Depending on specifications and design, they can also be very lightweight, which is a necessity when manufacturing parts for transportation industries. Both the automotive and aerospace industries make use of flexible PCB, which is designed to withstand the high-vibration environments that are common in both fields. These same aluminum-backed PCBs form the basis for both high-lumen LED applications and basic lighting solutions. These PCBs serve as heat sinks and allow for higher levels of heat transfer than a standard PCB. As LED-based lighting solutions catch on in popularity because of their low power consumption and high levels of efficiency, so too does aluminum-backed PCB which is used to make them. Examples of situations where thicker copper PCBs would be beneficial include motor controllers, high-current battery chargers and industrial load testers. In places where current one-ounce copper PCBs do not fit the requirements, thick copper PCB can be utilized instead. PCBs are commonly used in high-powered industrial machinery. PCBs have found their way into everything from small devices, such as pacemakers, to much larger devices like X-ray equipment or CAT scan machines. This helps to alleviate some of the unique constraints involved with developing devices for the medical field due to the necessity of small size and light weight. Most medical devices use a high-density PCB, which is used to create the smallest and densest design possible. Electronics products are now denser and consume less power than previous generations, making it possible to test new and exciting medical technology. In addition to their use in consumer electronics and computers, different types of PCBs are used in a variety of other fields, including: More sophisticated hardware such as computer graphics cards or motherboards can have multiple layers, sometimes up to twelve.Īlthough PCBs are most often associated with computers, they can be found in many other electronic devices, such as TVs, Radios, Digital cameras and Cell phones.
Most PCBs for simple electronics are simple and composed of only a single layer.
PCBs are most commonly made out of fiberglass, composite epoxy, or another composite material. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are the boards that are used as the base in most electronics – both as a physical support piece and as the wiring area for the surface-mounted and socketed components.