Step stencils provide different volume of solder paste for the electronic assemblies whose components require different amount of solder paste on the one PCB during stencil printing. Currently we only provide two levels of stencil thickness.

Please make sure your PCB size is within the valid area.

The quantity of stencils required.

Stencil option:

Customer can choose the process type according to the component designs. For those with many PTH components that require wave soldering, Red Glue Stencil is applicable. For those without or with not many PTH components, which can be manually welded, the solder paste stencil is recommended. Of course customer can choose either option according to specific demand.

Stencil process difference:

Red glue stencil: Firstly, print the red glue, then apply the components. After the components are firmly attached to the PCB, all together pass the wave soldering.

Solder paste stencil: Directly print solder paste on the solder pad, attach the surface mount component, and then perform reflow soldering process. The PTH component can be manually welded.

Electropolishing: Electropolishing is the electrochemical process to remove the metallic material from the workpiece, in order to obtain a smoother metal surface.

Etching: The etching polishing is an economical option. The stencil can be easily polished and deburred by etching process. It has light surface scratches and solder paste may remain on the surface.

Sanding: Polishing the stencil surface with sandpaper, which can satisfy general needs.

Note: Electropolishing is recommended for PCBs with IC pin pitches equal to or less than 0.5mm or those with BGA packages. If choosing the sanding process, it may result in poor soldering, for which we cannot be held responsible.

Fiducial Mark is an alignment mark for surface mount assembly machines.In General,machine assembly must have Fiducial marks.Fiducial marks are unnecessary when you are placing your parts by hand.

If fiducials are required, please ensure you select the 'Etched Through' or 'Etched Half' option and include the fiducial design in the file as well. Any inconsistency, fiducials will not be made on the stencil.

JLCPCB engineers will create the production file required to manufacture the stencil. Once the option has been chosen, you will receive a confirmation email when the production file is ready. Please confirm within 48 hours to prevent delays. Otherwise, your order will proceed to production directly. If the due date falls on a weekend, it will be shifted to the next business day.

If you want any specific text(e.g. To identify different stencils) to be printed on the stencil, please select "Yes" and add your requirements in the remark section. If you select "Yes" but don't provide any text, then the file name and order # will be printed on the stencil, as shown below.