Author Archives: Erin

Proud to Be a Lead-Free PCB Assembly Provider

Proud to Be a Lead-Free PCB Assembly Provider

There’s a reason that in the United States we no longer allow lead in paint or in gasoline. Though lead is a naturally occurring element, it can be highly toxic to humans. It has been connected with behavior and learning problems, lower IQ, slowed growth, anemia, and even coma and death in severe cases. Children and pregnant women are the most at risk of lead poisoning.

For a long time, lead has been part of the soldering process, which is critical to making printed circuit boards. Here at  ACME PCB Assembly, we have made the commitment to adopt lead-free solders. Replacing lead solders requires more than just replacing equipment. Lead-free solders have a higher melting point, which means we have had to revise our entire production and assembly process. This required re-training our workers.

Though the change was difficult, it was worth it to remove the risk of lead exposure from our facilities.  Now, when you work with us, you know that you are working with a lead-free PCB assembly provider.

Recycling Unused PCB

The Role of Sustainable Practices in PCB Manufacturing

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the backbone of modern electronics, powering everything from smartphones to medical devices. As technology advances, so does the demand for PCBs, making sustainability in manufacturing a critical focus for the industry. Companies like Board Assembly are taking steps to incorporate sustainable practices in PCB manufacturing, ensuring a greener future while maintaining high-quality production standards.

Why Sustainability Matters in PCB Manufacturing

Turnkey Yun IndustrialThe environmental impact of PCB production is significant due to the use of raw materials, energy-intensive processes, and potential chemical waste. Without sustainable practices, PCB manufacturing contributes to resource depletion and environmental degradation. As businesses and consumers alike prioritize eco-friendly solutions, adopting sustainable methods is no longer optional but essential for the industry.

Sustainable Practices in PCB Manufacturing

  1. Material Optimization
    Sustainable PCB manufacturing starts with the selection of eco-friendly materials. For example, lead-free solders and halogen-free laminates reduce the environmental impact while ensuring product safety. Recycling leftover materials from the production process minimizes waste and conserves resources.
  2. Energy Efficiency
    Reducing energy consumption during manufacturing is another vital practice. Utilizing energy-efficient equipment and renewable energy sources can significantly lower the carbon footprint of PCB production.
  3. Chemical Management
    PCB manufacturing involves the use of chemicals for etching and plating. Sustainable practices include proper chemical management, recycling solvents, and investing in advanced wastewater treatment systems to prevent pollution.
  4. Design for Sustainability
    Creating designs that maximize efficiency and reduce material use is a growing trend. Innovations such as smaller PCBs with higher performance capabilities not only enhance product functionality but also reduce environmental impact.
  5. Recycling and End-of-Life Management
    Manufacturers are adopting practices to recycle old PCBs and recover valuable metals like gold and copper. This not only reduces electronic waste but also supports a circular economy by reusing materials in new products.

The Business Benefits of Going Green

Incorporating sustainable practices in PCB manufacturing offers more than environmental benefits. It helps companies like Board Assembly stand out in a competitive market, attract environmentally conscious clients, and comply with stringent regulations. Additionally, reducing waste and improving energy efficiency can lead to cost savings, creating a win-win for businesses and the planet.

Partner with Eco-Conscious PCB Manufacturers

By choosing a manufacturer committed to sustainability, businesses can play their part in reducing the environmental impact of electronics. Board Assembly emphasizes eco-friendly practices in PCB fabrication, ensuring high-quality products that align with environmental goals.

For more information on sustainable PCB fabrication, visit Board Assembly’s PCB Fabrication page and explore their commitment to innovation and sustainability.

rework your pcb

Reworking Your Defective PCBs?

Did You Know That We Can Also Rework Your Defective PCBs?

When you put in a large order for printed circuit boards from a PCB assembly service provider, you may find that a few circuit boards are defective in each bunch. Rather than write these circuit boards off as a loss (and lose your investment), you may be able to give them new life.

At ACME PCB Assembly, we may be able to re-work and repair some defective printed circuit boards. Often, this requires de-soldering and re-soldering components. This is manual work that must be performed by a trained technician. Fortunately, we have highly qualified staff members who can perform these repairs for you. This way, you don’t have to write off so many PCBs and can re-coup at least some of your costs.

PCB repair and rework services are an essential a process as manufacturing. Ensuring that any design flaw or damaged PCB component is repaired immediately will help maintain the PCB’s performance. In addition to these services, we conduct functional tests on your PCBs after the repair work is completed. This is performed to ensure that the device is running as per application and industry requirements.

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.

At ACME PCB Assembly, we take full responsibility for your printed circuit board order. This means we that we use only ACME PCB Assembly certified suppliers as our offshore partners.

Want to see what we can do? Contact us today to learn more about our PCB repair and modification services.

Wire Harness

ACME PCB Assembly Wire and Cable Harness Services

It is important to understand that a wire harness is different than a cable harness.  A wire is a single conductor, while cables are two or more wires that are insulated being wrapped in a larger jacket. These two technologies demand their own set of unique tools, fixtures, and machinery to help reduce production costs. Knowing exactly what type of product being used is crucial to perfectly create your designs.

Wire harnesses generally do not need much to work with and is generally an inexpensive and cost-efficient way for many people to solve their electrical needs. With a single machine, one can increase their production capabilities because of the relative simplicity of wires in general.

A wire harness is a method that incorporates several point-to-point cable assemblies together into one conclusive assembly.  They are generally held together using cable ties or some form of protective sleeve used to protect the wires or cables from environmental conditions like moisture, heat or friction, and to organize the different breakouts for easy routing through a system or box build.

What Can Wire Harnesses be Used For?

Though you might confuse a wire harness for a cable assembly, there is one main difference and that is a wire harnesses usually contains several ends or breakouts, running in different directions, serving multiple functions with multiple terminations on each breakout.

A custom wire harness can be used in durable goods like household appliances, in and around engines of all kinds – automobiles, buses, locomotives, trucks, and even planes.  Electronic equipment, construction machinery, industrial equipment, HVAC products all use wire harnesses as well.

Located in Carson, California, ACME PCB Assembly utilizes top of the line technology from Schleuniger to perfectly cut, strip, and process any wire or cable you need. After 27 plus years in the business, ACME PCB Assembly has the experience to be your contract manufacturer for cable & wire harness projects. As an IPC-A-610 certified assembler with a certified trainer in house, you can be rest assured the cables and wires that come out of ACME will exceed the standards.

ACME PCB Assembly offers Wire harness Services Contact Us.

Printed Circuit Board Fabrication

Protecting your PCB with Solder Mask

You might be wondering what solder mask is and why it’s important.  Solder masks are a very important part of protecting a PCB.  Solder mask, or solder resister is a thin covering that protects the PCB from oxidation.  It also prevents solder bridges from forming between solder pads that are close together. One example of other ways that solder masks can be used effectively by companies are how solder masks are traditionally green but are also available in different colors. The Different colors can be used to tell apart revisions easier.

If you have a revision made and already have one board green then the revision done using two white boards, you can tell the difference just by looking at it. The color of the solder masks has no effect on the performance of the PCB itself. However, the difference between the colors is the resolution of the board will be different. Colors like red and blue match the iconic green PCB in resolution. Black and yellow solder masks however have significantly less resolution than green and the clear solder masks have greater resolutions.

Solder Mask on Printed Circuit BoardsThere are many theories why solder masks were originally green. One of the reasons was because when the solder mask was first produced, the base resin was a brownish yellow and the hardener was a muddy brown. When you combined these two components to form the solder mask, it turned green. Another theory was because green has been proven by many scientists that the color is the most visible and noticeable to the human eye. Colors are just different wavelengths and yellow and green are the wavelengths that are most easily noticeable under normal light. Green is the easiest to see, and easy on the eyes so they won’t tire the human out. This factor helps assemblers and quality control inspectors so maybe that is why green is the iconic color that the image of a PCB has come to accept.

Contact Us Today for more information about our services.