A means by which circuit components are mounted on one or both surfaces of a circuit board and are held in place by solder between pads on the board and the component terminations (rather than using their leads, passing through holes in the board, to secure the component). Because lead holes are unnecessary, components are smaller and the net result is a considerable increase in component density per unit area. Board assemblies made in this manner are known as surface mount assemblies and lend themselves to fully automated assembly processes; they are thus well suited to high-volume production so assembly costs can be reduced.