Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Is paste mask layer, both top and bottom layer, necessary for THT components?

I know the paste mask layer is also called the stencil layer. It's only used for assembly. I want to know if the paste mask layer (both top and bottom layer) is necessary for through hole components. For SMD components I know the paste mask layer is required to solder the components. Is it necessary for through hole components?

No. Paste mask is normally used only for reflowing surface mount components, while the through hole components are soldered either manually or by wave solder bath at a later stage.

If you have through hole parts and the surface mount components on the bottom side, the paste mask stencil is not required, as the parts will all be soldered at once in a wave solder bath. This process requires you to generate a glue dot coordinates file, which will be used to place a dot of glue under the surface mount component and that will keep the part in place during the soldering process.

If the only through hole parts in the PCB were the connectors, it is also possible to reflow through hole components with solder paste. That requires some tweaking to get the right pad size and stencil opening. All we need to do is to have a larger pad on the top side, so that there was enough paste on the pad to wick down the hole and ensure a solid solder joint.

Read More: THT PCB Assembly

#PCB Assembly

Picture of Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.
Picture of Oliver Smith

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

What Others Are Asking

How do I use two antennas with a single Bluetooth module? (BLE repeater)

I am working on a project that uses small Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons to track important items. Is there a way to connect two antennas to a single BLE module that could either listen/broadcast on both antennas or multiplex between the two? Or any other idea?

Can I design SMD elements on the back of THT?

I’m designing a PCB right now and found out I can save a lot of space using the back of THT elements. Is it legit to design like that? Are there any problems that might occur? 

Read Detailed Advice From Blog Articles