Technology in our world is becoming more inundated in everyday life. New electronic products are being developed, and older technologies are being improved. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are an integral part of these products. Technologies are becoming increasingly complex and dense in smaller footprints. This can lead to manufacturability problems due to a poorly designed board.
In general, the most frequent causes of failure in a PCB include:
Component Failure
Components can fail for a variety of reasons. Here are some reasons why poor PCB design practices can cause the failure:
- Incorrect component footprints
- Parts are placed too close to each other, causing solder bridging
- Not correctly using thermal relief makes it challenging to solder parts
- Putting heat-generating parts at the edge causes a buildup of heat
- Not orienting SMD parallel to the direction of wave soldering causes shorts or open connections
Routing Failures
Poorly routed traces can also cause failures. Here are some reasons why:
- Incorrect trace widths create heat buildup
- Traces too close to others with an unintentional connection
- Right angle traces with the outer edge too narrow or not fully etched, leading to shorts
- Inefficient routing strategies result in connection and compliance issues
Avoiding PCB Failure
An easy way to avoid these failures after PCB manufacturing is to incorporate design for manufacturability from the beginning of the process. Considerations need to be made in the design specification, the schematic design, the creation of PCB footprints, and the PCB layout. This requires that the engineers and designers know how PCBs are fabricated and assembled. They can then use that knowledge to optimize designs for manufacturing. This process can eliminate or reduce the chances of failures occurring, decreasing cost and improving time to market. 911EDA PCB designers have all trained extensively on these types of considerations.
Fixing PCB Failures
911EDA can also help to fix the causes of PCB failures. We can test the boards to find the source. We can also review the design to see what is causing the failure. Once we determine the problem, our engineers and designers can make the necessary changes so your board will function as expected.
If you are facing issues such as these, tell us about your PCB failures, and we will contact you to discuss them.
