What is SMT Assembly?
Tags: Pcb Board, Circuit, Manufacturing, Pcb Assembly, Electronics

When it comes to soldering components on a PCB, there exist two main technologies which are through-hole technology and surface-mount technology (SMT).

Through-hole technology was primarily used in older circuits when SMT was unavailable and nowadays is only used in amateur and hobbyist circuits. The through-hole soldering process involves the drilling of holes in the PCB, mounting electronic components on the PCB and soldering the component leads to the copper traces on the opposite side of the board. This soldering process is costly, slow, cumbersome, and cannot be automated. Moreover, the components with lead terminals tend to be bigger in size and therefore are unsuitable for modern electronic circuits with strict form factor requirements.

Today surface mount soldering has completely taken over the traditional soldering methods in professional PCB manufacturing. In surface mount soldering, components are directly placed on the PCB surface rather than through the drilled holes. The surface-mount devices (SMDs) exhibit far smaller footprints than traditional components. Due to this reason, a large number of SMD components can be packed into a smaller area which results into a very compact and sophisticated electronic circuit design.

Another great advantage of SMT assembly is that the process can be automated which results in increased accuracy, speed, efficiency and cost-efficacy. Due to all these benefits, today SMT assembly is the default method of soldering in the electronics manufacturing industries world over.

Surface Mount Technology

Advantages of SMT assembly

Surface mount soldering offers many advantages over the older through-hole technology. Some of the salient advantages include:

· Compact size and denser circuits

· Low power consumption

· Improved EMC design

· Faster assembling and mass production

· Increased cost efficacy

The SMD components are inherently smaller in size than through-hole components. This results in compact and densely packed circuits. The increasing demand for lightweight portable and wearable electronic devices forces the engineers to come up with very compact circuit designs. Hence, in modern consumer electronic devices, SMT assembly is the only way forward to ensure high-performance, high-density circuit design.

Virtually all the modern portable and wearable consumer electronic devices are battery-powered. In order to provide optimal battery timing to the end-user, low power consumption and efficient power management are absolutely crucial in such applications. Due to their smaller footprint and advanced design, SMD components tend to have lesser power ratings than their counterparts which results in power-efficient circuit design.

From the manufacturing point of view, the biggest advantages of the SMT assembly are the low cost and automation. The automated soldering and PCB assembling process ensures mass production with very high accuracy and reliability. The smaller form factor of the SMD components makes them more cost-effective than through-hole components. These factors make the SMT ideal for mass production.

Another advantage of SMT assembled circuits is the reduced parasitic capacitances and inductances due to the smaller component size. This has a direct impact on the EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) of the circuit. Consumer and commercial electronic products need to fulfill the EMC standardization in order to be marketable in the international market. Hence, SMT assembly provides an added advantage of reduced EMI.

Handing over surface mount soldering to professionals

There is no doubt that SMT has an overwhelming number of advantages however the process is far from simple. In fact, professional SMT assembly is a complex process that involves multiple process steps. Keeping in mind the complexity of the process and the required level of expertise, the SMT assembly work must be performed by trained professionals. Following points justify the handing over of the SMT assembling work to the professionals:

Specialized tools and machines

Component sourcing

Skill and expertise

PS Electronics

The tools and machines required for SMT assembly are often quite expensive. It is quite difficult for a novice to set up a proper lab with all the required tools and machines as it can cost a fortune. However, professional SMT assembly companies like PS Electronics, have proper setup with all the required equipment. Therefore, outsourcing the SMT assembly jobs makes the workflow easier, straightforward and cost-effective.

Apart from the availability of tools and machines, professional skills and expertise are equally important. Without proper expertise, machines are good for nothing. SMT assembly is a complex process and requires a lot of dedication and practice to master. Hence, it is far more efficient and effective to hand over the assembly task to the professionals rather than reinventing the wheel on your own.