The main function of the stencil is to help the deposition of solder paste, with the purpose of transferring an accurate amount of solder paste to an accurate position on the empty PCB for SMT patch printing solder paste.
Steel mesh was originally made of wire mesh, so it was called mesh plate at that time. It started with nylon mesh, then due to durability, barbed wire mesh, copper wire mesh appeared, and later stainless steel wire mesh. However, no matter what material the wire mesh is made of, it has the disadvantages of poor molding and low precision.
With the development of SMT, the requirements for mesh plates have increased, and steel mesh has been produced. Affected by the cost of materials and the difficulty of production, the initial steel mesh was made of iron/copper plates. However, because it was easy to rust, stainless steel mesh replaced them, which is the current steel mesh.