Detailed Understanding of Printed Circuit Boards Components and Uses

Printed circuit boards are used to hold electronic components and to provide a mechanical means of holding them on a space. The printed circuit board has the main purpose of electrically connecting all electronic components that are placed on the board. Most PCB manufacturers design and manufacture basic printed circuit boards. These printed circuit boards typically contain different resistors, capacitors, and active circuits in the black packages.

The printed circuit board holds all these components together to produce the desired electronic effect. The printed circuit board is made up of several layers. The first layer that is very distinctly seen is the green layer. This green layer is made out of a polymer named LPI. This is a photo image-able layer that goes down as a liquid on the board and then solidifies on cooling. This green polymer layer is very important because it prevents the solder from crossing over and shorting out traces, which ideally should never be connected.

Just below the green polymer layer is the layer of copper, which provides one layer or conductors. This layer connects the circuit electrically. There is a green layer on the back of the printed circuit board along with another layer of copper as well. Thus, when there is a green layer and a copper layer on the printed circuit board, then the printed circuit board is called as a two layered PCB. Holding the layers apart is an insulating layer called FR4.

This layer is a fiberglass layer in which the glass fibres are laminated with epoxy resin. Most PCB suppliers in the US and UK are using FR4 as the insulating layer for the green and copper layers in PCBs. There are many benefits of using fiberglass for PCBs. One very good thing is that this material can operate in very high temperatures.

Some PCBs also have an area that can connect to external circuits. For example, some PCBs have edge connectors that have gold plated fingers. These connectors are designed to connect with other components in a circuit. The FR4 PCBs are rigid printed circuit boards and so they don’t bend very much. The printed circuit boards also have a white layer called as the silkscreen, which is generally useful for assemblers to know where to install different components.

PCBs are of three main types�"flexible PCBs, Rigid PCBs and Rigid-Flex PCBs. In the UK and US, there are many PCB outsourcing companies that provide customized PCBs of all the three aforementioned categories. Flexible PCBs are most commonly used in portable electronics, hard disk drives, electronic devices, and desktop printers. The rigid PCBs are generally used in LEDs, automotive, HVAC, medical and industrial applications.

The rigid-flex printed circuit boards are generally used in medical devices such as pacemakers. When companies need prototypes of printed circuit boards for their new electronic devices, they can get them done by leading electronics manufacturing companies. There is a great demand for customized PCBs and many PCB manufacturing companies are fully geared up to meet these demands.