Main advantages and Main disadvantages in SMT Component

Main advantages

The main advantages of SMT over the older through-hole technique are:

• Smaller, lighter components
• Fewer holes need to be drilled through abrasive boards
• Simpler automated assembly
• Small errors in component placement are corrected automatically (the surface tension of the molten solder pulls the component into alignment with the solder pads)
• Components can be fitted to both sides of the circuit board
• Lower lead resistance and inductance (leading to better performance for high frequency parts)
• Better mechanical performance under shake and vibration conditions
• SMT parts generally cost less than through-hole parts
• Fewer unwanted RF signal effects in SMT parts when compared to leaded parts, yielding better predictability of component characteristics.

Main disadvantages

• The manufacturing processes for SMT are much more sophisticated than through-hole boards, raising the initial cost and time of setting up for production
• Difficulty in manual handling due to the very small sizes and lead spacings of SMDs, making component-level repair of devices or manual prototype assembly extremely difficult, and often uneconomical.