Technical Assistance
Engineering support for aperture design, defect analysis, and PCB stencil optimisation — from our in-house team with decades of PCB manufacturing experience.
Expert Support at Every Stage
Our team has many years of experience in not only contract manufacturing assembly, but also PC board engineering for production. This depth of knowledge means we can assist with far more than stencil cutting — we understand the full production context of your requirements.
All support adheres to IPC-600 standards. Our in-house engineering department can prepare your data within the hour, enabling genuine same-day service at no extra charge.
What We Can Help With
Aperture Design
Custom aperture geometry including Wendy House, Home-plate, and other variations to optimise paste volume and release for specific component footprints.
Land & Pad Size Verification
Verification of PCB land and pad sizes against component specifications to ensure correct aperture sizing and reliable solder joint formation.
Aspect & Area Ratio Assessment
Assessment of aperture aspect ratios and area ratios to ensure printability and paste release. Critical for fine-pitch components and BGAs.
Paste-in-Hole Designs
Design assistance for paste-in-hole (intrusive reflow) stencil apertures — enabling through-hole and SMT components to be soldered in a single reflow pass.
Defect Troubleshooting
Root cause analysis and remediation advice for common print defects including bridging, solder balling, and tombstoning. Drawing on decades of production experience.
Solder Paste File Generation
Generation of solder paste files from your manufacturing data (Gerber, ODB++, etc.). Data preparation typically completed within the hour.
Common Print Defects We Troubleshoot
Solder Bridging
Paste deposits connecting adjacent pads. Typically caused by oversized apertures, excessive paste deposit, or incorrect aperture reduction.
Solder Balling
Small solder spheres adjacent to component pads after reflow. Often related to aperture design, paste type, or board surface contamination.
Tombstoning
Two-terminal components standing on one end after reflow. Related to paste volume imbalance between the two pads and reflow profile.
Insufficient Paste
Low paste volume leading to weak or open joints. Can result from blocked apertures, wear, or incorrect stencil thickness for the application.
IPC-600 Compliant
All technical assistance and stencil design work adheres to IPC-600 acceptability standards for printed boards, ensuring your assembly processes meet industry-recognised quality criteria.
Need technical assistance with your stencil design?
Contact our engineering team. We can review your data, advise on aperture modifications, and prepare your files — typically within the hour.