Everything You Need to Know About Circuit Card Assembly

Printed circuit boards have radically changed how we design and manufacture electronics since their invention, serving as a medium that mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic components. With printed circuit boards, we have been able to downsize devices while simultaneously bolstering their power, making printed circuit boards a staple of electronics. To manufacture printed circuit boards, a process known as circuit card assembly (CCA) is carried out. With this manufacturing technique, raw materials can be transformed into reliable boards for aerospace, military, and consumer markets alike. In this blog, we will discuss circuit card assembly in more detail, allowing you to have a better understanding of how it is carried out.

At their most basic, a circuit card is simply a thin and flat piece of dielectric material that has had various conductive paths etched onto its surface. Each of these paths will lead to electronic components, those of which have been attached to the board through sockets. From the etching of traceways on the substrate to the placement of each individual component, manufacturers will follow the CCA process.

The first step of manufacturing is to develop a circuit card design, and this is generally carried out with the use of computer-aided design (CAD) software. After this step, the design is sent to a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system which then creates the various instructions and tooling paths needed to assemble the board. Once both of these steps have been completed, the substrate can have the various needed patterns and traces etched onto its surface through a photochemical process. With the traces established, all electronic components may be situated on the board before being soldered to secure them. The final step after the placement of components is a cleaning and quality inspection, the finalized printed circuit board being ready for use if it passes.

When compared to other circuit card manufacturing processes, there are certain benefits that CCA provides that makes it the best technique to follow. For example, CCA permits more complex designs to be created, due to the fact that electronic components will not need to have a hole drilled for connection. Additionally, the entire process of CCA is much quicker than various alternatives, and a single machine is needed from start to finish. This also saves time as there is no need to shuffle the product between systems during the manufacturing process. As cost is always a concern, it is good to know that CCA is quite cost-effective as a result of time savings.

Despite these various advantages, there are some disadvantages to be aware of as well. For instance, cards produced with the CCA method may be more difficult to repair because of their complexity. Additionally, replicating a design may also be hard as they are generated with computer software. As a last downside, CCA is not the best for mass production. Nevertheless, CCA still finds countless uses in various industries, making it a potentially beneficial process to use for your needs.

If you are interested in conducting circuit card assembly and are looking for various tools, devices, and materials to carry out your operations, we are your sourcing solution here at Just NSN Parts. Owned and operated by ASAP Semiconductor, we present customers access to over 2 billion new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find parts that trace back to top global manufacturers. We are fully dedicated to the quality of our services and parts, proudly operating with AS9120B, ISO 9001:2015, and FAA AC 00-56B accreditation. If you find particular items of interest on our website, we encourage you to take advantage of our online RFQ forms for the means of requesting quotes for your comparisons. Once we receive and review your form, a dedicated account manager will personally connect with you to continue the purchasing process!