An overview of the method used for manufacturing PCBs

Manufacturing of PCBs (printed circuit board) is a complex process and the first step of electronics manufacturing services. There are three types of circuit boards; single sided, double sided and multi-layered. Complexity, density and the spatial requirements are the deciding factor of which type of circuit to be used.

Method of PCB manufacturing Usually nonconductive materials are used for the backing of boards. Conductive materials are used for the coating of circuit boards such as aluminum, nickel and copper. Heres a brief look at the method of PCB manufacturing:

Drilling & scrubbing the boards:Once the backing has been plated with conductive material, holes are drilled to allow other electronic components to be mounted over it. After drilling the holes, boards are scrubbed to remove tiny conductor particles. Electrically conductive materials like copper are recycled and recovered from the water waste with the help of filtration process or via centrifuge.

Etching process:In this process, the boards are first cleaned. After that, they are etched for better adhesion in the following steps. Next step involves adding another conducting layer. Since the holes that were drilled in the earlier stage are not electrically conducive, hence for the purpose of coating the holes with a conductive material, a process like electrolysis copper plating is employed. Getting final thickness:Photo imaging is used for making the final design of circuit. Electroplating copper is used for obtaining the final thickness of printed board. A very thin layer of lead or tin solder resist is applied for protecting final circuit in next stage of etching. The plating is then removed in the next stage to expose the copper which will not be a part of the final circuit. Hydrogen-peroxide or sulfuric acid is used to remove unwanted copper material.

Alternative resists:Volatile compounds or photosensitive materials can also be used as other types of resists. They can be applied either dry or wet. These photosensitive compounds get hard when they are exposed to UV light. Various techniques are used for applying liquid resists such as roller, squeegee, spray or silk screen. The liquid may be applied on either both sides or on a particular surface area.
Multi-layered PCB panels:These panels are made by assembling inner layers. These panels are then assembled as alternate epoxy sheet layers and copper foil layers. This book-like structure is then placed for lamination under high pressure. This results in melting of epoxy layers, and release of adhesive bond. This is followed by drilling of necessary holes. This was an overview of a conventionally used method for producing PCB boards by electronics manufacturing company.