The Important Stages of Circuit Card Assembly Production

Posted on August 8, 2022 Henry Fayol IT Hardware

When discussing IT hardware and electronics, a circuit card assembly (CCA) is an apparatus that comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) with various components already attached. Circuit card assemblies are found in many applications, supporting the operations of smartphones, cars, and countless other systems that we commonly rely on in the modern age. While a circuit card assembly is quite advanced, it remains very compact for the benefit of downsizing assemblies. In this blog, we will discuss the manufacturing process of circuit card assemblies, allowing you to better understand how such technology is produced.

One of the most important things to understand in the circuit card assembly process is that the assembly of a PCB is different from fabricating one. The fabrication process is the first step of production, beginning with circuit board design before production and testing is carried out. Bare circuit boards will first begin as a sheet of insulating material with a laminated copper foil layer, devoid of any electronic components. Once this assembly is established, the production stage can move onto circuit card assembly where the various capacitors, transistors, inductors, and resistors are added to the bare circuit board through soldering. To do this, Through Hole Technology (THT), Ball Grid Array (BGA) or Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is used for all placement and soldering.

When a CCA is designed with mass production in mind, SMT is the best option for assembly as it utilizes an automated machine to place and solder components on both sides of the circuit board to bolster the compactness of such devices. With THT, the leads or wires of components will be run through drilled holes on the circuit board, and a wave soldering machine or hand-held tools may then be used to solder them to the other side of the assembly. Ball grid array can be considered a type of surface-mount packaging, that is primarily practiced for integrated circuits and microprocessors. BGA processes are best for CPUs and mobile phone PCBs with its ability to make highly compact assemblies.

 Soldering is the most important element of circuit card assembly, and it must be carefully done to prevent the malfunctioning or failure of various attached components. After solder paste is added and melted into joints, the board will need to be inspected by Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) machines to ensure that all joints have been established correctly. When mass production is a need, wave soldering may be beneficial as its related technology can ensure that soldering is only placed where required on both sides of the board. When errors are detected as a result of poor quality joints, the board can always be fixed with manual soldering. Manual soldering may also be the primary choice if it is a prototype board or just a small production run, as automated machines can be very expensive. Additionally, manual soldering allows for more complex and intricate work to be carried out.

If you are interested in circuit card assemblies, printed circuit boards, or the various technologies needed to produce and assemble them, we have you covered here on ASAP Parts Services. As a premier distribution platform, we present over 2 billion items that cater to a diverse set of applications related to aviation, defense, IT hardware, industrial processes, and much more. All of our listings on our database can be purchased at any time, and we encourage you to fill out and submit an RFQ form for the means of requesting a quote for your comparisons. Within 15 minutes of receiving a completed form, a team member will reach out with a competitive quote for your comparisons. As our team is available for customers around the clock, you can always give us a call or email, and we would be more than happy to assist you however we can! See why countless customers choose to rely on ASAP Parts Services for their needs when you begin the purchasing process with us today.       

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