Assembly Capabilities

Get your board back quickly, sometimes on the same day, with no minimum order quantities. View our capabilities:

Assembly Recommendations

Keep these tips in mind when designing your board to mitigate PCB assembly costs:

• Use a good PCB layout package.  If you do not have one, try PCB Artist, with free technical support. 
• View your Gerber and Excellon files with a separate viewer, not just the one provided to you by your design package.
• Begin by placing the components that require a specific location first.
• Leave at least 100 mils between components and the PCB edge.
• When you need components on both sides, try to keep sensitive, heavy, or thru-hole components on the primary side of the PCB as well.

SMT Solder paste stencils

Choose a prototype stencil, a frameless foil stencil, or a rigid, permanently mounted stencil. Both the frameless and framed stencils come in various sizes to accommodate your printer and stencil requirements.

	Stencil Type and Tools	Description
	Pick-and-place tool	Handy and convenient for low-quantity prototype assembly using the Prototype Stencils.  Reusable, includes vacuum bulb and vacuum clips with diameters of 3/8", 1/4", and 1/8".
	Prototype stencil	Prototype SMT stencil, 1x board holder, 1x leaded or lead-free solder paste, temperature marker, squeegee, ESK-safe gloves and alcohol wipe. Learn more
	Prototype stencil kit	Prototype SMT stencil (10” x 12” and under), 1x board holder, 1x leaded or lead-free solder paste, temperature marker, squeegee, ESK-safe gloves and alcohol wipe.
	Framed, glue-in, or mounted	Laser-cut stencil for high-volume screen printing, cast or extruded aluminum frame (8” x 10” to 29” x 29”), Permafid™ process, laser-cut processing with gas assist, double-bonded. Learn more
	Frameless for universal frames	Designed to work within interchangeable plate or “universal” systems (8” x 10” to 29” x 29”), Permafid™ process, “Skin Guard” safety features. Learn more
	Frameless hand stencils	Foil or plate-only PCB stencils (8” x 10” to 29” x 29”). Learn more
	Pro-FrameTM	Universal frame with foil, laser-cut stencil (20” x 20” and 29” x 29”), Permafid™ process, “Skin Guard” safety features. Learn more

Prototype stencils

When prototyping dictates fast action with minimal cost, our prototype stencils offer the best solution. Prototype stencils give you a quality stencil and framework so you can handle assembly from the convenience of your own desk.

• Eliminate the registration difficulty of hand printing with a flat piece of metal
• Eliminate printer setup for your short-run PCBs
• Allow quick alignment for easy and fast repeatability
• Save money over full size stencils designed for automated printers
• Squeegee included
• Use the pick-and-place tool for low-quantity prototype assembly (vacuum bulb and vacuum clips with diameters of 3/8", 1/4", and 1/8")

Framed, glue-in, or mounted

Time savings, accuracy and quality control are yours when you use our framed stencils to add solder paste to your printed circuit boards.  Framed stencils are laser-cut stencils designed for high-volume screen printing. With a framed stencil, your stencil is securely mounted to either a cast or extruded aluminum stencil frame using a mesh border. This keeps the stencil foil taut, allowing for complete control when adding solder paste to your PCBs.

Our glue-in stencils are permanently bonded using an exclusive border treatment, which, when combined with our epoxy process, creates a bond so strong it will not fail. Framed stencils include:

• Proprietary Permafid™ process creates permanent non-removable, non-fading fiducials.
• Exclusive performance-enhancing stencil design modifications that are tailored specifically for each customer.
• 100% laser-cut processing with gas assist, ensuring the finest-quality finish available.
• Double bonded for extreme wear.

Available in sizes:

• 8" x 10" (cast aluminum frame)
• 12" x 12" (cast aluminum frame)
• 12" x 17" (cast aluminum frame)
• 15" x 15" (cast aluminum frame)
• 20" x 20" (cast or extruded aluminum depending on printer)
• 23" x 23" (extruded aluminum frame)
• 29 " x 29" (extruded aluminum frame)
• Other (call for custom quote)

Frameless stencils for universal frames (foil/plate only)

Foil or plate-only printed circuit board stencils are designed to work within interchangeable plate or “universal” systems, such as SMT, QTS, Pro Frame, and Zelflex. Also referred to as "reusable," these PCB stencils do not need to be permanently glued into a frame. They require a smaller up-front investment, offer convenient shipping, and provide money-saving storage – all while still delivering superior quality and performance.

• Top-quality laser-cut stencils
• Permafid™ process gives you permanent, non-removable, non-fading fiducials
• Available with Skin Guard™ safety features to protect against sharp plate edges

• 8” x 10”
• 12” x 12”
• 12” x 17”
• 15” x 15”
• 20” x 20”
• 23” x 23”
• 29” x 29”
• Other (call for custom quote)

Frameless hand stencils (foil/plate only)

When you need precise control for smaller productions of printed circuit boards, our foil or plate-only PCB stencils are ideal. These frameless stencils let you handprint the precise amount that you need and can be stored conveniently.

Available in sizes:

• 8" x 10"
• 12" x 12"
• 12" x 17"
• 15" x 15"
• 20" x 20"
• Other (call for custom quote)

Pro-Frame^TM Universal Frame with foil

Our Pro-Frame™ Universal Frame has been a leader in universal frame design. Pro-Frame™ printed circuit board stencils are produced without a frame for use in the ProFrame II™. They offer convenient shipping and provide money-saving storage – all while still delivering superior quality and performance. We also provide stencils for use in other interchangeable (universal) plate systems.

• Top-quality laser cut stencils.
• Permafid™ process gives you permanent, non-removable, non-fading fiducials.
• Available with Skin Guard™safety features to protect against sharp plate edges.

Available in sizes:

• 20” x 20”
• 29” x 29”

Prototype Stencil Walkthrough

1. Example of Prototype stencil as you will receive it.	2. Place the large L-shaped board fixture on a flat surface and tape it down to prevent it from moving.
3. Place the PCB into the L-shaped fixture.	4. Place the small L-shaped board fixture in the diagonal corner and tape it down to prevent it from moving.
5. Align the stencil over the SMT pads and tape the flat edge to the large L-shaped board fixture. Apply solder paste and print.	6. Lift the stencil, remove board, and insert new board. Lower stencil and begin printing.

Assembly FAQs