PCB SMT is a new technology that is implemented almost everywhere. Its counterpart is through-hole technology. One of its benefits is that the components involved here are small. The other plus point is that they can be mounted on either side of the PCB. There are two ways in which PCB SMT provides benefits. These are in terms of design and manufacturing. Both are explained below.
PCB SMT Design Benefit
One of the remarkable plus points is a significant reduction in weight due to using surface mount technology. Other than savings in real estate, noise reduction is another benefit in design. The surface mount technology has its component weighing one-tenth of the former technology components through through-hole technology.
The area improvement is also made possible when it comes in terms of surface mount technology. Its components usually take much less area, nearly one-third as compared to through-hole technology components. It is worth mentioning that each type of surface mount technology provides unique benefits.
Shock and vibration resistance enhancement comes as a result of using surface mount technology. They have added benefits to this modern technology. The reduction in mass of components also leads to the effective reduction in parasitic capacitance.
Manufacturing Benefit
The design benefits are one of the types. Manufacturing benefits are another type of advantage that surface mount technology provides. Some of these benefits include a reduction in inboard and material handling costs. This technology also leads to a controlled manufacturing process. By utilizing this technology, we have routing of traces which leads to fewer drilled holes. Naturally, a smaller board with more secondary drilled holes will be of lower cost.
The added plus point is the reduction in the number of layer counts of PCB. However, this advantage is dependent on several factors. If the functions on the surface mountboard are not increased, the inter-package spacing is increased due to smaller components, which is the cause of the decrease in layer counts. It adds to the reduction of board costs.
The benefits mentioned above do not always indicate that surface mount technology will always be of low cost. Exceptions may occur depending on how and when SMT is used.
