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Electronic products are gradually changing our lives. As our dependence on electronic products increases, it means that we need high-volume PCB production and PCB assembly. That is significant to choose a large-scale manufacturer with strong comprehensive strength When you need large-scale circuit board production.
This article will introduce the high-volume PCB manufacturing process to everyone so that everyone can understand how to produce high-volume printed circuit boards and our Highqualitypcb.com PCB manufacturing capabilities.
High-volume PCB manufacturing refers to the process of a manufacturer producing more than 1,000 printed circuit boards in the same time cycle. Many automated mechanical equipment are used in the production process to enable these circuit boards to be manufactured efficiently and maintain PCB functional consistency and uniform appearance.
There are many advantages to using mass production in PCB manufacturing, such as cost savings, shortened delivery time, improved production efficiency, etc. Let's take a closer look!
This advantage is one of the reasons why most people choose high-volume PCB manufacturing. The primary way to reduce production costs is through economies of scale and lower production costs. Manufacturers reduce costs by purchasing PCB raw materials in bulk and using large-scale production equipment to improve work efficiency.
When producing PCBs in large quantities, manufacturers will set up special equipment and processes to optimize large-scale production. Since the production process is fully automated, you will savePCB manufacturing time, and the product can be put on the market as soon as possible, which is an advantage in the electronics field.
Since the circuit boards are mass-produced, it can ensure the consistent quality of all PCB boards. You don't need to worry about the quality difference between one board and others. During the product procedure, each board will be examined and inspected to make the PCB board meet the circuit board performance requirements.
High-volume printed circuit board production saves time for subsequent high volume PCB assembly. It can help you speed up time to market and meet high mart demands on time. Coupled with cost reduction, it also helps to improve market competitiveness and surpass competitors.
Cutting is cutting the original copper-clad laminate into boards made on the production line.
First, let us understand a few concepts:
• Unit: Unit refers to the unit graphics designed by PCB design engineers.
• Set: Set refers to the graphics in which engineers put multiple units to improve efficiency and facilitate production. We often call it a panel, which includes unit graphics, process edges, etc.
• Panel: Panel refers to a board composed of multiple sets put together and added with tool board edges to improve efficiency and facilitate production when PCB manufacturers produce.
Inner layer dry film is the process of transferring the inner layer circuit graph to the PCB board.
Inner layer dry film includes a lot of processes, such as inner layer film pasting, exposure and development, and inner layer etching.
Inner layer film pasting is a particular photosensitive film on the surface of the copper plate, which we often call the dry film. This film will solidify when exposed to light, forming a protective film on the board.
Exposure and development are to expose the board with the film pasted, and the light-transmitting part will be solidified, while the non-light-transmitting part will still be a dry film. Then development, the uncured dry film is removed, and the board with the cured protective film is etched. After the film is removed, the inner layer circuit pattern is transferred to the board. The whole process is shown in the figure below.
Purpose: To form microscopic roughness and organic metal layer on the inner copper surface to enhance the bonding strength between layers.
Principle of the process: Through chemical treatment, produce a uniform organic metal layer structure with good bonding properties, make the surface of the copper layer roughen before the inner layer is bonded, which is used to enhance the bonding strength between the inner copper layer and the semi-cured sheet after pressing.
This step is significant. Once the layer and layer between are assembled, the errors in the inner layers cannot be changed. The AOI machine will compare it with the original design and find any problems that will be displayed on the display. PCB with problems will be eliminated at this stage.
Lamination is bonding each layer of the circuit into a whole using the adhesiveness of the PP sheet. Copper foil, bonding sheet (prepreg), inner layer board, stainless steel, isolation board, kraft paper, outer layer steel plate, and other materials overlap according to the process requirements.
Creates through- holes between layers of the circuit board to connect the layers.
• Copper deposition
Also called chemical copper, after the PCB board drilling undergoes an oxidation-reduction reaction in the copper deposition tank to form a copper layer to metalize the hole so that copper is deposited on the surface of the original insulating substrate to achieve electrical connection between layers.
• Plate plating
The copper on the surface and inside the holes of the newly copper-plated PCB is thickened to 5-8um to prevent the thin copper inside the holes from being oxidized and micro-etched before pattern electroplating, thus exposing the substrate.
The process is the same as the inner dry film.
The copper layer of holes and circuits is plated to a bound thickness (20-25um) to meet the copper thickness requirements of the final PCB board. The unused copper on the board is etched away to reveal the helpful circuit pattern.
Solder masks, also known as green oil, are one of the most critical processes in printed circuit board manufacture. It protects copper. It applied a layer of solder mask on the panel through screen printing or coating with solder mask ink. After exposure and development, the pads and holes to be soldered are exposed, and other places are covered with solder masks to prevent short circuits during welding.
Silkscreen is a way to attach a business card or label to a circuit board. Use an inkjet printer to print information directly on the circuit board. The information includes company ID, symbol, component number, etc. It is exposed to the panel by ultraviolet light.
Bare copper itself has good solderability, but it is easily oxidized by moisture when exposed to air for a long time. It tends to exist in the form of oxides and is unlikely to remain as original copper for a long time. Therefore, the copper surface needs to be surface-treated. The most basic purpose of surface treatment is to ensure good solderability or electrical properties.
Common surface treatments are spraying tin, immersion gold, OSP, immersion tin, immersion silver, nickel palladium gold, electric hard gold, electric gold fingers, etc.
Use a cutting machine to cut the PCB into the desired size.
PCB Scoreboard mainly includes V-shaped scribing, lug wiring, routing, laser Scoreboard, etc.
Imitate the status of the PCB board, power it on to check the electrical performance, whether there is an open circuit or short circuit.
Check the appearance, size, hole diameter, thickness, marking, etc., to ensure the PCB board meets customer requirements. Pack qualified products into bundles for easy storage and transportation.
To meet market demand, PCB manufacturers will introduce many advanced PCB production equipment to enable mass PCB production to be carried out efficiently and orderly while obtaining high-quality PCB boards. The major PCB production equipment is as follows:
The photolithography machine is also called a mask alignment exposure machine. Photolithography technology is essential in PCB manufacturing. It can quickly and efficiently transfer circuit patterns to the surface of photosensitive materials and then form PCB patterns that meet design requirements through chemical reactions. With the continuous development of science and technology, the resolution of photolithography machines has reached the nanometer level, providing significant support for the development of electronic technology.
Etching removes unnecessary copper on the PCB. The automatic etching machine can accurately grasp the etching speed and degree.
AOI, X-ray, etc. automated testing equipment, are used to detect quality defects and performance obstacles of PCB boards and ensure the production of high-quality and high-performance PCBs through testing.
Modern drilling machines have the characteristics of multi-drilling, high-precision drilling, automated control drilling, and fast tool change, making the drilling process more accurate and quick. Modern PCB drilling machines can improve PCB production efficiency and meet the production needs of high-density PCB boards.
High-volume PCB manufacturing is crucial in various fields. It can produce a large number of reliable and high-quality printed circuit boards. High-volume PCB manufacturing is primarily used in the following aspects:
In the consumer electronics industry, large-scale PCB production can meet the high market demand for mobile phones, tablets, and others and ensure the quality of PCBs.
In the automotive industry, with the development of electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology, the role of PCB in automotive electronics is becoming increasingly important. In the automation control system, the PCB is the control center, responsible for signal transmission and processing.
Mobile phones, base stations, and other telecommunications equipment rely on circuit boards. Large-scale production capabilities help meet the high demand for these devices.
Massive PCB production is a highly specialized and technology-intensive process. It requires manufacturers to have advanced machinery, precise process flow, and strict quality control. At present, many factories have realized fully automated production lines, using equipment that improves production efficiency, such as robotic arms, automatic punching machines, laser engraving machines, etc. In addition, computer-aided design (CAD) software has significantly accelerated the rate of PCB design, while computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) ensures the accurate transformation of designs into actual products.
Despite the continuous advancement of technology, mass PCB production still faces a series of challenges. First, the change in raw material costs causes stress on manufacturers' profit margins. Second, with the accelerated pace of electronic product replacement, PCB design and production cycle need to be shortened. In addition, the environmental regulations require the PCB production process to be more green and environmentally friendly, which puts higher requirements forward in the production process.
Industry 4.0 has brought new opportunities for PCB production. Through the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, production equipment can be interconnected, real-time monitoring of production conditions, and prediction of maintenance needs, thereby reducing downtime and improving production efficiency. Using giant data analysis and artificial intelligence can optimize the production process and achieve the optimal configuration of resources. In addition, smart manufacturing can also provide customized PCBs to meet the market demand for small batches and diversification.
Large-scale PCB production will continue to develop in the direction of automation and intelligence. With the popularization of 5G communication technology, the design and manufacture of PCBs will pay more attention to high-frequency and high-speed transmission performance. At the same time, sustainable development will become a significant issue in the industry. How to achieve green production while ensuring performance will be a problem that manufacturers need to solve. In addition, with the rise of flexible electronic technology, future PCBs may be thinner and more flexible, opening up more possibilities for innovative applications.
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