Introduction
You’ve designed your very own PCB board using popular PCB design software and are ready to tackle your first PCB prototype and assembly stage but don’t know where to start? in this article we will cover the most popular PCB assembly methods and PCB assembly services, how to assembly a PCB board during the PCB prototyping stage, and later on what PCB assembly services are used during the PCB assembly and manufacturing mass production stage. While we won’t cover every single PCB assembly services provided during the fabrication process, this is definitely the most common and most known PCB assembly service that are used both in prototype PCB assembly and commercial and industrial PCB assembly stage.
PCB assembly services
PCB assembly services refer to the services offered during the PCB assembly and soldering fabrication procedures, it starts with the bare bone PCB board and stencil, PCB components sourcing, and assembly, and finally on to manual or automatic soldering using advanced equipment and machinery. PCB fabrication assembly is not an easy task and includes many services and stages, In this article we will break it into small stages to explain how a complete PCBA is made during the PCB assembly services stages. all the PCB assembly services offered by assembly company PCB are similar across prototype PCB assembly and mass production but often the PCB assembly methods that are used won’t be the same due to cost and efficiency considerations.
PCB and Stencil production
Before starting PCB assembly and printing we need to fabricate our designed PCB board and stencil which is also included in prototype PCB assembly services most fabrication facilities will offer.
The PCB board is sent to a fabrication facility when stencil can be done using a high power laser cutting machine, at PCBasic, we create the stencil in-house ensuring high quality and high speed for our customers without the need to source the process to third parties. For PCB prototype assembly service, sometimes stencil is not required but at PCBasic in order to ensure quality and consistency, we always use Stencil whenever it is prototype PCB assembly or mass production. Once the PCB and stencil is ready, it’s technically ready to continue on to the next PCB assembly services but not before we confirm the quality of the solder paste that will be used in the manufacturing procedure, most PCB assembly companies will use lead-free solder paste in order to ensure compliance and safety but at PCBasic we take it one step further by using high-quality Japanese solder paste that most companies won’t dare to use, for us, quality and safety are above all.
Components sourcing
It’s time to find the components that will be used for the PCB assembly and soldering fabrication process, for this type of PCB assembly service there are often multiple choices, either the customer brings his own components and deliver them for fabrication or he allows the PCBA fabrication facility to source the components for him.In order to avoid potential issues, faulty and fake components, PCBasic offers one-stop PCB assembly service to provide the entire range of PCB assembly services from PCB and Stencil fabrication, components sourcing, SMT, and through-hole PCB assembly service, and more.
Components sourcing PCB assembly service is crucial if done right, can save a lot of troubles during the SMT assembly fabrication, at PCBasic we work with top quality suppliers and distributors to ensure all the components are authentic and function properly before starting the prototype PCB assembly or mass-production ones. Shenzhen PCB assembly companies can often source components at high speed due
to the strategic location they are based at, ordering PCB assembly in China is often recommended for that reason. PCBasic is Shenzhen based PCB assembly manufacturer that can offer turn-key, high-speed components sourcing, as an award winning PCB assembly china enterprise, we are proud to serve thousands of customers a year with a variety of components sourcing and PCB assembly services requirements.
Prototype SMT assembly
Prototype SMT PCB assembly service is done by hand, this is due to the small number of components and quantity of the PCB assembly main board. when heading to mass production, there is a big oven and pick-and-place machinery that can be used. No matter the size of the production, during the SMT PCB assembly services - the same level of quality and consistency should be offered. Once the prototype PCB assembly services has been offered and the product been assembled it should pass PCB assembly review where quality control engineers will inspect the boards using machinery and manual visual inspection to ensure no defects, short circuits or unsoldered pads occurred. The prototype is usually considered low-cost PCB assembly but it will depend very much on the number of components pads, and complexity of the board.
DIP through hole assembly
Unlike SMT assembly where we can casually pick and place and solder using a heat gun, DIP soldering also known as through-hole soldering requires a special case during the prototype PCB assembly services which will be offered during the prototyping stage, this PCB assembly service will most likely be done manually by soldering each component into the PCB board. For mass production, usually, the PCB assembly manufacturer will use a wave soldering machine that can deal with this complex soldering stage automatically with almost no manual labor (except placing the components in the right spot).
For wave soldering, PCB assembly companies are known to outsource this procedure to third parties due to lack of technical equipment necessary to complete the PCB assembly service, at PCBasic we do it in-house with our wave-soldering equipment which results in low cost and low lead time for producing a large batch of PCBA.
Quality testing and assurance
For each stage and PCB assembly services offered by most PCB assembly manufacturers, there is some testing and quality assurance that needs to be done. There are very clear PCB assembly guidelines that what is considered a well functioning PCBA board and what should be considered faulty and not used for mass production but some PCB assembly manufacturers don’t have the capability or the equipment to perform all the tests in order to ensure high-quality control.
PCBasic assembly company PCB tests include process review, IQC, Material intelligent storage, SPI solder paste detection, and more. Quality is our top priority so before fabricating and delivering the final PCB board we ensure it’s in good condition.
Packaging and logistics
Now your product is fabricated, assembled, tested and ready for delivery! a very important service that is offered within the PCB assembly services package is export, logistics, packaging, and delivery. PCB assembly china facilities will often know how to deal with it as they deal with orders from abroad on daily basis, PCBasic offers logistics, packaging, and delivery part of the one-stop PCB assembly service package that will allow the customer to get the product from the design stage to production and delivery in no time, something that not all PCB assembly manufacturers can handle with. Sometimes the PCBA assembled during PCB assembly service might include batteries that require special care, at PCBasic we work with top delivery and logistics companies that can handle such cases with care and ease. Whenever your product involves prototyping, large-scale mass production, or a testing unit required for further procedure, at PCBasic we can offer all the PCB assembly services you’ll need a top-quality, high speed, and low lead time.
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