PCB Manufacturing

LDI processing requires a board with a photosensitive surface, positioned under a computer-controlled laser. A computer scans the board surface into a raster image.

Printed circuit boards are turning up in an exponentially-expanding number of products including: Industrial equipment including machine tools and CAD/CAM systems, Computers and peripheral devices, Smartphones, tablets, and wearable technology such as fitness wristbands and watches, Televisions with ever-increasing technical functionality, Medical equipment including diagnostic and even robotic surgical devices, Renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind turbines, Consumer electronics from toys to increasingly-popular drones, Aircraft and other aerospace industries for commercial and military use

Electronics are taking center stage in a continuously growing variety of industries. From computers and high-performance servers that drive web sites and global enterprises to machine tools utilized throughout industrial sectors to smartphones and tablets, printed circuit boards (PCBs) have become critical elements of day-to-day living.

Wearables are becoming more and more omnipresent in the lives of the everyday consumer. With the Apple Watch, the Galaxy Gear, the Fitbit and many others, customers are finding out exactly what wearable technology can do for them.

There are a great deal of reasons why one would decide to go with a single-company manager for all of their PCB management needs. The following are five of the biggest reasons that a business should choose a single-company PCB management team for all of their PCB needs.

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are becoming more and more complex while at the same time more critical to technology. PCBs are a basic building block of not only computers and high-tech communications equipment, but are found in every automotive vehicle, smartphones, lighting systems, and even children’s toys.

Efficient fabrication of printed circuit boards (PCBs) utilized in high speed circuitry is critical to the end result. Yet often the PCB layout design is not a proactive thought in the process.

Thermal management is more important than ever today as electronics are used in demanding environments and operate at higher currents. Heavy copper PCBs (copper conductors 5 oz/ft² – 19 oz/ft² in inner and/or outer layers; sometimes defined as more than 4 oz per square foot (ft²)) can help conduct heat away from components so failure is greatly reduced.

Via-In-Pad (VIP) is rapidly becoming more commonly used in modern printed circuit design due to many considerations, including the need to miniaturize the PCB form factor. This review of via-in-pad technology can help remove some of the mystery of VIP in PCB manufacturing.