Over the past few years, the electronic industry has witnessed a steady rise, owing to the increasing use of electronics in various facets of human life. As demand for the advanced and miniature products grows, so does the printed circuit board (PCB) industry. Today, PCBs are getting smaller than before. Owing to their small surfaces it is challenging to mount various components on a circuit board. To ease this, manufacturers are using two techniques to mount electrical components onto the circuit board. Plated Through-hole Technology (PTH) and Surface Mount Technology (SMT) are these techniques. PTH is one of the most commonly used techniques used to mount electrical components, including microchips, capacitors, and resistors to the circuit board. In through-hole assembly, the leads are threaded through pre-drilled holes to make a crisscross pattern on the other side. Would you like to know more about the benefits of using plated-through hole assembly in the circuit board designing? Read the post to know about this and other information on these circuit boards.
An Overview on Through-Hole Components
PTH components are known as “through-hole” because the leads are inserted through a copper-plated hole in the circuit board. These components possess two types of leads: axial and radial.
- Axial Lead Components (ALC): These components may feature a lead or multiple leads. The lead wires are made to exit from one end of the component. During the plated through-hole assembly, both ends are placed through separate holes on the circuit board. Thus, components are closely placed to the circuit board. Electrolytic capacitors, fuses, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and carbon resistors are a few examples of axial components. These components are preferred when manufacturers are looking for a compact fit.
- Radial Lead Components (RLC): The leads of these components protrude out of their body. Radial leads are mostly used for high-density boards, as they occupy less space on the circuit boards. Ceramic disk capacitors are one of the important types of radial lead components.
4 Reasons to Use Plated Through-Hole Assembly during the PCB Fabrication
Through-hole technology offers various advantages, which has contributed to its popularity among electronics manufacturers.
- Simple and Easy Prototyping: The plated through-hole technique enables faster prototyping than SMT. The pin through-hole components can be soldered onto the board by hand soldering or wave soldering. Additionally, you can breadboard a circuit board design even before you make the board.
- Excellent Physical Connections: PTH helps create strong mechanical bonds between the components and the circuit board. This technique is employed for mounting components such as connectors, transformers, capacitors and semi-conductors that has to withstand mechanical stress, high power, and high voltages.
- High Power Tolerances: A through-hole assembly can easily meet high power requirements. The through-hole components run along with the circuit board, and they can easily withstand mechanical, as well as environmental stress. This is why through-hole assemblies are widely used in aerospace and military electronic products, which need to withstand high temperatures and regular accelerations.
- Component Durability: As known, through-hole mounting helps build strong physical bonds between components. These components are firmly soldered on both sides of the board, which helps improve their durability.
All the mentioned-points helps understand the popularity of plated through-hole assembly. You must get PCB assemblies from a trusted manufacturer who understands your requirements and provides you an apt solution. Accelerated Assemblies has a vast experience in designing, as well as building PCB assemblies for diverse industrial electronics applications.
