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Flex PCB types and constructions

Posted by iFast PCB on July 4, 2016 in PCB News

There are a few basic types of flex PCB but critical alternative between the types in terms of their construction.
Following is an outline of the most typical types. Photos of some of the flexible types are revealed with the classification and cross-sectional views of the various constructions are shown in a graphic near the end of the chapter (fig. 1-5).

SINGLE-SIDED FLEX CIRCUITS

Single-sided flex circuits consist of an one conductor layer of metal or conductive (metal-filled) polymer on a flexible dielectric film. Part ending features are accessible only from one side, but holes in the base film for component features to pass through are required. Single-sided flexible PCB can be produced with or without shielding coatings such as coverlayers or cover coats; however, the use of a protective coating on top of circuits is the most common method.

 

DOUBLE ACCESS OR BACK BARED CIRCUITS

Double access (also known as back bared) flexible circuits have a single conductor layer that allows access to features of the conductor pattern, such as lead endings, from each sides.
While this type of circuit has a number of benefits, it is not typically manufactured because of the particular processing involved to provide access to the features discretely, although laser technology is obtainable for the task. Tape automated bonding (TAB) circuits take advantage of the approach, but the circuit features are accessed en masse, often by chemically
engraving the circuits and the polymer film on which they are located.

 

SCULPTURED FLEX PCB

Sculptured flex circuits are an interesting subset of flex circuits technology, involving a special flex circuit construction method that produces a flexible circuits with finished copper conductors that have varying degrees of thickness around their stretch. The conductors are slim in flexible areas and thick at interconnection points. This approach involves selective etching of thick copper foil to different depths in various zones of the circuit.
The sculptured flexible PCB approach, patented by Advanced PCB Technology, is often applied to make bare metal contacts that project from the draw of the circuit to permit plug-in connectivities. The increased land enhances solder joint creation and improves its stability associated to ordinary, single-metal layer flex circuits.

DOUBLE-SIDED FLEX CIRCUITS

Double-sided flexible circuits own two conductor layers. They can be fabricated with or without plated through-holes, though the plated through-hole variation is more typical. When constructed without plated through-holes and along with conjunction features obtainable from only one side, the circuit is defined as a Kind 5 according to military requirements. It is not a basic practice, but it is an approach.

Because of the plated through-hole, terminations for electronic and digital components are given for on both edges of the circuit, letting components to be placed on both side. Depending on layout requirements, double-sided flex circuits can be fabricated with shielding coverlayers on one, both or neither side of the completed circuit. While possible, non inclusion of a protecting cover film or coating for the circuits rarely takes place.

MULTILAYER FLEX CIRCUITS

Flex circuits with three or more layers of conductors are known as multilayer flex PCB. Generally, the layers are adjoined by plated through-holes, but this is not needed since it is feasible to give openings to connect to lower circuit level attributes.

The layers of the multilayer flexible circuits may or may not be regularly plated together throughout the construction with the exception of the areas occupied by plated throughholes. Disconnected layer is common in cases that need maximal flexibility and is accomplished by going away the areas in which flexing or bending is to occur unbonded. This will be talked about in more detail later.

RIGID-FLEX CIRCUITS

Rigid flex circuits are hybrid buildings consisting of rigid and flexible substrates that are overlayered together into an one structure and then sequentially electrically interconnected using plated through-holes. Unlike multilayer flex, the use of plated through-holes is generally a guideline for rigid flex PCB products.

Over the years, rigid flex PCB have actually delighted in incredible acceptance among military device engineers. In more recent years the technology has already made inroads toward the commercial world. Figure 1-4 displays an illustration of an uncommon rigid flex. Rigid flex PCB boards are often considered a specialized product for low volume applications because of manufacturing obstacles. Compaq, nevertheless, produced an impressive work to utilize the technology in the manufacturing of pcb for laptop computers in the 1990s.

Rigid-flex boards are normally multilayer constructions, but double-sided constructions with only two metal layers are as well feasible. Two-layer rigid-flex designs have already been utilized in the past in small-scale sort for healthcare applications. A big amount of alterations are available.

Rigid flex pcb should not be confused with rigidized flex. Rigidized flex designs are just flex pcb to which a stiffener is attached to support the weight of the electronic and digital parts.

A stiffened or rigidized flexible circuits can have one or more conductor layers. Although the two names sound identical, they represent items which are quite various. The subject of rigidizers or stiffeners will be protected in more detail in a later chapter.

POLYMER THICK FILM FLEX CIRCUITS

Polymer thick film (PTF) flex PCB are true printed circuits boards with conductors that are set onto a polymer base film. They are generally single conductor layer structures, but two or more metal layers can be made sequentially with

COMMON FLEX CIRCUIT CONSTRUCTIONS

Of all the possible designs, single-sided flexible circuits dominate the market (fig. 1-6 ). Single-sided flexible circuits seem to be the most simple, but single-metal layer flex circuits can be quite complex and challenging to set up, particularly those used for disk drive and display driver applications.

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What is New in PCB Fabrication

Posted by iFast PCB on July 4, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News

There’s a lot that’s cutting-edge. It’s certainly not simply new equipment and materials to build the PCBs we’ve been producing forever; there are as well new ways to build a whole various type of PCB. You’ve probably heard lots of buzz about printing– not just ink-jetting circuit patterns, but constructing whole PCBs, from layer 1 to layer n. Is it a possibility? Will it have effect the industry by storm? Or will we proceed producing our boards the traditional way, but with some modifications and with new, enhanced processes to get us there? Will PCBs as we know (and love) them disappear?
Of course, the jury is out. However my practical experience is that the old never really is gone. Thirty or so years ago the termination of single-sided boards was commonly forecasted as multilayer PCB technology matured and came into its own. But I was working with a Chicago company that made a bunch of those “punch-and-crunch” pcb board by discovering ways to fit the circuits from two sides onto

one side, removing much processing (PTH and electroplating processes) and reserving their customers big bucks. And those are still with us in greater amount than ever– when your cat’s toy has a circuit in it, you know they are every where. So too, I think, with the techniques we have nowadays. They don’t go away but other techniques will grow up beside them, possibly cannibalizing some amount of square photographs in the process. Viewing the seemingly end- less applications that arise at an ever-increasing rate these days, I believe there is room for all.

We talk about fairly a ton of ground in this month’s topic, from write-ups on what is definitely unique and very unique in the way to build a PCB to better procedures for building the tradi- tional ones. We also have a couple pieces for you guys out on the ground who require a minimal how- to info. Let’s get going and do it!
Joe Fjelstad of Verdant Electronics starts us off with a dissertation on one of those new techniques

to build a printed board circuit, this time by printing a conductive sterling silver paste to make both the circuit pattern and stuff the vias.
We comply with this fascinating info with an interview with Nano Dimension’s Simon Fried, who advises us relating to techniques to print the entire PCB — yes, dielectric and , multilayers included– on a 3D printer. This technology looks like excellent for making PCB prototypes in a rather short time period and we can envision every designer desiring just one right next to his/her desk. Sounds great for every PCB manufacturer, too, to be able to reduce their pcb prototype turnaround time to just a several hrs rather than the typical 24– 48.

Next, Tara Dunn of Omni Printed Circuit Boards fills us in (pun intended) on a new via fill technology, this one based on a nano copper ink developed by In- trinsiq. One nice conveniences is that the sintering process can be done applying devices already in the PCB factory.
In another conversation, Amir Tzhori of Camtek tells us about their inkjet-printed solder mask

Osamu Sekine of Nano System shows us a helpful conversation on the various types of lasers which can be used in PCB manufacturing processes to create vias of all sizes and shapes. He then shares flexible machinery that can evolve with one’s innovation advances and accommodate all these styles.
Then, Josh Goldberg of Taiyo shows a very informative primer on producing solder masks for the LED industry, consisting of the problems of producing white truly white and staying it that way by way of the different heat patterns experienced by a PCB.
Back to via fill and one other technology, this one using your enduring nickeling line. Uyemura’s George Milad goes into detail on how to set up the copper electroplating procedure to efficiently and properly plate blind vias. A great, useful paper for you process technicians out there. And in another one for developers, we have Steve Williams of The Right Approach Consulting with a review on RCA– root cause anal-ysis. This official approach to troubleshooting provides a rather effective plan to keep you on track in your problem-solving endeavours. And of course your customers will more than appreciate the outputs.

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The introduction and definition of Flex PCB

Posted by iFast PCB on July 4, 2016 in PCB News

INTRODUCTION

The primary goal of Flex Circuit Technology 4th Edition is to offer the general knowledge required to design, manufacture and use PCB circuits while preventing many of the possible problems. The publication does not presume any background in flex circuit technology. Readers who are already familiar with the techniques will want to do a fast overview of the basics prior to moving on to more complex topics. Flexible Circuit Technology 4th Edition is aimed to be an useful reference for people who are new to the technology as well as those who already get a working know-how of flex circuits and their application. Since its first edition, the format of this book has been purposely simple. It is structured in an ordered style through the key facets of flex PCB technology. The linear progression, from materials to design to production and assembly, is intended to provide a thorough understanding of flex circuit technology by building on each preceding layer of info, beginning with the fundamentals, such as the definitions that close this chapter.

From basic definitions, the content moves to how to identify where and how flexible circuits can best be utilized, obeyed by informative sections about materials, design practices, fabricate and assembly. aspects of the technology provides the best possible comprehension of flex PCB. It consists of many of the ins-and-outs and ups-and-downs of flex PCB layout and Fabrication, giving concrete examples that will come in ready when applying flex PCB technology to products and applications. In addition to the technical facets of flexible PCB technology, we have improved and expanded a section that details the past history of flex PCB and how they have evolved, the present position of the technology and prospective prospects for the technology and its market place.

DEFINITIONS

The most commonly recognized definition of a flex PCB is found in the PCB industry standard IPC-T-50 Terms and Definitions for PCB, that reads:
A patterned arrangement of printed wiring utilizing flexible base material with or without flexible coverlayers.

While this is technically precise, it is extremely simple and fails to encompass the breadth of flexible PCB technology. The term requires significant amplification to fully embrace all facets of the technology. As a result, it is required to farther specify flex circuit, not only according to their type of construction, but also according to how they are applied in their final application.

To broaden the definition, one ought to understand if the flex PCB is to be used only for static application. The most common circumstance is that flexible circuit is demanded only to install the circuit and fit it properly into its application. The other situation is that the flexible circuit will be dynamically flexed, such as those utilized in disk drives, hinges, ink-jet printer cables, etc.
Although flex PCB are most commonly associated with dynamic applications, the number of vibrant flex PCB applications is much lower compared to flex-to-fit or static applications. The intended application of the flex circuit is an important component of its explanation and a vital piece of information for flexible PCB layout and application.

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Lean Manufacturing for Flex PCB

Posted by iFast PCB on July 4, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News

Lots of companies are familiar with lean manufacturing concepts and have successfully used these techniques to improve manufacturing processes. Lean techniques, while most often used in printed circuit fabrication and assembly operations, can also be applied to nonmanufacturing processes. One such process is new part number introduction (NPIP). The main thrust of lean manufacturing is to reduce or eliminate waste. There are typically seven wastes (mudas), as defined by Toyota executive Taiicho Ohno, when he developed Toyota’s Production System (TPS) [1] (” Muda” is a Japanese word meaning uselessness, idleness or other synonyms of waste.) The seven mudas are: – Transport
– Inventory
– Motion
– Waiting
– Over-processing
– Over-production
– Defects

The common part number startup for flexible PCB often can suffer from a number of those wastages. Particular waste items are specific to a part number (customer out of office, conflicts in documentation, iterative design discussions, etc.) or be implanted as accepted gaps in a supplier’s product launch system. As part of a continuous enhancement mentality, wastes should be identified for reduction through a documented and tracked part number introduction procedure.

Some of the more common waste elements are:

Transport: In a new part number introduction process (NPIP), transport is the movement of documentation (electronic or paper) from one department to another requiring successive reviews and sign-offs. Excess transport is a symptom of a departmentalized approach to part number start-up rather than a process flow approach. A cross-functional design review team with one leader can help and remove departmental barriers assure that reviews and inputs are done in parallel rather than serially. Transport can also include sending info requests and approvals to clients and providers. These demands need to be challenged regarding their usefulness and necessity.

Waiting: New part number start-up requires information flow. When someone is waiting for information, oftentimes the process becomes stalled at various steps. This can happen from within the company, the customer, or the supplier. A good NPIP system includes checklists so the needed documentation is quickly identified and missing parts can be requested immediately. Team members are focused on rapid communication so that there is as little waiting time as possible. Customers, inner team members, and suppliers all need to be intimately involved to foster good communication. Again, parallel processing is an important notification. Sometimes a decision followed by a course adjustment, is a faster journey to the destination than waiting for all the information to become available.

Over-processing: In the design and launch startup system, the matching of over-processing is over-specification. Because designers believe it gives them a larger safety margin, it is tempting to specify a tighter tolerance than required. While this is sometimes the case, other times a tighter tolerance will push a supplier to make compromise that reduce producing yields, require additional tooling, and add time to the processing sequence. When permission criteria are defined in absolute terms, additional delays occur. Criteria specifying “no stains” or “no foreign material” can create an inspection struggle until a meeting of the minds occurs between the customer and supplier. Having a well-documented layout and design guide, as well as having knowledgeable manufacturing technicians on the startup team, will assist guarantee that a new part number launches with reasonable production yields and meets the customer’s requirements.

Over-production: The matching of overproduction in a part number start-up system is over-design. As in the case described in overprocessing, designing in “safety margins” might be desirable, but it can also backfire. An instance in the world of versatile circuitry might be specifying thicker copper to allow higher amperage capability, but thicker copper can also degrade flexibility. Over-design might also add cost, so one needs to comprehend if the added cost truly yields a more reliable product.

Defects: The outcome of a poorly executed part number introduction may result in low production yields causing high scrap rates, late deliveries and possibly malfunctioning product delivered to the customer. A startup process should certainly be rigorous enough to avoid pitfalls seen on previous part numbers. It’s not possible to get everyone review each part number prior to product launch, but utilizing multiple subject matter professionals to preview design layouts is a good first step. Capturing the cooperative wisdom of the organization is the goal as this can guide identify “gotchas” that can be avoided. This review should be considered a proactive step but in the world of custom made flex PCB and heaters even the best plans may result in surprises. A team focused on quick reaction is critical when this happens. When the demons inevitably are revealed, the best NPIP system is a combination of pre-launch proactive review and a reactive team ready to respond quickly.
It is a continuous enhancement effort plan to supply intensified customer support during initial part number design and delivery. It is an approach tailored to an organization that provides custom crafted products. Similar methods and practices can help reduce the mudas encountered during part number startup.

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A Salute to PCB Technics Technicians

Posted by iFast PCB on July 2, 2016 in PCB News

It appears quite proper, starting the heels of IPC APEX EXPO 2016, that the emphasis of our April concern is technics engineering. I think procedure developers (and also procedure designer kinds) are the employee of IPC (as well as clearly of the business they work for). If they do not in fact compose the criteria as well as specs or offer the technological documents, they most definitely are doing the job behind the scenes– running examinations, collecting information, creating originalities, establishing brand-new items, making existing items function much better, etc.

The fascinating point regarding procedure design in our market is that you do not have to be a degreed designer. You simply need to be ready to handle the issue fixing as well as repairing that is included in makring things work-in this situation,the PCB store as well as its product. No very easy activity, trust me (I’ve been there) however the intrigue and also the relentless selection of troubles, usually brought on by the enhancing intricacy of PCBs, is possibly just what enticed all of us in the initial location and also maintains the work fascinating as well as difficult– and also makes it hard to leave.Do you know the number of people who have left the market and also discovered themselves withdrawed in?

Returning to the current IPC seminar as well as program, it was as well as is fairly an occasion, because those present could inform you. In between many subcommittee conferences, keynotes, a couple loads technological paper sessions as well as the event, one finds too much to do and also method inadequate time to do it– as well as this year we had a bunch of ground to cover. We absolutely obtained a lot of strolling in at the Las Vegas Convention Center; some individuals reached their 10,000 actions by noon!

In the meanwhile, however, there were even more exhibitors compared to ever before (though the PCB edge appeared smaller sized compared to ever before) and also there were numerous really intriguing technological sessions where presence was SRO. We wish to bring you some of those discussions in future problems of The PCB Magazine.The meeting had particular meaning to me,because I work into IPC’S Hall of Fame at he Tuesday luncheon and one I am attempting to trust really happened.

This is adhered to by RBP Chemical’s Mike Carano, back at work after a respite, with a great post on troubleshooting. Mike is absolutely a specialist on this topic; he chairs the IPC Process Effects subcommittee as well as they have actually just released the most recent rev of the troubleshooting quick guide, IPC-9121 “Troubleshooting for Printed Board Fabrication Processes,” the very first considering that 1997. Certainly a must have quantity for each PCB manufacturer‘s cabinet.

Next off, our most recent reporter, Renato Peres of Circuibras in Brazil enters into some information on DMAIC technique utilized in Six Sigma. He consists of the type of functional, realistic guidance that procedure designers desire and also require, having actually existed himself.

An additional strategy utilized in continual enhancement initiatives is a Kaizen occasion, as Dave Becker of a Flex PCB manufacturer describes in his column. Probably not to be made use of gently or for a fast repair, however an extremely beneficial device for your procedure enhancement tool kit.

As you could see, an excellent quantity of procedure design entails procedure enhancement as well as procedure streamlining, which is the significance of Lean and, as Steve Williams of the Right Approach reveals us, not that made complex; as a matter of fact the majority of it is excellents old good sense.

We have a fantastic technological short article for you this month from Eva McDermott, et. al., of Amphenol Printed Circuit Board Technology, on the lasting thermal dependability of PCB products. Merely the kind of useful, comprehensive research that designers do .

Following month we will certainly be concentrating on methods to lower managing mistakes during the PCB manufacturing– as well as we’re not simply chatting automation.

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Technics Engineering- the Dalta Force of PCB Manufacturing

Posted by iFast PCB on July 2, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News

 

The duty of the procedure developer is perhaps among one of the most essential works in the PCB manufacturing industry. The procedure developer is on the cutting edge of pcb fabrication as well as in charge of ensuring product yields and also productivity satisfy assumptions. The work normally involves  various or even diverse self-controls, consisting of: electrochemistry, mechanical design, NC machining, robotics and also automation, metallurgy, laser innovation, polymer handling and also photolithography. It also gets to back right into the printed circuit design procedure. As a result of this diversity, it is additionally probably simultaneously, among one of the most difficult as well as fascinating works in the PCB field.
During the practices in many significant manufacturing equipments, procedure designers usually focus on simply one of the locations recognized right here. In smaller sized equipments, the procedure designer frequently need to relocate in between and also deal with issues in more than one discipline, a lot of generally procedure actions which quickly follow or precede the location where the technician has unique training as well as proficiency. Nevertheless, in most cases, aspects which could affect item top quality as well as yield might be a number of actions previously or later during the PCB prototyping manufacturing process. This is incredibly crucial when one is checking into, or during carrying out a brand-new procedure on the production flooring. Adjustment comes gradually in PCB manufacturing and old routines are difficult to damage, so maintaining a finger on the pulse of the procedure is crucial.
It is a straightforward truth of life that in PCB manufacturing, procedure characterization, surveillance as well as upkeep are vital to success, therefore additionally is accumulating and assessing information on procedure wellness. The devices and also certain techniques as well as dimensions needed will certainly differ substantially from procedure to procedure, yet without control, the top quality of the outcomes of the procedure will certainly be delegated a roll of the dice. Among one of the most crucial abilities a procedure developer must understand is finding out the best ways to effectively design experiments to determine the optimum operating specifications for the target procedure. Choice which variables to monitor and optimize is essential. One should initially do the ideal points then do points right. Select the incorrect ones as well as the information gathered will likely be worthless. As well as this indicates the problem: How does one elect variables to monitor in an experiment?
We are luckily residing in a time when there are seas of encounter in the majority of the procedures utilized in circuit board manufacturing, so taking advantage of that see is essential. There is no advantage in duplicating experiments that have actually been run many times in the past. Here, it is crucial that the procedure technician go to the very least as a lot of a visitor as an experimentalist. Running experiments works and also could be immersing yet if the solutions are recognized by others, it is better to use their data base.
There is the old tale of the successful person that was inquired regarding one of the most crucial element in their success. The two-word response was “excellent experience.” When pressed to clarify exactly how one obtains the essential excellent experience an additional two-word solution was offered: “Bad experience.” This apocryphal tale was no question devised by a person that recognized the significance of gaining from experiences and also of the relevance of failing. In our coutry, if we hesitated of landing on our behinds as we departed infancy and also tried to stroll, we would certainly still be creeping around on our hands as well as knees. To this end there is the tip from an additional sage, the very early 20th century polymath and also thinker, G.K. Chesterton, that said: “Anything worth doing deserves doing badly.” Exactly what is missing out on and have to be presumed as an addendum to his message are the words,”… at first”. There is absolutely nothing incorrect with blunders; blunders are exactly how we study. Nevertheless, if one has the sources offered to them to prevent blunders, after that it is folly not to obtain one’s self of that info.
For the sharp-sighted PCB manufacturing process designer, sources are plentiful. There is a treasure of heritage info to be located in trade publications, in scholastic journals, blog sites, columns, vendor web sites as well as industry specific messages. While on that particular idea, it deserves nothing that The Printed Circuits Handbook, currently in its 50th year, has actually merely been launched in a 7th Edition, modified by Printed Circuit Board industry icons and gurus Clyde Coombs and Happy Holden. The tome has actually been both a holy bible and also a resource of knowledge for preparing battle plans for procedure technicians because its initial version and also has actually been equated right into a number of various languages. It perhaps may be located on the referral shelf of any kind of qualified PCB supplier as well as even more notably it ought to read …
There are, naturally, countless various other databases of procedure expertise readily available. One conveniently overlooked are the people that stand for the procedure or tools designers. These people are the honey bees of the industry that aid cross pollinate those within the industry with originalities, shifting knowledge and experience between manufacturers to the betterment of all.
In recap, procedure developers play  a crucial role on the cutting edge of PCB fabrication. If you will, they are commonly the”Delta Force” that controls and also regulates that which is one of the temporal opponents of production … procedure variant. The smart procedure designers ought to get themselves of every one of the devices they should finish their objective.
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Types of PCB Manufacturing

Posted by iFast PCB on July 1, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News

Typically, the style as well as production of a published circuit board (PCB) is as important as the layout of the major circuit itself. Depending on the intricacy of the circuit, published circuit board production might usually entail anywhere from a solitary layer PCB to 8 (or even more) layers

This post talks about the kinds of PCBs based upon the variety of layers and also their strength

Sorts of PCBs based upon layers.

Your PCB supplier will likely advise the usage of a single-sided PCB if you have a really fundamental circuit. This is the least complicated PCB of all as the whole circuit-comprising the electric parts and also the copper traces-is had on a solitary shielding board.

A double-sided board holds a circuit that is somewhat much more detailed compared to a single-sided board. As the name recommends, both sides of the substratum are utilized for real estate the wiring elements. When producing PCBs that are multilayered or double-sided, via opening modern technology is commonly used.

Complicated published motherboard production is completed by means of multi-layered PCBs that make up numerous sheets of substratum with shielding layers between each. Depending upon the intricacy of a circuit, such PCBs can vary from 2 layers to 4 layers to 8 layers, going right approximately also 42 layers in very innovative wiring.

Kinds of PCBs based upon rigidness.

The various other usual kind of PCBs that are supplied by a PCB supplier is the adaptable PCB. The circuits in such a PCB are put together on a slim, adaptable shielding product. You may see flex PCBs being made use of in clinical devices, adaptable heating systems, or also devices such as listening to helps.

The rigid-flex range of PCBs is a mix of adaptable as well as stiff PCBs. These circuits are made use of in aerospace and also army applications, where a quite thick circuit is needed. Rigid-flex PCBs assist in saving a substantial quantity of area, causing digital items that evaluate a lot less.

Printed circuit board production could be accomplished for a minimal variety of circuits or for large-volume manufacturing. It is important to pick a PCB manufacturing  company with a tried and tested performance history.

Commonly, the layout as well as production of a printed circuit board (PCB) is as vital as the style of the primary circuit itself. Depending on the intricacy of the circuit, published circuit board production can generally include anywhere from a solitary layer PCB to 8 (or even more) layers

The various other typical kind of PCBs that are provided by a PCB supplier is the flex PCB. The rigid-flex PCBs is a mix of adaptable and also inflexible PCBs.

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How to Choose a Supplier to Outsource Your PCB Prototype Assembly

Posted by iFast PCB on July 1, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News
If you are a designing a product and need to produce a printed circuit board (PCB) prototype, you can manufacture the prototype yourself or outsource it to a vendor who focuses in PCB prototype assembly. But manufacturing a PCB prototype yourself would require an in-house PCB fabrication and assembly facility, which would not be cost-effective if you only need it for PCB prototypes, that are very small production runs. It makes better business sense to subcontract with a vendor who focuses in manufacturing prototype PCBs. Here are the primary guidelines for choosing a vendor to contract out PCB prototype production work:

Online PCB Quote Convenience

Suppliers who provide an online quote system can save you time. The online quote system ought to be simple to use. The system should enable you to go into the salient details of the PCB’s design demands such as thickness, type of building material and manufacturing specifications. The complete purpose of the online quote system ought to be cost control. You do not want to learn about surcharges after the prototype PCB fabrication begins.

Lower Your Costs

It is generally less expensive to manufacture a large quantity of PCB than a small-sized amount. Yet, PCB prototype are usually produced in small quantities as the circuit design is still being bettered. A vendor that specializes in PCB assembly knows how to maintain your costs low because it possesses the ability of minimizing the costs of assembly set up and assorting the cost of production by expanding the production job between several clients in order to sustain the total cost for manufacturing small lot PCB very cheap.

Lead Times

When opting for a supplier to outsource your PCB assembly to ensure you understand the aspects that influence lead time. In case that your PCB design consists of dimensions or materials (i.e., thicknesses) that are not usual, the supplier will need a longer lead time because their is going to be lesser other customers who have these same requirements therefore it will take longer for the supplier to schedule your production run. An online quote system will change the price of the quote relative to the lead time you desire.

File Formats and Design Services

The file formats you use for your electronic circuit designs are appropriate when selecting a PCB assembly supplier. Most suppliers use the Gerber format so, if you use other file formats, ensure the vendor can work with these other types of formats. This is the reason why a PCB assembly company that offers design services in addition to contract manufacturing services is the ideal choice because the company has the technical capabilities and in-house know-how to deal with any problems that may happen in the pre-assembly process.

Package Types

Take a close look at the span of package types that the PCB assembly manufacturer could accept for production. The quality vendors will note this essential information on their web pages. Not all firms can receive very special ball grid array (BGA) or chip-scale packages. By calling the PCB manufacturer’s technical support team to confirm their proficiencies for assembling your prototype PCBs, you can avoid troubles prior to the beginning of production.
These are the six main factors a printed circuit board designer needs to take into account when contracting out their layouts to a PCB manufacturing vendor to produce prototype PCB
Welcome to visit our website(http://www.ifastpcb.com), You can get instant online pcb quotation. And invite you to become our free member by registering in. then you can place pcb orders online directly.It is very convenient. iFastPCB is located in Shenzhen, China. It is an expert in complete PCB manufacturing and assembly services and a specialist in low volume run, prototype PCB manufacturing.. For more information, go to http://www.ifastpcb.com or e-mail [email protected]
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How to Design High-Quality PCBs

Posted by iFast PCB on June 30, 2016 in PCB Design, PCB News
How to Design High-Quality PCBs
For almost all the electronic engineers (EEs), it’s their daily activity to design printed circuit board. Of all, requirements in terms of functions must be fully met, of course, which in itself contains many details such as the routing design, schematic design, component placement and more. This passage will provide some suggestions of how to design high-quality PCBs.
A good beginning is half done.
All PCB design begins with some needs. For EEs, the needs usually come from customers. The first job of EEs is to convert customers’ requirements into electronic language and logic based on which the circuit schematic can be created. Schematic can be regarded as the blueprint manufacturers must strictly follow in the process of PCB production. It directly affects the operating effect of PCBs.
The main content of schematic contains the functions of PCBs, the design’s characteristics, the affiliations between components and circuits, component placement and more. The “hardware” PCB requires has to be mentioned as well, such as the temperature requirement, the material of PCB and components because they play a significant role in the smooth operation of PCBs.
Fine feathers make fine birds.
In the case of PCB, fine BOM (Bill of Material) makes accurate PCBs. The generation of BOM is done at the same time with the schematic. The BOM represents the list of components used on the printed circuit board and should be compatible with schematic. Once the design of the circuit is completed, the BOM list is passed on to the PCB layout engineer as well as component engineer who will procure the components required for the design. The selection of components not only depends on the analysis in terms of the maximum operating voltage and current of the circuit with tolerance criteria considered, but on the availability, cost and size of components as well.
The BOM must contain five aspects of requirement on components:
1. Quantity: the number of each type of components.
2. Reference designators: the identification of a component in a circuit on a PCB.
3. Value: numeric value of ohms, farads, etc.
4. Footprint: the locations of each component.
5. Manufacturer part number.
Up to now, all the documents a PCB design requires have been achieved, including hardware size graph, schematic, BOM, layout files, component placement files, assembly graphs and instruction, and Gerber files.
Where should they be?
Each component has its own place on a PCB. After specific components are placed at the suitable places on the PCB, a test must be carried out to verify the smooth operation so that some modifications can be made for ideal performance.
It’s time to consider and adjust placement and package sizes based on size and budget. Basically, if components are capable of accepting power more than 10mW or conducting current over 10mA, they should be reconsidered in terms of thermal and electrical management.
Routing
All the components are adjoined on PCBs through traces realized by routing. Some elements must be taken into the considerations including power levels, noise sensitivity or generation and routing capability.
Basically, traces with a width of 10 to 20mils are capable of carrying the current of 10 to 20mA and 5 to 8mils of carrying current lower than 10mA. For high-frequency and rapidly changing signals, more attention should be paid when they are routed with high-frequency nodes.
Thermal management
In the process of operation, the heat will definitely be a problem. The perfect thermal design is capable of keeping the whole board at the same temperature. However, a lot of elements will lead to the component temperature changes including copper thickness, layer number, board size and thermal paths design.
Second, the heat transfer can be optimized by the establishment of effective heat and high-current routes. Of course, it must be carried out within the demanding size.
Checks
Almost all the details of a PCB have to be included in the final check. For experienced processes some PCB manufacturers also insist upon the use of more restricted rules to improve yield.
PCB design may be a toughing job, but it’s possible that everybody can be good at it as long as he or she holds some technique and insist on it. Hopefully, the tips in this passage will be beneficial to EEs’ jobs.
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X Company Plays Important Role in Pushing Innovation for 3D Printing

Posted by iFast PCB on June 30, 2016 in PCB Manufacturing, PCB News

X company is leading a consortium of firms and organizations seeking advancement in 3D PCB printing . As component of its essential function, X company will creat new qualities of high-performance polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymer based upon cutting-edge chemical solutions that are particularly developed to operate in additive production processes. Used in some AM applications today, current PAEK materials were initially created for usage in injection molding or extrusion production procedure.

The new qualities are targeted particularly at the aerospace sector, which is the consortium’s primary emphasis, however will likewise take into consideration applications in other locations, especially clinical. Possessing intellectual property covering the new polymers being established, X company was awarded for technology, in order to help push the project ahead. Participants of the consortium are other industry leaders.

An essential goal is the enhancement of the recycle rate for powders utilized in the additive production skill, laser sintering. This would substantially reduce polymer waste in this sort of additive production process and also lower expenses. The task will likewise deal with changability of inter-layer attachment and also parts surface treatment in filament-based printing.

” Everyone is currently acutely mindful that additive production has the possibility to reinvent industrial manufacturing, given that it no much longer entails the high tooling and also set up expenses of standard manufacturing,” said David . “It likewise enables the PCB manufacturing of very intricate shapes and geometries that can not be produced by traditional methods. High value, lower-volume applications such as aircraft components are the kind of application that could possibly profit the most, although there are other locations, consisting of medical, that might likewise profit.”

The task currently being carried out by the consortium was initially developed throughout a seminar on polymer-based additive production at the University in 2014, where X company provided some early-stage outcomes on a new polymer with considerable potential for additive production. The University had actually already obtained experience as well as touch with in PEEK polymer-based additive production and also had the ability to aid bring the consortium into presence.

As a matter of fact, X company’s PAEK polymer is currently being used for 3D PCB printing and  printed components in both filament blend as well as powder-based laser sintering, while the firm proactively pursues new remedies. Within the industry, the consortium is taking a look at the ingenious usage of new PAEK polymer grades for possibly cutting edge aerospace-focused AM methods.

” This ingenious task is a wonderful instance of X company again leading the method as well as showing just how we are looking for to more establish the possibilities for our polymers,” said David, “increasing the marketplace for PAEK applications and separating our company. We go to the beginning of an interesting trip in the solution of new grades that can effectively as well as cost-effectively use all the benefits of additive production.”

By 2018, the task intends to have innovation demonstrators that stand for proof factors and a way forward to recognizing all the benefits of additive production– consisting of decreased prices and also a much faster time-to-market for items that consist of parts as well complicated to be made making use of typical techniques. “Although this consortium is a multi-year program, business that see a worth for the advantages of PEEK polymer incorporated with the value recommendations for additive production must call us currently to review their suggestions”, stressed David.

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