Top 10 tips on Choosing the Best PCB assembly manufacturer

 

Choosing the right PCB assembly manufacturer requires indebt research and knowledge of the market. Doing your homework is important, especially when are so many PCB manufacturer present in the market.

Also, choosing a high-quality PCB Assembly Company ensures that your boards are of the finest quality. These manufacturers would do justice to your product. A good board is bound to generate way better result in comparison to a low-quality board.

Doing indebt research of the market is going to take a lot of time, something many of you might not have. To make your life simple, we have come up with some effective pointers that will help you make the right decision.

In the course of this article, we will talk about Top 10 tips on choosing the best PCB Assembly Manufacturing company.

 

Table of Content

• Introduction: PCB assembly manufacturer
• Quality Triumphs all
• Time is of Essences
• The company’s Design Capabilities
• Customizability Options
• References are a Must
• Check for Certifications
• Environmental Factors
• Technological Capabilities of a Manufacturer
• Consider Experience
• Customer Support
• Conclusion

 

Introduction: PCB assembly manufacturer

 

 

Every project demands a different and unique kind of PCB manufacturer. For instance, if you want a Flexible PCB manufacturer, or an Aluminum PCB manufacturer, you need to choose that particular PCB developer that offers both these types.

If you know what goes into PCB assembly, you would be able to make informative decisions. So, before we proceed, let’s shed some light on What is PCB Assembly?

 

Read More about: Flexible PCB vs. Rigid PCB

 

PCB Assembly

 

To make things simple for you, we say that a PCB assembly is a manufacturing process in which the companies turn a blank board into a functional printed circuit board. They tend to mount the electronic components on the blank board. Once the blank board is loaded with components, it starts working as a circuit board.

Usually, Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer use one of the two processes below:

Through-Hole Manufacturing

• Surface-Mount Technology
• Through Hole Manufacturing

Traditionally, the manufacturer used Through Hole Manufacturing technique in order to create circuit boards. The method involves drilling holes into the board and then placing the units in these holes. The manufacturer also solders the leads to pads on the opposite side of the board.

Through Hole manufacturing offers a strong bond between the circuit board and the components. This is perhaps the main reason, the manufacturer even today use this technique. Clients looking for durability offer reach out to Printed Circuit boards assembled via the Thru-Hole manufacturing process.

Choosing this method means your product will have to undergo a lot of mechanical stress, high voltage, and environmental stress. The thru-hole circuit board technique offers robustness, but at the same time, it is expensive. These circuit boards are perfect for large components including transformers and connectors.

Since you will have to justify the increased price, thus we suggest you analyze your product thoroughly before deciding on this particular technique.

 

Surface Mount Technology

 

The second and the more common these days is the Surface Mount Technique. Majority of PCBs today use this particular technique, it is possible to create boards that are way smaller and light-weight in comparison to the through-hole circuit boards.

It is possible to create one-then the weight and one-third the size of a board created using Thru-hole manufacturing. However, these boards might not work well in extreme environments.

In addition, the Surface Mount Technology makes it possible for the create boards with higher connection densities. These boards are not only less expensive, but they are also fast and easy to make. The method involves direct mounting of the components onto the circuit board. This is unlike the traditional methods, where you have to drill a hole first, and then place the components in that hole.

Now that we have an overview of how PCB assembly manufacturer works, let us focus on some important tips that you need to consider in order to choose the best company.

 

Quality Triumphs all

 

 

When it comes to circuit boards, quality is perhaps the most important factor. You should, and we repeat, you should always opt for a quality even if you have to pay a little extra. These quality circuit boards might seem expensive at the moment, but they offer long-term advantages.

So, the first thing that you need to consider when choosing a PCB manufacturer is the quality of their manufactured boards. Of course, every company would claim to offer top-notch quality, however, you can’t judge the book by its cover.

In order to know whether a board has high-quality you need to focus on the following factors:

• Size of the Drilled Holes
• Position of the Drilled Holes
• Traces Width and Spacing
• Vias
• Accurate Trace Copper Thickness

A good circuit board will always have tight tolerances on these particular factors. They would have an accurate layer stack-up. These layers are imperative for designs that require impedance controlled traces and similar features.

 

Time is of Essences

 

In the business world, time is money and a good PCB assembly manufacturer fully understands this concept. Thus, they will generate results as quickly as possible. They would understand that in order for you to keep your project going, you need to have instant results.

After all, the idea is to maximize the profit by timely delivery of the products to end-consumers and minimize expenses. However, do take notice that if you rush through this particular step can be troublesome. Especially, if the company you are working with does not have the capability to deliver high-quality products under pressure. We can assure you that you will end up with a lot more trouble than what you bargained for.

Therefore, do spend quality time in understanding the company how it works and whether it will be able to generate effective results. The time spent on these things will have you save a lot of time in the future.

Of course, the idea is that a company should not rush into it. However, it does not mean that the company should work at an ant’s speed. If a company is slow to respond to your questions, they are not able to effectively convey information and have bad customer service, it’s a big NO.

Companies that already have a lot on their plate might not be care about your decision to shop elsewhere. So, try to look for small companies that deliver quality products. They will try to assist you in every possible way.

 

The company’s Design Capabilities

 

The technological advancement has led to the increased complexity of electronics. Of course, the increase in electronics complexity has a direct impact on the complexity level and design of PCB.

Modern technology requires, faster, reliable and sophisticated Printed Circuit Boards especially in fields that require high-performance devices. Some of these fields include application-specific integrated circuits, microcontrollers, and field-programmable gate array.

Despite the fact that you often discuss these technologies, yet many of you simply choose to overlook the design aspect. However, we do recommend that when you best a PCB assemble manufacturer, ensure that it has the capability to handle requirements for different and sophisticated PCB stack-ups, breakout strategies and vias.

Another important element that you should discuss with the manufacturer is the expectations of signal integrity and power integrity. Both these things will help you get an insight into the manufacturer business.

 

Customizability Options

 

A Printed Circuit board manufacturer should be skilled enough to offer various customization options. Ensure that the company you work with has a wide range of customizing features.

They should be able to offer variety in case of solder mask color, filling vias, or even adding serialization. These factors will ensure that the manufacturer can be considered a good option for Aluminum PCB manufacturers, Flexible PCB Manufacturer, etc.

We can’t stress enough on how important it is to use a manufacturer that offers variety. Some companies offer customization options more in comparison to others. For instance, a company might offer 2 colors for smolder mask, however, another company offers about 4-5. We would recommend the second company as it offers more features and functionalities.

 

References are a Must

 

If a company is not able to provide references, then consider it a red flag. We would never suggest you to work with a company that does not offer references. Of course, if the company has just started their business, they might not have references.

Working with a new company can be tricky. As you would never know how they work and will, they generate results. On the contrary, a company that has a lot of references to fall back on promises results.

 

Check for Certifications

 

If a company that has just started might not be able to provide you with reviews, however, the same company should have certifications. If you like a new company and would like to work with them, we recommend that you check their certification.

In order to earn certifications, companies need to undergo independent reviews by third parties. These third parties are not just any parties, on the contrary, they are qualified parties with tons of experience.

A certified company is a good enough assurance that the company will provide high-quality products. There are different certificates for different aspects of PCB manufacturing. For example, if a company has a validated quality management system, it would also have the ISO9001:2015 certification.

The certification verifies that the company does have a good management system in place. Similarly, you can check certifications for other aspects of the company’s manufacturing processes.

 

Environmental Factors

 

Printed Circuit Boards are manufactured throughout the world. Although, there is a generic format that all manufacturers have to follow, yet different countries have different rules and regulations for the electronics and Printed Circuit board manufacturing.

For instance, in some countries, the PCB assembly manufacturer is not allowed to use Lead in Printed Circuit Boards, however, in certain countries, there is no such restriction. So, before deciding on a particular manufacturer, read onto your countries rules and regulations as well.

In case the country has the lead-free rule, you need to opt for a PCB manufacturer that can design and develop lead-free Printed Circuit Boards.

 

Technological Capabilities of a Manufacturer

 

Of course, you need to analyze the technological capabilities of the manufacturer. You need to know for sure, whether the desired manufacturer can design and develop a Printed circuit board that matches your requirements.

Ensure that the supplier has the ability to deal with sophisticated Printed Circuit Boards as well. For instance, they should be able to develop composite boards with 24 layers of above. Usually, companies with state of the art equipment are able to create effective composite boards having multiple layers.

Likewise, the company should be able to handle situations where they have to create extremely small boards, with clearance constraints and very thin traces.  They should also be able to handle high copper thickness and similar factors.

Every PCB assembly company is not able to handle these kinds of situations, you need to look elsewhere to shop.

 

 Consider Experience

 

Practice makes a man perfect! The same rule applies in the business world. A company that has been designing and developing Printed Circuit Boards for years will be able to generate better results in comparison to the company that has just started.

So, when you go window shopping for a PCB manufacturing company, we suggest you look for the following information:

• How long have they been into business?
• What services do they offer?
• The Type of Industries they have worked with in the past
• What size batch are they able to handle well?
• What type of technique do they use for component mounting?
• The type of products they have assembled in the past.

Look for companies whose experience matches your requirements. For instance, if you want aluminum PCB, look for companies that have more experience in Aluminum PCB manufacturing.

When you search you will find, Aluminum PCB manufacturer, Flexible PCB manufacture or PCB manufacturer offering all types of PCB manufacturing. In this situation, we would recommend a company that excels in what you are looking for.

 

Customer Support

 

A company’s way to show that they care is to have outstanding and responsive customer support. When a consumer has a problem, he needs to reach out to the company and if the firm does not have customer support, it means there is no one to resolve the issue.

This is something you would not want, especially when you are in the business of sophisticated technology. You need to work with companies that offer an outstanding and round the clock customer services.

In addition, to have responsible and responsive customer service, their customer representatives should be knowledgeable. They should be able to effectively resolve the consumers’ issue, take immediate steps to reduce tension and satisfy the consumer in every possible way.

 

Conclusion

 

Choosing the right PCB assembly manufacturer is extremely important as the feature of your product depends upon it. You need to ensure that the manufacturer offers quality and customization ability.

The Printed Circuit Board assembly company should use state of the art technology in order to create advanced and sophisticated PCBs. Make sure that the company either has years of experience of certification. In addition, the company needs to have outstanding customer services.

We did not find any company other than KINGPCB, that fit all the above requirements. The manufacturer ensures to deliver high-quality products. They use sophisticated techniques and equipment to design and develop any kind of PCBs. In addition, they have excellent customer services and years of experience. You can contact them at any time and they will respond as quickly as possible.

So, if you are searching for a PCB manufacturer, we suggest that you reach out to KingPCB. They will provide you with all the information you want efficiently and effectively.

PCB Manufacturer: Flexible PCB vs. Rigid PCB

 

PCB manufacturers around the globe are making the shift from the conventional, rigid Printed circuit boards to flexible Printed Circuit boards mainly because of their outstanding capabilities. Of course, every type of PCB has its own merits and demerits; however, it seems that Flexible PCB has an edge over the conventional ones.

There is no denying the fact that Printed Circuit Boards hold great importance in modern electronics. Therefore, you need to have a complete understanding of their types in order to make the right decision. In the course of this article, we will be discussing different types and their applications.

Table of Content

• Introduction
• What is Flexible PCB?
• Different situation requires different types of Printed Circuit Boards
• Differences and Similarities between Flexible and Rigid PCB
• Application of Flexible and Rigid Printed Circuit Board
• Conclusion

 

Introduction

 

Usually, when you come across the word printed Circuit Board or PCB, the first thing that comes into the mind is the conventional PCB. However, the term PCB does not always refer to a rigid Printed Circuit board, on the contrary, it also means Flexible PCB.

In the PCB industry, people commonly use the word Flex circuits for Flexible PCB, but there are several other names as well such as the Flexible Printed Circuit Board, Flexible Circuit Board, Flex Board, and Flexible Electronics.

In recent years and due to the advancement of technology Flexible PCB has gained huge popularity. The reason behind their popularity is their ability to be twisted, bent, shaped or folded into endless configurations.

However, in the end, both Flexible and Rigid Printed Circuit boards offer the same function i.e. connection various mechanical and physical components together.

 

What is Flexible PCB?

 

In general, people believe that the difference between a flexible printed board and a conventional one is that flex PCB has the ability to bend. However, there is a significant difference between the two.

Therefore, PCB manufacturers cannot use the same rules for designing a flex PCB and the standard PCB. The manufacturer needs to meet the unique set of rules set by the industry. They have perfected these rules over several years.

A Flexible PCB consists of a dielectric layer, usually of polyimide bonded with a metallic layer of traces. Dielectric thickness ranges between .0005” to .010”, likewise, the thickness of the metal layer is usually <.0001” to >.010”. There are different ways of bond metal to a substrate, you can use an adhesive or you can use different techniques such as vapor disposition.

To ensure that copper does not oxidize, thus it is important to cover the exposed surfaces with a protective layer. There are two common materials used for this purpose, including gold or solder. The reason manufacturers prefer these materials is because of their environmental durability and conductivity.

There are endless numbers of materials that you can use for a Flexible Printed Circuit board. However, it is imperative to ensure that the material has the ability to come up with the defined criteria. An experienced PCB manufacturer, KingPCB, knows that good material should have chemical, capacitance, current, and mechanical resistance. It should have the ability to withstand extreme temperatures and should meet the functional needs of perfection.

KingPCB tends to take all these critical requirements into consideration before they design and develop any type of Printed Circuit Boards.

 

Different situation requires different types of Printed Circuit Boards

 

Being an outclass PCB manufacturer, we often come across these questions. Our clients want to know when should they use a Flexible Printed Circuit board and when should they opt for a Rigid Printed Circuit Board.

Several factors influence the decision such as the budget, the timeline, the requirement of the electronics and much more. You need to pay close heed to all these factors before making a decision.

A Flexible Printed Circuit board will cost you more in comparison to the Rigid Printed Circuit Board. However, if we talk about the total cost of ownership, we do believe that Flexible PCB would cost you less, as they are widely used, instead of the Rigid PCB.

We simply cannot deny the fact that the use of Rigid PCB is limited. In order to, fully understand the total cost of ownership, you first need to focus on how Flexible PCB tends to eliminate some unwanted costs.

Due to Flexible Printed Circuit boards, you do not need additional components including wire harnesses, connectors, and other circuit boards. So, when you actually remove all these components from the material cost, labor cost, design, scrap cost, and assembly cost, you will notice a mark difference in the price.

The cost is bound to go down. However, we still come across several electronics including audio keyboards, computers, desktops, laptops, solid-state drivers, children toys, Flat-screen TVs and other electronic gadgets using Rigid PCB. The reason being, they find them more cost-effective and efficient.

Nonetheless, we do see Flexible Printed Circuit boards in high-performance devices, ultra-compact electronics. Some examples include smartphones, GPS units, iPods or Tablets, wearables, and cameras.

If you are thinking that greater sophistication is the reason for using Flexible circuit boards, then we have to correct you. Some low-tech and under-the-counter technology tends to use these flexible boards as well. For instance, you will see them in LED light.

If you are looking for the best of both worlds, we would suggest that you use both the Rigid as well as the Flexible Printed Circuit Board together. The unified PCB will provide you with outstanding results and it will offer endless capabilities.

 

Differences and Similarities between Flexible and Rigid PCB

 

Both Flexible and Rigid Printed Circuit boards have some differences as well as similarities. Of course, they tend to serve the same purpose, thus they are bound to have some similarities.

 

Design

 

In terms of design, we do not see many similarities between the two circuit boards. In the case of a Rigid Printed Circuit board, a cheap PCB manufacturer needs to follow certain design rules. The manufacturer has to have a minimum hole size, along with a minimum distance to the board edges. Likewise, it needs to ensure that the board has a minimum space and trace width along with a minimum copper layer and the overall design thickness.

 

Manufacturing

 

There might be little similarity in the designing phase; however, you will see a lot of similarities in the manufacturing process. Both the Rigid and the Flexible PCB tend to share several processes including photo imaging, photo development, plating Vias, plating holes, drilling holes, etching of copper traces, planes, outlines, and pads and heating of the circuit board.

Once the above steps are completed, both Rigid and Flexible Printed Circuit board takes on a different direction in the manufacturing process. Flexible PCB head to the coverlay station, whereas the Rigid Printed Circuit boards, head towards the solder mask station.

 

Flex Circuit Overlay

 

To protect the internal circuitry of the Flexible Printed Circuit board, the PCB manufacturer uses the Flex Circuit overlay process. You might be familiar with the term Coverlay, it basically is Flexible Circuit Overlay.

We can say that a Flexible Circuit board Coverlay film is something like the Rigid solder mask. However, there is one major difference. In the case of a solder mask, the layer is rigid, whereas the coverlay film offers flexibility.

Generally, the manufacturer uses a thermoset adhesive to coat the polyimide film. The thickness of the film varies. It can range from .0005 to .005 or with .001 and .002. These are the most common ranges, but you can find other ranges as well.

 

Softness

 

 

A good PCB manufacturer understands that a standard flexible circuit board requires good flexibility. They also know that for a Flex circuit board, it is imperative to have a three-dimensional space. After all, the PCB has to bend and offer flexibility to the applications.

Unlike the Rigid Board, the Flex Circuit board saves space. It also has the ability to reduce the board layer. They can withstand high temperature and they are excellent for applications that require compressions.

 

Application of Flexible and Rigid Printed Circuit Board

 

Both Flexible and Rigid Circuit boards offer different benefits. Rigid Circuit boards are still commonly used around the globe. They have been around the corner for years now.

However, as the consumer demand for small-sized electronics increases, the PCB developers are finding it challenging to come up with small size Rigid Printed Circuit boards. The engineers are finding it difficult to face the challenge of decreasing the size at the same time increasing the performance.

This continuous demand for smaller and small electronics is forcing the manufacturer to opt for Flexible Printed Circuit Board instead of the Rigid boards.

Due to the size and performance of Flexible Printed Circuit boards, they are ideal for mobile consumer electronics, implants, medical devices, and sensors. Their ability to fit the weight and the size of smaller devices is making them extremely popular among the electronics industry.

We would recommend Flexible Printed Circuit boards to the following products and services

1. Vibration resistance
2. Shock resistance
3. Less number of device interconnects
4. Three-dimensional packing geometry
5. Reducing the size of exciting technology
6. Products that are light, weight, and thin, yet they offer durability
7. Perfect replacement for wiring solutions where Rigid PCBs are unable to fit

 

Read More about: Printed Circuit Boards Importance

 

High Density and High-Temperature Applications

 

 

Flexible Printed Circuit boards are excellent choice applications that are offer durability while keeping a close check on the size and the weight. Engineers tend to use Flexible PCB for industrial as well as manufacturing applications that have the capability to withstand high temperatures and offer chemical resistance.

In addition, these applications should be able to withstand UV exposure at the same time deal with different radiations as well. Flexible circuit boards offer heat resistance because of the material that is being used in them. They typical have polyimide or something similar to polymer in them.

These kinds of materials are excellent heat dissipaters. However, PCB manufacturer does not use polyimide or similar material for Rigid PCB, thus they cannot offer the same heat resistance capability.

Due to this reason, products that would be encountering extreme conditions will use Flexible Printed Circuit boards in order to avoid the negative impact on the product’s performance. One good example is the industrial sensor technologies.

 

 Efficient Applications

 

Even today, we tend to see Rigid Printed Circuit boards in most of the electronics. They are the consumer’s first choice, mainly because they are cost-efficient. So, if your objective is to cut down on the cost of your application development, Rigid Printed Circuit Board should be your first choice.

For a large number of productions, we recommend you use Rigid PCB as they would cost you less. Of course, if there is a technical reason for using the Flexible Printed Circuit Board, you should not use Rigid then.

 

How to choose between Flexible and Rigid Printed Circuit Board

 

As we have discussed above, different applications have different requirements, thus they require different Printed Circuit boards. For instance, it would be wise to use a Rigid Printed Circuit Board in large products, such as desktop computers or Television. However, in the case of Flexible boards, you should use them in smaller application including wearable technology and smartphones.

So, when you choose between the Flex and Rigid PCB, the first thing that you need to consider is the demands of your application. You need to focus on your industry’s preferred circuit board type and impact one of the other types of Printed boards can have on your profit.

Choosing the right circuit board is imperative, however, equally important is to select the best supplier. Choosing the best supplier can be troublesome, especially when you have several cheap PCB manufacturers offering their services. You need to be wise and make the right decision.

At KingPCB, we offer the finest quality circuit boards. We provide both Flexible as well as Rigid Printed Circuit boards. Our years of experience and our expert designers and developer ensure the highest quality possible. We are the best in our industry, and it is extremely difficult to meet our competitive prices.  You can reach out to us around the clock and we will assist you in the best possible way.

 

To sum it up

 

Despite the fact that both Flexible Printed Circuit Board and Rigid Circuit board fundamentally serve the same purpose, yet both are used in a different application at different times. They both connect different mechanical and electrical components, but the applications using them differently.

If you plan to develop an application that is of small size, but it has to withstand extreme heat, the Flexible Printed Circuit board should to your first choice. The material used in the Flex board allows them to resist chemicals, it can withstand extreme heat and they produce efficient results.

On the contrary, applications that require efficiency and their size do not matter use Rigid Printed Circuit Boards. In order to enjoy the efficiency of Rigid boards along with the flexibility of Flex circuits, we recommend that you opt for the hybrid. The Rigid-Flex boards tend to have the best of both worlds. It offers the functionality of a Rigid board, whereas, it can bend and used in small-sized electronics.

Lastly, it is important to know that all Printed Circuit board houses have the capability to manufacture high-quality Flexible Printed Circuit boards. Therefore, you need to choose wisely. KingPCB is perhaps one of the best options when it comes to choosing the right supplier for not only Rigid, or Flexible printed board, but also for the hybrid Printed circuit boards.

 

Vias, Aspect Ratio and their Importance for the Printed Circuit Boards Manufacturers

 

A good and reliable PCB Manufacturer is always in search of doing something challenging, after all, accomplishing the almost impossible offers a certain level of gratification. In addition, it is imperative for the cheap Chinese PCB Manufacturer is to adopt the changing technology in order to stay afloat.

 

Since Printed Circuit Boards play an integral part in any electronics, thus they need to be updated with the changing technological trends and consumer demands. Over the years, we have seen tremendous growth in terms of technical advancement and speed of Printed Circuit Boards. To further, enhance the capabilities of PCB, we now have the aspect ratios.

If your objective is to create simple Printed Circuit Boards, you do not have to pay much heed to the Vias, or aspect ratio. However, if you plan to deliver multi-layered Printed Circuit boards, both these concepts hold great importance.

Not only manufacturers embarking on the manufacturing journey of post Printed Circuit Design, take on the challenge of using the Vias throughout their design. Despite the advantages this technology offers, we come across manufacturers who are reluctant to incorporate it mainly because of the challenges that it offers.  However, the aspect ratio is inevitable for multi-layered PCBs, and an efficient manufacturer will ensure to use this concept.

Complete understanding of the PCB concepts will help you choose the right PCB Manufacturer; therefore, we will be discussing the following:

 

Read More about: Choosing Best PCB manufacturers

 

Table of Content

• What are Vias and its Different Types?
• Vias before Aspect Ratio for Printed Circuit Board
• Importance of Vias for Printed Circuit Board Design
• Aspect Ratio of Printed Circuit Boards
• Significance of Aspect Ratio for PCB Manufacturer
• Summary

 

What are Vias for Printed Circuit Boards and Its different Types?

 

 

Before we get down to the Aspect Ratio, it is important to understand what Printed Circuit Board vias. We also need to focus on their importance for PCB manufacturing.

A Printed Circuit Board has drilled holes, Vias, through its traces. The sole purpose of Vias is to form a connection between traces of different layers. Mostly, the Vias are present in HDI Multi-layered PCB mainly because it connects every layer in one way or another.

There are different types of vias, and they offer different functionalities. Below are the common types of Vias:

 

Plating Through Hole (PTH)

 

“Planting Through Hole” or better known as PTH is among the most common types of vias. It is a hole dug completely through a multiple layers PCB. The via does not require a lot of effort and it is cost-efficient, however, it tends to take up a lot of space on the Printed Circuit Board. Thus, the PCB Manufacturer has very little space left for all the other components of the chipboard.

 

Blind Via Hole

 

In order to connect the exterior most circuit with the inner layer that is present just right below it, the manufacturer uses the Blind Via Hole technique. It is perhaps difficult to drill as the person needs to be extremely attentive to the depth of the hole being created at the time of Bling Via Hole’s construction.

 

Buried Via Hole

 

Buried via Hole or Hidden Via, is a tricky, yet effective technique. You will see them mostly in High-Density Interconnect (HDI) Printed Circuit Boards. With buried Via Hole, it is possible to connect any internal layers of a multi-layered PCB. However, you will not be able to see it from the exterior, as it does not touch the outermost layer. The above is achieved by incorporating the bonding post-drilling approach.

The High-Density Interconnect Printed Circuit Boards have dense construction and they require extremely small components that are put together. There is a very short distance between each component. Since Buried Via holes tend to increase the component holding capacity, therefore they are PCB Manufacturer’s first choice when it comes to designing and developing HDI PCBs.

To circuit board completely encapsulate the buried Via. Since they are completely covered, thus you are not able to see them. Mirco-Vias are usually the top priority for HDI Printed Circuit Boards, as they allow holes with an extremely small diameter. To ensure the seamless connection of these holes to the out layer of the pad, PCB Manufacturer applies a conducting material on them.

 

Tented Vias

 

In order to keep the exposed conductive pads to a minimum on a PCB, the manufacturer, use Tented vias. They cover the vias with a solder mask. Tented Vias reduce the chance of shock occurrence during the solder bridging in the PCB assembly process.

Initially, cheap PCB Manufacturer used liquid photo imageable (LPI) solder masks for the tenting process, however, they had to become up with something better as the LPI technique lacked consistency. Most Vias ended up getting damaged and some partly broken.

Therefore, to overcome these problems PCB designers had to look towards better and more refined methods. They started plugging the Vias using either non-conductive or conductive material before they went on tenting with the LPI solder mask.

 

Importance of Vias for Printed Circuit Boards Design

 

If the manufacturer plans to design a simple Printed Circuit Board, then he does not have to pay heed to the Vias. However, if the manufacturer plans to develop a complex, multi-layered Vias, then it is imperative to use Vias.

Lack of via will force the manufacturer to route everything on a single panel. Vias have the capability to form a connection between the layers, thus allowing signals and powers to travel across the chip. It is nearly impossible to route all components on a single panel in a multi-layered printed circuit board because of surface-mounted components.

If the manufacturers do not use vias, they end up facing a lot of challenges in the routing process. In addition, things become extremely difficult with the multi-layered printed circuit board ranging from component placing, connectors, and BGAs.

The manufacturer enjoys a decent density of components because of via especially in case of Multi-Layered Printed Circuit board.

Vias allows running traces over and under each other in opposite directions across layers. It is possible to connect traces of different layers with each one through Vias. In addition, you can enjoy the vertical connection element as well.

 

Aspect Ratio of Printed Circuit Boards

 

In simple words, we can say that the Aspect Ratio of a Printed Circuit board is the ratio between the diameter of the Vias that you drill and the thickness of the board. The aspect ratio has a direct impact on the trace placement of the Printed Circuit board.

For example, if you have a Printed Circuit Board with 0.3” of thickness and your drill vias with 0.03” of diameter, what will be the aspect ratio? The answer is simple, it will be 10:1. The increase in the aspect ratio will increase the plating surrounding the vias in comparison to the inside drilled portion.

This can lead to earlier cracking mainly because of the z-axis expansion during soldering. To have consistent plating throughout the via, we suggest you use a low aspect ratio. In addition, a low PCB aspect ratio will offer greater strength throughout the lifespan of the Printed Circuit Board.

Some of the best, yet cheap Chinese PCB Manufacturer are able to attain an aspect ratio of 6:1. It means that the board incorporates the smallest practical drilling diameter of somewhat 0.013”. The maximum board thickness is around 0.078”.

So, to ensure that as a manufacturer, you do not face any problem in the long run, we recommend that you keep both the smallest drill diameter and the board thickness in mind, especially, if you plan to achieve an extremely low aspect ratio. In addition, the vias will be strong and they will offer you a better connection to mount the component onto them.

 

Annular Rings

 

Now that we are done with incorporating the vias correctly into the Printed Circuit board, next, we need to focus on drilling through the via location. So, we will now focus on Annular rings. They are rings made of copper that the manufacturer place around the drilled area of the via.

This drilled area is responsible for giving us the connective surface in which we can either pill in to have nicely plated via or we can mount components. The size of the annular ring has a direct impact on the size of the connection area. If you want a big connection area, you need to have a large annular ring and vice versa.

 

Conventional Print Circuit Board Aspect Ratio

 

Currently, the conventional Printed Circuit Board aspect ratio in the industry is 8:1 (PTH). If the thickness of the board is 0.2mm, then you need to have a minimum PTH around 0.25mm

 

 Defining Via Requirements

 

In order to enjoy the seamless functionality of Printed circuit boards, you need to have clear and precise requirements. Make sure to clearly, incorporate the type and the treatment in the fabrication documentation, as this will help you achieve your goal effectively.

To increase clarity, you should have a separate file for each set of the vias that you use in the Printed Circuit Board.

 

Information Required for TYPE

 

1. Pair of layers that you plan to connect via drill, buried, blind or any other.
2. The tolerance, usually it is +/-0.004”, however, vias that are either extremely small or unplugged, they can have around +000/-hole diameter.
3. The diameter of Via
4. The type of Via: Buried, Thorough, Blint, Tented
5. Example: Drill a via with 0.009”, from Top layer one to Ground layer two. It has a finish of 0.008”+ 0.000/-0.008”.

 

Information Required for TREATMENT

 

1. Process all ______ vias diameter with solder mask incorporating onto the pad. However, it does not include the filling hole per Gerber file (NAME).
2. One-Hundred Percent Fill: Plug Via: We plan to use IPC Type 5 treatment for all _______ Diameter vias in addition to using non-conductive expoxy.
3. Partial Fill: Plug Vias: We plan to use either the IPC Type 4 treatment or the Button for all _______ Diameter vias in addition to using non-conductive expoxy.
4. Cap and fill all _____ diameter vias as per IPC Type VII. Fill the hole with planarize, non-conductive expoxy, and plate over. Finally, go to applying the surface finish over the pad.

 

Significance of Aspect Ratio for PCB Manufacturer

 

We already know that the plated holes tend to be divided into  holes and buried or blind vias, depending upon the design of the PCB Manufacturer. These holes are considered the sole of the entire Printed Circuit board layout along with the panel points of different board layers.

The thickness of the Printed Circuit Board has a direct impact on the size of the hole, the thick a PCB is, the smaller the hole will be. In addition, the flow of platting solution via these holes becomes challenging and complicated.

Thick PCB also results in a lack of uniformity in terms of plating the center areas of the holes. Thus, plating becomes a troublesome task, if you plan to have a higher aspect ratio. We did not say, you could achieve, higher aspect ratio, you can. However, you will need advance and state of the art equipment, a refined and well-established manufacturing process in order to achieve reliable plating.

 

King PCB Manufacturers

 

At KingPCB Manufacturer, we allow our clients to choose from different thickness and minimum sizes of the hole. Below is one example of the aspect ratio capabilities we offer our clients.

10:1 Board Thickness Min. Hole Size 93” 9” 80” 8” 8”-62” 6” 125” 12”

This is one example, if you want something more or less, our knowledgeable and experienced staff will accommodate you. As one of the leading PCB Manufacturers, we tend to deliver only the highest quality possible. We ensure that our products are according to the general standards of the PCB industry.

We promise to deliver high quality Printed Circuit boards at competitive prices. In addition, we have the capability to carter order of different sizes while ensuring timely deliver and quality. We will never compromise on the quality, and we have a list of clients to vouch for us. Our physical production unit is what makes us different from several online PCB Brokers, thus we have complete control on the quality.

To ensure smooth and outstanding experience, we are available around the clock. Our outstanding customer care services allow us to resolve our client’s problem within minutes. Plus, we have a support group intact that can deal with all your technical problems in minimal time.

 

 Summary

 

Printed Circuit boards hold a great importance and they have a direct impact on the functionality of the electronics. Therefore, it is imperative to have only the highest quality PCBs. You need to pay close heed to Vias and aspect ratio as both these factors play an important in defining the quality of the Printed Circuit board.

You can have a quality simple PCB with Via, however, for Multi-Layered PCB you need to incorporate Vias. It is extremely difficult to create high quality and reliable multi-layered printed circuit boards with Vias. Likewise, aspect ratio also holds great importance for effective Printed Circuit Boards.  Therefore, all the PCB Manufacturers should take aspect ratio seriously.

When manufacturer does not play close heed to the aspect ratio, they end up with tattered circuit boards that are barely able to form a connection between points via plating. This can even lead to a bad connection between the electronic component placements. Manufacturers around the globe tend to use Vias and the right aspect ratio in order to come up with high quality Printed Circuit Boards.