The function of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) is to connect electrical components mechanically. It is a mass product and the manufactures are noted for high-volume production. In the competitive PCB market, maintaining the right product quality is a matter of survival.
One important parameter in PCB production is glass transition temperature (TG). It is an important dimension that denotes the temperature at which resin matrix converts from a glassy, brittle condition into soft and elastic one.
Technically, TG is not the maximum operational temperature. It assumes importance as the temperature at which a material is able to withstand a continuous thermal load at the operating temperature.
Materials, where TG exceeds 170°C is called a high TG material.
High tg PCB materials display the following properties:
High-temperature durability
Long delamination durability
Low Z-axis expansion;
Multilayer PCBs find applications in professional electronic equipment such as computers and military equipment. They are best in high-speed circuit and provide more space for the conductor pattern and power.
In multilayer PCBs, PCBS are stacked together with reliable predefined mutual connection and the costs are high because of the complex manufacturing process.
Multilayer PCB suppliers offer PCBs with varied specifications. Connecting electronic components to a circuit board involves several techniques including the surface mount technique and hole techniques
Multilayer PCBs are considered high-speed, multi-functional and of high-capacity despite their small size. With electronic devices becoming smaller and lighter, PCB design calls for minimizing the length of the signal line and ditching parallel routes.
Since, single-sided or double-sided PCBs cannot meet the requirements multilayer PCBs take the centre stage with high tolerance and even 24 layers. In optimizing the capacity of a printed circuit board, attention has to be paid to the equipment, fabrication, assembly and tests. In prototyping PCBs, outsourcing is a good option to save on costs.
Those with in-house PCB fabrication and assembly facility take up prototyping and makes sense to subcontract a vendor specialized in the prototyping of PCBs. Those with online quote system can save time and details like design requirements in terms of thickness, type of material and production specifications can be comfortably quoted in the online quote system.
In PCB production, the cost is deeply linked to the volumes. It is less expensive to manufacture big volumes of PCBs.
*Bio
The author, David Spencer, is an electrical engineer with long experience in PCBs industry and runs a consultancy in London.
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