Steps Involved in Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are used in a wide variety of electric and electronic products. The manufacturing of circuit boards is an intricate process that is carried out in several steps. While some PCBs can be manufactured in house by assembly of essential material, in other cases the process of manufacturing is outsourced to experts.

Material needed for printed circuit board manufacturing:

For successful printed circuit board manufacturing, you will need:

•       Epoxy resin base laminate
•       Conductive material for coating (copper or aluminum or nickel)
•       Drilling machine
•       Computer software for designing the PCB (Auto CAD)
•       Forks for assembly of small electrical components
•       Adhesives
•       Lamination devices

Steps involved in printed circuit board manufacturing:

In order to make a printed circuit board, you will need to follow certain steps:  

1. Prepare a layout of your PCB : With the help of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) system, make the design of your circuit board. You can take help of the standard output format developed especially for the PCB manufacturing industry 


2. Print the epoxy resin laminate: In order to print the inner epoxy resin layer, at first you will need to clean the metal (copper) coating and print the laminate in a dust-free, clean room. Later you need to cover the panel with a photoresist (thin film of photosensitive material).


3. Remove unwanted metal and etch the layer of PCB : In this step, with the help of a concentrated alkaline liquid, you need to remove the remove/ etch away the unwanted metal. Special care is to be taken while etching the exposed copper to avoid the thinning of conductor layers 


4. Drill holes in the circuit board : With the help of a drilling machine, you will need to drill holes on the metal (copper coated) laminate sheet) for the assembly of leaded components .


5.  Solder the PCB: In order to avoid any unwanted contact between the components of the circuit board, you have to apply a printed epoxy-ink solder mark on each side of the metal surface.


6. Profile the PCB : In order to profile the PCB, you need to cut out the production panel on a scoring machine or a V-cut system (cutter).

After the final assembly of PCB, it is always essential to inspect the board for any loose connections or detached connections.