PCBA Warpage

PCB assembly warpage has become more of an issue over the last few years. Due to thicker boards and thinner components, the board level warpage can cause manufacturing issues and component failure if these problems are not addressed during the design stage.

A key challenge is that the distribution of copper inside PCB’s are becoming less uniform. This causes PCBA to warp in unexpected ways. Simulation is key to addressing these issues early to increase yield and ensure production deadlines.

Solder reflow

During solder reflow, the PCB is exposed to very high temperatures. Due to the non-uniform distribution of copper traces inside the PCB, the warpage shape can be unexpected. This has lead to poor solder connections and even component damage.

Use simulation to check and ensure the PCB warpage is within spec.

trace mapping

Trace mapping is a technique for mapping the copper content of each location of the PCB onto a coarse mesh. This gives engineers the flexibility to use the right resolution to get a sufficiently accurate answer.

This is a key technology that makes PCB warpage prediction possible.