Technology truly is a marvel. Compared to the dial-up boxes and flip phones of the 90’s, the communicative devices we use today are almost light years ahead of what we grew up with. As such, it’s imperative to stay on top of industry trends to get the most bang for your buck and, on the behalf of your customer, an experience they’ll never forget. A prototype PCB was almost unheard of a few decades ago, now an industry standard providing corporations and manufacturers across the world with reliable methods of creating quality circuit boards in a short time frame.
What Is A Circuit Board?
Short for ‘printed circuit board’, a PCB is a necessary component to keep computers, laptops, game systems and similar electronic devices running. Crafted with copper foil and highly minute etches, a PCB can achieve a wide variety of functions with a minimal margin for error thanks to technological advances. The world market for printed circuit boards has seen an unprecedented boom in recent years, surpassing $50 billion, and isn’t expected to go down any time soon.
How Are They Made?
PCB fabrication generally involves two different types of circuit assemblies to start with — an integrated circuit, occasionally referred to as a microchip, or a hybrid circuit. There are three industry methods of printing a legend, all of which contains the component designator, switch settings, test joints and various other indications helpful in the assembly and testing process. Silk screen printing, liquid photo imaging and ink jet printing are but a few resources manufacturers turn to in order to craft a useful prototype PCB.
How Has Technology Changed?
While prototype PCBs have been around for decades, their methods of creation certainly weren’t as refined as they are today. They were originally created using rub-on transfers and specialized tapes, a method that was an improvement at the time but appears downright clumsy compared to the highly efficient and accurate digital soldering of today. As of now, laminates are manufactured by curing under both pressure and temperature layers of cloth with thermosat resin — this helps the product form a final piece of uniform thickness, ranging from four to eight feet in width and length.
What Is Prototype PCB Assembly?
P rinted circuit board prototypes, due to high customer demand, need to be both high-quality as well as assembled in a relatively short amount of time. Highly specialized machinery has since been created in response to this need, allowing companies to both hire workers to craft prototype PCBs by hand as well as through placement machines. A human touch is always needed, however, particularly during the final stages of quality control and functional testing. The primary insulating substration which the majority of PCBs are produced upon are glass epoxy, combined with thin copper foils on one or both sides of the panel.
Why Use A Prototype PCB?
Simply put, prototype PCB manufacturing is the way of the future. It’s a more accurate and time-saving measure that puts millions of quality circuit boards in countless devices across the world, allowing digital and engineering industries to do what they do best. Through prototypes different models can be tested to perfection, offering flexibility for new ideas while building upon the tried-and-true methods of the past. Advances in technology have reduced the margin for human error while creating more complex and efficient devices. If assembly has gotten this good in recent times, it stands to reason it’ll only get better in the years to come.
