{"id":1119,"date":"2023-09-10T02:15:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T02:15:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/?p=1119"},"modified":"2025-10-08T19:27:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T19:27:51","slug":"lifted-pcb-pad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/lifted-pcb-pad\/","title":{"rendered":"Q: What Causes a Lifted PCB Pad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A lifted PCB pad in a printed circuit board can occur for various reasons, and it&#8217;s a situation where the copper pad that connects to a component or trace becomes detached from the PCB substrate. This can result in poor electrical connections and functionality issues. Here are some common causes of lifted pads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"1\" style=\"list-style-type:1\">\n<li><strong>Soldering Issues:<\/strong> One of the most common causes is poor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/ipc-j-std-001\/\">soldering during assembly<\/a>. If the solder joint is not heated correctly and doesn&#8217;t flow well, it can create mechanical stress on the pad, causing it to lift. Overheating during soldering can also lead to a lifted PCB pad. <br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mechanical Stress:<\/strong> Mechanical stress during the manufacturing or use of the PCB can cause pads to lift. This can occur due to excessive bending, flexing, or pressure on the board.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Factors:<\/strong> Exposure to extreme environmental conditions, such as high temperatures or humidity, can lead to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/pcb-substrate-delamination\/\">delamination of the PCB substrate<\/a>, which can, in turn, cause pads to lift.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vibration and Shock:<\/strong> In applications where the PCB is subjected to significant vibrations or shocks, such as in automotive or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/aerospace-electronics-assembly\">aerospace systems<\/a>, the repeated mechanical stress can cause pads to lift over time.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor PCB Design:<\/strong> Inadequate design, especially concerning pad size, shape, and placement, can contribute to lifted pads. Pads that are too small or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/pcb-lines-and-traces\/\">poorly spaced<\/a> can be more susceptible to a lifted PCB pad during soldering or use.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Manufacturing Errors:<\/strong> Errors during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/manufacture-bare-pcb\/\">PCB manufacturing process<\/a>, such as improper material bonding or plating, can also lead to lifted pads.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Component Removal:<\/strong> If components are removed or replaced on a PCB, the excess heat or mechanical force applied during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/pcb-desoldering\/\">desoldering<\/a> can damage the pads and cause them to lift.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Following best practices in the design and assembly is essential to prevent PCB lifted pad occurrences. This includes using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/pcb-soldering-problems\/\">right soldering techniques<\/a>, ensuring proper pad sizes and spacing, avoiding excessive mechanical stress, and adhering to recommended environmental conditions. Suppose you encounter a PCB with lifted pads. In that case, they can sometimes be repaired by reflow soldering or by adding jumper wires to establish electrical connections. Still, it&#8217;s often best to avoid this issue through careful design and handling in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A lifted PCB pad in a printed circuit board can occur for various reasons, and it&#8217;s a situation where the copper pad that connects to a component or trace becomes detached from the PCB substrate. This can result in poor electrical connections and functionality issues&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,170],"tags":[135,85,91,148],"class_list":["post-1119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faq","category-pcb-assembly","tag-aerospace-pcb-assembly","tag-soldering-process","tag-thru-hole-components-assembly","tag-understanding-pcb-assembly"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/PCB-Lifted-Pad-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1119"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3085,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1119\/revisions\/3085"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anzer-usa.com\/resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}