A PCB board assembled with the help of automated machines is quicker, however, it is costly if you want to manufacture a couple of boards. In our previous article “PCB board assembly at PCBWay with Automated machines!” we explained how a PCB company assembles a circuit board at a large scale with high precision. An option of manual circuit board assembly is also available if you want a couple of boards only. PCBWay has a solution for all kinds of your PCB board assembly needs.
In this post, you’ll learn all about the manual PCB board assembly processes, testing, and correction methods. Enjoy the learning!
**For PCB Instant Quote and PCBWay assembly service details, go to PCBWay Instant PCB Quote
Manual PCB board assembly
A PCB board assembled with the help of automated machines is quicker however, it lacks precision like in manual circuit board assembly. In the manual circuit board assembly method the designer has a BOM (bill of materials) in the form of a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet has all of the part numbers and numbers on the board. For example; R21 for R21 resistor. The designer simply picks out the parts from the bag and puts them in the right hole making sure they’re turned the right way around. These components are soldered the way just like you would at home. Since each component is picked, placed, and soldered with hands, there is not much room for error like misplacing of components, tombstoning, etc.
Testing and correction in Manual PCB board assembly
One of the really important things is to make sure that the technicians are putting the right components in the right place on the board. Despite all the precise and hi-tech setup, we cannot discard the possibility of having an error. With all the reels and feeders and pick-and-place machines, misplacement is a possibility since a lot of the components look exactly the same. Even in manual circuit board assembly, there are possibilities of error
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Pogo Pin testing jig
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PCBs kind of all look the same, but they’ve all got a different layout of pins and registration pins and board outlines. Hence, we require custom made testing kits. Pogo pin testing jig is that custom designed for individual kinds of boards. It’s also called a bed of nails jig. Pogo pin testing jig has spring-loaded pins that touch custom-designed test points on the board. This jig powers up the board, will tests whether it works properly or not. It also does things like programming firmware into the microprocessor and assigning serial numbers.
Pogo Pin testing jig can also assist with more functional testing. For example, it can operate with special IoT devices, where a test script is programmed into the computer. This helps the technician to make sure that every step of the product is working properly.
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Manual Testing
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In manual testing, the technician measures the value of each and every component with the help of tweezers. This testing is done prior to running it through the reflow oven i.e. before it is soldered down. PCBway uses a unique self-designed machine for this purpose. This machine provides precise values of every circuit. There are no more than 3 manufactures of that special machine in Shenzhen.
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Manual Correction
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If the technicians find any error with the help of the above methods, they send it to the rework-room. The error is fixed manually with the help of soldering iron and tweezers. Apart from this, each board goes through visual inspection twice: once the components are placed and then after soldering. Occasionally a component will be just slightly misaligned, or it needs to be nudged over. All of these errors are fixed with the help of soldering iron and tweezers.
**For PCB Instant Quote and PCBWay assembly service details, go to PCBWay Instant PCB Quote
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Is your PCB good enough? A PCB quality review of PCBWay!
