#led pcb

Generally speaking, the PCB aluminum substrate is composed of a circuit layer, a thermally conductive insulating layer and a metal base layer; it can be divided into three layers:

Circuit layer: equivalent to the copper clad laminate of an ordinary PCB, the thickness of the circuit copper foil is 1 to 10 oz. The circuit layer (that is, copper foil) is usually etched to form a printed circuit to connect the various components of the assembly. Generally, the circuit layer requires a large current-carrying capacity, so thicker copper foil should be used, with a thickness of 35μm~ 280μm;

Insulation layer: The insulation layer is a layer of low thermal resistance thermally conductive insulating material. The thickness is 0.003 to 0.006 inches. It is generally composed of a special polymer filled with special ceramics. It has low thermal resistance, excellent viscoelasticity, thermal aging resistance, and can withstand mechanical and thermal stress. It is the core technology of aluminum-based copper clad laminates. Our aluminum printed circuit boards have obtained UL certification.

Metal base layer: The metal base layer is the support member of the aluminium pcb, which requires high thermal conductivity, generally aluminum plate will be used, copper plate can also be used (copper plate can provide better thermal conductivity), suitable for conventional machinery such as drilling, punching and cutting processing.

Main usages and applications of aluminium PCB board:

Audio devices: input, output amplifiers, balanced amplifiers, audio amplifier, preamplifier, power amplifier etc.

Power Supply: switching regulator, DC / AC converter, SW regulator .

Telecommunications electronic equipment: high-frequency electric amplifiers, filtering appliance, transmitter circuit etc .

Office automation equipment: electric motor, drivers etc .

Automotive: electronic regulator, ignition, power controllers etc .

Computer: CPU board, floppy drive, power device etc .

Power Modules: converter, solid-state relay, power rectifier bridges etc .

Lamps Lighting: with the promotion of energy-saving lamps, Aluminum base PCB ,  are widely used on LED lights.

Professional Aluminum LED PCB Assembly with Short Lead time

Generally, LED PCB assembly is considered to be a circuit board that has the LED components soldered to it. The LED is soldered to the printed circuit board and features a chip that creates the light as electrically connected. A thermal heat sink and a ceramic base are used to bond the chip. Not all the PCB products can be used in Led industry, as an LED PCB is easy to create a high volume of heat, but making it hard to cool with traditional methods. For this reason, metal core PCB is widely used in LED application because of their enhanced ability to dissipate heat, especially aluminum pcb is often used to fabricate PCB for LED lights.

We’ve had great LED PCB assembly experiences with top LED chips to brand such as Cree, Luxeon, Osram, Nichia, Lumileds, MLS, EVERLIGHT, Samsung, LG, Seoul., etc. PCB LED lights can be incorporated into numerous lighting applications due to their combination of excellent energy efficiency, low cost and maximum design flexibility.

LED PCB assembly means installing all necessary electronic components, including LEDs, on a printed circuit board.

If the LED is of SMD type, LED PCB assembly is a surface mount (SMT) component on the PCB.

The assembly process of LED PCB is: screen printing solder paste on PCB pads>solder paste inspection>placing SMD components on PCB pads>reflow soldering to connect component pins to PCB>automatic optical inspection (AOI) to ensure that major problems do not occur.

If the LED is a COB LED, it is directly bonded onto the PCB without the need for surface mount and reflow soldering. These two methods are wire bonding and flip chip bonding.

For wire bonding COB LED PCBs, the chip is connected to the positive and negative pads using gold wires.

Application of LED PCB Assembly

Hitechpcba serves customers in different industries, providing highly reliable and innovative LED PCBs for various applications:

• Horticulture light LED PCB Assembly

• LED controller PCB Assembly

• Computer LED display and indicators

• LED lights PCB Assembly for medical use

• Automotive LED PCBs Assembly include PCBs for brake lights and headlights

• Street lighting LED PCB Assembly

• Flashlights and camping accessories

• Traffic light PCB Assembly

• Commercial lighting LED PCB Assembly

LED PCB Assembly specification

Number of layers for LED PCB

These layers are made up of aluminum and magnesium, but now have Copper base material  and Ceramic base materials for LED PCB industry, we can meet it.

Aluminum LED PCBs stand out among other PCBs because it has a good insulation characteristic and has a better machinery performance, the cheap cost is one important factor too.

Types of layers for LED PCB Assembly

Normally, the base layer is made using aluminum alloy metal.

This aluminum alloy substrate used in making the base makes it ideal for through-hole technology which transfers and dissipates heat.

A thermal insulation layer is made using some ceramic polymer which has good viscoelasticity characteristics.

It is highly heat resistant and protects the PCB against heat and mechanical stress.

The circuit layer, which is covered by a copper foil which can range from one to ten ounces.

LED Board type- single or in panel

Some boards are shapeless. For this reason, LED PCB panels are used. This reduces time, labor production and testing time.

Some LED PCB Assembly is done on a single board while others are done on panel boards. 

LED PCB Assembly Process 

Roughly, the PCBA process can be divided into theses phases: soldering paste printing > SMT (surface mounted technology) > reflow soldering > AOI (automated optical inspection)> THT (through-hole technology) > wave soldering > touch-up and cleaning > IC-programming > FCT (functional tests) > aging testing. 

Below we show you the process.

Step1. Summarizing Project Information

Before contacting your supplier, make sure you have all the project information. Suppliers will need info following for quoting LED PCB assembly:

Gerber+BOM

LED PCB specification

Quotation quantity

Once you have gathered these information, you can contact us and request for a quote.

Of course, you can also provide the schematic, LED PCB Assembly pictures and even samples to us. The more details they have, the more accurate the supplier’s quotation will be.

Step2. Discussion and details about custom LED PCB Assembly

Different projects will have different requirements. Remember the special requirements mentioned in step 1? That’s going to be the focus of this session. Equipment and engineering capacity will not be identical between suppliers. Make sure your supplier has the equipment to produce and assemble major components and the corresponding testing capabilities.

For example, some vendors don’t have X-ray testing equipment, which means they can’t check the mount quality of BGA chips. Outsourcing this step will increase risk and cost. That’s what you don’t want.

Also, pay attention to time taken by the supplier to quote. Motherboards often contain hundreds or even thousands of components, and they are supplied by different manufacturers. To ensure the quality of the components, the supplier sourcing team will make multi-inquiries from these manufacturers or authorized suppliers to match customer’s requirement, which usually takes 2-3 business days, and even longer for some scarce chips. Therefore, if your project is complex and the supplier quotes you within few hours, double check with them.

Step3. Sample and feedback

After confirming the PI, the supplier will usually provide pre-production samples for your approval. At the same time, the supplier will also confirm with you the logistics plan of the bulk goods. Make sure they understand your shipping requirements, including details on packaging, customs clearance, taxes, etc.

For us to have a successful LED PCB Assembly process, its functions must be defined. Compliance requirement is defined to reduce the effect when components are selected.

The Bill of Materials is then generated from the information installed on the LED PCB.

All this information is used to assemble components which are identified from MOB to the LED PCB.

After that, the routing of traces is determined to each component, based on the size, shape of the circuit board and location of connectors.

For more, visit https://www.hitechpcba.com/led-pcb-assembly

Multilayer printed circuit boards and double-sided PCB boards are similar in appearance. Ordinary people can’t see the difference between them without paying attention, or you can’t tell whether it is a double-sided PCB board or multilayer PCB board. So, how to distinguish between ordinary double-sided PCB boards and multi-layer PCB boards?

First of all, we must have an understanding of the number of layers of the circuit board. The number of layers of the PCB board is the inner layer. 1 layer is referred to as single layer PCB, and 2 layers is referred to as double sided PCB. Multilayer PCB board refers to 4-48 layers; the higher the number of layers, the higher the unit price. Because the inner layer of the circuit is to be pressed, the technical content is high, and the machine cost is relatively high.

Generally speaking, you can identify multilayer pcb by following:

The more layers, the larger the shadow in the sheet;

Dim shadows can be seen in the multi-layer PCB circuit board, if the shadow is light then you can see a little dim, and if the shadow is deep you can see the circuit clearly;

Multilayer PCB circuit boards generally have a smooth surface, especially when they are cleaned after forming and processing;

If you want to know how many layers of the PCB board are, and the precise data, you can only check through the IM inspection of the manufacturer or the PCB drawing of the development engineer.

Advantages of multilayer PCB board

1. Suitable for complex design Complex devices with a large number of components and circuits benefit from the use of multilayer PCBs. Devices with multiple uses and advanced features require this complexity. Many multi-layer PCB boards also have functions such as impedance control and electromagnetic interference shielding, which further improve the quality of PCB boards and equipment.

2. High power Due to the high circuit density, the circuit board is also more powerful. This means that they provide high operating capacity and speed, making them particularly suitable for advanced equipment.

3. Highly durable As the number of layers increases, thicker boards are more durable. Therefore, it can withstand more severe conditions.

4. Small size and light-weighted Small size and light weight are additional features of multilayer boards. This makes them ideal for device miniaturization.

5. Single connection point In terms of design simplicity and weight, the fact that multilayer pcb board work with a single connection point is an additional advantage.

Disadvantages of multilayer PCB board

High processing cost (special production equipment needed).

Long product cycle.

Design tools are expensive.

The test method is complicated.

Maintenance is difficult.

PCB Assembly Prototypes Manufacturer – Hitech Circuits Co., Limited

What are the different types of prototype PCB assembly services you offer?

With years of market presence and experience, we specializes in the following prototype PCB assembly services.

Plated through-hole (PTH): We can provide the through-hole assembly with selective soldering.

Surface mount technology (SMT): We offer single-sided as well as double-sided SMT board assemblies in varied specifications.

Mixed Assemblies: Our experts often work on projects involving both PTH and SMT assemblies.

What are the types of testing Hitechpcba use for prototype PCB assembly?

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI): This is performed before and after the soldering to identify the component placement, presence, and solder quality.

X-ray Testing: In this type of testing, the operator relies on the X-ray images of the PCB to check the solder joints and lead-less components such as Quad Flat Packs and ball grid arrays, which are generally not visible to naked eyes.

In-Circuit Testing (ICT): This method is used to detect manufacturing defects by testing the electrical properties in the SMT Assembly.

These techniques help us ensure the reliability and accuracy of the circuit boards. In addition to this, it ensures a long operational life of equipment, minimal production losses, streamlined processes, and much more.

What are the capabilities Hitechpcba offer for prototype PCB assemblies?

We specialize in offering IPC compliant, and quick turn PCB assemblies. We are very particular about our scheduled deliveries and timelines, and we deliver without compromising the quality. Our PCBA capabilities are not limited to these. Here are some capabilities we offer through prototype PCB assemblies.

RoHS compliance

Stringent testing procedures

Device encapsulation

Full turnkey, partial turnkey, and kitted/consigned services

Assemblies using Surface Mount (SMT), Thru-hole, Mixed Technology (SMT/Thru-hole), Single and double-sided SMT/PTH, Large parts on both sides, BGA on both sides.

Do you perform a component analysis for prototype PCB assemblies?

Yes, we check the quality and performance of components before mounting them on the circuit boards. This is because a malfunctioning component can affect the performance of the entire circuit board assembly and also pose risks.

What is your standard turnaround time for a prototype PCB assembly?

Our turnaround time for standard applications is two weeks. This timeframe varies depending on the complexity of the applications. However, we are committed to offering quick turnaround times without compromising on quality, functionality, and accuracy, which offers our client a competitive advantage and reduced time to market. You can also request any emergency assistance or queries related to any type of PCB assembly. Our experts will assist you in all possible ways.

How is the cost of prototype PCB assembly estimated?

PCBA costing varies based on the different factors, such as PCBA parts, type of materials to be used, order quantity, and much more. We can also offer quotes and customization options once you share the detailed requirement with us.

We focus on quality and customer satisfaction over anything else. This has helped us build a long list of happy and satisfied customers. So, if you wish to partner with a manufacturer of prototype PCB assembly in China, then don’t hesitate to reach us. Our experts will assist you through all the phases of the prototype PCB assembly process. We look forward to making your experience with us better and memorable.

How to choose prototype pcb assembly manufacturer?

Our pcb prototype assembly service includes the sourcing of components. This allows you to concentrate on what you do best: layout design. We have a dedicated sourcing staff that coordinates with multiple suppliers and distributors to purchase electronic parts as per client requirements, and our staff completes these purchasing particulars in a most efficient manner. We have advanced processes for optimal selection of packaging (cut tape, tube, bulk, etc.) to reduce the total cost. Furthermore, we are capable of cross-referencing parts and even locating hard-to-find and obsolete parts. Customers can be rest assured that when Hitech Circuits substitutes components that they are high quality: we only use the electronic component numbers and manufacturers specified in the BOM. We will not modify your original layout design. Part substitutions take place only with your permission.

The final pcb prototype assembly service cost includes assembly labor charges, bare circuit board rates, and part costs. We understand the importance of prompt delivery. The sooner the components are sourced, the sooner we can begin circuit board fabrication. We thoroughly evaluate engineering inquiries and concerns related to the related parts with our clients before commencing circuit board assembly. The average time taken for pcb manufacturing assembly is about two weeks, which can be further reduced if there are no hard-to-locate components or documentation mistakes.

We have specialized experts to deliver fast turnarounds for prototype circuit board assembly with surface-mount (SMT), through-hole (THT) and mixed-technology components.

Anyone interested in electronics and electronic circuit boards needs to understand the various stages of developing and producing a printed circuit board. It can come in handy when you are seeking a top prototype smt assembly provider. The various production stages of printed circuit boards entail design, prototyping (prototype PCB development and rapid prototyping pcb assembly), and PCB high volume production. Different entities will always seek part of the whole production process depending on their electronic circuit board needs.

However, this article seeks to help you understand everything about prototype PCB assembly, a fundamental aspect of the PCB production process.

Rapid prototyping pcb assembly represents a fundamental phase of the printed circuit production process. It is also inferred as PCBA prototype assembly, SMT or surface-mount technology PCB prototype, PCB sample assembly, etc. From these alternative names, the meaning of prototype assembly regarding printed circuit boards becomes apparent. So what is assembly prototype?

PCB prototype assembly service is a fast prototype printed circuit board assembly primarily used to test fresh or new electronic designs. Consequently, it assists with checking and ensuring quality assurance of the PCB. For instance, it verifies that no bug exists in the test PCB, updates the design, and finds bugs. In most instances, prototype assembly of an electronic project will require two or three iterations to ensure everything is perfect.

What are the requirements for transportation packaging PCBA products?

After the PCBA is produced, we need to transport it to the customer's hands through various means. During the transportation process, we need to pay attention to the following requirements.

1. Packaging materials

PCBA boards are relatively fragile and easily damaged products. Before transportation, they must be carefully packaged using bubble wrap, pearl cotton, electrostatic bags, and vacuum bags.

2. Anti static packaging

Static electricity can penetrate the chips in the PCBA board. Since static electricity cannot be seen or touched, it is easy to generate. Therefore, during packaging and transportation, anti-static packaging methods must be used

3. Moisture proof packaging

Before packaging, the PCBA should be cleaned and dried on the surface, and sprayed with three proof paint.

4. Anti vibration packaging

Place the packaged PCBA board into an anti-static packaging box. When placed vertically, stack no more than two layers upwards, and place a stopper in the middle to maintain stability and prevent shaking.

Notes on BGA Design in SMT Processing – Hitech Circuits, PCBA manufacturer

BGA layout design requirements

(1) Layout as close as possible to the transfer edge of the PCB, as deformation is relatively small during soldering.

(2) Try to avoid layout at the corners of L-shaped boards and near crimping connectors as much as possible.

(3) Try to avoid front and back mirror layouts as much as possible. If this layout is necessary, the PCB thickness should be ≥ 2.0mm. This is mainly considered for long-term reliability, based on the research conclusions of multiple well-known enterprises. The reliability of mirror layout BGA is reduced by more than 50%.

(4) PBGA should avoid layout on the first assembly surface (first welding surface, bottom surface) as much as possible.

(5) BGA should avoid layout near the separation edge of the layout as much as possible.

How to control the quality of SMT reflow soldering?

What is SMT reflow soldering process?

The SMT reflow soldering process is achieved by remelting the pre distributed paste like soft solder material on the printed board pads, to realize the mechanical and electrical connection between the surface assembled component solder ends or pins and the printed board pads through soft soldering. The technology of SMT reflow soldering is not unfamiliar to us in the field of electronic manufacturing. In our electronic products, components on various boards must be soldered to the circuit board through SMT reflow soldering process. The advantage of this process is that the temperature is easier to control, oxidation can be avoided during the welding process, and the manufacturing cost of the product is also easier to control. This device has an internal electric heating circuit that heats nitrogen gas to a sufficiently high temperature and blows it towards the circuit board where the components have already been attached, causing the solder on both sides of the components to melt and bond with the motherboard.

Optimization methods for high-quality SMT processing, reflow soldering production processes

1. It is necessary to establish a scientific SMT processing reflow soldering temperature curve and regularly conduct real-time temperature curve testing.

2. Welding should be carried out according to the welding direction during PCB design.

3. During the welding process, it is necessary to prevent vibration of the conveyor belt.

4. The welding effect of the first printed circuit board must be checked.

5. Whether the welding is sufficient, whether the surface of the welding point is smooth, whether the shape of the welding point is half moon shaped, the situation of solder balls and residues, and the situation of continuous welding and virtual welding. Also, check the color changes on the surface of the PCB. Adjust the temperature curve based on the inspection results. Regularly check the welding quality during the entire production process.

6. Regularly maintain the SMT reflow soldering process. Due to long-term operation of the machine, organic or inorganic pollutants such as solidified rosin may adhere. In order to prevent secondary pollution of the PCB and ensure the smooth implementation of the process, regular maintenance and cleaning are necessary.

Precautions for maintenance and operation of SMT reflow soldering equipment:

1. It is necessary to establish a maintenance system for SMT processing reflow soldering equipment. After using SMT processing reflow soldering, we must do equipment maintenance work, otherwise it will be difficult to maintain the service life of the equipment.

2. Daily inspection and maintenance of various components should be carried out, with special attention paid to the conveyor belt to prevent it from getting stuck or falling off;

3. When repairing the machine, the power should be turned off to prevent electric shock or short circuit;

4. The machine must remain stable and not tilt or exhibit any instability;

5. Regularly clean the SMT reflow soldering furnace, mesh belt, and condenser, and develop weekly, monthly, and quarterly maintenance plans to ensure the quality of SMT reflow soldering.

What is the testing principle of PCBA?

PCBA testing is a key step in ensuring production and delivery quality. It refers to the production of FCT testing fixtures based on customer designed testing points, procedures, and steps, and then placing the PCBA board on the FCT testing rack to complete the testing process. The testing principle of PCBA is to connect the test points on the PCBA board through an FCT test stand, thereby forming a complete path, connecting the computer and programmer, and uploading the MCU program. The MCU program will capture the user's input actions (such as long pressing a switch for 3 seconds), and through computation, control the on/off of nearby circuits (such as flashing LEDs) or drive the motor to rotate. By observing the voltage and current values between test points on the FCT test stand, and verifying whether these input and output actions are consistent with the design, the testing of the entire PCBA board is completed.