What is PCBA prototype manufacturing process? Step by step Guide

PCB Manufacturing and Assembly For Beginners

 

We are passionate to provide our customers with the high quality PCBA prototype manufacturing in an effective way. Similarly, we focus at the quality management and production of the prototypes fast and accurate. The fast and accurate process for the production of prototypes is possible if we make this process automated.

In this article, you will find essential information regarding the PCBA prototypes. Moreover, we will provide you the working and process involved in the production of the prototypes. The steps involved in the manufacturing are there with in depth description.

What is a PCBA prototype?

The PCBA manufacturers don’t produce the printed circuit boards at a large scale until they produce a prototype. Similarly, this prototype for the printed circuit board assembly has the limited functions. The engineers test the functions in the prototype of the PCB assembly. The prototype is itself a check of the properties and functions of whole PCB assembly.

The prototype for the printed circuit board assembly does not have all the complex functions as that of PCB assembly. Furthermore, PCB prototype manufacturing helps the engineers to develop a link between the prototype and whole PCB assembly.

PCBA Prototype Manufacturing Provides Better Quality

A good pcb company focuses at the production of the prototype with the management of the quality in an appropriate way. Moreover, it delivers the prototypes to customers in fast and very diligently. Moreover, it has high quality software and advanced technology for the PCBA prototype manufacturing.

We ensure the high quality to our customers continuously in our products. We have the unique properties in our prototypes by inserting a special barcode in our prototypes. This helps us to make the process traceable. Moreover, we have all the possible information and expertise for the production of the best prototypes.

PCBA Prototype Manufacturing Process

The process of production of the prototypes has a typical process that has certain steps. These steps help us to produce a perfect and effective prototype for our customers. These possible steps involved in the process are following:

Ø  Traceability

In the beginning of the manufacturing process of the printed circuit board, there is a 2D barcode for every PCB. This 2D barcode is the foundation of the traceability in the PCBA prototype manufacturing. We can scan this 2D barcode for every printed circuit board in the whole process of the manufacturing.

Basically, this 2D barcode scanning is particularly helpful in the tracing process to know information about the printed circuit board. This can serve us with the information about supplier and delivery information of the PCB prototype. Moreover, it can tell us about the implementation of each step of the process and time at which we applied it.

Ø  Solder Paste Stenciling

The next step in the manufacturing process is to add the solder paste to the printed circuit board that is bare still. For this purpose, we use a stencil printer to add a solder paste. Most frequently use the type of a stencil printer that is MPM Momentum Elite Dual Lane Stencil Printer.

Pick and Place Process for PCBA Prototype Manufacturing

Then the PCBA prototype manufacturing process moves towards the step of mounting the components on the PCB board. For the sake of accurate mounting of the components on the PCB board, we use pick and place machine in the process.

Ø  Inspection

In the next step, we check the correct placement of the surface mount components. In addition, we check the correct and accurate placement of the components of PCB board. Before we convey the PCB assembly to the soldering process, we check the correct placement in this step.

Ø  Reflow soldering

This step of PCBA prototype manufacturing is preferably important in the soldering process of the components of the PCB assembly. For this purpose, we place the PCB assembly with its components in Convection reflow oven. This oven is particularly special for the soldering process.

The convection reflow oven consists of different zones that have the specified functions. Subsequently, we use a solder paste in the soldering process. Mostly, we use a high-quality soldering paste in the process. Often, we use a soldering paste having the low melting point nearly 150^oC.

This process of soldering uses low temperature if we use a low melting point soldering paste. Furthermore, it prevents the damage of the components of PCB from the high temperature.

 

Inspection of PCBA prototype manufacturing

After soldering the components on the PCB assembly, we again check the correct placement of the components. In this process, we can detect any fault in the position of surface mount components.

Ø  Through Hole Component Insertion

We can insert the components of PCB assembly with the help of through hole component insertion. So, we place the components of the PCB assembly with the help of hand observing correct orientation. Therefore, we can do this step in two ways. It can be manual as well automated soldering of the components. Similarly, the type of the soldering depends upon the degree of selection for the soldering.

Technical edge cutting prototype manufacturing

If we use the automated system for the soldering the components on the PCB board, we produce technical edges on the PCB assembly. In this way, we cut off the edges of the PCB assembly after soldering the components.

If the PCB assembly consists of a panel and has many single circuits, we do the process of separation of the panel at this step. For the sake of clean and tidy cutting of the edges, we need a V cut or a pre-cut break out tabs.

Ø  Inspection

Here, we again do inspection after soldering the paste, mounting the components and cutting off the technical edges. This inspection verifies three things in the PCB assembly. Firstly, it checks the correct placement of the surface mount components. Additionally, it checks the quality of the solder and cleaning of the technical edges.

Pcba Packaging

After the process of production of the PCB assembly, its safety is important for the manufacturers. Generally, the packaging of the PCB assembly is particularly important in the safety concern. ESD safe packaging is special for each type of the PCB assembly.

There is a shielding bag for the purpose of packaging of the PCB assembly. In some cases, the dimensions of the PCB assembly are not up to the standards. They exceed the standards and need an anti-static foam in the process of packaging.

 

Ø  Final quality control

The quality control is an essential step in the PCBA prototype manufacturing process. In this step, we again check and inspect the prototype finally to detect any fault. After this final inspection and quality control, we can guarantee the correct and effective design.

After the final quality control, the manufacturers ship the product the customers. Therefore, the process of quality control is necessary before we ship the prototype to the respective customers.

Why Kingfordpcb?

A good pcb company provides customers high quality and effective prototypes for their PCB assembly. The reason is that we use high quality software and technology for the PCBA prototype manufacturing. Kingford also delivers the PCB assemblies to our customers in an effective way.