Circuit boards are used in almost all fields of electronics. The use of a circuit board can be in the area of electronics design for the purpose of implementing circuitry, hobby electronics or as an interface to digital devices. There are various kinds of circuit boards based on the function they perform such as solid-state, flip-charts, ribbon, flex circuit boards and print-to-print circuit boards. A printed circuit board, also known as PCB, mechanically connects electronic or electrical components with conductive pads, rails and other structural features etched into one or more sheets of copper reinforced between two or more non-conductive bottom sheet layers of low cost non-resin material. Copper is commonly used as the core material for the board.

Basics of Manufacturing Printed Circuit Boards

To produce printed circuit boards made of copper, various processes are used. In some cases, electrical conductors and components are directly deposited onto the copper core. During the manufacturing process, different layers of varying thickness are used depending on the final application. The thickness of the layers and the overall thickness of the product will be determined by the thickness of the copper slabs used and the cost of the finished product.

Copper circuit boards can be produced by using different techniques and methods depending on the end application and the end use of the product. One such technique involves the use of an electrical discharge machining technique in which the wire traces are etched away from the copper blank using a discharge machining tool. This technique is used in production of high-quality pressed wood plaques, metal signs, lettering, labels and other printed items. Another technique is by using a flux cored soldering machine that heats the flux onto the soldering iron.