Almost all circuit boards today are assembled using surface mount technology (SMT). SMT refers to a mounting scheme in which electronic components are mounted directly on the surface of circuit boards. Assembling circuit boards with this technology not only brings down the manufacturing costs, but it also allows for more efficient use of the PCB space. As a result, SMT makes it possible to assemble highly complex circuit boards into smaller footprints with good repeatability.
Highest Quality Surface Mount PCB Assembly
Advanced Technology & Manufacturing boasts of its modern surface mount equipment for accurate solder paste printing, precise component placement and correct oven profiling. These are essential requirements for quality and consistency in our surface mount assemblies.
Our capabilities include:
• Leaded and RoHS Compliant
• High-density fine pitch devices including BGAs, QFN and components down to 0201 packages
The Accurate Printing Of The Solder
One of the most important parts of the surface mount assembly process is the application of solder paste (a mix of solder metal and flux) on all pads on which components are placed. Our stencil printers feature automatic vision systems to check the accurate alignment of solder paste placement onto circuit boards before components are loaded. This ensures that the solder paste is deposited onto the pads with maximum precision. In addition, we customise each stencil to suit each individual printed circuit board to ensure the right volume of solder paste is used.
Precise Placement Of Components
The small dimensions of surface mount devices make it difficult to manually place the components on the board. Our surface mount pick-and-place machines are equipped with automatic vision systems, which enables even the tiniest of components to be automatically placed on the board quickly and with precision, thereby optimising output and quality.
Customised Oven Profile
Control of preheating, reflow and cooling is of the utmost importance when building SMT assemblies with a consistently high standard. Using both our 14 and 20 zone convection ovens and a state-of-the-art thermal profiler, we create a customised oven profile to ensure good solder joints for leaded or RoHS compliant boards without damaging the components.