Knurled pin technologyAutosplice introduces a new innovative knurled pin design that is especially effective for use in assemblies requiring thin PCB substrates. Knurl pins can be particularly helpful when the system design calls for both the improved thermal characteristics of a thin PCB and high pin-retention strength, such as are often required with miniaturized DC to DC power conversion devices used for stepping down voltages in modern multivolt electronic system designs.
Designed as a complement to Autosplice’s already widely accepted Star-Pin technology, the Knurl Pin is manufactured with a series of raised “bumps” on its surface rather than the uniform star-shaped configuration used in Star-Pins. The irregular spacing of the raised bumps consistently provides a tight, mechanically-stable, interference-contact even when inserted into PCBs as thin as the .031” substrates often used in power converter designs.
The Knurl Pin is ideal for pin-through-paste and or bottom side paste operations typical in double-sided assembly operations on thin PCBs because the pin protrusion can be held to no more than .005” on the bottom side of the board. The pin is inserted into a thin PCB on the top side of a SMT assembly where SMT components will be applied on the bottom side. The pin is not to protrude more than .005” out the bottom.
The PCB is then flipped, the bottom side is stenciled with paste, the surface mount components are placed in the paste and then reflowed. During reflow the paste that was applied at the areas over the holes where the pins were inserted reflows and creates a fillet throughout the hole and on both bottom and top side.
The unique design of the Knurl Pin not only improves pin-to-board retention strength, its greater pin surface area also enhances solder wicking through the PCB and around the pin to form optimal solder fillets during a standard reflow process.
