The computers of today are not going to be like the computers of tomorrow. No industry knows that better than quick turn PCB assembly. Since customers’ expectations only grow higher and higher by the minute, it’s your brand’s duty to make sure everything you churn out can keep pace. The benefits of quick turn PCB assembly include creating more unique models than ever before, crafting them in a short amount of time and maintaining quality no matter the demand. This can, of course, also cross over with low volume PCB assembly and small batch PCB assembly. No matter what your brand needs, there’s an efficient and high-quality method just waiting to be taken advantage of.
Main Circuit Board Types
Circuit boards have become more streamlined thanks to advances in quick turn PCB assembly. The fat has been trimmed, so to speak, and many minor to major issues that companies struggled with just a decade ago are all but obsolete now. The most common multilayer boards as of today are the four layers, six layers, eight layers and 10 layers. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you can set a trend and go for gold, as the total number of layers that can be manufactured exceed 42.
Additional Circuit Board Dimensions
Back in the day creating circuit boards was an incredibly careful and tedious process mainly done by hand. Now? A combination of machinery and advanced software can create quick turn PCB assembly without sacrificing quality. Double-sided circuit boards connect the circuits on each side through two primary methods. There’s the through-hole technology and the surface-mount technology. Neither is superior to the other, depending heavily on the particular circuit board in question, how many layers it has and how quickly it needs to be made.
General Application
There are many factors to address in order to create a high-quality PCB ready for shipment. Temperature curve plays a major role in determining the final soldering quality. Before it reaches 160 degrees Celsius, the temperature rising rate should be controlled at a mere one to two degrees per second. If it rises too quickly, the components of the PCB will suffer an extreme jump in heat. This can destroy the fine details in its make-up and create an inferior product.
Additional Application
Temperature isn’t the only element to take into account. A solder paste applier and pick-and-place machine are required alongside the classic infrared oven, placed in an advanced conveyor that can paste and place 50,000 parts or more in just an hour. A single automatic line has been found to solder more components than even 50 skilled hand solder operators. Not only can it maintain speed, it does it with much higher and more consistent quality. While a human eye should be utilized to double-check for potential errors, machines have created the ultimate hands-off approach.
The PCB Assembly Of Tomorrow
The PCB industry back in 1995, just 50 years after their inception, saw the field reaching $7 billion for the first time. As of 2000? This industry exceeded over $10 billion. Recent years have seen the global total of PCB assembly, be it a prototype PCB service or turnkey PCB assembly, reaching a stunning $60 billion. The introduction of machine-assembly for any size orders or circuit board types means shops can create PCBs in a mere fraction of the time it would through hand placement. Some assemblers even have a turn-time of five days or less. With circuit board technology looking this good, there’s little stopping you and your customers from being put on the fast track to the future.
