Printed Circuit Board –Its Composition, Functions and Applications!

Every tiny tool or device plays an indispensable as well as an irreplaceable role in the execution and working of the whole system. One can never underestimate the significance of the tiny tools and equipment's. One such important cog of the modern day electrical devices is “Printed Circuit Board” (PCB). PCB is also sometimes known as PWB which is the acronym for ‘Printed Wiring Board’.  Below is discussed its definition, composition, functions and applications in brief.

Read Also: Printed Circuit Boards –The Backbone of the Electrical Devices!

Printed Circuit Boards

PCB are the contemporary form of circuits which have made the electric devices more productive as well as effective. Conventionally the circuits were constructed through a protracted process of point-to-point wiring. This resulted into frequent failures in the efforts as often the wire junctions used to get damaged and short circuits made wire insulation subject to age and crack. PCB evolved as the perfect solution for all such issues with traditional circuits.

Composition of PCB

A Printed Circuit Board is like a layer cake where there are alternating layers of distinct materials which are laminated together with heat and adhesive in order to generate a single object. It is a device which is made up of the critical components that are consisted of slim strips of a conducting material for instance copper, which is then etched from a sheet that is fixed to an insulating bottom.

Functions of PCB

A PCB permits signals and power to be routed amid physical / electrical devices. Its major function is to mechanically “hold up” and electrically “hook up” the components to the conducting material. The metal that makes the electrical connections between the surface of the PCB and the electronic components is known as ‘Solder’. Being metal, solder also serves as a strong mechanical adhesive.

Applications of PCB

Many prototype PCB manufacturer companies are continuously advancing the making of PCB in order to enhance its popularity and increase widespread applications. Some of the popular applications of PCB are mentioned below:

• IT: Intel, Hyundai, Nitgen etc. use Printed Circuit Boards in their series of software, range of processors and other electronic equipment's.

• Medicals: PCB are also required in Hospital Inventory Control Devices, Dosimeter Product Assembly and more.

• Industries: Controls fir process thickness measurement as well as for ultrasonic technologies etc.

• Aerospace: The Printed Circuit Boards are also used in aerospace for robotic cable assemblies, and data patch panel instrumentation.

Apart from the listed functions and applications the value and significance of Printed Circuit Board goes far beyond. Its valiant function and engineered construction have benefited the world for years and still creating new milestones in the world of technology and electrics!

Printed Circuit Boards –The Backbone of the Electrical Devices!

In this technology driven world, everything is dependable on the electronics, science and technology. We can’t survive without the computers, refrigerators, Aircons and other such electrical devices. These equipments are so dominant on our day-to-day lives that it’s next to impossible to imagine our lifestyle without them. But if you ponder over it, almost all these devices are made up of the tiny ICs, PCBs and other such electrical parts which lead to the whole functioning of the system. These tiny chips and circuit boards are responsible for the smooth, error-free working, long lifespan, high quality and excellent efficiency of almost all the electronic devices. Let’s discuss about these tiny devices, their construction, working, types, benefits and more.

Printed Circuit Board

A PCB is the acronym for Printed Circuit Board which is also known as ‘Printed Wiring Board’ (PWB). It is a device which is consisted of thin strips of a conducting material for example copper. This conducting slip is etched from a layer that is fixed to an insulating base which integrated circuits are attached to. Its function is to mechanically support and electrically connect the components to that conducting material. 

Read Also : An Overview About Printed Circuit Board Services

Types of PCB

• Single Sided

• Double Sided

• Flexible Boards

• Aluminum Backed

• Multi Layered

Why PCBs are preferred?

The Printed Circuit Board has several major merits compared to older ways of making electronics. In the past, the electronics were made by using the long wires which were made to fit in the device. Also, the wires, chips and other parts were made to be fixed at random places which made the whole set-up complex and confusing, whereas in a Printed Circuit Board the location of each electronic part is fixed. Hence, the components’ identification becomes simpler and the maintenance of the equipment becomes easier. This is not the only benefit; in fact there are many more which make these tiny inventions the ideal choice for almost all sorts of electronics. Here is why PCB is preferred in today’s electronics and how it helps making the equipments advanced and efficient:

• The pre-eminent advantage of the PCB is its small size which makes it easy to be used even in the smallest appliances.

• While being small in size, the PCBs are also less in costs. The cost efficient property makes it an easy affordable choice for the buyers.

• The PCBs offer uniformity from assembly to assembly. 

• Electronic circuit characteristics can be easily maintained without introducing parasitic capacitance.

• The chances of short-circuited wiring are negligible. 

These features of PCB make them stand out and lead to its widespread applications in IT industries, medical and aero space etc. These industries are the major consumers of Printed Circuit Board services and are benefitting the world with the advanced and amazing invention. 

An Overview About Printed Circuit Board Services

The 21st century is a hi-tech era where technology is at its highest peak. Whatever we talk about or whatever we do in our day to day life is more or less machinery and all such machinery equipments have raised their level and standards over the years. One of such examples of advanced electronic equipment is PCB.

What Is A PCB & How It Works?
PCB stands for “Printed Circuit Board” which connects electronic components mechanically. Prototype PCBs have taken a big leap from being a traditional tool to an advanced technology. As a matter of fact, Printed Circuit Board is not more than an electronic plate which is widely used to create conductive connection. More often than not, it works wonder for cell phones, computer systems, televisions, electronic gadgets and so on.

Prototype PCB Manufacturers:
There are a number of manufacturers in current market place who promise to fulfill all PCB needs in an actual sense; very few of them can keep their promise. The proven authenticity and guarantee can only be attained from a trusted manufacturer claim to offer high quality prototype PCB services at best competitive price. No matter you need single sided, double sided or a multi layer circuit board, you can get it all by counting on a reliable manufacture.

Read Also : PCB- Holds the World of Innovations

Only a reliable PCB manufacturer can completely comprehend the importance of superior quality printed circuit boards. This is the reason that they offer their customers a variety of options to choose from, which can better serve their purpose and suit their specific demands. They emphasis more on quality and less on quantity or any other matter in order to gain trust of the target audience and create a good business reputation in the prospective market. The Prototype PCB manufacturers go through rigorous tests to ensure that their fabrication is more effective and efficient compared to any other PCB produced by their rivals. This competition of being better than others results into the fabrication of standard quality PCB.

PCB Design:
The design of prototype PCB plays as pivotal role in the smooth of your electronic appliance as the quality itself. Once the final design of a PCB is sketched, it is all set to go through the process of manufacturing via mass production.

Once an ideal PCB is manufactured, a good service quality can be added to it and this rule is applicable for anything and everything. This fine feature of the product enables the patrons to get custom made printed circuit board. Custom printed circuit board means if the consumers have any issue related to the design, quality or work of PCB, they can opt for the apt custom made PCB at reasonable price rates.

Bottom Line:
No matter you want a simple PCB, a prototype PCB or a custom made PCB, you can get a good deal over all provided that you rely on a trusted online portal to get it manufactured.

Types of Printed Circuit Boards For Diverse Purposes

A Printed Circuit Board (PCB) also known as ‘Printed Wiring Board’ (PWB) is a device which is made up of the essential components which are consisted of thin strips of a conducting material, preferably copper, which is etched from a layer that is fixed to an insulating base. The integrated circuits are made to attach to this insulating base only. It mechanically supports and electrically connects the components to that conducting material (mainly it is copper). The conductors do not only provide the electrical connections between the components, but also the mechanical support, once soldered.

A PCB can be of many types, whose appearances, principles and working can be entirely different from one another. There are following types of Printed Circuit Board, which are popular in the market:

Read Also : PCB- Holds the World of Innovations

1. Single Sided  : If any circuit board is perfect for a low-density design and high volume production, that is the Single Sided PCW. It is the most basic type of CB that involves only one conductive layer. If we talk about the most cost-effective type of Printed Circuit Board, the single sided PCBs has to top the list.

2. Double Sided : These are more versatile options of boards, which consist of both, a top and a bottom layer. The Double Sided PCB is capable in working with the circuits that have intermediate complexity, however, fail in providing the electromagnetic interference.

3. Flexible Boards : These sorts of PCWs provide a constant interconnection between the boards and the electronics. This eradicates the need of using discrete conductors. As the flexible CB include high signal trace densities with multilayer configurations and also are able to provide the most dependable operations, this makes these boards to be the most reliable solutions among all.

4. Multi-Layered : The Multilayer boards, no doubt, are capable of advancing the density as well as the complexity of the circuitry as it involves multi layers. These enable the engineers to develop the most complex as well as the densest designs. The engineers can also improve the thermal dissipation of the board.

5. Aluminum Backed : These boards are better option for improving the thermal dissipation of the board than the Multilayers. As the name suggests, this type of board has a thick aluminum backing mounted to the rear (bottom) of the circuit layer. This construction makes the Aluminum backed boards able to control the temperature of components when working at high loads. 

Knowing the types of PCB with its functions/roles before buying is quite essential as a specific type of board can work better for a particular task or purpose and can give long term as well as reliable service. There are a number of single sided, double sided, multilayer, aluminum backed, flexible as well as all the prototype PCB manufacturers to avail all these types of high quality circuit boards at low prices. 

Find Your Online PCB Manufacturer

In today’s technology oriented world, most of the people are buying printed circuit board prototype rather than making their own product. They consider it a difficult task to manufacture it all by them as it requires assembling and fabrication facilities. Moreover, it is a very costly to do so in case of prototypes. Therefore they are nowadays outsourcing the fabrication of printed circuit boards. You can also outsource the printed circuit boards by following simple procedures to your advantage:

Know the cost online
Many companies that get outsourcing of printed circuit boards provide online quotes. By doing so you can get an estimate cost of prototypes and can plan accordingly. You can get the quotes by just filling out a simple form asking about certain details like material, size, dimension etc.
Online quotes save cost

You can reduce the cost of your PCBs by ordering in large quantity. The cost is also dependent on material and dimension but overall the cost is inversely proportional to quantity of order.


Read Also : Understanding the importance of Prototype PCB

Delivery time
When outsourcing your PCBs there are various factors which are to be taken into account for delivery time such as type of material used. An uncommon material or uncommon design will take more time in delivery as compared to a common material and design.

File Format for PCB Design
Generally vendors use common file format for PCB designing and if you are using any uncommon file format or other format than the vendor then you should inform the vendor beforehand as it will help the vendor getting a hold on to your requirements.

While getting online quotes you can get an approximate idea of both the cost and delivery time before placing the order and it helps a lot in long run.

Winding up
Many of the online PCB manufacturers are available after searching on Google or any search engine. The online PCB manufacturers provide easy and cheap PCBs. They also provide customer support to bring out the best for their customers. Don’t forget to clear all the doubts regarding hidden charges to avoid the hassle at the time of payment.

Understanding the importance of Prototype PCB

Circuit prototypes help to stabilize the development process, allowing electronic products to be created cheaper, faster and more productively than shotgun roll-outs.

Prototype printed circuit boards are a vital and important step in manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB).  With the help of Prototype, designers can easily understand the discrepancies in design and function of PCB.  If you want to know the significance prototype PCB, just keep reading this content.

Importance of Prototype PCB  

While designing any type of hardware, most of the producers demand a prototype of the PCB. After building one, you will understand that you need numerous prototypes for perfect designing of hardware. Here is some of the following importance of prototype PCB:
 
• A prototype will let you to understand the faults of hardware design. However it is not same in case of software. These might not be obvious when working on software. But while designing hardware, you will be able to recognize the physical limits of your design, and construction process.

• You can incorporate a Prototype PCB in your application to check its function. After that, you can make sure if it is perfectly well-matched with your hardware or not.

• Also, it will facilitate you to accept user input.
After manufacturing a prototype, you can easily understand the faults of PCB. And, this will help you to create an ideal product.   Name of first prototype is ‘crude prototype’ – it helps you to recognize the physical properties of PCB. The second prototype is ‘working prototype’ which help you to experiment the functions of hardware. After all changes are incorporated, a concluding prototype is manufactured. The design of the final PCB is based on the design of the prototype.

Read Also : High Quality PCB – A Boon of Techniques & Technology!

Things to know before ordering prototype

If you are going to order PCB, make sure that the manufacturer is able to meet your hope. The manufacturer should have most up-to-date technology and can build one PCB in 24-48 hours. Today, there are many companies which produce prototype PCB; with the help of internet you can find such companies in your city and get in touch with the professionals.

Understanding The Overall Process Of PCB Manufacturing

The PCB manufacturing process is very crucial for a person involved in the electronics industry. Printed circuit boards are widely used as the base for electronic circuits. It is used to provide the motorized basis on which the circuit can be built. Hence all circuits use PCB and they are designed and used in millions of numbers.

Although PCBs form the base of almost all electronic circuits, hence they are likely to be taken for granted. However technology in this area of electronics is moving ahead. Track sizes are diminishing, numbers of layers in the boards is escalating to put up the increased connectivity required, and the design rules are being enhanced to make sure that smaller SMT devices can be handled and the soldering processes used in manufacturing can be accommodated.

The PCB production process can be achieved in several ways and there are a number of alternatives. Despite the many small differences, the main stages in the PCB manufacturing process remain same.

PCB components

Printed circuit boards can be made from a range of substances. The most widely used is in a form of glass fiber based board which is known as FR4. This provides a rational degree of constancy under temperature disparity and is does not collapse badly, while not being extremely expensive. Other low cost materials are available for the PCBs.

In order to make a PCB with tracks for the mechanism, copper clad board is obtained. This consists of the substrate fabric, typically FR4, with copper cladding usually on both sides. This copper cladding consists of a slight layer of copper sheet connected to the board. This bonding is generally very good for FR4, but the nature of PTFE makes this more difficult, and this adds complexity to the processing of PTFE PCBs.

Basic PCB manufacturing procedure

With the bare PCB boards selected and accessible the next step is to create the needed tracks on the board and remove the surplus copper. The manufacturing of the PCBs is usually obtained using a chemical etching process. The most ordinary type of etch used with PCBs is ferric chloride.

To gain the right pattern of tracks, a photographic procedure is used. Usually the copper on the uncovered printed circuit boards is enclosed with a thin layer of photo-resist. It is then exposed to light through a photographic film. In this way the reflection of the tracks is passed onto the photo-resist. With this process, the photo-resist is positioned in a developer so that only those areas of the board where tracks are required are covered in the resist.

Read More : Importance of Professionally Manufactured PCB

The next phase in the process is to put the printed circuit boards into the ferric chloride to engrave the areas where no track or copper is needed. Knowing the attentiveness of the ferric chloride and the thickness of the copper, it is placed into the etch froth.

Although, most of the PCB boards are manufacturing using photographic process, but other methods are also available. One is to use a specific highly accurate milling machine. The machine is then controlled to mill away the copper in unnecessary areas. The control is clearly automated and driven from files created by the PCB design software. This type of PCB manufacture is not suitable for large quantity but it is an ideal option where very small quantity of PCB prototype is needed.

5 Reasons of Choosing PCB

The printed circuit board is considered as one of the best wonders in the modern production of electronics parts. This product is made up of various glass fabricated plastic with copper tracks that act as wire to which the components are attached. It has numerous advantages, which are as follows:

•It has no complex wiring's attached all over the board; it makes the circuit board a simple electronic part to use. It is easy to maintain because the board components are fixed and easy to identify.

•You don’t need to give much concern on short circuits and wrong wiring's in its production as the copper tracks are embedded to the board. Another reason of PCB has a little chance of creating a short circuit which is that has been designed using a computer.  Hence, it has been checked for any errors before production.

•Generally, it is cost-effective and it makes mass production cheaper than manually created boards. You can easily save the schematic design and can reproduce it anytime that the board is needed.

•It is considered as ideal for the reproduction of multiple boards, as this is a computer generated, you can easily create uniform printed circuit boards using the same schematic layout.

•It also helps in eliminating further inspection before using the product; you don’t need to worry about broken circuits and has a bigger chance of it working than boards that the manually created bread board.

Read Also : Importance of Professionally Manufactured PCB

Therefore, if you are looking to purchase this product, then you must scrutinize the internet facility to contact the marvelous prototype PCB manufacturer that provides outstanding products in an effective and efficient manner. It is advisable that you must compare the price offered by numerous companies to get the maximum services at the lowest rates, read reviews of different people as the best company has to be famous among its clients and don’t forget to clear all the queries regarding hidden charges in order to avoid the hassle that occurs at the time of payment. These guidelines will definitely help you in getting the best deal around you.