Industry: Electronics & Semiconductors

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Practical Manufacturing Standards – Listening to the PCB industry

January 24, 2024

I love a good story.  Storytelling is the new, cool skill to list on your CV, but listening is possibly…

By Susan Kayesar
2 MIN READ
A poorly validated alternative part is placed on its toeprint

Are your alternative parts well validated before release

January 18, 2024

In alternate part selection, many aspects need to be considered: electrical function, physically fit, supply chain flexibility, cost, etc. Every aspect is important during alternative part selection, but realistically, electrical and physical fit are the main prerequisites when choosing a new alternative part. alternative parts well validated

By Bill Ji
4 MIN READ

Adapt to Design – Design for manufacturing

December 20, 2023

Design for manufacturing, or DFM, is a crucial aspect of electronics manufacturing best practices. It emphasizes that each printed circuit…

By Paul Carpine
2 MIN READ
PCB manufacturing image

What’s New in Valor NPI 2311

December 19, 2023

Each new Valor NPI release brings exciting features and improvements, and Valor NPI version 2311 is no different. One of the most prominent recent changes for release 2311 is the 3D board viewer. This allows users to toggle between the typical 2-D board view, and a 3-D board view. While less visually prominent, the addition of high-risk component detection is no less impactful among the overall improvements. The Valor Parts Library now associates individual components with a manufacturing risk value. This allows you to consider at-a-glance relative yield values based on component choices. Valor NPI version 2311 also facilitates the placement of XD components in a zigzag array.

By Maya Shani
4 MIN READ
Solder strength testing and validation

Strengthening PCB Solder Connections

December 5, 2023

To increasing the overall solder strength within a PCB design, designers should be focusing on two distinct but related factors: The material composition of the solder, and the pad and footprint layouts for individual components. The composition of the solder itself will depend upon the application of the board, the components, construction method and materials within the board, and the overall final board quality. The overall footprint of the component will be dependent upon the components within a BOM and the recommended assembly guidelines of your assemblers. Both of these factors rely on discussions and interactions with your assembly house and leaving these discussions until after the design has been released ultimately limits your assembly options.

By Patrick Hope
6 MIN READ
Exploring Manufacturing Driven Design for automated DFM

Manufacturing Driven Design leverages the intelligence within your PCB Design

November 20, 2023

Intelligent Process-Driven DFM Analysis for PCB Designers Recent component shortages and distribution disruptions have exposed both the fragility of global…

By Patrick Hope
6 MIN READ
PCB Design and Stencil

Stencil design considerations during library cell design

October 31, 2023

Library cell design seems to be an easy part of the entire design process, but in reality, it can be a complicated part of this process, as it involves many different aspects to consider. It should not only comply with the electrical needs, but also needs to meet manufacturing requirements. Solder paste printing is one of the manufacturing processes that may need considerations during your library cell creation. To be more straightforward, the stencil design is something need to be considered during library cell design.

By Bill Ji
4 MIN READ

Catch the highlights! On-demand video of our PCBflow annual 2023 webinar now available

September 23, 2023

Missed our groundbreaking PCBflow webinar on September 13th? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! We’re excited to announce that the…

By Yaron Tayar and lydiatokmakidou
2 MIN READ
pick and place machine on PCB SMT line

How to Optimize PCB Design for the SMT Assembly Process Flow

September 19, 2023

PCB (Printed Circuit Board) design layout optimization is critical for the success of SMT (Surface Mount Technology) assembly. SMT assembly involves placing surface mount components directly onto the surface of the PCB, as opposed to through-hole components, which require holes to be drilled through the PCB. SMT assembly is faster, more precise, and more cost-effective than through-hole assembly, but it requires careful design optimization to ensure a successful assembly process.

By Don Kost
3 MIN READ