Epec's Blog | Electronics Manufacturing Solutions

Mil-aero devices live in a special place in the worlds of design and engineering. These are devices that are often subjected to extraordinary environments. They have extreme requirements, and they often must function in the harshest environments of the world.

While PCB layout typically has played the leading role in high-speed printed circuit board (PCB) applications, the role of the PCB fabricator becomes more and more important as the trend to faster, higher integrated, smaller form factors, and lower power electronic circuits become more prevalent.

Designing medical devices is no simple task. The stakes are higher for these devices compared to most other industries. Because of that, medical device engineers need to think carefully about which design elements should be prioritized.

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 solder mask (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.