Welding mask, can it’s color influence the performance of the product?

Green, blue, black, red or white. What’s your favorite color?
The most common in printed circuit boards is green and there is no intrinsic reason. Soon after World War II, with the invention of dip solder, there was a radical change in the way of mounting the circuit creating what
we now call  printed circuit board. With this process, the need to protect the terminals to prevent welding from invading the islands generating short circuits. In addition to this, another function for the mask is to shield the conductive elements from damage caused by external agents such as moisture.

Since then, the use of green became conventional, and has been used up to today, being the majority of PCB’s manufactured with this color. The choice of a color different from conventional occurs in situations, such as, when the customer wishes to visually differentiate their boards on the assembly line as the product will have the printed side of the circuit board  exposed and the predominant color just interferes with the exposure of the final product, or even when the intention is only to be different from the default. However, when we talk about projects for LED lighting, the shade of color applied to the surface of the PCB becomes predominant in the functional aspect and not just aesthetic.

White Solder Mask
When the LED emits light, this part falls onto the surface of the PCB. In this case, to reflect part of it, a white solder mask is used. In the LED lighting projects (specified by the customer), Circuibras uses the best available in the market,  a photoimageable ink that has high reflectance ratio, low degree of discoloration when subjected to high temperatures and excellent surface coverage.
If you want to know more, contact us.

engenharia@circuibras.com.br