Since its inception in 1960, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) has become one of the popular PCB assembly technologies. From the late 1980s, this technology has gained momentum in the electronic PCBs assembly. This technology of PCB assembly has made its presence felt in a number of industries including, aerospace, military, and medical industries. Now you must be thinking, what is SMT? What is so special about this technology? What are its applications? This post will focus on answering these 3 Whats, and help you understand the various benefits of implementing surface mount technology in the PCB assembly.
What is Surface Mount Technology?
Surface mount technology is a method used for Printed Circuit board (PCB) assembly. In this technique, components are mounted directly on the surface of a PCB. Components are soldered to the metalized solder pads present on a PCB.
What Makes This Technology So Popular?
SMT is one of the most popular PCB assembly techniques used today. The following benefits make it popular:
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Higher Component Density: Devices made by this technology (Surface mount devices or SMDs) have higher component density, which means that the components are placed close to each other. This helps make the devices more compact and lightweight. In addition to this, higher component density helps reduce the length of signal traces, which in turn reduces stray inductance and capacitance. All this plays a vital role in improving the overall performance characteristics of the circuit.
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Quicker Prototyping: Surface mount technology accelerates the process of setting up an assembly. This technology helps produce prototypes quickly within a span of few days. This eliminates the need for traditional bulky breadboards for prototyping. The prototypes made by SMT look just like finished products.
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Improved Vibration Resistance: In case of vibrations, the components or wires of a circuit board may become loose. This is not the case with the boards manufactured using SMT. This technology makes a circuit board sturdy by increasing its resistance to vibration.
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Component Mounting: SMT makes mounting of components on both top, as well as bottom side possible. This not only reduces the size of the end product but also helps cuts down the cost of manufacturing.
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Cost-effective: All the above-mentioned reasons suggest that the surface mount assembly technology is economical as compared to the other techniques used for assembly purpose. Hence, a considerable amount of production cost can be saved by opting for this technology.
What Applications is this Technology Used In?
The popularity and numerous benefits make SMT ideal for a number of applications.
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Chip Carrier Packages
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Modern Communication Systems
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Power Amplifiers
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Flatpack Packages
All the advantages explained above make it very much clear why SMT is so popular in PCB assembly. Once that you understand the benefits and applications of this technology, it will become easier on your part to decide when to go with surface mount assembly technology. If you still have any queries or want to clarify certain things related to SMT, you can ask the industry experts, such as Creative Hi-Tech. The company has a huge expertise in PCB design and assembly, using SMT.
