Sure, you might be able to solder the 14-pin SOIC, or maybe even the TQFP, with a good soldering iron. But how long does it take, and what do you do when your packages have no leads or thermal pads on the bottom?
You have your sample components, and your new PCB just arrived. Now you face the hard part: assembling your board. Even with good eyes and a good soldering iron, it quickly gets tedious. But there is a better way:
- Order a prototype stencil from www.pololu.com
- Use the stencil to spread solder paste onto your PCB. The apertures in the stencil ensure that the solder paste is only applied where you want it.
- Place the components on your board.
- Reflow the solder using hot air or an oven.
or call 1-877-776-5658 for details
If you build your own electronics designs, whether you are designing something small or you need to use a part that is only available in a tiny package, sooner or later, you'll find yourself looking at a component like one of those pictured above. How are you going to solder them onto your PCB? With Pololu laser-cut mylar SMT stencils, of course! Now, you can solder your components the way they are designed to be soldered: with reflowed solder paste.
Using the stencil, you deposit solder paste (a mix of microscopic solder balls and flux) onto all of your pads with one swipe of a squeegee. Next, place all of your components on your board. You do not even have to get it perfect, as the surface tension of the molten solder will pull your components into alignment (if you designed your footprints correctly!). Next, heat the board until the solder paste melts (reflows) using a heat gun, a toaster, or an oven. Since you never directly contact a component with a hot soldering iron tip, there is less chance of damage to the component.
There is nothing new about stencil printing solder paste—except our price! Paying hundreds of dollars for a stainless steel stencil can be hard to justify for a prototype, but you can now get similar results for a tenth of the price. Our $25 minimum for 4 square inches is enough for a small board or a few surface-mount components on a larger board with through-hole components (i.e. we charge by the area we cut, not the area of your finished board). Even for larger-pitch packages, the time saved and improved results make the stencils a good choice for boards with more than a hundred or so pads.
Learn more about Pololu laser-cut mylar SMT stencils
