The Use of Green Solder Mask: Understanding the Psychology and Practical Reasons Behind its Prevalence

When it comes to printed circuit boards (PCBs), electricians and engineers often have a unique relationship with the materials used to create them. One such material that plays a crucial role in the production of PCBs is solder mask, which is typically applied in green. But why do we use green solder mask? Is it simply because of its aesthetic appeal, or is there something more to it?

One theory that has been put forward by some experts is that the choice of green solder mask has a psychological basis. According to this theory, bright yellow colors can act as stimulants and induce anxiety, while blue and violet colors are physically difficult for humans to perceive. As a result, green becomes an easier option because it doesn't evoke unwarranted emotions in those who work with PCBs. Electricians and engineers who stare at PCBs 24/7, for instance, would appreciate the calming effect of green.

However, there may be more to the use of green solder mask than just psychology. Green is a generally pleasing color that gets the job done, but it's not always the most aesthetically appealing option. In fact, lighter shades of yellow or blue can also serve as viable alternatives, especially if they provide good contrast with the tracks on the board. The problem with these colors, however, is that they don't always work well in conjunction with the copper tracks, which are typically a goldish orange color.

On the other hand, red and green are two colors that do happen to exercise well against each other, particularly when it comes to contrast. This is because red is a more aggressive color, especially when surrounded by others. In the context of PCBs, this means that red solder mask can provide clear visibility of tracks, making it easier for manufacturers to identify potential issues before they become major problems.

Another factor that contributes to the prevalence of green solder mask is its compatibility with copper-based materials. Green and red pigments are more effective at masking out tracks than white or yellow ones, which can lead to coding errors and tolerance issues in PCB production. By using a color that complements copper well, manufacturers can ensure that their PCBs meet high standards of quality and reliability.

Interestingly, the US military has also played a role in shaping our understanding of green solder mask. During the 1950s, the military conducted extensive research into PCB fabrication and received a patent for their designs. According to this theory, the use of green solder mask may have been influenced by the fact that the US Army had traditionally used green for camouflage purposes, from trucks to helicopters uniforms to guns. The idea is that if bright red or yellow PCBs were visible in the field, they would have stood out like a sore thumb among the green surroundings, making them easier to detect and potentially compromised.

In conclusion, the use of green solder mask on printed circuit boards is a complex issue with multiple factors at play. While psychology may be a contributing factor, it's not the only reason why green has become the standard choice for PCB manufacturers. The practical benefits of green, including its compatibility with copper-based materials and ease of visibility, make it an attractive option for those in the industry. Whether or not it's simply because of its aesthetic appeal remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: green solder mask has become an integral part of our daily lives as PCB manufacturers continue to evolve and innovate.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis one's gonna be a bit interesting mainly because there's no general consensus as to why it's so prevalent why is green the color of choice for so many printed circuit boards let's find out if you're sick of seeing that same activate Windows watermark over and over snag and OAM license from s CD key you'll have a fully activated OS in seconds and you can kiss that watermark goodbye and be sure to use many offer code GSL for that suite discount first we need to modify the question asked previously why are PCBs green this is actually an inaccurate inference it's the resin atop the PCB that's typically dyed green the PCB itself is often comprised of several ultra thin copper layers in computer applications and since copper will oxidize over time with help from water vapour in the atmosphere a protective sealant so to speak is needed to prevent the degradation of traces and signals over time it's also used strategically in wave soldering applications to isolate certain areas of the board for soldering it's an efficient process now this sealant is called solder mask and consists of similar non conductive plastics and resins typically died again green so back to the original question then why green well there are many reasons offered on the world wide web as I'm sure you can imagine there is really no clear consensus here but perhaps the most consistent when I found has to do with psychology and the easiness of green on the human eye colors like bright yellow can act as stimulants and inducing xiety while colors like blue and violet can be physically difficult at all to perceive so we choose green because it's easier to stare at that's basically what this theory boils down to electricians and engineers who stare at PCBs 24/7 would appreciate colors it didn't evoke an unwarranted emotion we talked a bit about this in our why we're pcs beige video which you can check out up here but I think there's a lot more to it than just the psychology of it I mean sure Green is a generally pleasing color maybe it doesn't play well with PC aesthetics in 2020 but it gets the job done but there are other colors from a psychological standpoint a leaves that are just as viable if that's your only argument so for instance a lighter shade of yellow or blue a baby yellow or a baby blue but the problem with these colors is that they don't always contrast nicely with the tracks which are the small copper paths connecting two or more points on a board you can often see these clear as day on basic circuits and depending on the layering you could have more than one track in the same unit area bare copper is already a goldish orange color and would contrast pretty terribly with a yellow resin same goes for light blue it just doesn't look right now colors that do happen to exercise remember this is green so it's gonna not look great on my green screen colors that do contrast great with copper our green and red just probably why these are the most prevalent the green is even more so which ties back into our previous point regarding color intensity and emotion red is a much more aggressive color especially when it's surrounding you right if you're inside of a large system let's say and I mentioned contrast more than once because we still have and use humans to QC boards in production tracks need to be apparent you need to be able to see if those tracks have been degraded before they are being sold on shelves right and elements cannot blend in with that surrounding mask so you need to be able to see those clear distinct issues if they exist now there's also another word I mentioned that like we caught your ear may be something you haven't heard of before I hadn't before I research for this video silkscreen that is that thin layer of ink traces used to identify board components like pins and resistors this text typically is white and obviously needs to be legible making green yet again a great fit yellow and red and not so much it also helps that green is a natural color for many glass epoxies and residents to begin with meaning extra pigmentation may not even be necessary which means costs stay down and to that end there are some pigments that distribute terribly in certain applications white pigments used to make white PCBs like this one are prone to more coding errors and tolerance issues and conventional green or red ones and thus cost more to produce which explains why we don't see too many of them although they do look mighty fine they're also horrible by the way at contrasting tracks and silk screens which makes them difficult to debug and troubleshoot now a final reason for green solder mask may something to do with the US Army which has traditionally used green for camouflage right this is no secret they use green for their trucks helicopters uniforms and even their guns so it may it may make sense right for them to have early printed circuit boards that were green as well that and any potentially exposed bright red or bright yellow PCB in the battlefield would have stood out for miles in a sea of green making things have been easier for your enemies but the military conducted a plethora of tests in the 50s related to PCB fabrication and even received a patent for their designs so they were heavily invested in this stuff and through nearly every scenario imaginable apparently green pigment held up the best in their testing so in that way it was more of a coincidence that it happened to be the same color as US Army camo or at least you know a derivation of that color there's more Foresti green this is more of a neutral green anyway I know this theory is a bit weird and kind of multi-layered but either way I hope you've at least learned a thing or two about why we use green pigment and solder masks and why it's a necessity for copper derived PCBs you guys enjoyed this one and yeah what a thumbs up consider subscribing and I will catch you in the next one my name is Greg thanks for learning with methis one's gonna be a bit interesting mainly because there's no general consensus as to why it's so prevalent why is green the color of choice for so many printed circuit boards let's find out if you're sick of seeing that same activate Windows watermark over and over snag and OAM license from s CD key you'll have a fully activated OS in seconds and you can kiss that watermark goodbye and be sure to use many offer code GSL for that suite discount first we need to modify the question asked previously why are PCBs green this is actually an inaccurate inference it's the resin atop the PCB that's typically dyed green the PCB itself is often comprised of several ultra thin copper layers in computer applications and since copper will oxidize over time with help from water vapour in the atmosphere a protective sealant so to speak is needed to prevent the degradation of traces and signals over time it's also used strategically in wave soldering applications to isolate certain areas of the board for soldering it's an efficient process now this sealant is called solder mask and consists of similar non conductive plastics and resins typically died again green so back to the original question then why green well there are many reasons offered on the world wide web as I'm sure you can imagine there is really no clear consensus here but perhaps the most consistent when I found has to do with psychology and the easiness of green on the human eye colors like bright yellow can act as stimulants and inducing xiety while colors like blue and violet can be physically difficult at all to perceive so we choose green because it's easier to stare at that's basically what this theory boils down to electricians and engineers who stare at PCBs 24/7 would appreciate colors it didn't evoke an unwarranted emotion we talked a bit about this in our why we're pcs beige video which you can check out up here but I think there's a lot more to it than just the psychology of it I mean sure Green is a generally pleasing color maybe it doesn't play well with PC aesthetics in 2020 but it gets the job done but there are other colors from a psychological standpoint a leaves that are just as viable if that's your only argument so for instance a lighter shade of yellow or blue a baby yellow or a baby blue but the problem with these colors is that they don't always contrast nicely with the tracks which are the small copper paths connecting two or more points on a board you can often see these clear as day on basic circuits and depending on the layering you could have more than one track in the same unit area bare copper is already a goldish orange color and would contrast pretty terribly with a yellow resin same goes for light blue it just doesn't look right now colors that do happen to exercise remember this is green so it's gonna not look great on my green screen colors that do contrast great with copper our green and red just probably why these are the most prevalent the green is even more so which ties back into our previous point regarding color intensity and emotion red is a much more aggressive color especially when it's surrounding you right if you're inside of a large system let's say and I mentioned contrast more than once because we still have and use humans to QC boards in production tracks need to be apparent you need to be able to see if those tracks have been degraded before they are being sold on shelves right and elements cannot blend in with that surrounding mask so you need to be able to see those clear distinct issues if they exist now there's also another word I mentioned that like we caught your ear may be something you haven't heard of before I hadn't before I research for this video silkscreen that is that thin layer of ink traces used to identify board components like pins and resistors this text typically is white and obviously needs to be legible making green yet again a great fit yellow and red and not so much it also helps that green is a natural color for many glass epoxies and residents to begin with meaning extra pigmentation may not even be necessary which means costs stay down and to that end there are some pigments that distribute terribly in certain applications white pigments used to make white PCBs like this one are prone to more coding errors and tolerance issues and conventional green or red ones and thus cost more to produce which explains why we don't see too many of them although they do look mighty fine they're also horrible by the way at contrasting tracks and silk screens which makes them difficult to debug and troubleshoot now a final reason for green solder mask may something to do with the US Army which has traditionally used green for camouflage right this is no secret they use green for their trucks helicopters uniforms and even their guns so it may it may make sense right for them to have early printed circuit boards that were green as well that and any potentially exposed bright red or bright yellow PCB in the battlefield would have stood out for miles in a sea of green making things have been easier for your enemies but the military conducted a plethora of tests in the 50s related to PCB fabrication and even received a patent for their designs so they were heavily invested in this stuff and through nearly every scenario imaginable apparently green pigment held up the best in their testing so in that way it was more of a coincidence that it happened to be the same color as US Army camo or at least you know a derivation of that color there's more Foresti green this is more of a neutral green anyway I know this theory is a bit weird and kind of multi-layered but either way I hope you've at least learned a thing or two about why we use green pigment and solder masks and why it's a necessity for copper derived PCBs you guys enjoyed this one and yeah what a thumbs up consider subscribing and I will catch you in the next one my name is Greg thanks for learning with me\n"