Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

What’s the Role of MCPCB in Advancing Teeth Whitening Technology?

Wednesday, January 31st, 2024

In the pursuit of brighter smiles, teeth whitening devices have become indispensable tools, utilizing various techniques to enhance dental aesthetics. Among these, light-based approaches, such as phototherapy and laser treatments, play a significant role. Interestingly, these advanced methods, including ultrasonic vibration, often rely on a crucial technological component – the Metal Core Printed Circuit Boards (MCPCB). In this blog, we will explore the concept of teeth whitening devices, the technology employed, and delve into why metal core PCB, particularly preferred for LED products, are integral in crafting efficient and reliable teeth whitening instruments.

(Teeth_Whitening_Devices_Illuminating_Smiles)

What is the Purpose of Teeth Whitening Equipment?

Teeth whitening devices are designed to improve the color of teeth, aiming for a whiter and brighter appearance. These devices apply various techniques, each contributing to the overall effectiveness of the whitening process. Notably, light-based methods have gained prominence, with two prominent technologies standing out: light phototherapy and laser treatments.

Light Phototherapy: This approach involves using specific wavelengths of light to activate whitening agents on the tooth surface. Patients wear protective eyewear while the device emits light, expediting the whitening process.

Laser Treatments: Similar to phototherapy, lasers target whitening agents, enhancing their efficacy. Typically conducted in professional dental settings, laser treatments offer precise and accelerated teeth whitening.

Ultrasonic Vibration: Some devices employ ultrasonic vibration, utilizing the principle of mechanical oscillation to enhance the penetration and effectiveness of whitening agents.

Why choose MCPCB for Teeth Whitening Devices?

Behind the scenes of these advanced teeth whitening technologies lies a critical component – the metal substrate. Often, LED products utilized in teeth whitening devices prioritize metal substrate for their construction. But what exactly is a metal core PCB, and why is it the preferred choice?

Understanding Metal Substrates: The Foundation of Reliability

MCPCB (Metal Core Printed Circuit Board) is a specialized type of printed circuit board characterized by the presence of a layer of metal with excellent thermal conductivity on the substrate. Typically, MCPCBs are composed of a metal core, insulating layer, and copper foil, with the thermal conductivity of the metal core being a significant distinction from conventional FR4 circuit boards.

Key Features of Metal core PCB: Unveiling secret

Superior Thermal Conductivity: Teeth whitening devices often utilize technologies such as light or laser, generating heat during operation. the metal core of MCPCB exhibits exceptional thermal conductivity, effectively dissipating heat to prevent overheating. This property ensures efficient heat dissipation, a critical factor in devices requiring prolonged operation, such as teeth whitening instruments.

Regarding the metal base of MCPCB, aluminum base or copper base are commonly used for MCPCB, it’s also help to make the good heat dissipation than FR4PCB, like aluminum base has 205W/m.k and copper base has 398W/m.k, as you can see the thermal conductivity of copper base is better than aluminum base, so if your products need a more higher heat dissipation, welcome to consider copper core PCB, but please noted that copper is expensive than aluminum, which material depends on your requirement.

As thermal conductivity, it’s more important in MCPCB, since the higher the thermal conductivity, the higher the ability of heat dissipation, for now, the highest thermal conductivity is 8W/m.k in Best Technology, but for normally, 1W/m.k, 2W/m.k and 3W/m.k is enough for LED products.

Enhanced Heat Dissipation: MCPCB excels in dissipating heat, preventing overheating during prolonged use. This characteristic is crucial in teeth whitening devices, where maintaining a balanced thermal environment is essential for both device performance and user comfort.

Mechanical Strength: Metal substrates exhibit high mechanical strength, withstanding the rigors of assembly and use. This durability ensures the stability and reliability of the devices over time.

Structural Robustness: Teeth whitening devices may experience mechanical stress during operation, including vibrations or movements. The metal core of MCPCB provides additional structural support, enabling the device to withstand mechanical pressures and enhance overall durability.

Ideal for LED Products: MCPCBs are often the preferred choice for LED products due to their excellent thermal management and structural stability. LED-based teeth whitening devices benefit significantly from MCPCBs, ensuring the longevity and reliability of the LED components.

Why Metal Substrates for Teeth Whitening Devices?

The choice of metal substrates in teeth whitening devices, especially those employing LED technology, is strategic. The need for a material that offers robust electrical conductivity, efficient heat dissipation, and structural integrity aligns perfectly with the characteristics of metal substrates. In LED products, where precision and reliability are paramount, metal substrates emerge as the preferred foundation.

In conclusion, the convergence of advanced technologies for teeth whitening and the reliability of metal substrates highlights the intricate dance between innovation and foundational support. As we continue to seek brighter smiles through cutting-edge dental aesthetics, the role of metal substrates remains fundamental, quietly empowering the devices that illuminate our smiles and boost our confidence.

Best Technology has involved in MCPCB industry from 2006, over 17years, we can help to design, manufacturing and assembly, providing one-step service for our customers, welcome to share your drawing or idea to us, we will back you the best solution!

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Semi-Flexible PCBs: An Amazing Design in Electronics

Tuesday, January 9th, 2024

In the realm of advanced electronic design, Semi-flex PCBs stand out as pioneering solutions. Leveraging specialized FR-4 materials and employing a distinctive manufacturing method, they ingeniously combine the flexibility of a flexible circuit with the convenience of easy installation.

(Semi_flex_PCB)

Do you know what’s Semi-flex PCB?

A Semi-Flexible PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is a type of PCB that offers a compromise between rigid and flexible circuit boards. It incorporates elements of both rigid and flexible PCBs, allowing it to bend to some extent while still maintaining a degree of stiffness. This innovative flex-to-install design not only ensures cost-effectiveness but also opens up a realm of possibilities for diverse applications, making Semi-flex PCBs a versatile and economical solution in the ever-evolving landscape of electronic design. Embracing cutting-edge technology and adaptability, these boards exemplify the ongoing commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in electronic engineering.

(Semi_Flex_PCB_detail_1)

Vital Features of Semi-flexible PCBs

In our more than 17 years of experience in the PCB manufacturing field, we take pride in delivering Semi-Flexible PCBs that meet the highest standards of quality and performance. we are happy to share some the key features of our Semi-Flexible PCBs we made:

Flexibility and Bending Capability: The semi-flexible nature of these PCBs allows for bending and shaping, making them suitable for applications with space constraints or those requiring unique form factors.

Reliability: Despite their flexibility, our Semi-Flexible PCBs maintain high levels of reliability and performance. They are designed to withstand bending without compromising the integrity of the circuit.

Space Optimization: The ability to conform to three-dimensional shapes enables better use of available space, making these PCBs ideal for compact electronic devices and innovative product designs.

(Semi_Flex_PCB_detail_2)

As we move forward, we invite you to explore the possibilities that Semi-Flexible PCBs offer and to partner with us in shaping the future of electronic engineering. Together, let us continue to embrace the spirit of innovation and unlock new horizons in the dynamic and rapidly advancing field of technology. Trust Best Technology, we are the BEST!

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National Day Holiday

Friday, September 30th, 2022

Time goes by so quickly, after a short holiday of Autumn Festival, our National Day Holiday (October 1st, 2022) also on its way.

National Day is a very important and special festival for Chinese people, it has a great significance for us, it is not only the birthday for our motherland, also is the great day of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and 2022 is the 73rd anniversary.

On October 1st, 1949, Chairman Mao, officially declared the formation of the People’s Republic of China before a crowd of 300,000 in Tiananmen Square while waving the newly created Chinese flag. The declaration followed a civil war in which communist forces emerged victorious over the Nationalist government. On December 2, 1949, at a meeting of the Central People’s Government Council, October 1st as National Day was ratified by the First National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Chairman-Mao-declared-the-formation-of-People’s-Republic-of-China

Traditionally, there are four mainly customs to celebrate this special day.

  • Decorating with colorful neon light and five-star red flag

Every National Day in China, enterprises and institutions will hang colorful neon lights or five-star red flags with the slogan of “celebrate the National Day” to celebrate it, and the square is placed on festive bonsai and balloons, with a happy atmosphere to meet the National Day.

Decorating-with-colorful-neon-light-and-five-star-red-flag
  • Golden Week

Since from 1999, the Chinese government expanded the celebrations by several day to a seven-day holiday, that is called “Golden Week” similar to Japan’s. Because it is a second-long vacation in the whole year (Spring festival is the longest holiday in year), most of people will travel to other cities or countries, or tourist attractions to enjoy a relaxing holiday with their families and friends, that’s why in National Day holiday, every place is crowded, especially those famous scenic spots or cities.

Many-people-visit-to-Tiananmen-square
  • Military parade

To display China’s armed forces and build national confidence & pride, since the founding of People’s Republic of China, we held total 11 times military parade between 1949 to 1959, but after the reform and opening up, in September 1960, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and The State Council decided to reform the system of National Day ceremonies in line with the principle of “practicing strict economy and building the nation with diligence”, implementing “one-small celebration every five years, one-big celebration every ten years, and a military parade every big celebration”. And until to 1984, central committee decided to recover military parade, so we had a great celebration for our motherland’s 35th anniversary that year. (The last military parade in China is in 2019 year.)

China’s-Military-parade-in-2019
  • Flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen

Although there is a flag-raising at Tiananmen every day in Beijing, the flag-raising ceremony on National Day will be particularly grand, and the flag-raising time is 06:10am Beijing time.

Flag-raising-ceremony-in-Tiananmen

Normally Chinese people use this time to stay with relatives and to travel together. Visiting amusement parks and watching special television programs on the holiday are also popular activities, and nowadays, holding a wedding in National Day holiday also is popular and common by far. In my impression, when watch the military parade on TV with my family and friends in National Day, I feel so proud to be a part of a prosperous nation.

So to celebrate such a great day for our motherland, Best Technology also have a short-long holiday to greet its arrival, and below is our holiday schedule:

Close time: October 1st -5th

Resume to work: October 6th

Due to the holiday, lead time of any circuit boards (FR4 PCB, MCPCB, Ceramic PCB, Rigid-flex Circuit) will be postponed 2-5 days, if any order urgently, please tell our sales reps and we will communicate to get a better solution, thanks for your kindly understanding.

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Ceramic PCB for Sensor Application

Wednesday, October 13th, 2021

Sensor technology will help us achieve environmental goals surrounding cleaner energy and lower carbon, including the electrification of vehicles; serving autonomous vehicles and smart city infrastructure. It is used to collect big data required for management, control and safety; widely used Applied to the medical market, etc.The application for sensor is becoming more and more popular.

With the continuous improvement of sensor input power, the size of the sensor continues to shrink, and the large heat generated by the large power dissipation puts forward newer and higher requirements for packaging materials. The application prospect of the base sensor is broad, which also has more rigid requirements on the performance of the packaging material itself.

Engine oil level Sensor

The advantages of ceramic materials

1. High thermal conductivity, meeting the heat dissipation requirements of the sensor;

2. Good heat resistance, meeting the application requirements of sensors at high temperature (Higher than 200°C);

3. The thermal expansion coefficient is matched to match the thermal expansion coefficient of the chip material for sensor to reduce the thermal stress of the package;

4. The dielectric constant is small, the high frequency characteristic is good, reduce the signal transmission time of the sensor, improve the signal transmission rate;

5. High mechanical strength, meeting the mechanical performance requirements of sensor during device packaging and application;

6. Good corrosion resistance, able to withstand the erosion of strong acids, strong alkalis, boiling water, organic solutions for sensor, etc.;

7. The structure is compact and meets the requirements of hermetic packaging for sensor.

Fluid level sensor

Some data show that for every 2°C increase in the temperature of electronic components, the reliability decreases by 10%. Obviously, the overheating of electronic components is one of the culprits of the shortened equipment life. To do a good job in thermal management of equipment, ceramic copper clad laminates are indispensable. Best ceramic copper clad laminates have high thermal conductivity (thermal conductivity 180 W/(mK) ~ 260 W/(mK)), which can dissipate heat in time. Ensure the stable operation of equipment and effectively extend the life cycle of sensor or other product.

If you want to know more about ceramic PCB for sensor, please feel free to contact us.

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Good news: We can support your masks demand now!!!

Wednesday, April 29th, 2020

Global demand for supplies used by our customers to treat and help protect people, such as respirators, is currently exceeding supply. Best Technology expects demand for respirators to outpace supply for the foreseeable future.

disposable face mask
disposable face mask

Throughout all the recent developments, Best Technology is working hard to uphold the commitments we made to supporting your business. We are very focused on protecting the health and safety of our workforce while maintaining the ability to keep serving you.

With more than 10 years of domain expertise in the industries we serve, we are here to help you adjust to whatever may happen next.  

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all of us, and all Best Technology colleagues are working around-the-clock to help provide critical tools for the fight. Our current focus: supporting health care and front-line workers as well as our regular and new customers around the world by providing products they need to help protect their lives.

We are seriously in choosing partners who can provide various kinds of respirators as well as medical products:

The partners who can double their global output rate to nearly 100 million respirators per month are in our priority;

Also, we anticipate doubling global capacity of our partners to almost 2 billion respirators in the next 12 months.  

We have not increased the prices we charge for our respirators in this crisis.

KN95 face mask
KN95 face mask

Our efforts are guided by our value of Caring – for our people and their families, our consumers, and importantly, for those most in need right now. We want to share a few of the ways that we are responding to this global health crisis.

If it’s difficult for you to find protection devices, such as face mask(disposable face masks and KN95 face masks),non-surgical isolation gown, medical gowns (protective coveralls), surgical cap, surgical dress, medical gloves, safety goggles, medical helmet, infrared thermometers, contact us, we are glad to support you.

(for more information, you can refer to: www.besttechmedical.com.)

Moreover, after our efforts, all of our face masks, KN95 masks and all of other medical products have passed GB2626-2006 and CE standard. You can also find out the certificates from the above website.

Anything I can do for you? If there is a need, contact us anytime. Our sales team will be here to reply you instantly. Please keep safe and take good care of yourself and your families. Come on, our friends, wish the pandemic will end asap and everything can return to normal soon.

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Measures China took to fight against the COVID-19

Tuesday, March 31st, 2020

China’s fight against COVID-19 epidemic has achieved victory at this stage. Infected patients were found in 337 cities in China but now only 28 cities remaining patients in cure. So far till March 31st, there were 82545 confirmed cases in China, while 76225 cured and only 3006 remaining now. Most importantly, many of the areas finds only one figure number increase and others stop increasing for quite some days. If the first half of COVID-19 fighting is inside China national territory, the second half will be on the international stages while noticeable growth on COVID-19 infected cases are spreading all over the world now.

corona virus updates
corona virus updates

Best Technology has been collecting the measures in China on epidemic controls so in order to provide a more objective and useful reference for overseas professionals which we hope they could refer to and protect better themselves from the COVID-19.

Governmental Measures

During the height of the outbreak, trains didn’t stop at the disease’s epicenter, Wuhan

Wuhan trains
Wuhan trains

Trains, as well as other tightly packed forms of transportation, can serve as vectors of illness. The more people, the more closely packed, and the more poorly ventilated the space, you can imagine that’s a bad situation because there are a ton of people, they’re in very close quarters, and they’re a totally captive audience. Cutting off transportation was considered on the top three measures to contain the spread of the virus.

China built new hospitals in a rush, with workers toiling night and day to get them done.

China Newly-built Hospitals
China Newly-built Hospitals

China built two new 1,000-1,300-bed hospitals to fight the corona virus, one created in six days, and the second in 15 days, using prefabricated modules.

Corona virus testing was easily accessible and free

Corona virus testing
Corona virus testing

In China, patients who were confirmed to have the corona virus were either sent to an isolation center or hospital. The government also made clear that testing for the new virus was free, and COVID-19-related charges that weren’t covered by a person’s insurance would be paid for by the government.

The country implemented large-scale contact tracing in the early 2000s

Contact tracing
Contact tracing

During the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, China set up large-scale surveillance systems that included contact tracing, a front-line public-health strategy that involves identifying and following up with people who may have come into contact with an infected person.

The country postponed non-urgent medical care and moved many doctor’s visits online. Not all patients were given the critical care they needed during the outbreak, though

Doctor's online visit
Doctor’s online visit

In China, elective surgeries and other non-critical doctors’ visits were delayed, and many medical services were moved online. Someone in one place said 50% of their consultations are now done online; they just moved a whole bunch of what was normally done physically online to be able to keep the regular health services going.

Centers for Disease Control exploring a way of therapeutic plan combing Traditional Chinese medicines and Western medicines.

 Traditional Chinese medicines treatment
 Traditional Chinese medicines treatment

The combination of Traditional Chinese medicines and Western medicines had been proven effective on the SARS fights. Doctors of traditional Chinese medicines had volunteered for consulting and participating into the virus fights.

China used technology that aims to trace every single COVID-19 case

Civilian Measures

Traditional epidemic prevention manufacturers speed up and similar production lines integrating to make more necessary products

mask production line
mask production line

Many medicinal and pharmaceutical substances manufacturers launched automation assemble lines and increase manpower to speed up the mass production of necessary drugs, masks, ventilators to meet the huge consumption during virus fighting. Many of these companies arranged 24-hour shifts for maximizing the production.

Meanwhile other manufactures such as automotive OEM had change their assemble line into masks productions machines.

At the blast of COVID-19, returning Chinese carrying back epidemic products from overseas as much as they can

epidemic products brought by overseas Chinese
epidemic products brought by overseas Chinese

 Returning travelers carried extra masks on their flights back to China and donated them to the hospital and governments in need. Some overseas Chinese unions also had helped ordering these products and sending to China.

Chinese citizens did their part to curb the disease’s trajectory on an individual level, too, though we may never know the true scale of their complaints or sacrifices in this outbreak.

China's road
China’s road

In contrast to reports in the US of people clamoring over the last hand-sanitizer, the attitude of people in China was that they were all in this together. People stay at home for self-quarantine, lockdown and response to the postpone returning to work and school.

People who thought they might have the corona virus could go to one of the nation’s many fever clinics

fever clinics
fever clinics

People who thought they had the novel corona virus in China would often be sent to a special fever clinic, which have been widespread since the country dealt with an aggressive SARS outbreak in 2002. Their temperature would be taken, and they’d discuss their symptoms, medical history, travel history, and any prior contact with anyone infected with a doctor.

If necessary, patients might receive a CT scan, which is one way to do an initial screening for COVID-19. Each machine did maybe 200 a day. 5-10 minutes/scan. A typical hospital in the West does one or two an hour.

People quickly shifted jobs in order to assist during the outbreak

volunteers
volunteers

When it came to the non-medical response, there was a nationwide sense of solidarity with Hubei. Other provinces sent 40,000 medical workers to the center of the outbreak, many of whom were volunteers.

Workers in transportation, agriculture, and clerical positions were encouraged to new positions such as delivery, courier and epidemic prevention manufacturing, too.

While staying home, it’s been relatively easy for Chinese people to get extra food and supplies

Enough food
Enough food

China essentially mandated a country-wide shut down, demanding that every Chinese resident stay home until the curve was flattened. But in West, unlike China, a country-wide shutdown would be difficult to enforce.

Fifteen million people had to order food online. It was delivered. Yes, there were some screw-ups. But few said: every now and again there’s something missing from a package, but food supply is pretty much normal via ordering online.

We know it’s difficult for most of people around the word to find protection devices, such as face mask, Non-surgical isolation gown , Medical gowns, protective coveralls, Surgical Cap, Surgical Dress , Medical gloves, Safety Goggles, Surgical Helmet, infrared thermometers, please contact our sales, we will be glad to support you.

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Do You Ever Know High Density Interconnect PCBs?

Tuesday, December 31st, 2019

HDI PCB (High Density Interconnector PCB), is a printed circuit board having a relatively high line distribution density using the micro-blind and buried hole technology.

It is a process that includes an inner layer line and an outer layer line, then uses a hole and a metallization in the hole to realize a joint function between the inner layers of each layer.

HDI PCB-1
HDI PCB-1

With the development of high-density, high-precision electronic products, the requirements of high-density and high precision are imposed on printed circuit boards. The most effective way to increase the density of pcb is to reduce the number of through holes, and to accurately set the blind holes and buried holes to achieve this requirement, thereby an HDI PCB came into being.

HDI PCBs are finding their way into a growing number of products:

Military communications devices and other strategic equipment

Aerospace – smaller space requirements and light weight are ideal for such applications

Computers and smartphones – phones and computers are taking full advantage of smaller profiles, reduced weight, and increased functionality, made possible through the integration of HDI circuits.

HDI PCB-2
HDI PCB-2

Medical equipment – diagnostic and monitoring equipment has become more reliable and expanded with technical features that aid medical teams with patient treatment, and all of this is powered by HDI PCBs and advanced software.

Benefits of HDI PCB

HDI PCB utilizes buried or blind vias, or a combination, and may also incorporate microvias with an incredibly small diameter. This facilitates the incorporation of more technology in less space, with fewer layers. Multi-layer HDI PCB are also in common use, with many layers being accommodated through various construction methods utilizing blind, buried, stacked, and staggered vias.

With smaller components and blind via in pad technology, components may be placed closer together, resulting in faster signal transmission rates while also reducing crossing delays and signal loss. These are key considerations that generate improved performance of HDI PCBs.

HDI PCBs are preferred for applications where space, performance, reliability, and weight are concerns. This makes them more suitable for nearly every application related to electronics, consumer products, computers, and aeronautics.

Multi-layer HDI PCB can provide strong interconnection of stacked vias, resulting in high levels of reliability, even in more extreme environments.

Considering this, do you ever think about choosing HDI PCB on your next project?

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Customers’ Visit in Best Technology

Thursday, November 21st, 2019

Some of our awesome clients, visited our office and SMT plant on Nov 21, 2019, all team members stood in a row to give them a warm welcome.

customers in the office
in the office

In the meeting room, the customers said that Best Technology was appreciated as a valued supplier of excellent quality products which met their requirements exactly.

Customers in the SMT factory
in the SMT factory

They went over the ceramic PCB and PCB Assembly requirements that would be required for their current production needs and provided us with product estimates required for ceramic PCB and PCBA projects.

Customers in the meeting room
in the meeting room

And then they described the ceramic PCB and PCB Assembly products to us in detail so we could understand the scope of what would be required. The inclusion of the sales team members during this meeting provided an excellent team spirit and we enjoyed the enthusiasm of this meeting.

Customers in the meeting room
In the meeting room

The customers were also impressed by the rapid implementation of all their latest design changes to their range of products manufactured by us.

customers in the meeting room
Customers in the meeting room

We recognize the fact that the best way to attract customers is by being recognized as a consistent supplier of excellent quality products. Our core value of upholding quality excellence in production will greatly assist us in reaching our goal.

Customers in the SMT factory
in the SMT factory

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LED Lighting: MC-PCBs

Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

LEDs are pretty hot nowadays! Not just the biggest tendency in lighting, but also require a lot of heat dissipation that standard PCB material just can’t handle. So what’s the solution? Metal PCBs. Standard PCB material typically has a thermal conductivity of 0.5 W/m K; which is not adequate for the current high intensity LEDs. With MCPCB materials you can increase the life of your LEDs with better heat dissipation.

What’s the thermal conductivity of MCPCB material?

Up to now, Best Technology has helped many customers with their MCPCB needs and have found the most common questions as shown below:

What is the most cost effective MCPCB?

How do you layout an MCPCB?

Can I get a different dielectric thickness between the metal and circuit layer?

Can I put plated through holes on an MCPCB?

Can I do more than one layer with an MCPCB?

How quick can a MCPCB be manufactured?

What Metals can be used?

The professional staff at Best Technology can help you resolve these questions and even more. Need help getting started? Contact us today.

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PCB Assembly Fabrication Methods

Tuesday, November 12th, 2019

PCB or Printed Circuit Board assembly at Best Technology involves combining the bare PCB, electronic components, and other accessories effectively to allow the assembly to function as the designer intended. Generally speaking, the fabrication methods involve a number of major steps:

(1)Component placement

(2)Soldering

(3)Cleaning

(4)Inspection

(5)Testing

Component Placement

Methods of placing components on the PCB rely on several factors such as:

Single or double side component placement

SMD components only

Through-hole (TH) components only

Mix of SMD and through-hole components

A PCB may have components present only on one of its sides or on both, although assembling a PCB with through-hole components on both sides is a rare occurrence. Single side component placement with either all SMDs or all through-hole components is more common, while single sided PCBs with a mix of SMDs and through-hole components is also to be found.

For assemblies requiring SMDs on both sides of the PCB or a mix of SMD and through-hole components on the top and only SMDs on the bottom, the PCB assembly process must be broken up into several intermediate steps, and the assembler needs to take special precautions for each of them.

Soldering

Soldering is the process of joining two dissimilar metals using a molten filler metal alloy. The molten metal alloy enters the joint, and as it cools and solidifies, bonds with the adjoining metals. Primarily,  three common ways of soldering including manual soldering, wave soldering and reflow soldering are available.

Cleaning

After soldering is over, some flux residue may remain on the printed circuit board. Over time, this can turn acidic, and corrosively damage solder joints. The flux residue can also attract fingerprints and make the PCB look unclean.

Manual Inspection

Inspection is necessary at various stages of assembly. For instance, one stage of inspection is necessary when the operator has stuffed TH components into the board, and again once the assembly has undergone wave soldering.

Similarly, for reflow soldering, inspection is necessary once after solder paste printing is over, then again after mounting the SMD components, and once again after the boards have exited the reflow oven.

AOI & X-Ray Inspection

For large batches of PCB assembly, the manual inspection process may be too slow. A faster process is the Automatic Optical Inspection or AOI process. AOI machines have video cameras to capture images of the PCB, the components, and the solder quality, and they can compare the images with standard images in the machine’s memory. The AOI machines work at high speed processing a large number of PCBs within a relatively short time.

Electrical & Functional Testing

Electrical testing may be necessary after the assembly has passed through the above stages, to test whether the assembly functions as intended by the designer. This may involve programming the board, or calibrating certain components before the actual testing can begin.

Electrical and functional testing involves applying specific voltage/voltages to the circuit on the PCB and looking for normal/abnormal behavior at predefined outputs. Some tests may require a voltmeter and ammeter, while others may need more sophisticated instruments such as an oscilloscope or a waveform analyzer to complete the testing.

Conclusion

PCB assembly is a complicated process involving several technical processes with important setup parameters. Eminent assemblers such as Best Technology are always careful with these setup parameters to allow the final product achieve the desired quality.

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