Anyone who has ever designed a product knows that a last-minute error in the design may be a terrifying experience. PCB repair training in the US is necessary as even well-designed and carefully designed electrical equipment can fail. Several electrical devices come from the prototype stage with several defects and issues for their designers to address. However, an undiscovered fault in a company’s product can be fatal for the business and its customers.
PCB Testing: Overview
There is a broad range of printed circuit board testing procedures that may be used to determine whether a PCB is in compliance with industry standards. It’s not uncommon for PCB standards to focus on making sure a board works effectively and is free of flaws in accordance with a project’s specifications.
To assure the components’ quality, they are thoroughly evaluated. Below, you can find a list of the main components that are tested:
- Lamination
The longevity of a PCB is directly related to the quality of its lamination. Peeling laminate can have a negative impact on a board’s final performance. It is common for laminates to be tested for their resilience to peeling by force or heat.
- Copper plating
The copper foil on a PCB is bonded to the circuit to provide conductivity, but the grade of the copper is frequently checked, with tensile properties studied in detail.
- Solderability
Solderability testing is critical for a working PCB since it guarantees that components are securely connected to the board and eliminates soldering faults in the final product. There are a number of variables that may be taken into consideration, but wetting is the most typical.
- Quality of the hole wall
PCB hole wall quality is another critical component, guaranteeing that the hole walls will not break or delaminate when the PCB is deployed. It is commonly tested in situations where temperatures change rapidly and frequently to determine how effectively a whole wall responds to thermal stress.
- Environment
Many PCBs are used in humid conditions; hence water absorption is a standard test for PCBs. In these sorts of testing, the PCB is weighed prior to and following exposure to a humid environment, and any considerable weight change leads to a failing grade.
- Cleanliness
PCBs must be able to withstand environmental elements like corrosion and humidity in order to be considered clean. Tests involve examining PCBs before and after they’ve been exposed to a variety of different environments.
Why are PCB tests required?
Tests are crucial in the PCB manufacturing process. Testing PCBs at various stages of manufacture can save money and eliminate issues in the final production run. Using early prototype assessment methods can help prevent substantial manufacturing challenges and guarantee that each PCB operates as expected.
Advantages of PCB Testing
- Detection of Bugs
Testing PCBs is the most important advantage of PCB testing. Regardless of the issue, PCB testing help designers detect and correct design flaws in a PCB’s layout and operation.
- Reduction in Costs
By employing prototypes and small-scale assemblies to evaluate the items, PCB testing reduces the wasteful manufacture of defective products. Designers may avoid full-scale assembly of defective PCBs by doing comprehensive testing early in the design phase. This ensures that the design is as perfect as possible before it is put into production.
- Fewer Returned Products
Companies that do PCB testing reduce the risk of supplying defective or substandard products. As a result, fewer returns reduce the expenses of refunding customers and addressing damaged goods. To further increase consumer satisfaction and the brand’s reputation, fewer returned items also reduce costs.
- Enhanced Security
Due to the fact that PCBs are frequently employed in critical electrical technologies, their failure can seriously affect the productivity of a company or an organization’s capacity to provide essential services. Testing before production may help guarantee that machinery and employees are not damaged during production owing to a flawed design.
Types Of PCB Testing
- In-Circuit Test (ICT)
To test and evaluate the performance of individual components, a manufacturer might use the ICT technique. A 3analog circuit’s resistance, capacitance, and other analog values may all be measured using this testing method.
Because of the high expense of the equipment, this method should only be used for the quality check of stable and massive products, not for low-volume processes or early testing phases when the architecture may change numerous times.
- Fixtureless In-Circuit Test (FICT)
An advantage of the FICT over other types of ICTs is that it does not necessitate the purchase of expensive fixtures. Since its inception in 1986, FICT has used a simple fixture to hold the panel in place while test needles move about and test relevant locations on it with a software-controlled algorithm.
Traditional ICT testing and FICT testing are used for the same reasons; however, FICT testing has various advantages and disadvantages owing to its testing methodology. A simple code patch allows FICT to quickly, easily, and affordably adapt to new boards, although the process is more time-consuming than with traditional ICT.
