Embedded features for monitoring electronics assembly manufacturing processes

A method of fabricating an electronics assembly, comprising the steps of:

• forming a set of clog-monitoring openings in a solder stencil associated with a component-connection layer of said electronics assembly, each of said clog-monitoring openings being of successively greater area in a range between a smallest area smaller than a smallest component-connection opening in said solder stencil and a largest area larger than said smallest component-connection opening;
• forming upon said component-connection layer of said electronics assembly a set of clog-monitoring pads of equal size slightly larger than the largest of said clog-monitoring openings in said solder stencil, said clog-monitoring pads being located on said electronics assembly such that when said solder stencil is placed in a registered position on said component-connection layer of said electronics assembly, each of said clog-monitoring openings is substantially centered on a corresponding one of said clog-monitoring pads;
• placing said solder stencil on said component-connection layer of said electronics assembly in the neighborhood of said registered position;
• depositing solder paste on said electronics assembly through said solder stencil;
• removing said solder stencil from said electronics assembly;
• and
• examining said clog-monitoring pads to determine the degree of clogging of said solder stencil, an acceptable degree of clogging being indicated when no more than a predetermined number of the smallest of said clog-monitoring pads have no solder paste thereon, and unacceptable clogging being indicated otherwise.

A method of fabricating an electronics assembly, comprising the steps of:

• forming component beacon openings in an otherwise substantially opaque layer of said electronics assembly, each component beacon opening being aligned with a placement site where an electronic component is to be placed and being sufficiently small to be covered by said electronic component;
• placing components on said electronics assembly;
• lighting said electronics assembly in a manner effective to highlight any of said component beacons not covered by their corresponding electronic components;
• and
• examining said electronics assembly to find uncovered ones of said component beacons, each uncovered one indicating that its corresponding electronic component has not been correctly placed on said electronics assembly.