What is SMT Assembly?

SMT, which stands for Surface Mount Technology, is a method of directly mounting electronic components onto the surface of a PCB. This method is commonly used for installing Surface Mount Devices (SMDs), which have smaller pins or are pinless in structure. Compared to traditional through-hole technology, SMT provides higher levels of automated manufacturing capabilities, reduces costs, and improves quality. Additionally, SMT allows for the installation of more components on a limited PCB board area. Through-hole technology is typically used for components such as large transformers and high-power heat-dissipating semiconductors that are not suitable for surface mounting. SMT components have smaller leads or no leads at all, and common structures include short pins or leads, flat contacts, and Ball Grid Arrays (BGAs).

PCBWay SMT Assembly Capability Overview

We have the capabilities to assemble SMT prototype PCBs in small production runs with manual and/or automated SMT production processes, including single- or double-sided component insertions. Our production facilities can assemble the following SMT types:

Ball Grid Array (BGA)

Ultra-Fine Ball Grid Array (uBGA)

Quad Flat Pack No-Lead (QFN)

Quad Flat Package (QFP)

Small Outline Integrated Circuit (SOIC)

Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC)

Package-On-Package (PoP)

Small Chip Packages (0.2mm pitch )

Main SMT Machines in PCBWay

Automatic Solder Paste Printer

Reflow Soldering Machine

Pick & Place Machine

Inspection equipment (3D SPI machine, online AOI machine, offline AOI machine, X-Ray machine)

SMT Manufacturing Process

SMT Process Flow Chart

Let's now take a video tour to get an overview of the entire SMT line at PCBWay!