Tag Archives: PCB fabrication

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 THM has largely been replaced by SMT assembly, though there are still some situations in which THM is preferred.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.

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Cable Harness Assembly

ACME PCB Assembly Offers Cable Harness Services

Cable Assemblies include one or more wires that run together in a single sleeve with a connector or plug on each end.  Cable assemblies could be groups of wires or cables bundled together.  They are wrapped in a thermoplastic or vinyl sleeve, cable assemblies are ideal for directing groups of wires and cables around obstacles.

Cable assemblies are designed to perform specific functions that is determined by the plugs, terminals, and connectors that are found on each end.  They are used in most electronic applications, everything from flat panel displays to the automotive electronic system to integrated cockpit systems to simple LED lighted clothing, costumes and accessories.

What Do You Use Cable Assemblies For?

Cable assemblies intersect or interconnect different circuits or electrical paths, so they work together to transmit signals or power.  They usually only have two ends to connect point A to point B.

Ethernet Cable HarnessFor example, ethernet cable assemblies are designed to provide service supporting bandwidth speeds up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet, such as large data centers, military field units, and medical facilities.  For those applications that require a lightweight, smaller assembly that can transmit clearly and rapidly over great distances, support greater bandwidths, with high voltage isolation, then fiber optic cable assemblies would meet those needs.  A few of the industries that utilize fiber optic cable assemblies, include aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical, and military applications.

Cable harnesses are more complex in nature and may require different machinery and tools to be consistent with production. Creating slits and windows in cables demand specialized equipment to handle the various conductors within the insulation.  We

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 25 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.

cable assemblies, cable harness assembly, cable harness service Los Angeles, cable harness

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.

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Bare Board

Electronics Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Fabrication

Electronics Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Fabrication

In this Technological era, more and more, fast and faster, new products are being developed to help humanity have better envelopment and better life.  All development of electronics stuff needs to use Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication services to make their products.  Selecting the right Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication house can make for a difficult challenge, it all depends on what type of product you are planning on working with.  If you are one of those companies that have more than a few products that have different requirements ACME PCB Assembly can assist you with all your needs.

ACME PCB Assembly will help you select the perfectly matched Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication house for each of your new jobs.  We currently are working with over 10 Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication houses, so we can closely match all new incoming inquires to an Electronics Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication house.

Each Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication house has strengths in different areas.  All offer great economic cost, flexibility of service, quick turn-around lead time.  There are a variety of factors to help you choose a great Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication shop for each different project needs, but it is one of ACME PCB Assembly’s specialty.

New customer special discount on 2 & 4 layers printed circuit board fabrication. Trust our high-quality standard is the main reason we always have return customer. ACME Printed Circuit Board Assembly has over 25% customers are over 10 years relationship.  Over 25 years in the printed circuit board assembly service business, ACME Printed Circuit Board Assembly knows how to make customer satisfied.

Printed Circuit Board FabricationACME PCB Assembly is in Carson, California and provides the following services and more.

ACME PCB Assembly is an ISO 9001:2008 certified EMS provider, we make sure that you get the best price without compromising the quality. We take full responsibility for your printed circuit board order since we only use ACME PCB Assembly certified suppliers as our domestic and offshore partner.

Contact us today to find out about our other services and how we can help your business.