Do you know PCB production the main elements?

There is no exaggeration in saying that printed circuit boards (PCBs) are ubiquitous and no electronic devices on earth exist without PCBs.

They are everywhere in all gadgets– TVs, computers, toys, cell phones, music players, automobiles, aircraft and what not. Anything that uses some sort of electronics will have PCBs with them.

Any PCB manufacturer will tell you that PCB is smaller than circuits and the miniature size is the key in its production process.

In PCBs, the printed circuit reduces the need for wires and improves appearance and durability. For mass-producers of PCBs, who are running large production facilities PCBs are products that offer huge cost benefits.

In PCB production the main elements are

 Laminate board.

 Components mounted on the board

 Traces serving as wires connecting components and circuit

Many materials are used in the making of boards. Of them, six are widely manufactured: FR-1, FR-2, FR-3, FR-4, CEM-1 and CEM-3. By FR, implication is flame retardant. FR-4 is widely manufactured and used in single and multilayer boards for hiking thermal tolerance up to 130°C.

In PCBs, copper traces are spread across the entire board, etching away unnecessary areas by masked stencils. Some boards also use gold for sensitive, low-voltage applications to ensure lead-free (RoHS) compliance.

The design of a printed circuit board (PCB) is important. Most PCB manufacturers prefer making compact flexible PCBs for assembling electronic circuits. They may have one or more insulating boards with printed copper layers and signal traces.

As far as mass production PCB is concerned, the volume of products depends on the demand in the market. This results in lots of variety, ranging from single layer PCB to multi-layer PCBs having so many sections.

The most common type of PCBs offered by PCB manufacturer is flexible PCB where circuits are assembled on a thin, flexible insulating material allowing PCBs to bend without damage to the circuit or the insulating material.

For supporting basic circuits, the PCB manufacturers offer single-sided PCBs which are less complex and comprise electrical components and copper on a single insulating board.

In double-sided board, circuitry components can be seen housed on both sides of the substrate. Complex printed circuit board manufacturing will have multi-layered PCBs that comprise multiple sheets of substrate interspersed with insulating layers.

In rigid-flex PCBs the combo display are joined together for delivering complex circuits required in aerospace and military applications.

*Bio

The author, David Spencer, is a mechanical engineer with long experience in home automation systems and runs a consultancy in London.