Thursday, 22 August 2013

Steps Followed In Manufacturing Of PCB

By Cara Torres


Manufacturing of PCB has been simplified through innovation and advancement in technology. You will require a photo resist board which forms the basics of the entire assembly. This is a piece of glass with reinforcements made of plastic. On the one end is a photo sensitive copper coating. It is by peeling this plastic film that one reveals the photo sensitive coating.

The transparent printed circuit board is placed beneath the photo resist board. It is important to ensure that you select boards that are of equal size. It is the removal of the covering plastic film that makes the surface sensitive. Care should be taken to place the board in the right way. It will prevent the tracks from ending in the wrong way. These are the preparatory steps that make the board ready to be transferred into the UV light box.

An appropriate cover should be placed on the box to ensure that it is completely shut. The UV light box is then switched on and left to run for approximately two and a half minutes. Plastic tongs will be used to get the board out of the box after which it is placed on a tank ready for development. The approximate time the board should be left in the box is ten seconds. It should not exceed this limit or go below it by considerable margin.

Plastic tongs are used to transfer the board to the etching tank after it has been thoroughly cleaned using water. The box is switched on for heating until bubbles form. This process is supposed to remove excel copper material in order to leave the tracks clean and clear. This process should be closely monitored to ensure that the tracks are not damaged.

Etching takes between fifteen and forty five minutes. Letting the board remain in the tank for too long is likely to damage the tracks. There is a possibility that those tracks may get removed or damaged. This calls for caution by ensuring that the entire process is carefully monitored, minute by minute. Experience will make the process faster and more accurate.

The layout for PCB is best produced using an auto CAD or Computer Aided Design system. This is a system that allows you to input your own data and later transfer it to your manufacturer. The system allows you to earmark and define the copper layers you need for each job. The component notations and soldier marks will also be clear.

A controlled dark room makes preparation of photo tools easier. This is done using laser driven photoplotters. The room has the right temperature and humidity conditions for work. Converting the data used in manufacture of the images into a pixel image simplifies the process of manufacture. The film is written using a laser writer. The film is ready for unloading by the operator after automatic film development.

Manufacturing of PCB is not complete until profiling or V-cut scoring is done. This is done from the production panel. A scoring machine is used in this process. Cutters are either above or below the panel. The cut is made at a third of the entire thickness in order to leave a film that connects the board together. The board is then checked thoroughly by an experienced person to ensure that everything is in order.




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