The important role of PCB in the modern industry?
There is no argument on how valuable the Print Circuit Board (PCB) has been to the modern industry. Most of the electronic devices we have now — especially the small ones, will not have been possible if people did not develop PCBs. The technology affords faster and easier manufacture of products.
The medical industry has been one of the highest beneficiaries of PCB. From tiny life-saving devices such as defibrillators, pacemakers, and heart monitors to full-sized ultrasonic equipment and MRI machines, all use PCBs. These devices have helped to save more lives and increased the productivity of people.
Another industry worth considering is the security and safety industry. This industry makes use of PCB in sensors and detectors of various types. These detectors monitor different parameters like temperature, object interference, motion, and other parameters to ensure lives’ safety and security.
The automotive industry is yet another industry that enjoys the gains of PCBs in its manufacturing systems. Automated assembly lines have many robotics and computerized systems that are composed of PCBs.
The cars produced also use the sensors mentioned above to ensure the safety of the driver and passengers.
The smart devices and mobile phones used today all contain the PCB as their platform for the circuits and electronic pieces used in its manufacture.
What is the PCB manufacturing process?
The manufacturing processes of the PCB are in two phases, which is the fabrication of the board and secondly the assembling of the board components.
The fabrication phase involves designing a PCB according to internationally accepted standards and suited for its use case. Then it goes through etching and laminating, where materials are heated and pressed onto the board.
The fabrication continues with drilling mounting holes for electronic elements and further etching of the board to give a smooth finish.
This phase’s last step is coatings to protect the solder masking surfaces, often done after plating the pinholes.
This first fabrication phase is often done by a contract manufacturer (CM) after proper scrutiny to ascertain the CM understands the required manufacturing objectives and the quality standards expected and internationally accepted for the PCB type.
The next phase is the assembling stage of the electronic components for soldering. Sourcing these components is the first step in fixing these components, ensuring the best parts meet quality conditions.
The steps to make sure to get the right components can include verifying the part number and component reference identifier, among other things.
How to guarantee the quality of a PCB?
Various quality assessment tests can be carried out during the fabrication and assembling phases to guarantee PCBs’ quality.
Some of these tests are destructive, like sawing. However, non-destructive tests like visual inspection and automatic optical inspection (AOI) are considered a better assessment form. The reason is that the components are still available for use after testing, unlike the destructive tests where this is impossible.
Furthermore, PCB X-ray inspection using an industrial X-ray machine is still considered the best form of non-destructive quality assessment methods.
PCB X-ray machine provides high-quality imaging of both internal and external parts of the components. It is also possible to view the members from various angles, allowing flaws to appear easily on the PCB X-ray machine’s detector.
X-ray inspection systems manufacturers have made it doable to check single-layered, double-layered, and multi-layered PCB configurations using a high-powered Industrial X-ray machine. This machine can penetrate even the tiniest of spaces, especially in PGA mounting systems, where components are tightly packed.
PCB X-ray machines can also produce two-dimensional and three-dimensional images depending on the required detail during the inspection.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, PCB manufacturing poses many advantages to our lives. Modern industries continually enjoy these benefits for improved productivity and to save lives. Nonetheless, these benefits will not come to fruition without the quality manufacturing of PCBs.
Ensuring the quality of PCBs will require keen assessments at both fabrications and assembling phases of production. This monitoring will often start with choosing the right contract manufacturing, which can comply with the required quality standards and the individual design specifications.
The assessment will often conclude with a good non-destructive testing method using a PCB X-ray machine to check the PCB. Inspectors cross-examine the PCB’s internal and external structural integrity to determine the PCB’s final quality and acceptance.
