What Is The Surface Mount Vs Through Hole Difference
What Is The Surface Mount Vs Through Hole Difference
What Is The Surface Mount Vs Through Hole Difference
Both surface mount and through hole are the popular technological
This article highlights the differences that exist between the surface
Table of Contents
circuit boards.
These processes also define the relevant steps or approaches that must
When choosing one process over the other, you must consider the time
are soldered onto the bare PCB by way of hand soldering or wave
soldering.
(THT).
Circuit boards built with the SMT process are usually simplified, due to the
It is expected that since the debut of SMT in the 1980s, the use of Through
Hole Technology (THT) must have faded away. However, that doesn’t
But why is the thru-hole process technology still relevant till this day? Here
(SMDs).
hole-paths.
Whether you opt for the SMT or THT processes, you need to be sure of
different. If you are looking for a straightforward pattern, then the SMT
process is better. It is mostly automated, offering you the speed and less
time spent in assembling the circuit board. But if you want varieties, go for
the THT process that offers both the manual and automated assembly
processes.
Likewise, the soldering process for SMT circuit boards are automated,
Board Size
It is therefore imperative to choose the process technology that can fit the
to the Thru-Hole boards. In this regard, you can be sure of maximizing the
available space to fit-in the components. The same is not the case with the
larger THT footprint that takes up more space and could add to the buck
the board, unlike the rarity of the same in the THT circuit boards.
the PCB through-hole vs surface mount. While the THT boards can meet
are as high as 170C Tg. This is the reason why the Surface-Mounted circuit
The SMDs have more parts than the THT circuit boards. The list of SMT
On the other hand, the list of THT components includes lead capacitors,
The Cost-Factor
The SMT boards benefit the most when working on a budget. A couple of
producing the SMD circuit boards. That way, you spend less
amounts of money paying for the extra time it could have taken.
On the other hand, using the Through-Hole Technology (THT) does not
solder stencil.
In this case, you don’t need to spend more money getting a new stencil for
You may also be able to save costs with the THT process technology in the
following ways:
surface metallization and can help step-up your design process with
In-Circuit Testing: you also get to save money when leveraging the
and manual testing process, there are costs saved up from the
board.
less costly, there are cases where that might not be so.
Here are some instances where the costs of assembling such boards
add-up quickly:
Expensive Machinery
Due to the automated process, more expenses are underway because the
To balance the two, the SMT circuit boards tend to become less expensive
The environment where the circuit boards are used also differentiate
them. While the SMT PCBs may fall when used in high-stress areas, the
If you are to go for the thru-hole process technology, here are some valid
reasons to do so:
ideal for use in higher operating environments. This is because they form
Other reasons why these boards are ideal for the higher operating
environments are:
components that run through the holes drilled on the board. This
way, they help in forming a solid connection that helps such boards
the other is one good reason for using it. This is the reason why
they make a good fit for the environments that require both
Larger Size
While the large size of the THT boards could translate to additional weight,
it does have some advantages. For example, the larger size is a motivating
factor for the application of these boards for use in the high-power
applications.
There are two major types of components or parts used with the
Through-Hole Technology (THT). These are the radial lead and axial lead
components.
These components have the leads coming out from the component’s body.
The radial lead parts also have an ideal use case in the densely-packed
PCBs – and this is because of the limited space they take up.
In addition to taking up more spaces, the axial lead components have the
attributes include:
The exit of the lead wire from the component on either end.
The wires are attached to the front and back of the component.
When the board is ready for the Through-Hole Assembly (THA); the
two ends of the lead wire are placed through two separate holes
You will notice some of the following issues when using the through-hole
The length of the routing spaces is limited, no thanks to the drilling of the
With the support for a manualized approach, the design of THT boards
For the increased time consumption, we are looking at factors like the
Drilling or making holes on the circuit board’s surface takes a lot of time. It
is also one major reason why the costs for THT circuit boards add-up
quickly.
couple of benefits. In this section, you will learn about the upsides and
downsides.
Here are some clear benefits of using the Surface Mount Technology (SMT)
Dual-Sided Designs
You can manufacture dual-sided circuit boards, thanks to the SMT process.
board package.
Smaller Sizes
The real estate or footprint for the SMDs are smaller and this doesn’t
The smaller footprint also comes in handy for keeping the overall weight
Affordability
Thanks to the zero-need for hole-drilling, SMDs now cost less than the
You can rely on the performance of the SMT-based PCBs. This is due to
different reasons, most especially, the faster lead time and the passing of
Take the time to evaluate the options before deciding if the SMDs are an
ideal option for your PCB. Here are some of the potential downsides:
Increased Precision
(SMT). This is not unrelated to the fact that this process technology often
has an increased complexity of the buried and blind vias used for the
routing.
You are better off working with the THT process than the SMT process –
Through Hole?
two to get the best of both worlds. Whatever your decision is, rest assured
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