What is PCBA/PCB assembly?

PCBA/PCB assembly is the abbreviation of printed circuit board assembly, that is, the PCB manufacturing process after SMT assembly or dip plug-in process is called PCBA or PCB’A.

What is the difference between PCB and PCBA?

PCB is a printed circuit board, because it is made by electronic printing, so it is called a printed circuit board.
PCB is an important electronic component in the electronics industry. It is the support body of electronic components and the electrical connection carrier of electronic components.
PCB has been widely used in the production of electronic products.

PCBA/PCB assembly generally refers to a processing flow, which can also be understood as a finished printed circuit board, that is,
PCBA can only be considered after the process on the PCB is completed. PCB refers to a blank printed circuit board with no parts on it. The above is the difference between PCB and PCBA.

SMT and dip are both ways to integrate parts on a printed circuit board. The main difference is that SMT does not require drilling holes on the PCB,
While dip soldering requires the Pin to be inserted into the drilled holes.

SMT (surface mount technology) mainly uses assembly machines to mount some micro parts on circuit boards.
Its production process is PCB mounting, solder paste printing, assembly machine assembly, reflow oven, and inspection.

Dip soldering is “plug-in”, that is, inserting parts on the PCB board. When some parts are large and not suitable for mounting technology,
It is a plug-in integrated component. Its main production process is back glue, plug-in, inspection, wave soldering, brushing, and finished product inspection.

Now you should be able to distinguish what PCB is? What is PCBA?
PCBA can basically be considered a finished product, because some factories will produce PCB assembly parts for shipment,
Such as selling computer motherboards by themselves. PCB can only be regarded as a component. Printed circuit board is an important component in the entire PCB assembly,
But it cannot represent PCB assembly. Since IC, resistors, capacitors, inductors, connectors and other parts need to be soldered to PCB to become finished products,
PCB can only be regarded as a component.

PCBA Manufacturing Process

Electronic Component Supply – PCB Prototyping – SMT Patches – DIP Plug-ins – Circuit Assembly Test – Finished Product Assembly

PCB Assembly Requires Electronic Components and Consumables

Printed Circuit Boards, Electronic Components, Solder Wire, Solder Paste, Solder Bars, Preformed Solder Sheets (Depending on Solder Type),
Solder Powder, Soldering Platform, Wave Soldering Machine, SMT Equipment, Testing Equipment

PCB Welding Manufacturing

ZBPCB provides full PCBA manufacturing and partial PCB assembly production. Within the full range of PCB assembly manufacturing,
We handle PCB manufacturing, material procurement, online order tracking, incoming material certification/quality inspection, and final assembly. In some PCB production,
You can order the PCBs and some materials yourself, and we complete the rest.

How to get a one-stop survey for PCBA production?

BOM Quotation, please send your BOM to ZBPCB, inform the number of PCBs to be made, and we will give you a PCBA quotation within 24 hours.
The BOM must contain the quantity, tag number, manufacturer name, and manufacturer model.

Before the PCB assembly is delivered, we will conduct various tests on it.

– Visual inspection: general quality inspection

– X-ray test: check BGA, QFN and other solder joints for short circuit cold solder or bubble problems.

– Automatic optical inspection: check for false soldering, short circuit, missing parts, reverse polarity, etc.

– Online test

– Functional test (according to the test steps provided)

PCBA Images

The whole set of PCBA is our core business, even in the prototyping stage. We use our professional and specialized resources to do PCB testing, material procurement,
PCBA production for you, one-stop PCB assembly services. If you want to solder specific devices, we will provide those services as well.

Avoid the hassle of purchasing PCB components and let you focus on your PCBA design.
Our procurement team will source multiple components from the same supplier and use the best method to complete the procurement task. We will optimize the packaging (tape, tube, bulk, etc.),
Choose the smallest BOM quantity to reduce costs. We have the ability to handle hard-to-order materials and obsolete components.
We purchase materials based on the material model and manufacturer in your BOM. Don’t worry about the danger of substituting materials.
We will not change your design. Substitute materials will also be approved by you before use.

The price of the whole service includes the cost of soldering, the smoothing of the board, and the cost of purchasing materials.
Electronic component quotes are from Digi key, Mouser, Avnet, arrow, future, Newark or designated suppliers. We do not charge any buyer fees.

We understand the importance of on-time delivery. In PCB manufacturing, the procurement of materials is done at the same time.
We will look at engineering issues and component issues before soldering. Without hard-to-order components and documentation errors, a complete PCBA typically takes two weeks to manufacture.

DFM is very necessary for batch soldering. We review the Gerber files, BOM, assembly files, and circuit diagrams to prevent any engineering issues.
As an electronics outsourcing service provider, we will reduce costs through reasonable PCB assembly and cost-effective soldering operations.
Solder mask windows are also recommended to achieve high output and prevent short-circuit bridges.
We conduct a comprehensive matching check on the component list and PCB files before purchasing materials. This can effectively avoid wasted costs and delayed delivery.

Similarly, DFM should be involved in circuit design even in small batch soldering. Multiple probe test models and test limits are available.
You will receive our professional guidance on how to distinguish test points. With troubleshooting guides, diagnostic tests, and related documents,
we can fully test the PCBA board to meet the test requirements.

We have multiple ways to make your batch soldering risk-free. Within our comprehensive service range, all PCBs are electrically tested.
We can also send some PCBA boards to you for testing before soldering other PCBA boards.
X-rays are used to detect the soldering quality of BGA and components without extended pins, and all soldering problems are solved before delivery.

We try our best to reduce the cost of batch PCB assembly production. No cost NRE and stencil for repeat orders.
We will compare material prices among big suppliers and choose suppliers with good quality and low price to reduce material cost.
We have established solid cooperation with big suppliers and provide competitive price while ensuring quality.
We guarantee that you will get good quality, reasonable price and timely delivery service in our complete PCB assembly kit.

The meaning of PCBA is that according to the design documents of PCBA engineers,
PCB materials are cut, drilled, exposed, developed, etched, copper plated, electroplated, and surface treated to make PCB boards,
And then electronic components (including SMD patch components and DIP plug-in components) are soldered to the PCB to form a complete hardware structure on the PCBA board.
Many times, it is necessary to put the program into the IC of the PCBA board to enable it to have the ability to control the circuit break and realize the design function of electronic products.

Sometimes PCBA assembly uses wave soldering technology.
Generally speaking, there are some heavier electronic components on the PCBA mounting board that need to be connected in and out under the action of external force.
These components cannot be converted into SMD components technically, or the price of SMD components does not meet market expectations.
They will be designed as through components, that is, plug-ins (DIP), and then the components will be soldered to the PCB through a wave soldering furnace. At the same time, hybrid bonding (SMT)
And wave soldering technology are used to realize component welding and complete the PCBA board.

PCBA Test

PCBA test

PCBA test refers to the test of conductivity, input and output values, etc. on the PCBA board with electronic components.

Why do we need PCBA test?

In PCB design, there are numerical relationships between different test points, such as voltage, current, etc.
However, the process flow of PCBA manufacturing and processing is very complicated, including PCB manufacturing process, component procurement and testing,
SMT patch assembly, DIP plug-in PCBA testing and other important processes. During the manufacturing process, various problems may occur due to improper equipment or operation.
Therefore, professional test equipment or manual multimeter should be used to test the test points to check whether the actual
PCBA board meets the design requirements and ensure that each product has no quality problems.

PCBA testing is a key step to ensure the quality of production delivery.

FCT test fixtures are made according to the test point schedule and test steps designed by the customer, and then the PCBA board is placed on the FCT test rack to complete the test.

PCBA test principle

Connect the test points on the PCBA board through the FCT test stand to form a complete path, connect the computer and the burner, and load the MCU program.
The MCU program will capture the user’s input action (such as pressing the switch for 3 seconds), control the ignition of nearby circuits (such as LED flashing),
Or guide the motor to rotate during operation. By observing the voltage and current values between the test points on the FCT test bench,
Check whether these input and output actions are consistent with the design, and the test of the entire PCBA board is completed.

Test type PCBA

PCBA testing mainly includes five forms: ICT test, FCT test, aging test, fatigue test, and harsh environment test.

ICT test (online test) mainly includes the ignition voltage and current value of the circuit, the amplitude noise of the fluctuation curve, etc., and does not involve the test of function keys or input and output.

For FCT (functional test) test, first burn the MCU program written in the IC program through the burner (such as ST link tag) to simulate the function of the entire PCBA board.
For example, after pressing a button, the LED lights up; pressing two buttons at the same time restores the factory settings, etc., to find problems in hardware and software,
And equip with necessary processing and production equipment and test benches.

The aging test mainly simulates user input and output for a long time on the PCBA board that has been burned and passed FCT to test its durability and welding reliability.
After the aging test, electronic products can be sold in batches.

The fatigue test mainly samples the PCBA board, runs the high-frequency function for a long time, observes whether there is a fault,
And judges the probability of failure in the test to feedback the working performance of the PCBA board in electronic products.

The test under harsh environment mainly exposes the PCBA board to vibration, humidity, dripping, spray and extreme temperature conditions,
And obtains the test results of random samples, so as to infer the reliability of the entire batch of PCBA board products.

How to test PCBA board?

1. Manual PCBA board test

Manual test is to test directly from the visual point of view, confirming the assembly of components on the PCB by visual and comparison.
This technology is widely used. However, the large number of components and small size make this method less and less applicable.
In addition, some functional defects are not easy to find and data is not easy to collect. In this way, more professional testing methods are needed.

2. Automatic PCBA optical edge inspection (AOI)

Automatic optical test, also known as automatic visual test, is performed by a dedicated tester.
It is used before and after reflow soldering and has a good effect on component polarity inspection.
Easy-to-follow diagnosis is a common method, but this method is not very effective in identifying short circuits.

3. PCBA board flying probe tester

Flying probe test has been widely popular in recent years due to the advancement of mechanical precision, speed and reliability.
In addition, the requirements of fast changeover and fixture-free capability of the test system required for prototype production and low-throughput production make flying probe test the best choice.

4. PCB assembly board functional test

This is a test method for a specific PCB or a specific unit, which is completed by dedicated equipment. Functional testing mainly includes final product testing and thermal models.

5. PCB Assembly Manufacturing Defect Analyzer (MDA)

The main advantages of this test method are low initial cost, high yield, easy diagnostic tracking, and fast and complete short and open circuit testing.
The disadvantages are that functional testing cannot be performed, there is usually no indication of test coverage, equipment must be used, and the test cost is high.

How are electronic components mounted on PCB to form PCBA?

The current mainstream PCBA assembly method is SMT (surface mount technology), which will first print solder paste on a blank board, then mount the electronic components on the PCB,
flow through the reflow oven, and mount the components on the PCB through solder paste soldering.

Some PCBA assemblies that require dip soldering will use wave soldering technology. Generally speaking,
There will be some heavier electronic components on the mounting board, which need to be plugged in and out by external force.
These components cannot be made into SMD components technically, or the price of SMD components does not meet market expectations or some components need
To be plugged in and out by external force when used by end customers.
They will be designed as through-hole components, that is, dip soldering, and then soldered to the PCB through a wave soldering furnace.

At the same time, SMT and wave soldering technology are used in combination to realize the welding design of PCBA components.

One-Stop PCB Assembly / PCBA Manufacturing

PCBA manufacturing process and design is that zbpcb provides practical technical solutions based on the customer’s design concept,
Analyzes the market positioning of the product, provides functional proposals,
Various lists and reports, and helps customers make the product more in line with market demand on the basis of satisfying product functions.

1. Provide a test outline. During the PCBA manufacturing and design process,
Zbpcb will provide users with a test plan for the design and manufacture of PCBA printed circuit boards, establish test points on the printed circuit boards,
Or conduct general functional tests, and use professional test racks to control the stability, noise, and path of the printed circuit boards to ensure the quality of the production process.
After the sample is manufactured, it will be tested in terms of function, stability, etc., including waterproofing, falling, noise, etc. After the sample drawings are passed, mass production will be carried out.

2. Provide a DFM report. During the PCBA manufacturing and design process,
PCBA engineers will analyze the structure of the PCBA printed circuit board and make constructive suggestions to make it conform to the production process and improve product quality,
And then provide corresponding DFM reports according to user requirements.

3. Optimize PCBA manufacturing design.
In the actual BOM material invoice procurement process, it is often the case that components cannot meet the PCBA process requirements. At this time,
PCBA engineers will put forward optimization suggestions and alternative BOM material schematics to ensure that the materials maintain maximum consistency within
The technical parameter range without affecting the function of the PCBA circuit board.

For your PCBA project

Our SMT soldering process is carefully matched to ensure that it meets your design and restrictions.
We will provide some DFT suggestions based on the SMT PCB assembly documents you provide, but everything is up to you.
To complete the SMT assembly, we will be very happy to work with your engineers. We process SMD components strictly in accordance with SMT soldering requirements.
We have very high manufacturing requirements to achieve precise control of reflow soldering.

To detect the quality of SMD solder joints, we use X-ray inspection. For example, QFN, DFN, BGA and other lead-free packages,
Visual inspection cannot completely find soldering problems, but through 3D X-ray inspection, many SMT soldering problems can be found, which is especially important in BGA soldering.

For more detailed reviews on PCBA design and manufacturing, please click Download-PCBA DFM

How to find the best PCBA manufacturer

Many customers are confused about how to choose a PCBA manufacturer because they don’t know where to start to make the right choice to choose a high-quality,
Efficient and high-service PCBA manufacturer, so how can we quickly find the best PCBA manufacturer?

1. Look at the SMT technical equipment of the PCBA manufacturer. PCBA processing and production requires very professional and high-configuration equipment,
Such as high-speed placement machines, multi-temperature zone reflow soldering, etc. If the PCBA manufacturer has many advanced production equipment,
It means that it has a certain production capacity.

2. Look at the PCBA quotation. Generally speaking, the price of PCBA production is relatively transparent.
There are high prices and low prices, but it is not “low price wins”.
Some PCBA manufacturers will purchase original components through formal channels and implement strict quality control,
Resulting in increased PCBA processing costs; some PCBA board manufacturers deliberately cut corners and reduce prices.
Therefore, we should choose cost-effective PCBA manufacturers based on our actual needs for quality, efficiency, service, and service.

3. Look at the product positioning of the PCBA manufacturer, mainly observe whether the placement of incoming materials, semi-finished products, products to be inspected,
And finished products is reasonable and clear, whether they meet the standards, and whether turnover vehicles, electrostatic boxes,
And other protective measures that help improve product safety and reliability are used. Through the processing of these details,
It can be reflected whether the PCBA manufacturer has a strong grasp of the details of each step in the processing link.

4. Look at the service attitude of the PCB manufacturer. PCBA manufacturers with good service attitude can take the initiative to take responsibility,
Respond quickly to corporate needs, and help companies solve difficult problems.
Only with a good sense of service can the confidence of the company be improved and order cooperation be better promoted.

5. PCBA board manufacturers start with every detail. Only PCBA processing manufacturers can meet the above standard requirements
And adhere to the business philosophy of attention to details, high service, high quality and high efficiency, which means that PCBA patch processing factories
Are a very suitable choice with certain comprehensive strengths and are worthy of your trust and confidence.

6.We are happy to provide any assistance for your project, no matter what stage your project is in. According to your requirements,
ZBPCB is a professional prototype PCB assembly manufacturer, we will provide you with DFM consultation in the early stage of your PCBA project. Once the project is going well,
we will provide you with PCBA testing cycle and flexibly arrange your one-stop PCBA production.