The Key Steps Involved in Fast Turn Circuit Board Assembly
Fast Turn Circuit Board Assembly
When developing a new electronics product, speed is key. It enables you to prototype your design and test it for functionality, and reduces time to market so you can bring products to your customers faster. But, reducing production times does not mean you have to compromise on quality.
In fact, with the right strategy, companies can slash assembly time without sacrificing quality or driving costs prohibitively. fast turn circuit board assembly enables you to prototype and iterate your product quickly, accelerate time to market, and improve responsiveness to user feedback. In this blog post, we look at the key steps involved in fast turn PCB assembly.
The first step in a quick turnaround is to fabricate the bare PCB. This involves cutting a sheet of copper into a specific size and shape, then using a chemical process to expose the copper tracks for connections. The bare board is then coated with a solder mask, which protects the copper from corrosion. Next, a metal stencil with cutouts matching the locations of the solder pads is created. This allows solder paste to be applied precisely to the PCB in the correct locations. During the PCB assembly process, machines measure the height and width of the solder paste deposits, checking for problems like missed spots or solder bridges.
The Key Steps Involved in Fast Turn Circuit Board Assembly
After applying the solder paste, a pick and place machine mounts surface-mount components (SMT) to the bare board. This device uses the XY coordinates file generated during the design phase to locate components on the board and orient them correctly. This was a manual process at one point, but today most manufacturers use automated equipment for this task due to its high speed and consistency. Machines also avoid the fatigue and eye strain that humans often experience when working with small components.
Once the SMTs are mounted, a heat source is used to melt and adhere them to the solder paste. This process is called reflow and it takes less than an hour for the circuit board to be fully assembled. Once the board has been reflown, it is cleaned of any excess solder and inspected for quality.
As you can imagine, a rushed project requires tight collaboration between engineering and manufacturing teams to be successful. This includes sharing design files early, minimizing the number of revisions, avoiding delays in component sourcing, and managing trade-offs between expedited assembly time, cost sensitivity, and product complexity. Agile logistics planning can further mitigate the risk of unforeseen delays in the supply chain.
In addition, choosing the right manufacturing partner is crucial to ensuring success. Look for a partner that provides complete documentation review, quick turnaround of gerber files and BOMs, and efficient handling of long-lead components. Prioritize simplicity and modularity, and choose widely available components whenever possible to speed up assembly time. By implementing these strategies, you can achieve quick, quality PCB assemblies with confidence.