Each electronic printed circuit project developed has its own needs. PCBs have a unique function for the project being developed. Therefore, producing a PCB is a difficult and complex process that requires a lot of equipment and technology equipment / machinery investment to output a quality final product consisting of exactly 13 steps. Our PCB production stages article describes the production of a pcb project step by step.
1- Getting a PCB Design and Gerber File
pcb order pricing 2019 150×108 – PCB Production Stages Drawings are made through PCB drawing programs and files are prepared in the format requested by the manufacturers. The most common of these is the RS-274X Gerber format.
2- Pre-Production Engineering
prototype pcb Gerber format rs 274x 2018 02 – PCB Manufacturing StagesPCB data (Gerber and Hole files) are used to produce fabrication files. Production engineers compare the production suitability of the printed circuit board project against the production standards. After the examination, pcb designs are multiplied in the desired number for mass production and put in the production order.
3- Cutting FR4 Copper Plates to be Used in Production
FR4 pcb pcb cutting and copper plate 2019 01 – PCB Production Stages FR4 copper clad copper sheets to be used in production are multiplexed before production for mass production or prototype pcb production and paneled in a standard size. Paneled copper sheets are prepared by cutting, in this process cleanliness should be given importance. Dirt or stains can cause the circuit to short out.
4- Plotter – Dry Film Output
pcb dry film output 2019 02 – PCB Production Stages After checking the suitability of the card for production, the dry film of the card is printed out with a special printer. These printers use highly precise printing technology to present a detailed film of the design. Black ink shows the conductive areas of the PCB on the copper. The remaining parts are insulating parts.
5- Printing the Dry Film Output on FR4 Copper Plate
FR4 pcb dry film transfer 2019 04 – PCB Production Stages The film extracted for production is a quality light sensitive dry film and is transferred to copper material using UV light. This process is done in a clean area free from dust. There are multiple methods for transferring and printing the film onto FR4 copper plate.
6- Drilling Holes and Using CNC
drilling pcb holes pcb production stages 2019 6 – PCB Production Stages At this stage, the necessary references are determined with technological and fully automatic hole drilling machines to open the holes on the PCBs, and the hole drilling via opening process is started. Air pressure high quality drill bits rotating at approximately 150,000 rpm are used in the drilling process.
7- In-Hole Galvanic Copper Coating
prototype pcb in-hole copper plating 2019 8 – PCB Production Stages In-hole plating process is the transfer of a very thin copper coating of the holes, especially in double-layer pcb projects, to the inside of the holes by electroplated copper plating method of galvanic liquid copper chemically. The through-hole coating process provides a very thin copper coating on the PCB that covers the inside of the hole and the entire PCB surface.8- ETCHING Process (Abrasion of FR4 Copper Surface)
pcb chemical surface etching 2019 08 – PCB Manufacturing Stages It is the removal of unwanted copper using a strong alkali solution. While etching, PCB boards are lowered into the acid pool and removed after a certain period of time.
“It is very important that the solderable area on the PCB is smooth and flat in PCB manufacturing.”
9- Soldermask Application (Solder Mask)
pcb solder mask 2019 09 – PCB Production Stages After drilling, in-hole copper plating, the next step after removing the paths in the circuit diagram on the pcb surface is to cover the board with a solder mask, that is, protective paint. Solder mask is to be able to be in different colors. It generally uses green color, but depending on the status of the printed circuit board project, it can be preferred in red, blue, yellow, white and black colors according to customer preferences.
10- Material Printing (SilkScreen)
pcb material printing Silk Screen 2019 10 – PCB Production StagesSilk Screen application is called material printing, that is, it is the process of writing the necessary texts and electronic component references on the PCB board.
11- Surface Finish (Solder Coating)
pcb HASL solder mask Surface Finish osp gold 2019 11 – PCB Production StagesIn order to ensure the solderability of the PCB board, the PCB boards are immersed in the solder pool, either paneled or single, and removed. It is very important that the solderable area is smooth and flat. The main coating types in the surface finishing processes of PCBs are as follows.
It varies according to the needs of the PCB produced as solder plating (lead or lead free), nickel and gold plating and organic plating (OSP). PCBs