The process steps of SMD assembly
SMD assembly involves the placement of Surface-Mounted Devices (components). A Surface-Mounted Device is an electrical component attached to PCBs (printed circuit boards). In this blog, you can read all about the process steps of an SMD installation.
What is a Surface-Mounted Device?
A Surface-Mounted Device is not assembled by using wire connections through the PCB like components with THT (Through Hole Technology). This is because an SMD is soldered to the PCB on one side. There are different ways of soldering, for example, it can be done through small solder pads, but it can also be done through short terminal legs.
Different types of components
SMD technology is constantly evolving. This is partly driven by the demand for ever-smaller PCBs and smaller components. Components then come in all shapes and sizes. What components are there?
- Components with two connections, a distinction is then made between rectangular passive components (LEDs, diodes, resistors and the like) and SOD (which stands for Small Outline Diode) with two connections.
- Components with three connections, here a distinction is made between SOT (which stands for Small Outline Transistor with three connections) and DPAK (TO-252).
- Components with five or with six connections.
- Components with more connections, distinguishing, for example, Dual in Line (DIL) with two rows of connections, QUAD in line (QIL) with four rows of connections and Ball Grid Array (BGA) where we talk about a ball grid at the bottom.
The process steps of SMD installation
Installing an SMD consists of several steps. We perform each of these steps with great precision to ensure high quality.
1. Applying solder paste to the circuit board.
2. Placing the components.
3. Solder the circuit boards with the components inserted by reflow soldering.
The first step in the process is to apply solder paste to the PCBs. This is done by using a paste stencil made in advance using screen printing technology. In this way, the solder paste is applied only to those positions where the soldering process must take place.
The second step involves transporting the PCBs to the placement machines. Here, the Surface-Mounted Device components are placed on the PCBs. In our Juki line, we are able to place components from a maximum of 264 stations from the reels in one process run. The maximum placement speed here is around 40,000 placements per hour.
Finally, the components are soldered to the circuit board by reflow soldering. This involves placing the circuit board in the soldering oven. The temperature is gradually increased, melting the solder paste and converting it into permanent connections between the components and the circuit boards. After the final stage is completed, we perform a deep cleaning and final inspection.
SMD installation at Confed
SMD installation is not only efficient, but also fast and cost-effective. At Confed, we use this process to assemble PCBs with high quality and low cost. Our specialists know the importance of accurately performed SMD installation. Want to discover more about SMD installation? Contact us and we will be happy to help you.
Choose Confed. Choose fast, reliable and quality.
Got curious?
Have you become curious about what we can do for you in this area? We would like to invite you to contact us. This can easily be done by phone or via our general email address. You can also send us a request via the contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Contact via:
info@confed.eu or tel: +31(0) 33 454 1340
