PCB prototype assembly :
A printed circuit board (PCB) prototype serves as an example or standard for producing other PCBs for mass production. PCB prototype assembly resembles regular PCB production, but can be customized or modified depending on the needs of the customer.

About PCBs

PCBs were invented in 1936 by Austrian engineer Paul Eisler, who first used PCBs in his radio set. PCBs evolved through the years and were used to make rugged radio transmitters used by the US in World War II. After the war, PCBs were re-manufactured for commercial use.

Design

Generally, PCB prototype assembly is composed of 24 conductive layers separated and supported by layers of insulating material (substrates) laminated together using heat, pressure and sometimes vacuum.

The most common substrate used in single-sided PCBs is the FR-2 (synthetic resin bonded paper). The FR-2 type is cheap and easy to drill but is prone to cracking and is not good for making plated-through hole boards. Double sided and multilayer boards use the FR-4 type, which is made from fiberglass.

Manufacturing process

The PCB prototype assembly is made using the following steps:

Patterning (etching)
Lamination
Drilling
Exposed conductor plating and coating
Solder resist
Screen printing
Test
Populating
Protection and packaging
Patterning
The patterning manufacturing process involves applying a layer of copper over the entire substrate, sometimes on both sides, after which unwanted copper is removed after applying a temporary mask.

There are three common ways to remove copper from circuit boards:

Silk screen printing – uses etch-resistant inks to protect the copper foil. Subsequent etching removes the unwanted copper.
Photoengraving – uses a photo mask and chemical etching to remove the copper foil from the substrate.
PCB milling – uses a two- or three-axis mechanical milling system to mill away the copper foil from the substrate.

Lamination and drilling

Multi-layer PCBs are formed by bonding together separately etched thin boards. After which, holes (vias) are normally drilled through the PCB using drill bits made from solid tungsten carbide.

The holes are then plated copper to form plated-through holes that electrically connect the conducting layers of the PCB.

Exposed conductor plating, coating, and soldering

Exposed pads and lands to which components will be mounted are typically plated, because bare copper oxidizes quickly, and therefore is not readily solderable. Normally, exposed copper is plated with solder. The solder is a tin-lead alloy, although new solder compounds are now used to achieve compliance with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive in the EU, which restricts the use of lead.

Screen printing

Text labels may be printed on the surface of the PCB using screen printing. Screen print is also known as silk screen, or, in the case of one sided PCBs, the red print.

Test

Quality testing is conducted on finished PCBs to assure that they are functioning correctly. PCBs are tested electronically to test the electrical current of the device.

Populating

After testing, electronic components must be attached to the PCB to form a functional printed circuit assembly (PCA).

Excellent PCB manufacturer

If you are looking for customized PCB prototype assembly for low volume production, then we at Almatron Electronics Inc. (http://www.almatron.com) can help you. We specialize in PCB prototype assembly for small companies. Visit our website today to get free quotations. Why In-House Prototyping

Today, more than ever, prototyping is crucial to the electronic design process. In this world of blazing time-to-market requirements and fierce R&D expectations, effective prototyping is critical to success. Yet, in spite of the need for effective prototyping, engineers still find themselves constrained by the time and cost limitations inherent in outsourcing their prototypes. As a result, an increasing number of engineers are adopting LPKF’s in-house prototyping solution because of its enhanced technological capabilities and clear advantages over outsourcing.

The Problems with Outsourcing

The following example is typical of the time and iteration constraints inherent in outsourcing. An engineer must order a minimum of 10 to 20 boards and wait one to two weeks in order to receive an initial prototype. Usually, the prototype is populated with components and then tested. If the test results are unfavorable or the engineer wants to test a second iteration, then the design has to be reconfigured and a set of prototypes created a second time, usually taking another one to two weeks to be received and tested. Since effective prototyping almost always requires multiple design iterations, outsourcing makes it difficult to meet the demands of many development cycles. Plus, downtime between prototype builds can lead to a loss of engineering focus and momentum, thus causing projects to suffer.

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Another problem with outsourcing is that the cost to fabricate one or multiple prototypes can be prohibitively high and these costs must be estimated for each project. Outsourcing costs become an even greater issue when designing multilayer boards. Those costs can easily run into the thousands of dollars for a single prototype.
"Thanks to our LPKF ProtoMat we took a project that should have taken 10 weeks and did it in only one week."

The Solution – LPKF Plotters

For almost 30 years, LPKF Laser & Electronics has been the leader in in-house prototyping equipment and products. Today, LPKF customers around the world benefit from our passion and commitment to product quality, precision and performance.

LPKF Plotters produce high-performance boards that match the quality of outsourced PCBs by delivering high signal integrity and SMT component capability. Plus, LPKF plotters do not require hazardous chemicals for processing and their versatility makes them capable of producing many different applications.

Many of our customers are former outsourcers who benefit from the increased productivity, performance and control this equipment provides. Maintaining total control over prototyping projects while still producing boards equal to outsourcing is an important reason for the tremendous popularity of LPKF plotters.

Mechanical PCB prototyping never requires a minimum production quantity. Design engineers can fabricate one or many boards simultaneously, all of which can be tested and reconfigured the same day. This instant turnaround enables our customers to make immediate revisions one at a time instead of being forced to accumulate design changes. Plus, fabrication and testing time is reduced from weeks to minutes. This encourages better designs and fewer production-related mistakes. Concerns about guarding a design’s intellectual property are also alleviated because development efforts remain in-house.

Recent LPKF advances in PCB prototyping and milling system technology continues to be a primary factor contributing to the increasing use of our equipment. Unlike other basic milling equipment, LPKF systems are easy to operate and have the precision to fabricate multilayer PCBs that use cutting-edge SMT components and have professionally-plated through-holes. The milling precision, reliability and operating convenience delivered by LPKF’s state-of-the-art PCB plotters offers engineers a rich set of prototyping tools. Capabilities such as automatic front-to-back alignment, automatic tool change and automatic milling depth adjustment enable advanced LPKF systems to operate unattended. Our hybrid systems combine the milling, drilling and contour routing capabilities of a PCB plotter with the fine structuring ability of a laser system. Integrated CAM software drives LPKF systems and provides the tools for defining the board production process. In addition, our software allows engineers to work directly with their own PCB production CAD data, giving them insight into ways to improve their designs

For designs involving complex RF and microwave boards, LPKF plotters can mill these types of circuits on a variety of substrates, from standard FR4 to PTFE-based material. Non-contact milling techniques ensure that the substrate is precisely cut and delicately handled to preserve the design’s performance characteristics.

LPKF Provides the Complete In-House Prototyping Solution

An array of other LPKF in-house prototyping equipment used in conjunction with our PCB plotters gives customers the ability to fabricate prototypes with up to eight layers. Compact PCB laminating equipment securely bonds the inner and outer layers of multilayer boards, while in-house electroplating and chemical-free epoxy paste tools can plate very small through-holes with the quality and reliability of an outside circuit board fabrication facility. LPKF customers can apply protective solder masks in-house, and our SMT assembly equipment automates the precise placement of surface-mounted components on the finished PCB.

The ability to produce prototypes, multilayers and test circuits that are equal to outsourced boards, combined with their time and cost advantages over outsourcing, makes LPKF’s in-house PCB milling technology and related equipment the perfect solution for every engineer.

We invite you to learn more about LPKF’s in-house prototyping equipment and products:LPKF ProtoMat S42
Entry level system for precision PCB prototypes

The LPKF ProtoMat S42 introduces a new entry-level circuit board plotter for in-house rapid PCB prototyping. This compact system provides precision and performance for quickly and easily milling and drilling circuit board prototypes in a single day. Besides the system is adapted for 100 μm printed circuit boards applications and front panel engraving.

Each ProtoMat S42 is carefully calibrated at the factory for unsurpassed overall accuracy. As a result, the plotter can mill and drill all types of PCBs with fine traces, using reliable, well-tested technology. Its milling head travel speed of 50 mm (approx. 1.97") per second and high-performance 42,000 RPM spindle motor makes it an excellent entry-level performer for producing quality PCBs in-house.

An integrated vacuum table top, a fiducial recognition camera system and an acoustic cabinet are avaiable as options.Product information
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Our competent and friendly
sales team is at your disposal. Laser-Based System Speeds PCB Prototypes
This high-speed, programmable system is ideal for laser structuring, milling, and drilling of soft and ceramic substrate materials for creation of RF/microwave PCBs.
Microwave printed-circuit board (PCB) prototypes can be quickly and cost-effectively produced in-house by means of any number of commercial mechanical milling machines or chemical etching. A faster and more accurate approach, however, is to perform the etching and machining by laser. That is the approach used in the new ProtoLaser 100 system from LPKF Laser & Electronics (Wilsonville, OR), which can mill and drill both laminated ceramic materials and soft substrate materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) circuit-board materials. The system generates circuits directly from computer-aided-design ( CAD ) and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) software and is compatible with a wide range of layout file formats, including Gerber, HPGL, and DXF files.

The ProtoLaser 100 system represents a high-speed laser-based PCB prototyping system that can also be used for production runs. The system can be used to create high-resolution lines and spacing in high-frequency PCBs in a fraction of the time of a mechanical milling/drilling system . It can also be used in conjunction with a mechanical system to form a full-featured PCB prototype production center.

The new system overcomes a shortcoming of earlier laser systems: the fast and efficient removal of large areas of conductive layers from standard FR 4 to soft PTFE substrates. Traditionally, these areas are removed from a laminate to leave behind circuit traces and other structures on the substrate. Laser ablation of large areas was known as a very slow process and the quality of final results was usually not acceptable. Laser was therefore normally applied only to produce the finest features on the boards and the remaining parts of the boards were produced by standard chemical methods. This has resulted in highly increased complexity and price of the production of the boards.

The ProtoLaser 100 overcomes this limitation using a single laser to produce complete RF and high-density circuits in a single production step. The same laser used to form precise lines and high-frequency circuit features is used in a different operating mode to remove the unwanted sections of conductive-layer material. Traditionally, laser-based systems have employed different laser hatching algorithms for removal of large conductive areas from a laminated substrate. By this approach, subsequent laser channels are lying closely together or partially overlapping to achieve ablation of complete hatched area. The main problem with this technique, however, is that ablated conductor material (commonly copper) is deposited to the left and/or right of the channel structured by the laser, since the conductive material does not completely vaporize from the surface of the laminated substrate. When channels overlap or even approach each other, the extra material tends to be deposited back into the newly formed channel, forming irregularities in the channels and channel sidewalls that result in uneven high-frequency performance. In some cases, the laser energy can cause overheating and damage to a sensitive PCB substrate.

The new drilling and milling system features a proprietary laser source, designed and manufactured by LPKF. The ProtoLaser 100's infrared (IR) dye-pumped laser provides the type of structuring control not associated with traditional laser sources, using a fine 25-μm (1-mil) diameter laser beam to achieve minimum track width of 50 μm (2 mils) and minimum track spacing of 25 μm (1 mil). The laser operates at a wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs) of 10 to 100 kHz, and minimum laser pulse length of 35 ns at a PRF of 30 kHz.

With a ProtoLaser 100, PCB production takes place in two phases: the laser-structuring phase and the laser-rubout phase. In the structuring phase, CAD software guides the laser beam to outline all the features of the final circuitry. During this stage, the conductive areas which are to be ablated from the board are divided into many small subareas or stripes . All generated lines are then structured by the laser. Laser-beam parameters (beam diameter on the working field, laser wavelength, pulse frequency, energy, and length) are carefully chosen in a way that isolation channels are reliably structured in the conductive layer without significantly damaging the substrate.

The width of the stripes depend on the parameters used later in the rubout process; however, after the structuring phase is completed, the established subareas are no longer in direct electrical and thermal contact with each other. Thermal contact only remains via the substrate, a poor thermal conductor.

In the rubout phase, laser parameters are changed so that the laser beam no longer reaches the threshold for the ablation of the conductive layer (average power remains high but peak power is sharply reduced). The laser beam is then guided along the stripes and its energy is absorbed in the conductive layer. Since the structured channels do not allow transversal diffusion of the absorbed energy into the surrounding material, the temperature of the illuminated stripes increases dramatically and eventually the adhesion force between the conductive layer and the substrate diminishes significantly. By applying an adequate external force, the complete stripe is removed as a single piece from the substrate. The mechanism that allows the stripe removal is a combination of the strong temperature raise at the metal-insulator interface and a mechanical shock originating from the expansion of the metal layer.

The advantages of the new rubout method are obvious. Since the conductive-material stripes are removed as single solid pieces, no particles are deposited on the substrate during the stripe-removal process, resulting in a substrate that is clean and undamaged. The width of the stripe and the speed of the laser beam moving along the stripe depend on the applied laser power but, in general, the process speed exceeds the conventional laser-rubout methods by at least a factor of 10.

The ProtoLaser 100 system has a work area measuring 420 × 380 mm (16.5 × 14.9 in.). The laser beam covers a scan field measuring 100 × 100 mm (4 × 4 in.) and works with materials as thick as 150 mm (6 in.). It can be used with a variety of substrate materials, such as FR3, FR4, ceramic-filled soft substrates (TMM and RO4000), and PTFE substrates. The system operates with a wide range of CAD/CAM file formats, including Gerber, HPGL, Sieb & Meier, Excellon, DXF, Barco, and ODB++ files. The system itself measures 2,000 × 1350 × 2150 mm (78.7 × 53.1 × 84.6 in.) and weighs between 600 and 700 kg (1320 and 1540 lbs.).

The ProtoLaser 100 can be combined with the company's ProtoMat series of mechanical milling and drilling PWB prototyping CNC machines for extended functionality in a prototyping or small-production environment. Since the machines operate without hazardous chemicals, they can be operated even in environmentally sensitive areas.Badger Technologies, Inc. - Farmington, NY - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.badgertech.com/capabilities.php
Company Profile: Electronic manufacturing services for making Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) including PCB's compliant to military specification & prototypes. Workmanship meets requirements of IPC-610/620 Class 2 &...

2. Cir-Q-Tek - Bristol, PA - E-mail this company More Info

Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.cir-q-tek.com/pcb.html
Company Profile: Manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCB). Production, quick turn & prototype printed circuit boards. Single sided, double sided & multi layer printed circuit boards. Single sided up to 40 layer...
Website Links: Capabilities

3. SenDEC Corporation - CEM Group - Fairport, NY - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.sendec-cem.com/content/view/43/180/
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified assembling services for prototype printed circuit boards, rapid prototyping services & printed circuit board inspection, test & rework. Capabilities include SMT (surface mount...
Brand Names: Sendec Corp.
Website Links: Equipment | Certifications

4. CGI Circuits, Inc. - Taunton, MA - E-mail this company More Info

Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.cgicircuits.com/index.html
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of individually routed single-sided, double-sided, multilayer & prototype printed circuit boards (PCB) with up to 14 layers & an area ranging from .400 up to 168...
Website Links: Certifications
Prototype Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) Product Catalog:
Assembly Services
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5. NexLogic Technologies, Inc. - San Jose, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.nexlogic.com/PCB-Design.aspx
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified custom manufacturer of prototype electronic printed circuit boards. Capabilities include fabrication of prototype multi-layer (up to 30 layers), SMT & through-hole circuits,...

6. Pulsar, Inc. - Franklin Park, IL - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.pulsar-inc.com
Company Profile: Printed Circuit Boards; Flexible Single & Double-Sided, Multilayer, Selective Gold Plating Deep & Shallow, Surface Mount Technology
Website Links: Capabilities

7. All Flex, Inc. - Northfield, MN - E-mail this company More Info

Manufacturer
http://www.allflexinc.com/index.shtml
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of polyimide & polyester flexible printed circuit boards to meet military specifications. Industries served are medical, instrumentation, industrial &...
Website Links: Drawings | Capabilities

8. SMS Technologies, Inc. - San Diego, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.smstech.com/smsboardlevelassembly.htm
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949, QS-9000, & AS-9100 certified custom manufacturer of prototype printed circuit (PCB) boards, plated-through-hole (PTH) printed circuit (PCB) boards, microwave printed...
Website Links: Equipment | Certifications

9. Vinatronic, Inc. - Huntington Beach, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer
http://www.vinatronic.com/product.htm
Company Profile: Full Service ECM. PCB Layout & Design. Gerber Generation. Prototype To Full Production. For Surface Mount & Through Hole Assemblies. Service Include: Turn-Key & Consignment Manufacturing & Complete...
Website Links: Capabilities

10. Electronic Interconnect Corp. - Elk Grove Village, IL - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
https://www.eiconnect.com/zoom_proto.aspx
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of prototype printed circuit boards (PCB). PCB materials include FR-4, FR-6, FR-8, CEM-1, CEM-3, aluminum clad (thermagon), flex, keratherm, Arlon?, duroid,...
Website Links: Capabilities | Certifications

11. Hughes Circuits, Inc. - San Marcos, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.hughescircuits.com/
Company Profile: Manufacturer of printed circuit board prototypes. Capabilities include copper cladding, lamination, drilling, plating, solder mask, beveling & scoring, edge milling, counter sinking & counter boring,...
Website Links: Capabilities

12. Printed Circuits Corp. - Norcross, GA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.pcc-i.com/product.htm
Company Profile: PCB manufacturing & assembly facility prototypes to production. Services include product design, NPI, SMBOC, high density MLB, SMT, BGA, thru hole mixed assembly & test/repair, kitted or turnkey EMS,...
Website Links: Capabilities | Equipment

13. King Circuit - Addison, IL - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.kingcircuit.com
Company Profile: Manufacturer of printed circuit boards including: single, double sided, multilayer to 24 layers. All material types. 24 hour to 2 weeks for prototype & production. Capable of 3 mil. space/trace.

14. Innovative Circuits, Inc. - Alpharetta, GA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.innovative-circuits.com/printed.htm
Company Profile: Manufacturer & designer of printed circuit boards (PCB), wiring boards & flexible & rigid flexible circuitry. From single-sided to complex rigid circuit boards. Quick-turn prototype to medium volume,...
Website Links: Capabilities

15. Sierra Proto Express - Sunnyvale, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.protoexpress.com
Company Profile: PC Board
Website Links: Capabilities | Equipment | Certifications

16. Multicircuits, Inc. - Oshkosh, WI - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
WWW.MULTICIRCUITS.COM
Company Profile: Printed circuit board manufacturer of prototype to medium volume 2-16 layer rigid PCB's; specializing in: multilayer PCB's, surface mount & plated through hole (PTH) prototypes for the military,...

17. TRC Circuits, Inc. - Crystal, MN - E-mail this company More Info

Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer
http://www.trc-circuits.com/capabilities/index.html
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified, woman owned custom manufacturer of circuit boards including prototype printed circuit boards. Specifications include hole sizes down to 0.007 in. & line widths & spacing down...
Website Links: Capabilities

18. Winonics Inc. - Brea, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.winonics.com/
Company Profile: ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of prototype printed circuit (PCB) boards. Materials worked include FR-4, High Tg FR-4, Nelco? 4000-6, Nanya? NP170, Stablcor?, Nelco? 4000-13, Nelco?...
Website Links: Certifications

19. Safari Circuits - Otsego, MI - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
http://www.safaricircuits.com/index.html
Company Profile: ISO 9001: 2000 Certified custom manufacturer of printed circuit boards. Services offered include printed circuit boards assembly layout, software development, electronic circuit design, analog,...

20. Circuit Logic Inc. - Escondido, CA - E-mail this company
Manufacturer
http://www.circuitlogic.com/
Company Profile: Manufacturer of printed circuit boards. Manufacturer of single, double sided & multilayers up to 18 layers, plated through holes & surface mount printed circuit boards. Specialize in prototype &...
Website Links: Capabilities

21. Proto Service, Inc. - Eden Prairie, MN - E-mail this company
Manufacturer, Service Company