What are the Common PCB Issues and How to Prevent Them?

Minimization of faults is the main goal of PCB manufacturers serving critical and not so critical industries. An in-depth understanding of common faults, their root causes, and prevention is the one way to ensure the high-quality of PCB assembly. Owing to the increasing density of these issues there are high chances of a PCB failure. If the care is not taken, then this will affect the functionality of the final product. Would you like to know about six common PCB manufacturing errors? Or how to prevent these fabrication errors? This post will answer these questions in detail.

Common PCB Assembly Defects

6 Common PCB Assembly Defects That Should Be Avoided

The following are s-ome common defects found in the printed circuit board assemblies and their corrective actions.

  1. Solder Bridges: This is the most common type of defect found in the PCB assembly. Solder bridging, sometimes referred to as shorts, occurs when a solder crosses one lead to another or have an abnormal connection between two or more adjacent traces. They can be tiny in size and hard to detect. If these shorts are not detected during the circuit board inspection, then it can cause serious damage to the assembly, such as blow-up or burn-up of components and traces. However, this issue can be avoided using several ways, such as adding solder mask between the pads, ensuring a zero gaps between the PCB and stencil, and so on.
  2. Plating Voids: Plated through holes are important holes on the printed circuit board, as they carry electricity from one side of the board to the other side through the holes. The walls of these holes are electroplated during the PCB fabrication process. Before electroplating, the circuit board is made conductive from the top to bottom by copper deposition. In this process, the electroless copper is made to adhere to the edges of the circuit board and within the holes. The problems with copper deposition give rise to plating voids, which means the walls are not coated evenly with copper. These holes may affect the flow of electricity. Plating voids may be caused due to a variety of reasons such as material contamination, air bubbles in the material, contaminated holes, and so on. So, the defects caused due to air bubbles, contamination, and insufficient cleaning can be avoided by cleaning the material before drilling. Also, other defects can be avoided by following the directions provided by the manufacturer.
  3. Non-wetting: Non-wetting, also known as dewetting, occurs to alloy solder joints, which are not extended to the PCB pads. Thus, they do not obtain a great solder joint fillet. Non-wetting can occur when the solder partially covers a board surface while leaving exposed copper behind. This can directly impact the quality of solder joints. This PCB issue can be avoided by paying close attention to the storage environment of PCB components. Make sure they meet the standards with regards to humidity and temperature. Also, avoid using a PCB that has been stored for a long time without any protective cover or sheet.
  4. Acid Traps: Via positioning may bring a risk of solder leakage through the pads at the time of assembly. This can be solved using a non-conductive epoxy or by applying the solder mask over the holes.
  5. Physical Damage: Failure of PCB is linked to physical damage, which is caused due to environmental stresses or during the SMT manufacturing process. Most common cause of PCB failure is dropping a circuit board in a prototyping phase. The damage to the physical components or pieces is not easily visible, and they are not repairable either. Thus, there is no other option except replacing the PCB.
  6. Electromagnetic Issues: Electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility are two common terms associated with PCBs. The term electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the term used for generation and propagation of electromagnetic energy, whereas, electromagnetic interference refers to the damaging effect of EMC. These issues arise due to some possible design flaws. Electromagnetic interference can be reduced by increasing the ground area of the PCB.
Printed circuit boards designing needs excellent technical skills, as well as precision. Any single mistake in the PCB layout may result in a huge loss. This is why the care should be taken when designing the printed circuit board. Are you planning to build your printed circuit board? In such cases, it is always better to approach industry experts. With vast industry experience, Absolute PSB Assembly Technology Inc. offers best PCB solutions while considering your specific requirements.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Benefits of PCB Assembly Automation

Image
 Printed circuit sheets (PCBs) are broadly utilized in present day hardware and without these circuit sheets, most gadgets would be difficult to build. With the quick improvement of innovation, printed circuit sheets are currently a lot simpler to mass create and gather because of mechanization and machines. Generally, circuit sheets were regularly solely hand-gathered which came about in more slow creation and less consistency in quality. PCB  assembly  gives a wide scope of advantages for organizations and areas.  The following are a couple of advantages of computerized gathering:  Lower Overall Cost  Utilizing computerized PCB gathering implies that you can expect lower by and large expenses. Numerous SMT constructing agents utilize select programming to gather the circuit board carefully before real creation. This is to diminish the danger of blunders and postponements. During this interaction, PCB creators can fix any plan blunders which then, at that point, eliminates potential
Read more

Streamlining Efficiency: The Role of Electronic Manufacturing Services in Modern Industry

Image
In the dynamic landscape of modern industry, electronic manufacturing services (EMS) play a pivotal role in streamlining efficiency, ensuring quality, and driving innovation. From printed circuit board assembly to supply chain management, EMS providers are instrumental in the production and delivery of electronic devices that power our interconnected world. This comprehensive guide delves into the intricacies of EMS, highlighting their significance, processes, benefits, and future prospects. Understanding Electronic Manufacturing Services Electronic manufacturing services encompass a wide range of activities aimed at efficiently producing electronic components and devices. These services are typically outsourced to specialized companies with expertise in various aspects of electronics manufacturing, such as design, prototyping, assembly, testing, and logistics. EMS providers collaborate closely with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to bring electronic products from concept to m
Read more

Six Factors to Be Considered While Manufacturing Flexible Circuit Boards for the First Time

Image
Six Factors to Be Considered While Manufacturing Flexible Circuit Boards for the First Time Flexible printed circuit boards are equally popular as their rigid counterparts. When compared with rigid PCBs, the flexible printed circuit boards assure major cost savings in terms of weight and small footprint. Although the technique of flexible circuit board manufacturing has evolved over the years, there are certain factors that you need to address while building your first PCB. What are these factors? How do they contribute to the functioning of the PCBs? Read this post to know the answers. Top 6 Factors That You Need to Address During the Manufacturing of Flexible Circuit Boards There are several minute details that you need to address and take care of while designing a printed circuit board. However, these six factors are quite important because the performance of your PCBs will be influenced by them. Address the Flexibility and Bendability:  Although flexible PCBs are bendable
Read more