PCB Finishes

A range of surface finishes can be applied, all produced in house and the thickness checked using our CMI XRF coating measurement System.

Hot Air Solder Level (HASL) SnPb Not RoHS Compliant

Leaded HASL was the traditional finish prior to RoHS, This finish is still available where RoHS exemption is permitted. It is applied by solder dipping the pcb followed by removal of excess solder by blowing with air-Knives to produce a flat solder finish.

Immersion Silver

Immersion silver is a RoHS compliant finish. It is produced by the selective displacement of the copper atoms by silver atoms on the exposed copper surface. It is compatible with surface mount, BGA and through hole components.

Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG)

ENIG is a RoHS compliant finish. It is applied through the deposition of an initial layer of Nickel onto the copper surface, followed by a thin protective layer of gold, Nickel characteristics of hardness, wear resistance, solderability and uniformity of deposition makes this an excellent surface finish. The thin layer of gold preserves the solderability of the finish by preventing oxidisation of the highly active nickel surface. It is compatible with surface mount, BGA and through hole components.

Electrolytic Nickel Electrolytic Gold (Hard Gold)

Electrolytic Nickel – Electrolytic Gold is a RoHS compliant finish. Unlike electroless finishes, being an electrolytic process an electric current is required to plate the gold onto the board. The most common application of hard gold is edge connectors, hard gold may also be plated over the entire pcb.

Electrolytic Nickel Electrolytic Pure Soft Gold

Electrolytic Nickel – Electrolytic Pure Soft Gold is a RoHS compliant finish. Unlike electroless finishes, being an electrolytic process an electric current is required to plate the gold onto the board. This is 99.99% pure gold. Due to its very high cost, it is typically used only for wirebonding applications.

Organic Solderability Preservatives (OSP)

OSP is a RoHS compliant finish. It is an anti-oxidant film applied to the exposed copper surface. It reacts with the copper to form an organo-metallic layer, the coating is virtually invisible.