Would you like to know more about printed circuit board prototyping or PCB assembly services? You may be interested to learn that by 2020, this industry is expected to expand globally at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 3%, according to Technavio’s market research analyst’s predictions. By 2022, the global market for this industry is predicted to be valued at $72.6 billion. Given the advancements that have been made within this industry, it’s not surprising that further growth is predicted.
Different Legend Printing Methods
Legends are used in order to determine where to place the component designators, switch settings, test points, and other indicators that are necessary in order to assemble, test, and service a circuit board. These are printed out using these different methods:
- Silk screen printing
- Liquid photo imaging
- Ink jet printing
Types of Circuit Assemblies
There are, of course, different types of circuit assemblies that are connected to the printed circuit board. In addition to circuit assembly types, integrated circuits, which are often referred to as ICs or microchips, and hybrid circuits are used.
A VIA, or a vertical interconnect access, is often used when there are spatial constraints. A blind VIA only extends to 1 surface of a printed circuit board, however.
Insulating Rigid PCBs
When producing rigid PCBs, FR-4 glass epoxy is the main insulating substrate used in most cases. During the PCB manufacturing process, a thin layer of copper foil is either laminated to 1 or both sides of this panel. The circuitry interconnections are then etched into these copper layers. The result is a printed circuit board. In order to produce complex circuits, multiple layers are used.
The Prevalence of PCBs Assemblies
PCB assemblies are being integrated into the design and operation of more and more devices. In North America, for example, they have been used in most traffic lights for the last 3 decades. Given industry advancements with PCB design and manufacturing, it will be interesting to see what the future will bring.
If you need quick turn PCB prototypes or PCB assembly services, many shops are able to handle this in considerably less time than with traditional hand-assembly.
