Here?s the major facts you?re going to want to know about printed circuit boards, or PCB. You may have never heard of them, but they?re worth a lot. In 2012, the global demand for PCBs had already reached $60 billion — and that is a number that will keep on climbing unless massively new technology is invented.
While you may have never heard of PCBs, chances are you encounter them on a daily basis. Everything from your microwave to your computer is likely making use of one (or a few) of these. Teenagers in high school tech classes are often required to produce a simple version of a PCB (usually using aluminum as a conductor and cardboard as a backing, and using a very weak charge, instead of the typical plastic-as-backing).
Two Major Tracks of Construction for These Pieces
They?re used in all but the most simple electronic pieces, and there are two major methods for producing printed circuit boards: one is a surface board assembly, and the other is a ?through hole construction.? They can be constructed to be single sided (the most simple and easy to produce arrangement), double sided, or multi layered. It?s the through hole technology that allows for complex boards and components placed in close proximity to each other.
At what point do businesses become involved in PCB fabrication? In most cases, they will be involved in producing prototype circuit boards. Prototype PCBs allow designers to ensure that the PCBs they are using work appropriately with their product models, as well as any applicable software.
No Standard: Experimentation and Constant Redesign Necessary
There is no such thing as a standard PCB — each board is designed for a specific use and application. Though designers are, of course, familiar with the limits and constraints of the materials used, it often requires a real world test: differences in spacing as small as a millimeter can be the difference between a board functioning, and a board getting ruined the first time it?s used (in which case, it?s back to the drawing board for the prototype circuit boards in question).
Has your experience with printed circuit boards more or less reflected this information? Let us know. Reference links.
