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All About PCB In A Jiffy

Author: Pcb Cart
by Pcb Cart
Posted: Jan 21, 2016

PCB stands for Printed Circuit Boards, these are electronic circuit boards made of copper sheets laminated by non-conductive substrate, which supports and connects electrical parts using conductive tracks and pads. PCBs are used in all electronics these days, from a simple electronic calculator to items with most advanced circuits, say a satellite or missile.

PCB circuit boards are manufactured using automated machines, so any chances of wiring errors are eliminated. It is also cheaper and faster than other methods involving human operators. A PCB circuit board is first designed using specialized PCB design software, and then electronic components are assembled over it using automated machines. When a PCB is inhabited by electronic components over it, it is named as PCB assembly or Printed Circuit Assembly (PCA).

Likewise, Flex circuits or flexible printed electronic boards are used abundantly these days. It is a technology used for mounting electronic circuits on flexible plastic substrate such as transparent conductive polymer film, polyimide, or PEEK. Furthermore, flexible PCBs can also be screen printed silver circuits on polyester. During manufacturing, flex boards can be assembled using similar electronic components as in rigid PCB circuit boards, letting a board to confirm a desired shape, or to flex desirably during its use.

Flexible printed circuits (FPC) use photolithographic technology. It is an alternative way of making or Flexible Flat Cables (FFCs) or flexible foil circuits by laminating around 0.07 mm, which is very thin layer of copper strips between two layers of PET. Than these layers, which are typically 0.05 mm thick, are coated with glue which happens to be thermosetting, and is activated during lamination. These have have several advantages in many applications:

  • Flex circuits are highly applicable in closely assembled electronic packages, where electronic connections are needed in 3 axes, for example, a camera (static application).
  • These are used where electronic connections need to be flexible during its normal use, such as laptops and folding cell phones (dynamic application).
  • Light weight circuits are required in electrical connections which are heavier and bulkier, such as in cars and satellites.
  • In electronic connections where space constraints are driving factors.

Flex circuits are often used in various applications where flexibility, space savings are required more.

  • In the automobiles, flex circuits are used in instrument panels, under-hood controls, and in ABS systems.
  • In computer peripherals, flex circuits are used in the print-head of printers, and to converse the signals to the moving arm of disk drives carrying the read/write heads. Consumer electronics also make use of flex circuits in mobile phones, cameras, calculators, personal entertainment devices, or exercise monitors.
  • It is used for making flexible solar cells for powering space stations and satellites. These cells are very lightweight, can be rolled up during the launch, and are easily installable, making them a good choice for the application.
  • Flex circuits are also widely used in industrially and medically applied devices, where many interconnections are needed in a closely-packed package. Smart phones are another common example of flexible circuits.

To know more about advanced circuits and PCB design companies, visit Pcbcart.com.

About The Author

James Whitehall is an expert when it comes to printed circuit board manufacturing and design. He loves writing interesting articles and blogs about the topic and recommends PCBCart.com as the name to trust if you are looking printed circuit board fabrication services and support.

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Author: Pcb Cart

Pcb Cart

Member since: Sep 16, 2015
Published articles: 26

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