Printed Circuit Board

As we have noticed, over the time, things are getting smaller and finer in almost every industry. The change in the spacings between traces and the miniaturization of the components on printed circuit boards have brought a big revolution in the electronics manufacturing industry. Their compact size and improved efficiency have made a huge impact in this industry and helped electronic manufacturers automate the process of circuit assembly by minimizing the point-to-point requirement of wiring. Today, the manufacturers of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) use Surface Mount Technology (SMT) PCB stencils for board assembly. To achieve quality printing performance, it is important to use best solder stencils.

About solder stencils

Using a stencil printer is the most common method of applying solder paste on a PCB. Stencils are thin sheets usually made of polymer, brass or stainless steel. These stencils normally have a circuit pattern that is cut into it to match the pattern of the surface mount devices (SMD) required to be attached on the PCB. The stencil consists of a bunch of holes in it representing the SMD footprint layout.

The process

The process of applying the solder paste is known as solder paste stencilling. Solder paste stencilling helps you quickly apply the solder paste on all the pads on your bare PCB. The solder paste stencil helps you accurately deposit the right volume of solder paste on the desired surface of the PCB maintaining a correct solder height so that the solder joint between the PCB pad and the component terminals are robust thus establishing strong electrical connection. This solder paste practically acts as an adhesive that helps the components to stick to the board and stay in place.