Differences Between SMT and Through-Hole Technology

SMD, THD, THT, SMT, THM, SOIC, QFN, the electronics nomenclature can be unnecessarily confusing for the budding electronics hobbyist. But the terminology and technology are a lot simpler than it may first seem. In this article, we will briefly introduce these methods and cover when and why they are used. SM stands for Surface Mount and TH stands for Through-Hole, which refers to two different methods of mounting components onto a printed circuit board. The T, D, M, C or A that follows the SM or TH simply stand for Technology, Device, Mounting, Components or Assembly respectively, and they tend to be used quite loosely. For example, an SMD is made using SMT, since it uses SMC in SMA processes. A board which utilizes both SM and TH components is referred to as a mixed device.

What is Through-Hole Technology?

THT is the abbreviation of Through-Hole Technology, which means that the pins of the relevant electronic components are inserted into the preset through holes of the PCB. Since the pin diameter and pitch can not be too fine, the diameter of the through hole on the printed circuit board, the pitch and even the wiring can not be too fine, making it difficult to achieve high-density packaging.
Through-Hole Technology can be divided into three types: the package with pins at one end (Single ended), the package with pins at both ends (Double ended) and the pin grid array package (Pin Grid Array).
By the way, Through-Hole Technology’s soldering method is mainly wave soldering.

What is SMT?

SMT stands for Surface Mount Technology, the entire technology of mounting and soldering electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, transistors, integrated circuits, onto a printed circuit board or PCB. It should be noted that SMT does not need to reserve corresponding through holes for component pins, and SMD is much smaller than through-hole insertion technology.

Features of SMT:

• Components have no leads or only short leads.
• The main body of the component and the solder joint are on the same side of the PCB.

Typical Surface Mount Assembly Process

• Firstly , a PCB stencil is aligned on the surface of the boards and solder paste is applied using a squeegee to ensure the pads are coated with a uniform and controlled amount of solder paste.
• Secondly, via a pick and place machine or hand placement, the components are mounted onto the boards in their respective locations. The wet solder paste will act as a temporary adhesive but it is still important to ensure that the boards are moved gently to prevent misalignment.
• Thirdly, the boards are passed through a reflow oven which subjects the boards to infrared radiation, melting the solder paste and forming solder joints. The boards then move onto post assembly checks and tests.

Advantages of THT

A board assembled with TH components, is very rugged as a result of the large solder joints that extend throughout the width of the board itself. This property is desirable in military or industrial applications that may exert the device to strong impacts and vibrations. Cost is another key consideration to bear in mind.

Disadvantages of THT

Initially, all electronic components were through-hole mounted. Through-hole components have metal leads, and these leads are fed through-plated holes in the circuit board. The ends of the leads are then soldered onto pads on the opposite side or solder side. The drill holes and their pads that make up plated through holes can take up valuable real estate on the surface of the PCB, more so in multilayer boards, since the drill holes take up space in all layers. The increasing space limitations gave rise to Surface mount technology, and with it, a new era of more compact and portable electronic devices.

Advantages of SMT

Surface mount components may or may not have leads, but most importantly, they are designed to be soldered onto the surface of the boards directly on the same side as the component body. Thus, both sides of the boards can be easily utilized for mounting, and there is no need for plated drill holes. For the purpose of connecting traces in the circuit layers, one may use vias instead, which are structurally the same as plated through-holes but much smaller. They can even be designed to only connect, and take up space, in specific layers. Therefore, the absence of plated through-holes itself can surmount to significant space savings in SMD devices. In addition, the size and footprint of SM components can be miniaturized compared to their TH counterparts. The leads may be eliminated completely in favor of contact terminals on the ends of the component body. As a result, many components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors and even LEDs can now be found in SMD packages down to the size of a grain of sand (0201/0603 package).

Disadvantages of SMT

However, miniaturization impacts the reliability of SMD devices. Due to complications with soldering and the extra precision required in producing such boards, an SMD assembly line will typically have a large number of defects, and these can be difficult to repair. The final boards will also be delicate and must be handled with extra care. SM components are typically cheaper than TH components, but the SMA process is much more cumbersome than THA for small quantities.

When to go for Surface Mount and Through-Hole technology?

Surface Mount assembly requires some large and highly advanced equipment and materials such as pick and place machines, reflow ovens, and of course, a custom stencil. Through-hole assembly requires some solder, a soldering iron and a pair of sturdy hands.

Although hand soldering a few SM components is possible with a few tools, it can be a fidgety process, especially if you are handling many components that are barely visible to the naked eye. Therefore, it makes sense to use SMT in large-scale productions that have a high degree of automation and speed and to reserve THT for small-scale projects and prototypes that may require manual adjustments.

From a hobbyists perspective, one will most definitely have begun with through-hole components when learning the ropes. And the move to SMT may seem daunting or may not even be necessary. The real advantages of SMT lie in making smaller, more compact devices possible and enabling mass productions to be almost entirely automated. But for small scales production and home projects it can be difficult to realize the cost and speed benefits of SMT. So it is best to stick with the through hole boards while learning the ropes.

Summary

SMT’s primary advantage is the huge component density and volume reduction that can be achieved using SMT components. The strive for smaller, more compact devices has pushed component form factors to their limits, and in the modern age of electronics, THT has been rendered “unfashionable.” But despite early predictions of its demise, through-hole technology and components are still valuable, and in the long term, it seems it is here to stay.

Seeed Studio Fusion is fully capable of providing low volume and high quality through-hole PCB assembly as well as SMT assembly services at an affordable price. Get an instant online quotation now.

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