Case Studies

Background:

During a Design for Manufacturing (DFM) review of a new PCB assembly provided by the customer, our process engineering team identified an issue where silkscreen reference designators and labels were overlapping with several solder pads.

Challenge:

Silkscreen printed over solder pads can cause a number of manufacturing issues, including:

• Poor solder joint formation due to ink residue.
• Interference with automatic solder paste printing.
• Increased risk of solder ball formation or cold solder joints.
• Inconsistent visual inspection and AOI detection.

Our Approach:

We immediately flagged the issue and shared annotated feedback with the customer, showing specific areas where the silkscreen needed to be cleared from the component pads.

Our engineering team:

• Provided IPC-compliant guidelines for silkscreen clearance from pads.
• Suggested optimal repositioning of silkscreen text without compromising legibility.

Solution & Outcome:

The customer revised the PCB layout by removing and relocating all overlapping silkscreen markings. After implementation:

• Solder paste printing was clean and accurate.
• Assembly yield improved with consistent solder joint formation.
• AOI programming and visual inspection became easier and more reliable.

Conclusion:

This case demonstrates the critical role of DFM analysis in identifying design issues that may not be immediately apparent. Our proactive guidance helped the customer avoid production delays, minimize rework, and ensure high-quality PCB assembly.