Q: The introduction of Watt MCPCB

The standard aluminum substrate (MCPCB) has a thermal conductivity of about 1~2 W/m.K (also called 1W or 2W), of which you can also find 3W or even higher products. The thermal conductivity of copper or aluminum plate under the dielectric layer is about 400 W/m.K and 200 W/m.K, which is obviously higher than the dielectric layer. The power size of LED in the aluminum substrate is usually marked with "W", such as 1W, 3W, 5W, etc. This refers to the maximum power that LED can withstand, and one important role of the aluminum substrate is to spread the heat to ensure the stable operation of LED. Therefore, when choosing the aluminum substrate, it is necessary to select the corresponding aluminum substrate according to the power range of LED to ensure that the aluminum substrate has sufficient heat dissipation performance. At the meantime, it's necessary to consider the number of layers, line density, size, and the hole size of the aluminum substrate to meet the demand of specific applications. Currently , the power range of aluminum substrate depends on the specific design and manufacturing conditions, including the size, thickness, heat dissipation and layout of aluminum substrate. Generally , the power range of aluminum substrate is between 1W and 10W, but it also depends on the application and design requirements.

Q: CNC makes the PCB as the shape on hand

CNC makes the PCB as the shape on hand Do you know that the PCB you receive from your supplier is not the size on those production equipment and go through all the processes? What we produce on equipment is the “working size” and after CNC the PCB becomes the “shipping size” of your design. Except to separate shipping size from working size, CNC is also used for shaping your PCB outline, the slot design in board, or bigger drilling hole that is oversized.

Q: Several Factors Affecting PCB RF Performance

Several Factors Affecting PCB RF Performance Nowadays, the electronic products have feature of SoC (System on Chip), all functions and performances are almost defined by IC. However, even with the same IC and functions, the products designed by different companies, still have different performance. What factors cause these differences? Here, we list several factors that contribute to the difference in performance. Metal: copper foil type and roughness, surface finish type (ENIG, HSAL…) Glass Fabric: different glass styles (106, 1080, 2113…etc.) and weave styles. DK (Dielectric constant) DF (loss tangent) Vias: Various via options for RF routing (buried via / blind via / backdrill)

Question 1

What is PCB Panelization Usage Rate? Is There Any Impact on PCB Unit Price?

Accepted Answer

Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD)
If you’re responsible for PCB purchasing, what’re the key factors when choosing a PCB supplier. I believe it would be Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD). Today we’ll aim on “Cost”.

PCB Panelization Usage Rate Many elements will affect on PCB production cost such as PCB specification, volume of order and so on. Of course, it includes PCB panelization usage rate too. If PCB will be shipped by panel size (sometimes by unit size), the panel design could be either provided from client side or designed by the PCB maker. A relatively high PCB panelization usage rate could cost less for client compared with low PCB panelization usage rate. Every PCB maker has its own standard and guideline when designing PCB panel. Let’s take ExPlus for example.

Click here to know what’s PCB panel size vs. working size.

ExPlus’ Design Guideline of PCB Panelization

The panelization usage rate must be over 85% for 2 layers PCB and 80% for 4 and 6 layers PCB.
The width of breakaway rail must not lower 5mm to avoid potential risk during mounting process.
The added fiducial marks on breakaway rail must ensure 2.5mm between center of fiducial mark and panel outline to avoid any light blocking during assembly process.

Above are only few ExPlus’ guideline when designing PCB panel. The main purpose of PCB panelization is to meet client requirements, fulfill project size characteristics needs, increase activation of mounting process. And the most important of all is to decrease client’s assembly cost.

Question 2

Multiple Testing for PCB before Shipment

Accepted Answer

When it comes to PCB testing, the first idea that comes up must be electric testing.
As being introduced in our previous article, you have already had an idea of how electric testing is conducted.

→ → What is E-TEST? ← ←

However, electric testing is not the only testing we conduct before shipment.
Check below of what we would have done for every batch of PCB shipment.
1. X-Ray check for thickness and substance of surface finish.
2. Size check by our two-dimensional measurer.
3. Microsection for checking copper thickness of PTH and stack up of PCB.
4. Impedance control value measurement to ensure following clients requirement.
5. Solder-ability check to ensure no problem for the coming assembly process.
With every effort that we put to ensure the quality of the PCB, clients can feel safe to entrust us for their PCB jobs.

→ → Testing Equipment of ExPlus ← ←

Question 3

Chamfering V.S. Beveling on PCB

Accepted Answer

PCB_Chamfering_Beveling

In the printed circuit board (PCB) industry, chamfering and beveling are two common techniques used to modify the edges of the board. While the two terms may be used interchangeably in some contexts, they are actually distinct processes with different purposes and outcomes.

Chamfering involves cutting or grinding away a small portion of the edge of the board at a 45-degree angle. This results in a beveled edge that is less sharp and less likely to catch on other materials or objects. Chamfering is often used on the corners of a PCB to prevent damage during handling or installation. It can also be used to create a visual effect, such as giving the board a more polished or finished appearance.

On the other hand, beveling involves cutting or grinding away a larger portion of the edge of the board at an angle other than 45 degrees. This results in a sloped edge that can be used for specific purposes, such as fitting the board into a particular shape or housing. Beveling can also be used to reduce the overall size of the board while maintaining functionality, or to create a more aerodynamic shape for applications such as drone or UAV electronics.

In summary, chamfering and beveling are both edge modification techniques commonly used in the PCB industry. Understanding the difference between these two techniques can help PCB manufacturers choose the most appropriate method for their specific needs.

Question 4

The introduction of Watt MCPCB

Accepted Answer

The standard aluminum substrate (MCPCB) has a thermal conductivity of about 1~2 W/m.K (also called 1W or 2W), of which you can also find 3W or even higher products. The thermal conductivity of copper or aluminum plate under the dielectric layer is about 400 W/m.K and 200 W/m.K, which is obviously higher than the dielectric layer.

The power size of LED in the aluminum substrate is usually marked with "W", such as 1W, 3W, 5W, etc. This refers to the maximum power that LED can withstand, and one important role of the aluminum substrate is to spread the heat to ensure the stable operation of LED. Therefore, when choosing the aluminum substrate, it is necessary to select the corresponding aluminum substrate according to the power range of LED to ensure that the aluminum substrate has sufficient heat dissipation performance. At the meantime, it's necessary to consider the number of layers, line density, size, and the hole size of the aluminum substrate to meet the demand of specific applications.

Currently, the power range of aluminum substrate depends on the specific design and manufacturing conditions, including the size, thickness, heat dissipation and layout of aluminum substrate.

Generally, the power range of aluminum substrate is between 1W and 10W, but it also depends on the application and design requirements.

Question 5

Quality Inspection for Outgoing PCBs

Accepted Answer

Purpose of OQC(Outgoing Quality Check)

After 100% of electric test and appearance check, the PCB manufacturer will conduct “Outgoing Quality Check” to ensure the quality of completed boards meet client’s requirements. Besides compliance with client’s requests, the process of OQC could optimize the production process and improve the quality by detecting the potential quality issue.

Sampling Inspection – MIL-STD-105E Level 2

The PCB manufacturer either follows client’s regulations or control plan to conduct quality inspection. If above not available, then the quality inspection will follow the PCB manufacturer’s standard. The strictness of quality inspection usually could be divided into two categories, automotive products or non-automotive products. Take ExPlus for instance, ExPlus follows MIL-STD-105E Level 2 for both categories. What is “MIL-STD-105E”? MIL-STD-105E stands for military standard 105E which has established for the acceptance or rejection of lots based on the assessment of items attributes. Based on the quantity of taken samples from the lot containing N units, the WHOLE lot is either accepted or rejected. For PCB used in automotive products, ExPlus follows “0 accepted 1 rejected” under MIL-STD-105E Level 2. Which means no matter how many units are inspected, the whole lot will be rejected if there’s one unit not meet the standard. On the other hand, ExPlus follows “MIL-STD-105E Level 2 0.65%” for non-automotive PCB boards. Take 1,000 units for example. Based on the below chart, if there’s only 1 unit not meet the standard within 80 units taken samples, then the whole lot is accepted. Again, sampling inspection is used for outgoing goods inspection after 100% of open circuit/broken circuit and appearance check are performed.

Question 6

CNC makes the PCB as the shape on hand

Accepted Answer

CNC makes the PCB as the shape on hand

Do you know that the PCB you receive from your supplier is not the size on those production equipment and go through all the processes?
What we produce on equipment is the “working size” and after CNC the PCB becomes the “shipping size” of your design.

Except to separate shipping size from working size, CNC is also used for shaping your PCB outline, the slot design in board, or bigger drilling hole that is oversized.

Question 7

Several Factors Affecting PCB RF Performance

Accepted Answer

Several Factors Affecting PCB RF Performance

Nowadays, the electronic products have feature of SoC (System on Chip), all functions and performances are almost defined by IC. However, even with the same IC and functions, the products designed by different companies, still have different performance. What factors cause these differences?

Here, we list several factors that contribute to the difference in performance.

Metal: copper foil type and roughness, surface finish type (ENIG, HSAL…)
Glass Fabric: different glass styles (106, 1080, 2113…etc.) and weave styles.
DK (Dielectric constant)
DF (loss tangent)
Vias: Various via options for RF routing (buried via / blind via / backdrill)

Question 8

On the PCB, besides BGA and SOP, are there other mainstream package types?

Accepted Answer

Basically, chip packaging is to put the substrate on a board, lead out the pins, and then fix them into a whole, it has the function of protecting the chip. It not only has fixed functions, but also increases thermal performance. Therefore, chip packaging is very important for circuits such as CPU.

Semiconductor packaging has undergone three times innovations: the first was from pin-insert packaging to surface mount packaging in the 1990s, which greatly increased the assembly density on the board; the second was the emergence of ball matrix packaging in the 2000s. It meets the market's demand for high pins and improves the performance of semiconductor devices; chip-level packaging, system packaging, etc. are the products of the third innovation, and its purpose is to minimize the packaging area. At present, the mainstream chip packaging types mainly include the following types: BGA, SOP, TSOP, SIP, etc.

BGA : Today, most high pin count chips use BGA. The contact surface between the BGA array ball soldering and the substrate is large and short, which is good for heat dissipation; the pins of the BGA array solder balls are very short, which shortens the signal transmission path, reduces the lead inductance and resistance, and the signal transmission delay is small, adapting to the frequency greatly improved, thus improving the performance of the circuit.

SOP : The typical feature of this type of package is that many pins are made around the packaged chip. The package is easy to operate and has relatively high reliability. It is one of the mainstream chip package methods.

TSOP : TSOP is suitable for routing on PCB with SMT technology. When the package size of TSOP is lower, the parasitic parameters (when the current changes greatly, the output voltage disturbance is caused) are reduced, which is suitable for high-frequency applications, and the operation is more convenient and the reliability is relatively high.

SIP : SIP package is to integrate multiple functional chips, including processors, memory and other functional chips into one package, so as to realize a basically complete function. SIP packaging is widely used in wireless communications, automotive electronics, medical electronics, computers, military electronics and other fields.

To sum up, packaging is an important step in the finished product of memory chips, and plays an important role in the yield rate and service life of chips.

Question 9

What Is ExPlus’ SOP When Encountering Client’s Complaint?

Accepted Answer

To complete PCB production, it involves various processes. As matter of fact, it’s unrealistic to say there’s no defect board during the process. To cope with possibility of shortage of delivery, the PCB manufacturer will calculate the backup rate before procuring the raw material in order to fulfill client’s order quantity. However, even if the PCB manufacturer proceeds "open circuit" and "short circuit" test, so called E-TEST, FQC, and OQC before delivery. But due to most of inspections are still conducted by personnel thus the chance of leaking the defect board is unavoidable. So, it’s crucial how PCB manufacturer deals with the situation when the defect board is found on the client’s site.

As being in PCB industry since 1997, ExPlus has it SOP when receiving client’s complaint. The SOP could be divided into several steps as below.

Step 1, The client provides the picture of complaining issue and the picture shall include the maker’s logo and D/C(Date Code, which identify which week the board was produced.) And the client informs the quantity of defect board, the process stage of the board, and handling of the defect board.

Step 2. After the contact window(usually the Sales Team) receives the information from the client, the Sales Team will fill out the CAR form(CORRECTIVE ACTION REPORT) and forwards to the relative departments which including but not limited to QA Team, Engineering Team and Purchasing Team.

Step 3. Upon receiving CAR from Sales Team, the QA Team shall check bellows.

Step 3.1 The information provided in the CAR form is complete or not? Whether the image can
define the root cause of defect. If not, the QA Team shall reply with feedback or comment back to the Sales Team.

Step 3.2 If the provided information and image is clear, then the QA Team will confirm whether the defect meets client’s regulations or IPC standard. If within standard, then the QA Team will return the CAR and provide with quoted IPC terms and supportive image. On the other hand, if the defect beyond the standard, then the root cause and CAR shall be replied within 24 to 48 hours. In the case that the issue is too complicated to be replied with 48 hours, then it shall be estimated the exact hours it will take and reply back to the client.

Step 4 If the defect board checked out to be makers’ responsibility, the case of customer complaint could be solved by multiple methods such as replacing with new boards, deducting the cost from repeating order and so on.

In fact, it takes time and also difficult to find out the root cause of NG board when the bare board is assembled. Thus, it’s best to inspect the bare board before assembly.

Question 10

Silk Screen Can Be Printed as Multiple Colors and Functions

Accepted Answer

The production method of printing silk screen on PCB is quite similar to solder mask.
They are both liquid to be printed and cured on PCB, and also different colors.
That’s right! Silk screen is not always white.
On white solder mask PCB, the silk screen can be black.
And sometimes other different colors may be used as well.

Function of silk screen can be separated as follows:

Identification
For PCB Designer: P/N, Symbol, Logo, Assembly Remark, Component Code, etc.
For PCB Maker: Manufacturing P/N, UL Logo, Serial Number, etc.

Record
For PCB Designer: Version of design, Date of design completion, etc.
For PCB Maker: Manufacturing date code, manufacturing version, etc.

Knowledge