Printed Circuit Board Assembly

PWB assembly is the placement of electronic components on a bare PWB. Components may be inserted through holes in the board and soldered, mounted on the surface of the board with solder paste or mechanically attached. The placement of components may be completely automated, done by hand or a combination of both. Processes include screening of solder paste (for surface mount components), placement/insertion of components, fluxing, reflow, solder wave and cleaning.

To implement the Printed circuit board (PCB) assembly sector project, NCMS has partnered with IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC). IPC is a United States-based trade association dedicated to furthering the competitive excellence and financial success of its members worldwide, who are participants in the electronic interconnect industry.

IPC has conducted environmental surveys of the printed circuit board manufacturing sector for approximately eight years. In 2004, these efforts were expanded to include PCB assembly facilities. In 2005, NCMS assisted IPC with the assembly industry survey process, including revising the survey form and expanding the data analysis process. This joint effort will be repeated in 2006. A copy of the new survey form can be downloaded below. Also, a sampling of the 2005 survey results can be accessed below.

More Information:
Download PCB Assembly Industry Benchmarking Survey.
Access results from 2005 benchmarking survey.
Access results from 2006 benchmarking survey.