When it comes to PCB assemblies, high performance and reliability are critical to comply with the highest industry quality standards. At PCB You, we realize this and offer ISO and RoHS quality through-hole PCB assembly services. Whether you need prototypes or high-volume production, PCB You offers through-hole assembly services that meet the latest ISO and RoHS standards. Our through-hole PCB assembly services comprise manual and automated techniques, ensuring every product performs reliably under the most demanding conditions.
Why Choose Through Hole PCB Assembly?
THT is one of the important mounting processes for applications experiencing extreme acceleration, collisions, or high temperatures. A few of the notable advantages of this assembly technique include:
- Superior Durability: Through-hole assembly offers exceptional mechanical strength, making it resistant to stress, vibration, and physical impact, saving you more frequent replacement expenses. This durability is critical for applications that handle harsher conditions without substantial wear and tear or damage.
- Improved Thermal Management: This technique has been a cornerstone of electronic component assembly for several decades owing to its efficient thermal dissipation. Which is crucial in high-temperature applications. This feature helps protect components from overheating and ensures reliable operation over time.
- High Power Handling: Through-hole PCB assemblies can manage higher currents, making them suitable for high-power applications such as power supplies and amplifiers. They are also chosen for high-reliability products that require high-strength connections, such as heavier or bulkier components including semiconductors or electrolytic capacitors.
- Ease of Inspection and Maintenance: With through-hole components visibly mounted on the PCB, inspection and maintenance are simpler than other techniques. This adds to its convenience during testing, troubleshooting, and modifying assemblies, especially during prototyping.
Technical Factors to Consider in Through Hole PCB Assembly
To ensure optimal performance and reliability in through-hole PCB assembly, our experts recommend several technical factors, such as:
- Component Positioning and Alignment: To prevent electrical shorts and guarantee proper functionality of the assembly. It is essential to ensure correct positioning and alignment of components. Check to orient polarized components properly and ensure proper lead placement.
- Drill Hole Size and Placement: Precise hole dimensions and accurate placement are important to achieve secure component fitting and effective soldering. For instance,
- Density Level A PCBs: Maximum lead diameter + 0.25 mm
- Density Level B PCBs: Maximum lead diameter +0.20 mm
- Density Level C PCBs: Maximum lead diameter + 0.15 mm
- PCB Thickness: The thickness of the PCB should be carefully chosen after analyzing the application’s specific needs. Including mechanical durability and component compatibility. While thicker boards offer more strength, they require deeper holes, impacting the overall assembly process.
- Soldering Methods: Consider the complexity of the design and the production scale beforehand and then wisely choose between wave soldering and manual soldering. Wave soldering is more efficient for mass production, whereas manual soldering provides better control for intricate or small-batch assemblies.
- Pad Size: This is crucial in the PCB assembly for mechanical stability, improved solder joint quality, thermal management, manufacturing tolerances, and more. According to the IPC-2221, the pad sizes for through-hole components are determined by: Pad diameter = Minimum hole size + 2x Minimum Annular Ring + Standard Fabrication Allowance. Our experts recommend the standard fabrication allowance of 0.4mm, 0.5mm, and 0.6mm for C, B, and A density level PCBs.
- Component Clearance: Ensure adequate clearance between components to prevent electrical shorts. Having a proper component clearance also makes inspection and testing easier, which is crucial for quality assurance.
- Thermal Management: Since effective heat management is vital for maintaining the reliability of solder joints and the overall performance of the assembly, our experts recommend incorporating thermal relief features into the design. This contributes to dissipating heat more effectively during the soldering process, reducing thermal stress on both components and the PCB.
Through-hole technology continues to play a vital role in the electronics industry and we at PCB You bring you high-quality, reliable solutions to meet the evolving needs of the electronics industry. With the most advanced soldering and assembly tools on the market today, we deliver assemblies that meet your needs. Contact PCB You today to learn more about our through-hole assembly services and experience our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.