Printed circuit board assembly, commonly referred to as PCBA, refers to the process of rigidly mounting electronic components onto a printed circuit board. It is essentially a mechanical assembly process that solders or assembles different electronic components onto one printed circuit board in a way that can be packaged. A fully functional PCB is by no means a finished product; it needs to be connected to a power source and a display monitor to display the information. PCB assemblies are not universal, they are assembled to detailed specifications related to the placement of connectors, mounting boards, etc. In many specs, the specs are detailed enough that the exact location and size of each external component needs to be drawn.
It is common to confuse PCB assembly with PCB manufacturing; the two are completely different and unique to each other. Manufacturing PCBs requires fabrication and prototyping before actual production, while assembly requires soldering electronic components onto circuit boards for use in various gadgets and devices.
1. Printed circuit board;
2. Electronic components;
3. Soldering materials, including solder wire, solder paste, electrodes, solder, preforms (depending on the type of soldering to be performed)
flux;
4. Welding equipment includes soldering station, wave soldering machine, SMT equipment, PCB functional test equipment, etc.
In addition to environmental concerns, workplace safety has become critical not only during process operations, but also in performing routine cleaning and maintenance functions, which is why many environmental organizations have moved to lead-free welding.
Although there are many industries that require the use of no-clean processes, chemicals are mainly used in the cleaning process of PCB assembly. However, industries such as the aerospace, automotive, and medical industries do require post-assembly cleaning of solder retainers. It is these industries that require PCBA suppliers and assembly manufacturers to provide chemically reliable cleaning solutions that are also environmentally friendly.
This means that from an environmental perspective, the flux and solder paste residues typically used for high reliability and long life PCB assembly products need to be compatible with the solvents and cleaners required to clean them. The normal environment in which we live is already rich in pollutants, which is why it is necessary to ensure that we do not increase pollution through manufacturing and assembly processes that do not use any harmful chemicals. Raise awareness of worker and consumer safety hazards by using chemicals in PCB manufacturing and assembly without sacrificing quality or reliability.
