce the manufacturing cost of boards. SMT needed fewer holes to drill in the board. That reduces the cost of processing and handling.
- SMT is also used for high-volume production and provides low per-unit costs.
High Efficiency
- This process uses the area of the board effectively for component connections. So it helps engineers make complicated designs with fewer spaces. Not only provides complex circuits in fewer spaces but also fast processes that make larger productions in a shorter time. As compared to through-hole SMT, boards take ten to fifteen minutes.
Simplicity
- Lead wire passes through holes for component connection in the through-hole process. But SMT components are connected on board and have a less complicated structure.
Less Error
- The SMT process is performed by machines with less human processing involved. So there are fewer chances of error.
Defects encountered during SMT assembly
Solder Bridging
- Soldering bridging exists when soldering paste bridges to neighboring components, which causes electrical shorts. Extra paste resulted in this error, so volume was controlled accurately at the time of stencil printing.
Tombstoning
- This error occurs when there is no balancing wetting of the solder paste, resulting in a component that exists at one point of the lead: temperature variations, paste distribution, and non-uniform surface tension cause these errors.
Missing Components
- Due to the larger number of components, the chip sizes are reduced. A missing component can be due to a mispick or improper machine configuration.
Misaligned Components
- Some changes in the position of components occur during the pick and place or reflow process. Misalignments cause electrical damage if they make connections with other components.
Solder Voiding
- If the solder reflow process is not optimized and contaminated board contact pads cause solder voids or air gaps at the time of the reflow process due to different factors like expired or contaminated solder paste,.
SMT Assembly in $29 from PCBWAY
PCBWAY is the best PCB supplier in China, providing different services based on PCB, such as PCBA and SMT services as well. They occasionally introduced different promotions and coupons for their customers, not PCBWAY celebrating their 10th anniversary. In this celebration, they are providing numerous coupons and awards for different participants. With that, they also reduced the SMT service prices for 1–20 pieces of assembly from $30 to $29, and it will last for a long time.
PCBWAY is equipped with the latest machines that help to make PCBA and other PCB services in one place, and they are providing different services on the demand of customers. If your PCB assembly demands are beyond the below-mentioned capabilities, contact us at [email protected]. They will respond to whether we can do it or not within 24 hours.
PCB Assembly Capability
Items | Item Name | PCBA Capability | |
1 | Lead Time | Assembly time ranges from 24 hours to a few weeks. Due to the complexity of how to determine the turn time of PCBA services, the policy is that the turn-time after all the parts are ready and all the PCB files (gerber files, other PCB files, etc.),, Centroid (Pick & Place PNP file, or XY | |
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Parts Source
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Consigned/kitted | Provide all parts for the PCBA services. Send all the components with a BOM file and a detailed packing list indicating the item number. |
Turn-key |
 offer Turn-key PCBA service.
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Partial Turn-key/Combo | offer the main devices and components, while they source the rest for you. Just like the turn-key service, ask for your approval on every detail of the parts concerning price, quality, and availability. | ||
3 | Assembly Options |
Surface Mount (SMT), Thru-Hole (THT), and hybrid of both.
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4 | Types of Solder |
 leaded and lead-free (RoHS Compliant) assembly services
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5 | Stencils | They use laser-cut stainless steel stencils to ensure high reliability for fine-pitch and BGA components. Nanocoating is available upon request. | |
6 | Minimum Order |
 5 pieces.
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7.00 | Component Size |
Passive Component: 01005, 0201,0402.
BGA:Â 0.3mm pitch for rigid PCBs and 0.4mm for flex boards with X-ray testing. Fine Pitch Parts:Â 0.25mm fine pitch parts. |
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8 | Component Package |
Parts in Reels, Cut Tape, Tube & Tray, Loose Parts and Bulk.
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9 | Board Dimension |
Min Board Size: 10mm x 10mm
Max Board Size: 250mm x 500mm |
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10 | Board Shape |
Rectangular, Circular and any Odd Shapes.
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11 | Board Type |
Currently they handles Rigid boards mostly. As they have the ability to handle flex and rigid-flex boards, please contact [email protected] if your boards are of flex or rigid-flex.
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12 | Repair & Rework |
Repair and rework can be difficult, but we do.
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