Printed Circuit Board Assembly
A printed circuit board with electrical components soldered on is called a printed circuit board assembly. Components are connected through imprinted copper pathways (vias) and held to rigorous standards set forth by the IPC.
Benefits of Printed Circuit Board Assemblies
When mass-producing a pc board, the clear choice for price and speed is usually a printed product. However, even a single unit or prototype benefits from using imprinted wiring. The benefits of using a printed circuit board assembly over a wired-wrapped circuit are:
- Precise and accurate schematics
- Faster turnaround on multiple units
- Low-cost mass production
- Full use of available materials
Even with the lower cost and speed of fabrication, a printed circuit board is a crucial, durable element of an electronic device. Completed assemblies are used in a variety of applications, including aviation, medical devices and high-end electronics. Materials are tested and rated to withstand rugged situation, high heat and continuous use, with minimal loss of electrical current.
Benefits Don't Overrule Safety
Both the IPC organization and the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) maintain guidelines for the material used in and the fabrication of printed circuit boards. While technology makes manufacturing faster and easier, the strict standards keep products safe. This allows smaller companies to create high-quality electronics for a reasonable price.
Almatron uses quality FR4 materials, which prove to be less flammable than inexpensive paper materials, but are still affordable for mass production, even on a small scale. Rigorous testing of products by Almatron ensures that all IPC guidelines are met after assembly.
