The Necessary Steel Mesh Production Process for SMT Patch

Basically, the classification of SMT patch stencils is divided into three categories according to the production and processing methods, that is chemical etching process, laser cutting process, electroforming and other processes.

These are the differences in production methods, but the preliminary steps are basically the same. For example, customers provide ready-made PCB circuit boards, which are scanned and drawn into production files; or they are directly provided with drawings (ie, PCB design files or Gerber files, etc. The electronic file that can be processed by computer) is sent to the smt steel mesh manufacturer, and then the engineering department of the smt steel mesh manufacturer carries out the design processing before production, makes the finished product file suitable for final processing, and then takes it to the production department for production.

With the development of smt stencils, more than 95% of stencils in the SMT patch processing industry are now made by laser cutting. Next, let’s briefly introduce the three production methods and advantages and disadvantages of smt steel mesh:

1. Chemical Etching:
Apply a layer of acid-proof glue on the steel plate to remove the glue where the opening is required to expose the steel plate, and corrode the steel plate with acid to form an opening. The use of this steel plate is not very good.

2. Laser cutting:

It is very simple to use laser to directly punch holes where openings are needed. This kind of steel plate is used the most and the price is relatively cheap.

3. Electroforming:
This kind of steel plate is based on laser engraving, and the inner wall and opening chamfer are electroformed at the opening, so that the inner wall of the opening is very smooth, which is conducive to tinning. This kind of steel plate is very expensive and not used much. Unless there are special requirements for the process, it is generally not used.

If you need SMT patch stencil, it is best to purchase SMT stencil according to your actual situation. If the opening is very simple and you do not need to paste very precise components (including 0.5MM and below IC, 0201CHIP material, etc.), then the way of chemical etching can fully meet your needs.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of laser stencils compared with other ordinary stencils?

Advantages:
Compared to etched stencils and electroformed stencils. Laser SMT steel mesh is simple to make, fast, high precision, easy to use, and affordable. The quality of the laser steel mesh after electropolishing is better and the effect is better. At present, most of the SMT patch processing on the market will use laser stencils.

Disadvantages:
The thickness is single, it cannot be used as a stepped steel mesh, and the processing of irregularly shaped openings for rounded chamfers is not perfect.