Why Is The PCB Manufacturing Process So Essential?

mwcms on July 11, 2022

When trying to understand how a printed circuit board works and its application, it’s essential to know the manufacturing process. Learning about the manufacturing process of PCBs can help you gain a more insightful understanding of the circuit board’s functioning. The manufacturing process for printed circuit boards introduces you to some of the most fundamental concepts of the PCB design.

Basic Board Structure

The PCB consists of multiple layers, and these layers also impact the manufacturing process. The critical layers of the printed circuit board include the copper layers. These are where you will find the traces. The traces are the wires within the circuit that connect the different components.

In a two-layered circuit board, you will have a top copper layer and a bottom copper layer. Between the two layers, you will find a dielectric material that is made of fiberglass. This fiberglass material is also called the Substrate, and engineers often refer to it as FR4.

In addition to that, most boards also contain a layer that sits on top of the copper, as well as on the bottom of it. This layer is called Soldermask, and it is a critical aspect of the PCB manufacturing process.

Soldermask

Soldermask is a layer of insulation that sits on top of the copper so that the components on the board are not in contact with each other. Very often, you can also find a layer of silkscreen on top of the printed circuit board. This silkscreen is text that allows you to identify the components inside a PCB.

The solder mask is the green layer of material that you find on PCBs. Whenever you have exposed copper on the PCB, you can apply a solder mask to it. The manufacturing process also involves making holes inside printed circuit boards, called through-holes.

These holes are plated through the board, with copper all the way through. These are the sorts of things that manufacturers will typically solder through. There are other types of holes, and engineers will call them Via.

Vias connect a wire on one layer to another layer. If you look at a board carefully, you will have lighter green areas and darker green areas. Where you have lighter green areas, you will find copper sitting on top of the FR4 Substrate.

Silkscreen

Copper on a printed circuit board is effectively on a large plane and traces. The silkscreen sits on top of the highest layer, which gives the reflection of the lighter colors on the board. Darker areas on the copper are simply solder mask and Substrate.

Manufacturing a Multilayered Board

In a multilayered board, what you have is a sandwich of individual boards. In other words, creating a multilayered board will require you to stack one board on top of another. A motherboard inside a computer can have about 16 layers which are very complex.

The Significance of the Process

The PCB process is incredibly complex. It encompasses multiple steps, and there are incredibly large boards with multiple different designs that are flowing through the factory. In today’s world, highly automated and large-scale machines make it possible to produce high volumes of Printed Circuit Board in a single day. This simple phenomenon has expanded the growth of technological innovations around the world, giving way to the acceleration of mechanical and electronic progress.

PCBs – What Does the Future Hold

mwcms on October 27, 2021

Since the invention of the first printed circuit board, we have seen many developments. There are advancements in the design and functionalities of the printed circuit boards (PCB) to date. Today, PCBs exist in the most compact and tiny shapes while catering to widespread technological needs that weren’t possible nearly 50 years ago. While the shapes and size of the printed circuit boards keep getting smaller, the efficiency and range of applications keep increasing. Moreover, they are under production at a higher and more efficient rate than before. This is possible thanks to the latest manufacturing technologies and design software.

Latest Developments and Advancements

The developments and production keep increasing due to the increase in consumer demand. Because PCBs are a crucial part of nearly all electronic devices, they are expanding in applications and use. In this article, we will take a look at what the future holds when discussing the applications and modern uses of technology that utilizes PCBs. Here are some of the most popular and recent examples.

Wearable Technology Using PCBs

Wearable technology also continues to improve with major developments and advancements. In fact, the latest printed circuit boards and complex efficiencies will make wearable technology designers more productive and successful in the coming years. As you look around, people wearing digital watches, using wearable medical equipment, and more, you quickly realize the scale of PCB use in wearable technologies. It is the goal of PCB designers to increase the compactness of circuit boards along with functionalities.

High-Density Miniaturization and Interconnection

Can you recall the first cell phone? Even if you didn’t have one back then, you might be familiar with how sophisticated their design was. Not to forget, they were quite noticeable due to their large size. It is clear evidence of development and advancement in PCBs that enable the use of much more complex technology such as the smartphones we have today.

Evolution with 3D Printing

Electrical systems today are nothing like what they were a couple of years ago. While the concept remains the same, the integration of advanced technology has allowed us to explore the vast boundaries and see improvement, inventions, and evolution of many different applications. One of those is printing technology. Of course, printing had a major significance at the time. However, the introduction of 3D printing has presented a unique outlook in creating material. The very first hosts of 3D printing advancements include ammo and firearms.

3D printing involves using layers of a substrate to form a 3D object. While people can make toys and handy miniature tools, it is widely under consideration for large-scale production. All this is possible through the use of PCBs that keep on evolving. Not only that, if you think that PCBs allow us to make 3D prints of objects, PCBs are also 3D objects that you can print using 3D printing.

Board Cameras Using PCBs

PCB cameras are small cameras mounted over a smaller circuit board. The compactness does not limit the functionality, which means you can capture images and videos using it. The most common application of PCB cameras is in the medical and health industries, where they are useful for producing internal body images on the digital screen. Further, these cameras are also applicable in surveillance due to their compactness and difficult-to-detect capabilities.

Conclusion

If you look at the pace at which technological improvements are taking place, you will realize there is a wide scope of PCBs. From bulky radios and gramophones of 100 years ago to today’s digital watches and 3D printers -all are examples of what the future holds for PCBs.

Reference Links:

http://pcb.iconnect007.com/index.php/article/113640/substrates-for-advanced-pcb-technologies-what-will-the-future-hold-/113643/?skin=pcb

https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/printed-circuit-boards-pcbs-market-2021—global-industry-trends-and-development-analysis-future-prospects-top-competitor-analysis-covering-market-demand-share-size-production-and-forecast-to-2027-2021-06-04

https://www.tempoautomation.com/blog/top-6-pcb-industry-trends-and-the-manufacturing-challenges-they-present/

https://www.pcbcart.com/article/content/future-of-pcbs.html

https://ecelectronics.com/news/how-will-pcb-affect-the-future-of-technology

The Evolution of Printed Circuit Boards

mwcms on October 12, 2021

Since the manufacturing of the first printed circuit board, many developments and advancements have taken place. Some of the most significant developments in the manufacture and design of PCBs have made it possible to utilize modern technology today.

PCBs are essential since they are the main component of electrical equipment. They provide a physical base through which the connections between electronic components establish. All electronic devices around us have PCBs, including TVs, computers, radios, mobile phones, etc. But do you know what led to the success of modern technology? Looking at the evolution of important PCBs will help you get the idea.

Beginning of Printed Circuit Boards

The first iterations of the printed circuit boards took place around the 1920s. At this time, the PCBs could use anything as their base material. If that’s not surprising at all, some people tried to use wood as well. Experts drilled the material to create holes which they later used to place bulky wires on the board. During the initial production, the use of bolts and buts replicated the use of rivets. Contrary to popular belief, the initial circuit boards were nothing similar to what we see and use today. While PCBs weren’t as successful then, they were useful for their functions in radios and gramophones.

PCBs’ Initial Development

It wasn’t until the 1960s that the use of material for producing the physical base of the circuit shifted from wood to other types of material, including the resin. Moreover, the circuits before comprised a one-sided outlook; this entails that the board components were on one side while the entire circuitry remained on the other. Though, it was still a major improvement in contrast to the heavy wiring that took place before. Further down the road of development, the US introduced an assembling procedure for electrical circuits that turned out to be a great help in how experts were handling PCBs. The process had a few essential aspects. One of them was drawing a wiring pattern over a zinc plate to print the electrical circuit on it accurately.

Later in the years, the developments helped to make the PCBs corrosion-free. It was around this time that the production of multilayer PCBs took place. Following that, the PCBs went through miniaturization. This didn’t mean that there were compromises in the complexity or functional efficiency of the PCBs. In fact, they became more efficient and responsive to the changes.

Miniaturization with Complexity

PCB experts are always looking to increase the functional capacity and efficiency of the PCB while ensuring that they are much smaller in size. The use of different technologies is more common today. CAD became the go-to option for designing PCBs. With the use of CAD, experts designed circuit boards that were greater in functionality and efficiency. Furthermore, with the efficiency, the complexity of design and programming also increased. Meanwhile, the size of the PCBs remained small and compact. Apart from that, the circuit board industry continues to develop new models and technologies for use in various applications around us.

Conclusion

While you may not know everything regarding PCBs, you can surely understand their use and scope by looking at the technological advancements. PCBs are nearly a 100-year-old development that is still helping us build more efficient and effective technology. In short, without a PCB, you wouldn’t be reading this information on your digital device.

Reference Links:

https://www.eurocircuits.com/blog/the-history-of-printed-circuit-boards/

https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2019/06/evolution-of-pcb-printed-circuit-board.html

https://www.clarydon.com/the-evolution-of-printed-circuit-boards

https://www.tempoautomation.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-printed-circuit-boards-design-and-manufacturing/

https://www.autodesk.com/products/eagle/blog/history-of-pcbs/

What Goes into Assembling a Circuit Board?

mwcms on September 24, 2021

Do you ever wonder how and who developed the technology we use today? Well, we will not get into technical and complex details of how some things were possible, and others weren’t. This article will primarily focus on the assembly of printed circuit boards (PCB). All modern electronic and digital equipment have PCBs as an essential component.

These circuit boards are the foundation of major electrical equipment because they provide the connection for different parts and components of a digital electronic device.

Assembling a Circuit Board: Step-by-Step

If you want to assemble a circuit board on your own, you will need clear instructions and, more importantly, the right assembly guide. There are many key components that you need to consider when working on a major type of circuit board. However, when assembling a PCB, you have to be extremely careful to avoid errors, functional problems, and/or delays.

The main components of a typical PCB include a plastic or resin board that comprises different conductive and non-conductive metal parts. The silkscreen on the PCB guides the assembler on how and what connects on the board. Furthermore, you should know that the more components that a PCB requires, the longer it will take to assemble it. Let’s take a look at the four main steps of assembling your PCB below.

Step 1: Schematic Designing of the Board

You should create a schematic design before the production of the actual PCB. It serves as a silkscreen that looks like a roadmap. It means that the lines on the schematic design help to point out which component connects with what on the PCB. In general, a schematic design represents the whole circuit board. Hence, if any issues arise, they will be easy to resolve due to the schematic drawing.

Step 2: Board Design Layout

Now, the more important step. You have to convert, or more precisely, “translate” the schematic drawing into an electronic design. Bear in mind that the electronic design is present in automation software. After exporting this design in any acceptable format, you can begin the production of the board.

Step 3: Production and Assembly of the PCB

The production of the PCB is critical. You have to define all the dimensions and angles accurately to create the board finally. There are various circuit board manufacturing technologies that you can use as an assembler. The most common ones include thru-hole and surface mount technology. However, which technology you use will depend on the board’s specific requirements.

Step 4: Final Testing of the PCB

The process doesn’t end with the production of the circuit board. The last part of the assembly involves testing the board to ensure all PCB functions are achievable. The final testing phase checks and ensures that the design of the PCB is error-free and matches the schematic drawing.

Conclusion

As technology keeps evolving in various industries and fields, we have better and more efficient means of getting work done. However, technology encompasses a wide range of digital, electrical, and physical components in place. When assembling a PCB, you have to make sure that you take your time while producing schematic designs, choosing technology for production, and actually manufacturing the board. Slight errors can make the entire PCB non-functional. So, follow the step-by-step guide to ensure you don’t make any mistakes.

Reference Links:

https://www.permatechelectronics.com/the-steps-that-a-circuit-board-assembler-takes-in-pcba/blog.html

https://www.tempoautomation.com/blog/what-your-cm-wants-you-to-know-about-how-to-assemble-a-circuit-board/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board

https://www.electronicsmedia.info/2019/05/27/how-to-assemble-a-printed-circuit-board-pcb-assembly/

Everything You Need to Know About Circuit Board Assembly!

mwcms on September 13, 2021

Most of the electrical appliances that run our lives on a daily basis include about 300 feet of tiny wires inside. This wire is the main component that adds connectivity inside an electrical product. It allows all the other small components in an electrical appliance to work seamlessly together.

The more complex an electrical appliance is, the larger the number of components and the wire inside it. However, you may be wondering where this wire is located. Well, this is where the printed circuit board assembly comes into play.

What is a PCB?

The printed circuit board or PCB is the small circuit board inside most electrical appliances. They are either green or blue and at first glance, they look like ordinary pieces of scrap plastic. But in reality, they are actually a multi-layered board that consists of an abundance of copper wires.

This scrap of flat metal is the surface on which manufacturers will precisely and carefully place all the essential components using expensive heavy machinery. Along with that, small copper wires will connect between the components and provide the necessary connectivity that occurs between all the components. This connectivity allows the components to work together and as a result, this paves the way for an electrical appliance to function.

What is inside?

The printed circuit board consists of ten conductive layers. The top and bottom layers of the Circuit board assembly make for surfaces on which manufacturers will mount components and they also act as multiple antennae. Moreover, each of these components on the circuit board requires plenty of power and ground and the PCB has entire layers that are only responsible for providing power and ground.

They are also aptly named power planes and ground planes due to their specialized role. Other ground planes that make the circuit board assembly serve the purpose of electromagnetic shielding and heat dissipation. The remaining four middle layers carry all the communication traces, which means that they carry all the signal wires.

Each of the conductive layers is copper, and between these conductive layers, there is insulating fiberglass, along with an epoxy resin that protects against the flow of electricity between the layers. A common PCB has a total of ten conductive layers, however, in a more technical and complex application, the layers can range up to 50 or more layers.

On the other hand, you may also find a PCB board that is simpler, with only two layers. Not to mention, on the top and bottom layers of a PCB, you will find a coat of solder mask, which offers a surface on which manufacturers will place components using high-tech machines. On top of the soldering mask is the silkscreen, which is nothing but the ink that indicates the placements for components by marking the circuit board.

The Assembly Process

After all the components of the PCB are manufactured, they need to be assembled before the PCB can go into the production line. This assembly process will involve the application of solder masks, automated component placement, along with the electrical testing of the bare board.

Final Thoughts

Printed circuit boards are more widely used inside computing devices, and since each model of smart phones and laptops along with other devices are different, the shapes and designs of circuit board assembly also differ vastly. Overall, it is fair to say that they are integral components of the modern technical era, and without them, none of the highest technical appliances can function.

 

 

The Process of a Printed Circuit Board Assembly

mwcms on August 30, 2021

The PCB assembly process undergoes thorough and intricate steps. PCB’s being the staple circuit board mechanism in most of the electronic appliances is undoubtedly major components that require perfect assembly otherwise they can be major causes of concern for many industries.

BluePrints and Layouts

The assembly process in factories start with a framework or blue print layout and make their way to the customers. Due to the advancements in PCB production, modern manufacturing units hardly have any workers on the production floor. This is because most of the manufacturing process is subject to automation and efficient machinery.

In the starting stage of assembly, the burr board inserts into the laser marking machine, which marks a serial number on the board so that the board can have a manufacturing label. This process is common in large scale production, but is not something common to all Printed circuit board manufacturers.

Applying Solder Mask

The process initiates with the application of solder to the circuit board. Solder mask is a material that sits on top the circuit as a layer in which you can install components of the circuit board. A specific inspection machine then inspects the circuit board and ensures that it is aligned.

Once the inspection is complete, it applies solder all the way across the surface board in an evenly fashion. After solder application, the solder goes through another inspection to ensure that it is applied evenly.  Once the inspection is complete, the board is ready to undergo the next stage.

Adding Component Placements

The next stage involves the addition of the placements. Machines rapidly add placements on the board that are coming from the reels. This machine includes heads that pick up the reels and attaches them to the circuit board. This reel placement happens for about eight times before the circuit board is ready for the next stage.

After all the components attach to the board, it is then ready for the reflow process. This process is important since the solder needs to melt so that it can adhere and be a good surface that provides mechanical and electrical connections between components and parts.

Reflow process

When it goes under the cooking process of the machine, it comes out from the other side to cool. Cooling process takes place so that all the junctions between the components can form and solidify. This results in the next step which involves testing.

Inspection and Electrical Testing

The final inspection will now ensure that all the components are situated in their correct specific placements so that the circuit board assembly is ready for use.  In this testing, advanced machines identify whether the pins are contacting the pads in the exact location. At this point, the SMT process is in completion.

Electrical testing can have implications that follow two processes. The first involves the bed of nails, which helps manufacturers test at a high volume at a shorter time, however it require expensive fixtures. The second testing method is a flying probe, which is a high mix at a small volume.

If the circuit board assembly includes large BGA components, then manufacturers need to inspect whether the pins are reaching the right layer.  These pins are usually behind each component and therefore, you cannot test those using automated machines. In this scenario, manufacturers will likely use the help of X-ray images and make sure that the soldering and components are adequate.

Parts of a PCB, or Printed Circuit Board

Whether the PCB board is inside an air conditioner, or a refrigerator, you can find numerous different parts mounted on the bare board. The main components that you are likely to find and which are critical for its functioning involve a Fuse, transformer, and a switch. The quantity and types of these components can vary according to the specific electrical appliance.

To Conclude

All of these processes and testing are then finalized by a functional test. As you can see, the process of a printed circuit board assembly is full of inspections and automated machine work. Thus, it is a true reflection of the detailed workings in a mass production factory.

 

How does Automated Trace Routing Work in PCB Design

mwcms on July 29, 2021

Every electronic device that you use consists of over a hundred meters of wires, along with dozens of small copper components. These components work seamlessly together to run a specific electronic device, whether it is a Smartphone, television, or remote control. 

All of the wires and components perfectly attach to a thin-layered board, or PCB (Printed circuit board). When engineers mount all the components on this surface, it provides an organized framework for all the small structures to communicate with each other. 

PCB DESIGNING 

PCBs consist of conductive material that sits on insulating material, or the substrate. When you categorize PCBs based on this, you get two classifications, the single-layer PCB, and the double-layer PCB. The single-layer PCB includes a one-sided conductive coating, while the double layer has a coating on both sides. 

One of the many ways to decrease the build-up of heat in a PCB design is to widening the traces on the board. This is one of the routing rules out of many that creators follow when designing PCBs. The wider the distance between the traces, the lesser will be the resistance of the flowing current. To calculate trace widths, you can seek the help of online trace width calculators. 

Similarly, you can find methods that encompass the manual routing process. In an electronic design, automated trace routing is the way to go amidst modern technological advances.

WHAT IS AUTOMATED TRACE ROUTING?

This is a method of design for the printed circuit board, along with the integrated circuits, or (ICs). This step automates the process of placement when integrating a PCB. The dynamics of this method predicates upon identifying the placement for each active component of a PCB. 

The automated trace routing method allows you to enable an automatic routing system that systematically makes all the placements themselves. You can find auto-routing software such as Altium, which provides users an interface that helps access automated trace routing. 

With the help of automated trace routers, encoders can increase their productivity and not waste their time in manual routing solutions. 

SHOULD YOU USE AN AUTOMATED TRACE ROUTER? 

Auto-routing tools can be of immense help, especially if you are a beginner designer. They have incredible use and benefits for simpler designs. However, skilled and experienced designers that incorporate complex routing placements do not use automated routers. 

This is because the automated routing tools will often not have the complex routing strategy or layout in their systems. Therefore, whether you should use an automated trace routing tool depends entirely on the layout of your PCB, the complexity of your strategy, and the settings that you are particularly looking for.

AUTOMATED TRACE ROUTING ALGORITHMS 

Algorithms ultimately define the function of an automated trace router. They are the fundamental construct of the different routing topologies. In other words, they are a set of instructions that automate the routing process, speeding it up, and making this lengthy task easier. 

The three main algorithms for auto-routing involve random search, directed search, and river routing. Each of these algorithms has its advantages and setbacks and suits each encoder for a different set of tasks. 

TO CONCLUDE

If you are new to PCB design, then auto-routing tools can be emphatic to get you started on your PCB projects. In hindsight, the benefits of an automated trace router outweigh some of the drawbacks, especially if you consider the recent advances in their technology.

Everything You Need to Know about Solder Mask Material

mwcms on July 16, 2021

Solder Mask material is a fine layer of polymer. In terms of application, engineers will often use this material for copper traces in a circuit board, PCB. It is an essential material in circuit building projects, protecting the PCB from oxidization. This is, however, not the only use case and benefit of solder masks when it comes to the construction of circuit boards.

PREVENTS THE BRIDGES FROM DEVELOPING

Printed Circuit Boards or PCB usually has components of copper placed extremely close to each other. The solder masking helps an engineer avoid solder bridges from manifesting due to the pads spaced closely.

Solder bridge refers to an electrical connection between two copper components on a PCB board. Therefore, the correct application of a Solder Mask can be instrumental in avoiding this issue. Their use case for PCBs is increasingly widespread and fine-tuned into the mass production of circuit boards.

Hence, you will not only find the solder mask material as a hand assembly use case but also integral to the mass production companies of PCB. Companies involved in mass production often use wave or reflow techniques to solder their circuits.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application process of solder involves firstly, applying the solder material on the board, and then following it up with making openings into the material for the copper components. Engineers that craft circuit boards will make these openings, often by using photolithography techniques.

Traditionally, solder mask material has a green physical appearance, but you can find it in many other colors as well. You can also use solder-masking techniques to construct your very own solder mask at home.

Hence, the quantity, quality, or type of the solder mask material ultimately depends on the particular PCB. Every PCB is different, not only in terms of size but also in terms of applications. PCBs for certain electronic instruments may have more components than some others.
Therefore, the physical dimensions of a particular PCB, the number of openings, and the volume and sizes of components are considerations that factor in before every soldering process.

TYPES

Typically, you can find four types of solder mask materials, each having its unique physical properties and distinct applications.

TOP-BOTTOM SIDE MASKS

The use of this type of solder mask is common amongst electronic engineers. They use this type of solder to recognize the openings in the solder layer. The layering of this solder mask often follows a film or an epoxy technique.

EPOXY LIQUID SOLDER MASKS

This is one of the cheaper solder masking options since it is a polymer that you can easily silkscreen on the PCB. Silk-screening refers to a printing method in which you have to apply woven mesh to hold the ink patterns.

LIQUID SOLDER MASK/PHOTO IMAGEABLE SOLDER MASK

This solder material is often the more superior out of the four. In terms of property, it is a mixture of two different liquid components. For this reason, it has a much higher shelf life than other solder mask liquids. Furthermore, it is also versatile in its application, meaning, that you can use multiple techniques to apply this solder mask material type.

DRY FILM PHOTO IMAGEABLE SOLDER MATERIAL

This type of solder mask material is excellent for high-density wiring boards. Since the film is dry, it is less likely to escape through the holes. Moreover, when using dry film, you should use the vacuum lamination application technique.

CONCLUSION

Solder mask materials are emphatic for the PCB industry. Without their application, all circuit boards are vulnerable to damages due to short circuits. Moreover, they also have an essential role in the functionality of the particular circuit board, and they allow aspiring circuit board creators to practice their PCB crafting skills.