SMT Terminology Unveiled: Essential Knowledge for Beginners

SMT, or Surface Mount Technology, is a widely adopted technique in the current electronic assembly industry. Its popularity stems from its high assembly density, compact size of electronic products, lightweight, and excellent high-frequency characteristics. However, the intricate processes involved in SMT assembly incorporate numerous technical terms that are crucial for beginners and general customers to understand. Here, Charmhigh Electromechanical provides a comprehensive list and detailed explanations of the common SMT assembly terminology:

SMA (Surface Mount Assembly): Refers to the printed circuit board assembly completed using surface mount technology, commonly known as component assembly on PCB boards.

Reflow Soldering: A welding technique that involves melting solder paste pre-dispensed onto PCB pads to achieve the connection between surface-mounted components and PCB pads.

Wave Soldering: A process where molten solder is sprayed through specialized equipment to form a solder wave, allowing pre-mounted electronic components on the PCB to pass through the wave, achieving a connection between components and PCB pads.

Fine Pitch: In SMT, a pin spacing less than 0.5mm is referred to as fine pitch, requiring precise processing and placement techniques.

Coplanarity: A metric measuring the vertical height deviation of surface-mounted component pins, typically not exceeding 0.1mm, which affects the contact between components and the PCB board.

Solder Paste: A mixture of powdered solder alloy, flux, and other additives used to connect electronic components to PCB pads.

Curing: The process of heating adhesive tape under specific temperature and time conditions to temporarily fix components to the PCB board.

Adhesive Tape or Red Glue: A colloidal material used in SMT processing to temporarily fix components to PCB boards, possessing strong adhesive strength after curing.

Dispensing: The process of applying adhesive tape onto PCBs to ensure stable component attachment.

Dispensing Machine: A specialized device for completing dispensing operations.

Placement: The operation of picking up surface-mounted components from feeders and accurately placing them onto specified positions on PCB boards.

SMT Carrier Tape: Used to connect feeder trays, enabling uninterrupted operation and saving time and costs.

Placement Machine: A specialized device for completing the surface mounting of electronic components.

Hot Air Reflow Soldering: A reflow soldering technique that utilizes forced circulation of hot air for heating.

Placement Inspection: Quality inspection conducted during or after placement to detect missing, misplaced, wrongly placed, or damaged components.

Stencil Printing: The process of using a stainless steel stencil to print solder paste onto PCB pads.

Stencil Cleaner: Installed on printing machines, used for automatically cleaning excess solder paste from stencils.

Printer: A specialized device used for stencil printing in SMT.

Post-Solder Inspection: Quality inspection conducted on PCBAs after soldering or curing in a reflow oven.

Pre-Solder Inspection: Quality inspection of PCBA placement conducted before soldering or curing in a reflow oven.

Rework: The repair process to remove local defects from PCBAs.

Rework Station: A specialized device for reworking PCBAs with quality defects.

Understanding these technical terms is crucial for grasping SMT assembly techniques. We hope that the explanations provided can serve as a valuable resource for your learning and practice in SMT.

Charmhigh Electromechanical, a professional manufacturer of SMT placement machines, invites you to contact us for your SMT placement machine needs. We are committed to providing efficient and professional services. If you are interested in becoming our local distributor, we offer mutually beneficial agency solutions.WhatsApp : +8618100733752 / WeChat : 86 18100733752 / Skype : 86 18100733752