What are the reliability tests in the PCBA processing process?

PCBA manufacturing is not just a combination of material procurement on the basis of SMT surface mount processing. Any problem with a single material will affect the overall results of PCBA boards, which requires us to have sufficient material detection capabilities, supplier management capabilities, technical analysis capabilities, and reliability testing capabilities.

Reliability testing is often overlooked by PCBA processing manufacturers, who often believe that as long as the testing of the PCBA board is not problematic, it will be accepted by end customers. Little did they know that many PCBA boards have fatal defects such as short service life and unstable use in terminal products, which are caused by the PCBA factory's failure to strictly implement reliability testing results.

How to conduct reliability testing on PCBA boards?

1. Aging

Place the tested PCBA board with good functionality under specific temperature and humidity conditions, perform repeated on/off, simulate functional operation, load operation, etc., and test the stability of the PCBA board through continuous operation for 24 to 72 hours. Due to the long time required for aging testing, there is no possibility of large-scale batch operations. In the actual process, aging testing only involves sample sampling, and the overall yield of this batch of products is determined by the pass rate of the sampling.

2. Vibration testing

During the delivery process of many PCBA boards to customers, there are often some problems caused by vibration during transportation, such as component detachment, solder pad cracks, etc. Through vibration testing, the vibration effect during transportation can be effectively simulated in the laboratory, gradually exposing hidden dangers during the welding process. So as to minimize batch welding defects and improve the overall yield of delivery. At present, there are professional simulation motion vibration workbenches on the market, and the price is not high. You can purchase one for 5000 yuan.

3. Surge impact test

During the PCBA machining process, there is often a problem of working normally at a voltage, but occasionally experiencing a surge. Many circuit designs are not very perfect, and they often do not consider the fatal impact of instantaneous voltage or current shocks on the entire circuit. This requires us to conduct sampled surge impact experiments before mass production of PCBA.

4. Packaging testing

This test is often overlooked by everyone, resulting in a funny problem: we spent a lot of effort making the PCBA board perfect, but we lost in the final packaging and transportation stage. The factory needs to simulate the packaging form of PCBA boards and conduct appropriate drop tests.

The reliability experiment of PCBA board is not limited to the above items. Each PCBA factory can discuss and determine specific reliability testing plans with customers based on actual situations, with the aim of pursuing higher quality manufacturing.