Circuit board Labels，Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are at the heart of most electronic products, including computers, printers, home entertainment devices, “smart” kitchen appliances and mobile phones.
Labeling PCBs
To ensure long-term traceability of printed circuit board information, most boards are barcoded to convey the following information:
- Board manufacturing date
- Component batch number
- Test data
However, poorly printed or damaged board labels can affect production process monitoring, logistics and the use of printed circuit boards (PCBs) in end products.
Clarity and durability of this information are central to selecting a printing solution.
Many individual board components, such as capacitors, resistors and transistors, also need to be marked or labeled with similar information. Even the smallest labels and markings must be scannable and able to withstand the heat and harsh chemicals generated when using hot solder, corrosive flux and acid cleaners.
circuit board labels are an important tool for identifying and managing circuit boards, often containing critical information for easy identification, tracking and maintenance. The following is a detailed description of circuit board labels:
Common content of circuit board labels
Model/Part Number: Unique model identification of the circuit board.
Revision: Version information of the circuit board, which is convenient for distinguishing design changes.
Serial Number: Unique serial number of each circuit board for tracking.
Date Code: Indicates the date of production or batch.
Manufacturer information: Manufacturer name or Logo.
Certification mark: Such as RoHS, CE, UL and other compliance certification marks.
Barcode/QR code: Easy to scan and digitally manage.
Requirements for making circuit board labels
Durability: The label material must be resistant to high temperature, corrosion and wear to adapt to the use environment of the circuit board.
Clarity: Text, barcode and other content must be clear and readable.
Viscosity: The label backing must be firm to ensure that it does not fall off during the use of the circuit board.
Size: The label size is reasonably designed according to the size and space of the circuit board.
Common types of circuit board labels
Paper labels: low cost, suitable for ordinary environments.
Polyester film labels: High temperature and corrosion resistance, suitable for industrial environments.
Laser engraved labels: Engrave information directly on the circuit board, high permanence.
QR code labels: Facilitate digital management and tracking.
Application scenarios of circuit board labels
Production links: Used to identify production batches, test results, etc.
Warehouse management: Facilitate inventory management and warehousing operations.
Repair and maintenance: Help technicians quickly identify circuit board information.
Customer delivery: Provide complete product information as part of the product.
Why use thermal transfer technology in this application?
Thermal transfer printing technology for printed circuit boards
Thermal transfer technology is the most reliable when it comes to printing uniform information on circuit board labels.
The print head has high fidelity and can print various types of barcodes (vertical, horizontal, data matrix, 2D, etc.), alphanumeric characters and logos very accurately, even on very small labels. The combination of Almo-Emcode’s resin inks (AXR® series products) and synthetic labels (polyester, nylon, polypropylene or polyimide) can provide the best solution in terms of print quality and heat, abrasion and solvent resistance.
The heat-resistant circuit board label is an opaque polyimide label with an anti-static permanent acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive and a white glossy surface coating suitable for thermal transfer printing. It is designed for character or barcode marking on printed circuit boards or related electronic parts that require static reduction. The heat-resistant circuit board label is an ideal material that can withstand the corrosion of various solders, fluxes and cleaning agents faced by various circuit board production processes.
In addition, the ultra-thin (1mil) performance of this material can be more conveniently used in places where ultra-thin label materials are required, such as: circuit boards of smart phones, computers and other electronic products that pursue a thinner and more delicate appearance, solder reel screen printing and circuit board stacking and loading.
High temperature resistant labels can prevent static electricity within the range specified in Table 1 of ANSI/ESD S 20.20 (104~1011 ohms/sq). It also meets the provisions of the “Standard for Packaging Materials of ESD Sensitive Objects” that “the charge of the material must decay to 1% within 2 seconds after the initial charge.”
Anti-static labels made of polyimide also have high temperature resistance and can be applied to the top or bottom of the SMT process or the top or bottom of the perforated technology.
Do you understand the challenges that high temperature resistant circuit board labels have to go through in the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards?
Soldering technology plays an extremely important role in the assembly of electronic products. Generally, welding is divided into two categories: one is mainly suitable for the welding of through-hole electronic components and printed circuit boards – wave soldering; the other is mainly suitable for the welding of surface mount components and printed circuit boards – reflow soldering, also known as reflow soldering. Before choosing the right product, it is very important to understand the harsh environment that high temperature resistant circuit board labels need to withstand in these processes.
Before the printed circuit board (PCB) enters the preheating stage, the pads are coated with a solder paste made of a powdered solder alloy mixed with liquid flux to help the electronic components attach to the board. The board then enters a preheating cycle with a maximum temperature of 150°C (some applications may have a heat soak stage to help drive out volatile materials and activate the flux).
The PCB is then heated to the melting point of the solder, which permanently bonds the component joints. During this process, the PCB is exposed to peak temperatures of around 230-260°C (some manufacturers have transitioned to using tin/copper solder, which is more cost-effective than silver-containing lead-free solder paste, but the required exposure peak temperature can reach up to 280°C), and after cooling back to room temperature, the PCB undergoes a cleaning process using aggressive chemical rinses. In extreme applications, the entire process may be repeated many times, so the label needs to be extremely durable.
High-temperature and high-pressure water-resistant label solutions
The future development trend of the PCB assembly industry is to adopt more stringent cleaning processes to accommodate smaller circuit board designs and tighter component layouts, while also complying with increasingly urgent environmental demands.
This type of cleaning tends to take longer, have higher chemical pH values, and use a high-performance drying process. Therefore, the labels need to be more durable than ever before. Four new series of high-temperature label materials are available to cope with advanced PCB cleaning methods.
Product Features
- Ultra-durable polyimide labels tailored for the PCB manufacturing industry
- Outstanding high temperature performance (260°C for 5 minutes; 300°C for 80 seconds with no noticeable change in appearance)
- Withstands high pressure spray water washing
- Withstands harsh soldering and wave soldering environments
- Tested with Zestron and Kyzen universal cleaning chemicals
- RoHS, Reach, Halogen-free, UL969 certified
- Customizable sizes
Circuit board labels (PCB labels) have multiple uses in the production, assembly, testing and maintenance of circuit boards, mainly including the following aspects:
- Identification and tracking
Product identification: Circuit board labels usually contain information such as product model, version, serial number and production date. This information helps to identify specific circuit boards during the production process, quality control and after-sales service.
Batch traceability: The production batch number or serial number can be printed on the label to ensure that the circuit board can be traced back to a specific production batch, making it easy to quickly find the source of the problem when quality problems occur. - Quality Control
Test result identification: Many circuit board labels will indicate the results of quality inspections, such as whether they have passed electrical tests and whether they meet certain standards (such as ISO certification), which helps with quality traceability and control.
Certification information: Labels can include certification marks (such as CE, UL, etc.) to ensure that the product meets industry standards and regulatory requirements. - Production and assembly support
Production process information: The label may indicate important steps or equipment information in the production process to help production personnel track and manage the production progress of the circuit board.
Assembly instructions: During the assembly stage, the label may provide specific instructions or precautions to ensure correct assembly. - Repair and replacement
Easy after-sales service: When the circuit board fails or needs repair, the serial number, production date and other information on the label can help service personnel quickly confirm the product’s production background and service record, thereby providing timely and effective solutions.
Version upgrade: The label can also help confirm whether the circuit board has been upgraded or modified, ensuring that the correct version of the board is used during replacement and repair. - Material and specification identification
Material information: The label may indicate the type of material used in the PCB (such as FR4, ROGERS, etc.), as well as the electrical performance requirements, which is very important for special applications (such as high frequency, high temperature, etc.).
Technical specifications: Some labels will contain a brief description of the electrical performance, such as operating voltage, current, frequency, etc., to ensure that users understand the working conditions of the circuit board. - Anti-counterfeiting and anti-tampering
Anti-counterfeiting labeling: For some high-value or patented circuit boards, labels can also be used for anti-counterfeiting, using tamper-proof materials and technologies to ensure the authenticity and safety of the product.
QR code and barcode: QR code or barcode can be integrated into the label, and users can quickly obtain detailed information about the product by scanning, increasing traceability and transparency. - Compliance with industry regulations
Legal and compliance: In some industries, circuit boards need to meet specific certification requirements, such as electronic product safety, environmental impact assessment (RoHS, REACH, etc.). Labels are an important part of ensuring that circuit boards comply with these regulations. - Optimize supply chain management
Inventory management: The information on the label helps to achieve the classification, tracking and inventory management of circuit boards in supply chain management, helping to reduce inventory errors or losses.
Logistics information: The label can also contain logistics information, transportation requirements or storage conditions to ensure that the circuit board remains in good condition during transportation and storage.
Circuit board labels are not only for product identification, but also play a vital role in various links such as production, quality control, after-sales service, maintenance, and logistics management. The design and information content of the label should be customized according to product characteristics, usage environment and industry requirements to ensure its maximum effectiveness.
