Technology has come a long way from the time when the first printed circuit boards were invented back in the late 1930’s by an Austrian engineer Paul Eisler for radio communications. Almost everything you electrically operate has a PCB for controls. These gadgets can be massively produced at lesser cost production with quality control being standardized by the industry organization called IPC or Association Connecting Electronics Industries.

PCBs are described as boards made of both insulated and conductive materials in thin sheets. The board’s main purpose is to mechanically hold the electronic parts of a circuitry, and electrically connect electronic components that prompt the operation of an electronic device. The insulated material called dielectric is coated with keeps some parts non-conductive according to the circuit design to prevent short circuitry. Meanwhile, the conductive part, usually of thin copper sheet, is patterned for conductivity and activation of electronic components by electricity passage in the conductive copper patterns. The process of building a PCB involves typical stages of construction.

PCB conceptualization, planning, and design. For most big manufacturing corporations, the new products they launch are usually from their in-house engineers and designers. Separate teams are in charge of different PCB designs to answer a need of the appliance market. Research and testing teams make sure the PCB design is workable and cost efficient before signaling for production.

PCB manufacturing starts with the design. And after approval of design, the materials engineers or specialists pick out the best components to the board and the PCB board materials itself. Production starts after final testing is done and massive production takes place right after. Most of the PCBs today are made by computer-controlled machines that are programmed to perform detailed work designs.

Etching the circuitry design on the board sometimes involves very fine lines and delicate patterns that only machines can be able to do. After etching, drilling of the placement points of electronic components follows. Depending on how many “legs” a component has, the machines make a hole on the board for the legs to fit in. The soldering processes use a hot gun and lead to cement the electronic component on the design placement. The melted lead helps the conduction sheet as well for electricity or power to activate the electronic component. A spray of varnish is usually deployed to keep the circuit board coated with a slim coating of protective and thin sheet.

After varnishing, the PCBs undergo a tight quality assurance procedure before being sent to the testing process. After passing the necessary functional testing, another set of final quality check is conducted before finally sent to packaging. Depending on the processing flow, most of these PCBs are then shipped to their recipients or assemblers.

The printed circuit boards are very helpful in making most of modern living possible. A culture of quick and instant lifestyle has been spawned from their efficiency and reliability. No more worries for big machines being operated manually or heavy workloads to be done physically. With a simple click and touch on buttons, your task and chores can be done in seconds, thanks to the printed circuit boards in your appliances and devices.

Author Bio: As a retired electrical engineer, Henry Weltyn enjoys building computers as well as tinkering with other devices that call for flexible pcb. Doing so requires Henry to employ a flexible printed circuit manufacturer such as multilayer flexible circuit for their ability to put out quality products quickly.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: flexible printed circuit, printed circuit, flexible pcb, multilayer flexible circuit