Author Archives: Erin

Flexible Circuit board

Flex Turnkey PCB Assembly

The design rules for flex turnkey PCB assembly is very similar to the design rules for traditional PCBs.  Traditional PCBs and flex flex turnkey PCB assembly share some similarities in the manufacturing process as well.  To start, the flexible circuit board material (typically copper clad Polyimide) is chosen, drilled, plated, photo-imaged, and imprinted just like the conservative PCB process. Next, both PCBs and flex turnkey PCB assemblies involve the panels being baked to remove any moisture from the wet processes.  This next step is where the original PCB and flex turnkey PCB assembly start to differ.  Flex turnkey PCB assemblies go to the cover lay station instead of going to the fuse mask station, as would occur with traditional PCBs.

A flex circuit board cover lay, also known as a cover film, is a lamination process used to summarize and protect any peripheral circuitry of the flex circuit. The cover lay serves the similar function as the solder mask does for conventional PCBs with the dissimilarity being the added component of flexibility. Naturally, the thickness of the cover lay is prepared of 1 mil thick Polyimide with a 1 mil thick, attach adhesive, but other thicknesses are accessible to meet precise design necessities. The Polyimide and adhesive cover lay is laminated using force and heat.

Flexible circuitThe heat allows for simple flow of the adhesive which is needed because it must fill-in any and all gaps among the traces and pads to stop the trapping of air between layers. To a flex turnkey PCB assembly designer this means the cover lay openings for a characteristic 1 oz. The copper plan must be out-sized by 10 mils, which is appreciably bigger than the typical huge of 2-3 mils used on conventional PCB solder masks.

ACME PCB Assembly manufactures flexible turnkey PCB assembly.  We can take your flexible circuit application from concept to reality with our complete design capabilities.  Our talented team is equipped to work in multiple data formats. We have in-house surface-mount technology (SMT) capabilities  and specialize in turnkey assembly applications.

ACME PCB Assembly will work with you for all of your flexible circuit board needs. We are committed to not only customer satisfaction, but exceeding our customer’s expectations. Our adherence to quality standards is a part of what makes our boards superior to other suppliers.

We provide a complete suite of PCB Assembly Services, including rework and modification, BGA, SMT, Turnkey, Thru-Hole, Lead Free, and Prototype assembly, plus an extensive line of add-on services, such as Injection Molding and Metal Work & Finishing.

Call us today with any questions 1- 310-715-1898  (Sales Extension 210) (Purchasing Extension 160)

 

thru hole YUN INDUSTRIAL

Why Consider Using Through Hole Printed Circuit Boards?

Why Consider Using Through Hole Printed Circuit Boards?

In the printed circuit board business, there are two primary ways to mount components onto the circuit board: through-hole mounting and surface mounting. Through-hole mounting is the older technology and requires the circuit board manufacturer to drill holes through the PCB and place leads into the holes. More recently, surface mounted technology has taken over the field.

Through-Hole Components

Through-hole components come in one of two types of leads, radial and axial. Axial through-hole components run along the axis of symmetry of the component while radial components protrude in parallel from the same surface on a board.

Components of Surface Mount Technology

When you look at any modern PCB design, you will see SMT technology in most instances. Surface mount technology (SMT) is the most commonly used technology today. These types of boards and components have very small or no leads at all as their primary purpose is to be soldered directly on the surface of a PCB during the design process. This method allows for components to be much smaller, allowing for greater density and better overall performance on a smaller circuit board.

With surface mounting offering so many benefits, why even consider through hole flex printed circuit boards?

The reason is that through hole mounting offers stronger mechanical bonds. This makes through hole flex printed circuit boards the better option for devices that are designed to undergo major stresses, like sudden accelerations, collisions, or extreme temperatures. This makes them worth considering for military, automotive, and extreme sports applications.

Yun Industrial Acme PCB Assembly is capable of two types of printed circuit board assembly services. They are full and partial turn-key services. Full turn-key covers all aspects of PCB fabrication and assembly, including manufacture of PCBs, parts procurement, quality inspections, and final PCB assembly.

Printed Circuit Board Fabrication

Commonly Used Terms in PCB Assembly

What the Heck Is Your PCB Vendor Talking About? – Common Terms for PCB Assembly

Printed Circuit Board FabricationEvery industry has its established lingo, which helps its members communicate more efficiently. If you are on the outside looking in, however, it can seem like they are speaking a foreign tongue. This becomes a problem when you need to work with vendors on ordering printed circuit boards for your device or your prototype. If you’ve gotten lost while trying to speak to your vendor (SMP, SME, SMD?), then you’ve come to the right place. Here is our no-nonsense guide on the most common terms in the printed circuit board industry:

  • PCB – Stands for Printed Circuit Board. Printed circuit boards are found in every single device that uses computing and data. PCBs act as the “highway” in transferring data between components within a device.
  • THM – Stands for Through-Hole Mounting (also known as Thru-Hole Mounting). THM is an older assembly technology that mounts components on a PCB by drilling holes through the printed circuit board and placing component leads into the drilled holes. THM has largely been replaced by SMT assembly, though there are still some situations in which THM is preferred.
  • SMT – Stands for Surface Mount Technology. SMT was first introduced in the 1960s and rose to prominence in the 1980s. Today, it is the dominant form of PCB assembly. SMT does not require drilling holes through a printed circuit board. Its components are smaller than THM and can be placed on both sides of the PCB. This allows for a denser allotment of components and a more powerful PCB.
  • Substrate – The substrate is the actual board upon which wires and components are placed. It gives the PCB its structure and also insulates conductive parts. PCBs can be made from a variety of different substrates. All PCB substrates are non-conductive. Common substrate materials are: FR-4 (a fiberglass-epoxy laminate), Teflon, ceramics, specialized polymers
  • Traces – Traces are the things that electrically connect the connectors to the components. The most common material for the traces is copper. The copper layer of a PCB goes on top of the substrate. In double-sided PCBs, copper traces are placed on both sides of the PCB.
  • Soldermask – Have you ever wondered why almost all PCBs are green? This is the soldermask. This layer goes on top of the copper layer and functions to insulate the copper traces. It prevents the highly conductive copper traces from making contact with other metal components of the PCB.

While this is far from an exhaustive list of common terms used in the PCB industry, hopefully this guide will help you better understand and communicate with your printed circuit board manufacturer.

Contact Us for a quote.

Printed Circuit Board Fabrication

What Does It Mean to Be a Full-Service PCB Assembly Provider?

If you are in need of fully assembled printed circuit boards (PCBs) for your products, but you don’t know where to start, this article will guide you in the right direction. If  you don’t have any printed circuit boards or any of the parts, and you certainly don’t want to burden your limited staff with the task of putting all those PCBs together, you will need a full-service PCB assembly provider.

Printed Circuit Board FabricationACME PCB Assembly is an ISO 9001:2015 certified EMS. We make sure you get best price with highest quality, on time delivery schedule. All PCBs are meet the high standards established by the IPC 600. Since ACME PCB Assembly is a IPC certified trainer for IPC A-610, we know how important the quality of bare board is, and we know what can drive the PCB Assembly labor higher.

Being a full-service PCB assembly provider means that we handle every aspect of the project. You just give us your specs, and we’ll do everything else, including:

  • Fabricating the printed circuit boards
  • Ordering all the components of the PCBs
  • Assembling the PCBs according to your specs

At Acme PCB Assembly, we have the experience, the vendor relationships, and the well-trained staff of fulfill your PCB order. The great thing about full-service PCB assembly is that you don’t have to worry about a thing. You don’t have to find the right parts vendors or ship materials to us. We handle everything.

We closely match new incoming inquiries to board house equipment and capabilities, ensuring you receive only those inquiries that you are interested in Acme Circuit board assembly provide PCB fabrication service in the development and manufacturing of quality single, double sided and Multi-Layers printed circuit boards for the computer, medical, transportation, communication, aircraft, aerospace and related industries.

Of course, if you already have printed circuit boards on hand and the PCB components you need, then you can also opt for partial service.

Contact us today to learn about all of our service options, including our add-on services.

 

ACME PCB Assembly

Providing Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Since 1993

Providing Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Since 1993

The electronic manufacturing services (EMS) industry took off after the late 1970’s. Before this, most electronics manufacturing that was done in large quantity production runs was handled by in-house assembly only.

Now, the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider offers more flexibility and easier resources to deal with issues for smaller companies who doing limited runs.  An electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider is able to specialize in large manufacturing, raw materials procurement, and resources.

ACME PCB AssemblySince the early 1990’s, the development of Surface Mount Technology (SMT) on PCB has allowed for the rapid assembly of electronics, many electronic components switched to Surface Mount Technology (SMT) from Through hole components.  SMT components are making more and more small footage, more and more fine pitch, the equipment for SMT components are requiring more and more accuracy. For small businesses, it is a good idea to outsource your EMS needs.

Outsourcing all your manufacturing needs to a Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider helps you to save money, it also helps you to control your overhead cost, which in turn reduces your companies overhead cost.  As a result, Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider gives you the opportunity to produce your products at a lower cost.

ACME PCB Assembly in Carson, California has been an Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider since 1993. OEMs are realizing the benefits of outsourcing versus in-house manufacturing. Outsourcing to Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider enables OEMs to concentrate on their core competencies by allowing Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers to supply manufacturing expertise. The main benefits of outsourcing include a reduction in costs and investment, additional capacity, shorter time-to-market and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities.

As your Contract manufacturer, ACME circuit board assembly will become a business partner who has a vested interest in your success. By outsourcing to ACME circuit board assembly, ACME PCB Assembly strive to understand your ever-changing needs in your specific competitive markets. Our objective is to provide not only quality products with a competitive price but become a partner for our customer, from product design to the distribution process.

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