Each color has advantages and disadvantages that can impact manufacturing and inspection. Some considerations:
💚 GREEN
➕ Advantages:
– Industry Standard: Widely accepted and used, safe and conventional choice: optimized price + availability
– High Contrast: Excellent contrast with silkscreen legends and copper marks, making inspection easier.
– Performance: Generally offers the best quality and reliability in terms of solder mask application.
➖ Disadvantages:
– Common: Lack of uniqueness as it is the most commonly used color (is this really a drawback?)
❤️ RED (like TI)
➕Advantages:
– Visibility: Good visibility of traces and legends in screen printing.
– Aesthetics: Stands out from traditional green, giving a unique appearance to your PCB.
➖Disadvantages:
– Inspection: Slightly lower contrast compared to green, making inspection a little more difficult.
💙 BLUE
➕Advantages:
– Appearance: Provides a cool and professional appearance.
– Contrast: Still provides decent contrast for inspecting screen prints and streaks.
➖Disadvantages:
– Cost: More expensive than green due to its less common use.
– Inspection: Less easy to inspect than green, especially under certain lighting conditions.
◻ WHITE (white heart on strike)
➕Advantages:
– Aesthetics: Clean and modern appearance, ideal for products where appearance is crucial.
– Heat Reflection: Reflects heat well, which can be beneficial in certain applications (LED).
➖Disadvantages:
– Visibility: Poor contrast with screen-printed legends and traces, making inspection and retouching more difficult.
– Stains: More prone to stains and dirt, which can affect aesthetics and readability over time.
🖤 BLACK
➕Advantages:
– Professional Appearance: Gives an elegant and high-tech appearance.
– Light Blocking: Good for applications requiring light blocking.
➖Disadvantages:
– Heat Absorption: Which can be a disadvantage in high power applications.
– Inspection Difficulty: Very low contrast, making inspection and debugging difficult.
🌟 GLOSSY vs MATT
Bright :
– Appearance: Gives a polished appearance, which can be attractive for consumer products.
– Easy to Clean: Easier to clean and maintain a flawless appearance.
Matt:
-Anti-Glare: Reduces reflections making inspection easier.
– Surface Finish: Less likely to show fingerprints and smudges.
When choosing a solder mask color for your PCB, consider both functional and aesthetic factors. Consider ease of inspection, your specific application needs, and the overall look you want to achieve.