Nearly every facet of modern electronics has been impacted by the surge in popularity of Printed Circuit Boards. It’s because of these sleek connection boards that our electronic and electrical circuits have gone from this,

To this,

In just a few years!
Although the idea of embedding copper wires on a flat piece of fiberglass is nothing revolutionary, it’s because of these Printed Circuit Boards that we were able to shrink our computers from the size of an entire room to the size of a notebook.
If you’re confused by how we were able to achieve just that, we’ve compiled a short guide that details how PCBs work. Read this guide to learn more about the connection boards that have transformed electronics for decades to come!

How Are Printed Circuit Boards Made?

In order to understand what makes PCBs so efficient at their job, we must take a closer look at their fabrication process. The manufacturing of a Printed Circuit Board resembles that of a CPU (although not nearly as complicated).
We begin by stacking thin sheets of fiberglass on top of each other and treating these layers with a resin that binds them together. This results in a solid slab that, for the purpose of better understanding PCB manufacturing, we’ll refer to as the base board.
Now fine layers of refined Copper are added to either side of the base board. To ensure that the copper remains unaffected by the light incident on it, we coat these layers of copper with a material called the Photo-resist.
Now we place a trace of the desired pattern configuration on the PCB and expose the slab to UV radiation. The base board is then washed which removes excess copper and leaves behind lines and tracks of Copper (in the desired pattern).
The processes of etching and washing are repeated until we’re finally left with a robust and reliable electrical connection that will stand the test of time.

How Do Printed Circuit Boards Work?

Remember the traces of Copper that were left in the final design? These tracks essentially serve as substitutes to conventional wires and are used in signal propagation. Notice how the copper tracks always turn at an angle of 45°. This is done partly to ensure there is no signal inversion in case of RF signals and partly because this guarantees longevity and durability.
Once the PCB layout is done, chips, capacitors, resistors, and heat sinks are added in the right spots to complete the entire circuit. And there you have it; a PCB that will work much better than any other point-to-point soldered device.
If you’re looking for high-quality electrical and electronic components like SMT PCBs, the Topscom PCB Assembly team would love to help! We’re one of the top electronic assembly companies in the world and can easily provide you with the components you need to design your electrical circuits.

Pick up the phone and get in touch with us for top-notch electrical and electronic solutions.