What is the solder mask of a PCB board?

Soldermask is a protective layer of liquid photo image able lacquer applied on the top and bottom side of a Printed Circuit Board. The function of the Soldermask is to protect the copper, apart from the solder pads, from: Oxidation. Creating shorts during. Soldering (bridges)

Is solder mask necessary?

To us, soldermask protects exposed metal, reduce the chance of shorts and keeps solder where solder needs to be. If you’re hand building your own boards, it may be a viable option, but it can lead to so many other problems down the road, we recommend always having a soldermask. Always.

Why is solder mask green?

Did you know that the vast majority of PCB’s are green? But, why are printed circuit boards green? It is due to the solder mask, which protects the copper circuits printed on the fibre glass core to prevent short circuits, soldering errors, etc. The colour of the solder mask gives the board its appearance.

Is solder mask an insulator?

By definition solder mask is not an insulator. Once the soldering operation is finish the functionality of the solder is complete.

How thick is solder mask on PCB?

The typical solder mask thickness (perpendicular to the board) is at least 0.8 mils. Solder mask will be thinner near the edges of traces and can reach as thin as 0.3 mils or less. In general, you’ll want about 0.5 mils of solder mask over your traces.

What is solder mask clearance?

Solder mask clearance is a tolerance to decide how close the solder mask can be to the PCB surface features. The purpose of this tolerance/clearance is to provide adequate spacing known as solder dams between surface features that receive solder. This prevents the formation of solder bridges.

What is white PCB?

The white PCB solder mask is made with formulations with white pigment content, enabling the white PCB to retain its white color without yellowing. The cleaning is such a challenging task as only when you can get every dust and debris does the white PCB look nice, the traces on the circuit board look out of place.

What is black PCB?

As the name suggests, the black printed circuit board is a black-colored circuit board whose solder mask is black. This mask coating is necessarily the only black material on PCB board, although other materials can also be black.

Is solder mask conformal coating?

Solder Mask is a protective coating applied to the bare printed circuit board. Conformal coating is also a protective coating but it’s applied to the assembled board rather than the unpopulated bare board.) Solder mask is usually green but many other colors are available.

Why green Colour is used in PCB?

But, why are printed circuit boards green? It is due to the solder mask, which protects the copper circuits printed on the fibre glass core to prevent short circuits, soldering errors, etc. The colour of the solder mask gives the board its appearance.