Anyone who opens an electronic device can see a printed circuit board, also known as a PCB. They are thin, flat and usually green rectangular substrates covered with a labyrinth of thin copper wires and silver pads that are the heart and soul of most electronic devices. Understanding circuit boards requires understanding what they are, the different types of circuit boards that exist, the components used on those boards, and the PCB manufacturing method or process. The starting point is to understand how printed circuit boards have evolved. In the 1950s, printed circuit boards replaced the point-to-point structures in most electronics. The point-to-point construction is where the wires are soldered to the terminal block, a board with metal rings printed on it. In point-to-point devices, small electronic components and their wires are soldered directly to the terminals, as are the wires of larger devices such as transformers. As you might imagine, the system involves a messy tangle of wires. It is also difficult to use in mass production since each wire and part must be ferruled and soldered to the correct part on the terminal strip.

　　Another circuit board fabrication method that was popular in the 1960s was wire wrapping. Electronic components are mounted on insulating boards and connected to each other by wires that are wrapped several times around the wires or socket pins.

　　Enter the PCB (Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory), which eliminates virtually all the wiring used in point-to-point construction and winding, facilitating mass production. The PCB manufacturing process can be largely automated, reducing the risk of engineering defects that can lead to prototype failure or board failure. PCB manufacturers can input specifications into software that can perform extensive design checks to ensure optimum performance even before the board is manufactured. Automated production also means lower costs than other construction methods.

　　This article examines the types of printed circuit boards, the components used on the board, the different PCB fabrication methods, and PCB fabrication considerations.

　　PCB type

　　There are several types of circuit boards in use today. Printed circuit boards (Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory) are characterized by their construction methods, including single-sided, double-sided and multi-layer board configurations.

　　single-sided circuit board

　　Single-sided PCB (Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory) has only one layer of substrate. One side of the substrate is covered with a thin layer of metal. Typically, copper is used due to its high electrical conductivity. This layer creates conductive paths for power and signals between various electronic components. Next is the protective solder mask, a screen-printed coating can be added as the last layer to mark various parts of the board. Single-sided PCBs are used for simple electronics and cost less than other types of PCBs.

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