Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

For all printed circuit boards (PCBs), the main component is the base laminate material. Choosing what you need or want to use is not as simple as it sounds. There are many options out there and many flavors that can be used but how do you know what to pick and how do you note it as my item of choice on the fabrication package?

During the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs), a lot of attention is focused on how tools and processes are handled to avoid many common quality issues such as brittle joints, cold joints, and voids. Voids consist of an empty space somewhere along the PCB where not enough of a certain material was added. If the voiding issue is not addressed, then the entire PCB may need to be scrapped.

Not all printed circuit board (PCB) materials are created equal. In fact, to say there is an equivalent for any is untrue. Although, they are all in line with each other for basic attributes and are close but not exact. These many different flavors are also not always available; some come with a steep cost, a high Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ,) and a long lead time.

There are several reasons for the need to plug printed circuit board (PCB) holes. Some of the most commonly seen reasons include: properly tenting or covering the via with soldermask (isolation), to prevent entrapment (solder, chemistry, flux), to prevent solder starvation (wicking of solder in the hole/surface mount technology (SMT) placement directly on via), and for thermal or electrical purposes.

At the conclusion of our webinar, Why High-Tech Multi-Layer PCB Features Add Cost and Processing Time, we had several questions submitted to our presenter, Angie Brown, PCB Product Manager at Epec. We have compiled these questions into a readable format on our blog.

When it comes to manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCB), providing your PCB supplier with a clean data package can decrease cycle time and ensure requirements are clearly understood.

As the printed circuit board’s physical size became smaller in one or both directions, it quickly became an issue for both the raw PCB supplier and the contract manufacturer to manage the parts on certain equipment. Processes like routing, electrical test, and packaging added cost to production for either time or scrap. Fallout was an issue that recovery was not possible.

The purpose of IPC specification is to provide requirements for qualification and performance of rigid printed circuit boards based on the following constructions and/or technologies. These requirements apply to the finished product unless otherwise specified.

When we look at where we are today vs. 1980 or earlier with technology, it is truly amazing. Just think about an appliance, for example, the household refrigerator/freezer. It used to be that you opened the door, looked inside, found what was needed, and closed it. I can hear my parents yelling, “shut the door,” like all the cold is coming out and everything will spoil. Settings were cold/coldest on a dial you turned.

Printed circuit board (PCB) production has used standard panel sizes, such as 18x24 inches, to produce multiple PCBs at the same time, along with several other panel standards. A panel containing single format PCBs typically would use routing as the method of removing the single pieces from the master size.