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The Mother of Electronic Products

Release time:

2025-01-10 17:01

A PCB—known in Chinese as a printed circuit board, or sometimes referred to as a printed wiring board—is a crucial electronic component. It serves as the structural support for electronic components and also acts as the medium through which these components are electrically interconnected. For this reason, it’s often called the “mother of electronic products.” Don’t underestimate this seemingly ordinary board—it’s actually a kaleidoscope of the electronics world, turning our technological dreams into reality.

Printed circuit boards, classified according to the strength of their substrate materials, include rigid printed boards, flexible printed boards, and rigid-flex boards. Just like the Three Musketeers of the electronics world, each type has its own unique strengths and excels in different ways.

A rigid printed circuit board is like a “steel warrior”—it’s made from a rigid substrate, which can include phenolic paper laminates, epoxy paper laminates, polyester glass mat laminates, and epoxy glass cloth laminates.

Flexible printed circuits are like “judo masters”—they use flexible substrates, such as polyimide or polyester films, much like “yoga experts” in the electronics world. These circuit boards not only dissipate heat efficiently but can also bend, fold, and roll up—and even stretch freely in three-dimensional space, just like “Transformers” in the electronics realm. They enable electronic devices to become smaller, lighter, and thinner, thereby integrating component assembly and wire connections into a single, seamless unit.

A rigid-flex board is like a “Tai Chi master”—it ingeniously combines flexible and rigid substrates, much like a “hybrid” in the electronics world. It possesses both the robustness of rigid printed circuit boards and the flexibility of flexible printed circuit boards, making it an “all-rounder” in the electronics industry.

According to the classification of printed circuit board conductive structures, there are single-sided boards, double-sided boards, and multi-layer boards.

A single-sided board—this “lone ranger”—has conductive patterns only on one side. It’s simple and straightforward, much like a rugged, no-nonsense tough guy who charges ahead without hesitation.

A double-sided board—this “double-faced spy”—features conductive patterns on both sides. It can handle tasks on both sides, thriving in any situation and capable of managing more complex circuitry.

A multilayer board—a “multi-story tower”—is laminated together by alternately bonding three or more conductive patterns with insulating materials. It’s like a “skyscraper” in the electronics world: layered, intricate, and powerful, capable of handling a greater number of electronic tasks.

These three types each have their own strengths: single-sided boards are suitable for simple circuits, double-sided boards are ideal for slightly more complex circuits, and multi-layer boards are best suited for circuits that require multiple layers of space to implement sophisticated functions.

So, how are printed circuit boards manufactured? Today, taking the “single-sided board” as an example, let’s explore the manufacturing process of printed circuit boards.

The production of single-sided boards uses screen printing to apply three layers of ink: resist ink, solder mask ink, and character ink. Currently, most of these processes rely on UV curing.

The birth of copper traces on a printed circuit board is like a carefully orchestrated “metal sculpture exhibition.” Our artists are solutions of ferric chloride or cupric chloride, which work their corrosive magic on the copper-clad board, carving out exquisite circuit patterns. But not all traces are meant to become works of art—those sections that don’t need to be corroded are given a “protective suit” of resist materials (resist ink), ensuring they remain unscathed throughout this “corrosion” process. The resist ink is applied onto the copper-clad board via screen printing, leaving behind a resist pattern that hardens into a permanent “tattoo” on the circuit board. After undergoing the baptism of corrosion, the copper-clad board is completely transformed, revealing the true beauty of its copper traces. Then comes the “makeup remover”—an alkaline solution—that gently wipes away the resist ink, leaving the board pristine and ready for use.

Next, our printed circuit board needs a loyal guardian—solder mask ink. On the board’s surface, with the exception of the solder pads—the “social butterflies”—all other areas require protection from the solder mask ink. This ensures that during the wave-soldering “party,” only the solder pads can have intimate contact with the solder, while the rest of the circuit traces remain aloof and “cool.” The selection process for solder mask ink is extremely rigorous: it must not only exhibit outstanding electrical and physical-mechanical properties but also withstand the high-temperature test of 260°C. After being applied via screen printing and cured, the solder mask ink becomes a “permanent resident” on the circuit board.

To ensure that the plugin and repair team members don’t get lost, the circuit diagrams and the locations of electronic components need to be clearly “marked” on both sides of the PCB using lines and characters. This is precisely the role of character ink—it’s also applied to the PCB via screen printing and becomes a “permanent resident” on the board. Its performance requirements are identical to those of solder mask ink.

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