Sunday, 18 August 2013

Steps To Follow 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.

You will then place the now transparent printed circuit board beneath the photo resist board. They should be of exact same size. The surface is sensitive after the removal of the plastic film. Placing the mask in the right way-up ensures that the tracks do not end up facing the wrong direction. The board is then ready for transfer into the UV light box.

An appropriate cover for the box should be sort to make it effective. Your board should be in the box for around two and half minutes after which it is removed. Plastic tongs should be used in handling the board considering that it is delicate during manufacture. It is then transferred into a specially prepared development box for about ten seconds. Allowing it to stay more than that exposes it to damage. The tracks may be destroyed completely.

Plastic tongs are used to hold the board during all these operations. It is transferred into an etching tank after carefully washing in clean water. Heating allows the bubble etch tank to complete a very important process. The process involves etching away all unwanted copper materials. You will only be left with carefully drawn tracks. Success during this stage demands constant checks.

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.

Laser photoplotters are used during preparation of photo tools. This is done in a controlled dark room where the humidity and temperatures are monitored. The board data is taken for conversion into an image based on pixels. Writing on the film is done using a laser writer as well. Upon exposure, the film has developed automatically and is ready for unloading for the operator.

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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