Four Months Industrial Training Report

at
INDIA CIRCUITS PRIVATE LIMITED
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of
degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY IN
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION
ENGINEERING

SESSION (2015-19)

SUBMITTED BY

Name Of Students University Roll No.

Nishu Chalotra 19BTD5060272

SUBMITTED TO :

Mrs. Vandana Mahajan

( H.O.D. OF E.C.E DEPTT.)

INDEX

 Title
 Acknowledgement
 Abstract
 Certificate
 About Garg Electronic
 Overview of Company
 What is PCB
 Types of PCB
 Laminates
 Types of Circuit Printing
 Basic Knowledge of Software
 PCB Board Dimensions
 PCB Process
 Panelization
 Utilization of panel
 Basic Terminology
 PCB Manufacturing Process
 Reference
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I would like to thank the Almighty, who has always guided me to work on the
right path of the life. I acknowledge with deep sense of gratitude and most sincere
appreciation, the valuable guidance and unfailing encouragement rendered to me by
“Mohammad Farman ” “Head of Design Department” and other design staff for their
proficient and enthusiastic guidance, useful encouragement and immense help.

I also wish to extend my thanks to Miss Ankita Rana for their insightful comments and
constructive suggestions to improve the quality of this training.

I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to “Mr. Rajneesh Garg, Managing Director” for their
guidance, encouragement and valuable suggestions which proved extremely useful and
helpful in completion of this industrial training.

I would like to place on record my deep sense of gratitude to Mrs. Vandana Mahajan ,
H.O.D. – Deptt. Of Electronics & Communication Engineering , VCOE, Thapkour, for
her generous guidance , help and useful suggestions. I am proudly grateful to all of them.

Nishu Chalotra

B.Tech

(Electronics and Communication Department)

Vaishno College of Engineering, Thapkour , Himachal Pradesh

 ABSTRACT

All bachelor degree students are required to undergo industrial training for four months as a
part of curriculum to complete their 4 year course for bachelor of electronics and
communication engineering .

For my industrial training I did at India Circuits Private Limited , Panchkula Haryana . It
is manufacturing and export plant of PCBs.

I was assigned to the quality section My Supervisor name was “Mr. Mohammad
Farman”who gave me knowledge about how to design and modifiy the PCBs either it is
single side or double sided PCBs. I learnt a lot of basic peocedure of manufacturing of PCBs
in production section.
 ABOUT GARG ELECTRONICS

Garg Electronics is now renamed as India Circuits Ltd .The first plant started production at
Panchkula. Now the group has plants at Panchkula and Barwala for manufacturing of Printed
Circuit Boards.

Since its inception, there is no looking back. The group slowly and steadily expanded its
production facility in other Industrial cities of the North Region. The Baddi plant in Himachal
Pradesh which is a non-excisable zone, commenced production in December 2007

The good quality services provided by the group can be judged by the fact that it has
CACT,ISO 9001-2008 and UL approvals to prove its credibility. To meet the production
targets , stringent quality norms and delivery commitments the manufacturing units have
been equipped with the state-of-the-art machinery and equipments.

The group is serving different segments of electronics industry like Telecommunications,

Television , Energy Meters ,White goods , Set top box ,Remote Control ,LED ,CFL
,Lighting , Automobiles and Consumer Electronics to name a few. In domestic market our
esteemed customers like Beetel , TVS, Kaynes , HPL , Delta , Dixen , Philips , Havells ,
Pheonix , Minda , JayUshin , Deltron and many more have shown satisfaction in response to
our services.
 OVERVIEW OF COMPANY

DESIGNING

PCB’s are designed with dedicated layout software. Gerber files are generated from software for
manufacturing processes. Designing consist of many functions like input of fabrication data ,
verification of data , compensation for deviation in manufacturing process , Panelization ,output of
fabrication data like circuit, masking , legend , carbon, peelable film, drill data , mill data. Design of
PCB is additional strength of the company in serving the customer better. They have designing teams
at Panchkula .

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing starts from PCB fabrication data generation by CAD , Gerber images and drill
data . Then from raw material to finished material PCB goes through many processes like
cutting , Printing , etching , surface finishing , drilling ,V-grooving , and more depending
upon the requirement. Tool Room is of utmost importance for meeting customers' urgent
production requirements. Garg Electronics has a well stocked Tool Room. The Company is
ISO 9000-2008 approved. It also have been credited with CACT and UL approval. The PCBs
manufactured at Garg electronics are being exported to overseas customers.

Plant location PCB type Production capacity(mt . sq

.per annum)
Panchkula Single sided 1,75,000
Baddi Single sided 60,000
Barwala Single sided 2,00,000
Barwala Double sided 5,000
 REMOTE PCB
FAN REGULATOR PCB

COMPANY EQUIPMENTS

Mechanical Fabrication Tool Room

CNC Driller / router Wire Cut Machines

Auto Guide Hole Drilling Machines EDM Drilling Machines

PowerPress 160 to 10 Tons Lathe Machines

Hand Press Milling machines

Shearing Machines Surface Grinders

Fine Piercing System Center less Grinder

Pre Punch Baking Ovens for power press VerticMilling Centre

V-Grooving Machines

IR Ovens

Brushing Machines, Dryers with loaders & unloaders

Semi Automatic Screen Printing Machines

U.V. Curing Machines

Etching ,Stripping, loader, unloaders & Dryers

Roller Tinning Machines

Lacquer M/C with high pressure water rinse and OSP

Bare Board Testing Machines

Hot Air Solder Leveling Machine

Generating capacity (KVA)

Plating Lines

Measuring Instruments

Combination Set

Multimeters

Bore gauges

Height gauges

WHAT IS PCB

A printed circuit board (PCB) mechanically supports and electrically connects electronic
components using conductive tracks, pads and other features etched from copper sheets
laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. Components (e.g. capacitors, resistors or active
devices) are generally soldered on the PCB. Advanced PCBs may contain components
embedded in the substrate.

Printed circuit boards are used in all but the simplest electronic products. Alternatives to
PCBs include wire wrap and point-to-point construction. PCBs require the additional design
effort to lay out the circuit, but manufacturing and assembly can be automated.
Manufacturing circuits with PCBs is cheaper and faster than with other wiring methods as
components are mounted and wired with one single part.

TYPES OF PCB

Single sided 35,000 Sq.mt. per Month

Double sided PTH 5,000 Sq. mt. per Month
Multilayer PTH 2500 Sq. mt. per Month
Metal clad PCB 500 Sq. mt. per Month
 Energy meter PCB

TYPES OF PCB

Single Sided

A printed circuit board with a conductive circuit pattern one side only. Holes in the board are
usually not plated through. These single sided printed circuit boards are widely used in
various electronics applications. Being single sided circuit board, it connects various
electronic components electrically. We can provide customization to our range of single sided
printed circuit boards. In single side PCB there is a solder sider where soldering in done and
other is the component side where components are fixed. The printing in single sided PCB is
through screen printing .There are two side in the single sided one is component side and
other is side. Component side is called top legend or top side and solder side is called bottom
side. SMD components are the components which are fixed on PCB through pasting. In
single sided when there are SMD components then there will be bottom legend in the single
side PCB.

Component side/top Solder side/bottom side

side

Double sided
PCB’s having circuit or copper on both sides are called double sided PCB’s .they have
benefit to decrease the complexity of wires of circuit far better than single side PCB’s .
Double sided consist of both top and bottom legend . They comprise of soldering from both
sides . Photo printing is used to print double sided PCB . the best part of double side PCB is
that there is cicuit on both side

LAMINATES

It is the thin layer of material on which circuit is printed . Basiclly it is the base on
which circuit is printed.

Types of Laminates

FR1 (By copper thickness :- 18u,35u,70u

By quality :-

FR-1(paper phenolic):- (Flame Retardant 1), like FR-2, typically specified to 105 °C, some
grades rated to 130 °C. Room-temperature punchable. Similar to cardboard. Poor moisture
resistance. Low arc resistance.

FR-4(glass Epoxy):- (Flame Retardant 4), a woven fiberglass cloth impregnated with an
epoxy resin. Low water absorption (up to about 0.15%), good insulation properties, good arc
resistance. Well-proven, properties well understood by manufacturers. Very common,
workhorse of the industry. Several grades with somewhat different properties are available.
Typically rated to 130 °C. Thin FR-4, about 0.1 mm, can be used for bendable circuitboards.
Many different grades exist, with varying parameters; versions are with higher Tg, higher
tracking resistance, etc.

XPC:

CEM1 (cotton paper and epoxy)

CEM3 (non woven glass & epoxy)

Aluminium Base MCPCB(metal pcb) FR-5 (Flame Retardant 5), woven fiberglass and
epoxy, high strength at higher temperatures, typically specified to 170 °C.

FR-6 (Flame Retardant 6), matte glass and polyester

G-10, woven glass and epoxy - high insulation resistance, low moisture absorption, very high
bond strength. Typically rated to 130 °C.

G-11, woven glass and epoxy - high resistance to solvents, high flexural strength retention at
high temperatures.[46] Typically rated to 170 °C.

CEM-1, cotton paper and epoxy

CEM-2, cotton paper and epoxy

CEM-3, non-woven glass and epoxy

CEM-4, woven glass and epoxy

CEM-5, woven glass and polyester

FR-4 glass epoxy is the primary insulating substrate. A basic building block of the PCB is an
FR-4 panel with a thin layer of copper foil laminated to one or both sides

Copper patterning

The first step is to replicate the pattern in the fabricator's CAM system on a protective mask
on the copper foil PCB layers. Subsequent etching removes the unwanted copper.
(Alternatively, a conductive ink can be ink-jetted on a blank (non-conductive) board. This
technique is also used in the manufacture of hybrid circuits.)

Silk screen printing uses etch-resistant inks to create the protective mask.

Photoengraving uses a photomask and developer to selectively remove a UV-sensitive

photoresist coating and thus create a photoresist mask. Direct imaging techniques are
sometimes used for high-resolution requirements. Experiments were made with thermal
resist.[13]

PCB milling uses a two or three-axis mechanical milling system to mill away the copper foil
from the substrate. A PCB milling machine (referred to as a 'PCB Prototyper') operates in a
similar way to a plotter, receiving commands from the host software that control the position
of the milling head in the x, y, and (if relevant) z axis.

Laser resist ablation Spray black paint onto copper clad laminate, place into CNC laser
plotter. The laser raster-scans the PCB and ablates (vaporizes) the paint where no resist is
wanted. (Note: laser copper ablation is rarely used and is considered
experimental.[clarification needed])

Large volume[edit]
Silk screen printing – Used for PCBs with bigger features

Photoengraving – Used when finer features are required

Small volume[edit]

Print onto transparent film and use as photo mask along with photo-sensitized boards (i.e.,
pre-sensitized boards), then etch. (Alternatively, use a film photoplotter)

Laser resist ablation

PCB milling

Hobbyist

Laser-printed resist: Laser-print onto toner transfer paper, heat-transfer with an iron or
modified laminator onto bare laminate, soak in water bath, touch up with a marker, then etch.

TYPES OF CIRCUIT PRINTING

Screen printing

In this process screen of different meshes made using film of data by exposing it to UV .
Then screen is lifted up and PCB to be printed positioned on the base board .Ink is applied on
top of screen which on top of screen which leaves print on the board. Screen printing is used
for printing of single sided PCB. In this method a pattern or film sheet is pinned up and inked
sheet is put on it then the circuit is designed. Screen-printing is done when the boards are still
panelized prior to the application of the final finish or routing/v-scoring

Photo printing

In this process ,Copper board is covered with photo sensitive film called dry film. Data film
is fixed on it and board is exposed to UV . Panel is developed and then goes for plating and
etching processes. Photo printing machine is used as exposing machine for printing on
preinted circuits boards. This Machine can be used for both dry film and PISM exposing.
This is a double lamp (top & bottom) Machine consisting of Ultra violet tubes, control panel
having separate switches for upper and lower tubes. It also has Timer and Vaccum meter
 Photo printing machine

BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF SOFTWARES

CAM350 10.1

Manufacturing starts from the PCB fabrication data generated by computer aided design,
such as Gerber layer images, Gerber or Excellon drill files, IPC-D-356 netlist and component
information.[6] The Gerber or Excellon files in the fabrication data are never used directly on
the manufacturing equipment but always read into the CAM (Computer Aided
Manufacturing) software. CAM performs the following functions.

Types of layers

Circuit layers, Masking layers , Legend layers, Mechanical(boundry layer),Drilling layer,

Routing layer ,Carbon layers , Peeble layer , ink layers

Data formats

Gerber is the standard electronic industry file formate used to communicate design
information to manufacturing for many types of printed circuit board in Gerber RS-274X is
format used by most of the manufacturers.

Import/export
Gerber and DXF are used in CAM350 10.1,DXF is another format we use which is format of
AUTO CAD files.

CAM performs the following functions:-

Input of the fab

Verification of the data; optionally DFM

Compensation for deviations in the manufacturing processes (e.g. scaling to compensate for
distortions during lamination)

Panelization

Output of the digital tools (copper patterns, solder resist image, legend image, drill files,
automated optical inspection data, electrical test files,...)

Protel

Protel is designing software which is used to design layout from schematic and also to copy
PCB into CAD.
PCB BOARD DIMENSIONS
 Maximum Board size 600mm X 450mm

Tolerance on overall dimension 0.1mm

Maximum Board Thickness 3.2mm

Minimum Board Thickness 0.3mm

Maximum Warpage Less than 0.75%

Finished Board Thickness +/-10% for Thickness>=0.80mm and

Tolerance +/-0.mm for 75% for
Thickness<=0.80mm

Gold Plating, Carbon Peel off as per requirement

PCB BOARD SPECIFICATIONS

 Copper thickness 0.5Oz. TO 3 Oz

Min. hole Diameter 0.3 mm

Max hole Diameter Any size required

Minimum Annular Ring 0.1 mm

Min Track width 0.12 mm

Min Line spacing 0.12 mm

Min. SMT Pitch 0.5 mm

Solder Mask Thickness over Traces As per IPC Standards

Min. Conductor to edge spacing 0.30 mm

Hole Reg. Tolerance ( NPTH ) +/- 0.076 mm

Min. Pattern Reg. Tolerance +/- 0.076 mm

Min S/M Reg Tolerance (LPI) +/- 0.076 mm

Aspect Ratio 6

Bare Board Elec. Testing Volt 5V ~ 250 V

Nickel Plating As per Requirements

Peelable Solder Mask As per Requirements

Carbon Printing As per Requirements

PDF PROCESS

Data Formats
Gerber:- Gerber is electronic industry file format used to communicate design information to
manufacturing for many types of printed circuit board, In Gerber RS-274 is standard format
used by most of the manufacturers. The Gerber format (originally from 1980) enables data
exchange between CAD (development) and CAM (production) and is used primarily to
output the layout data used for printed circuit boards. When exporting Gerber data, the
highest output resolution should always be chosen (eg 2.6 inch leading, or 4.4 mm leading).
Gerber data should not be outputed either mirrored, nor rotated.

DXF:-DXF are used in CAM350 10.1 format ,DXF is another format used in format of
AUTO CAD file. It is recommended when importing DXF data into PCB Editor that a few
base rules are followed to get the best results. Firstly simplify what you are importing. Only
bring in the items that you mechanical tools generate multiple line segments which come in
as individual items. For Board Outlines it is recommended to have only one continuous line.
If you do not do this you can use Shape>Compose Shape but in this instance import the DXF
data onto a “dummy” layer like Board Geometry / Assembly Detail. Use the layer structure
when creating a DXF file so that all the items do not come in on layer 0.

Drill Data:-Drilling is a slow process as each hole must be drilled individually. So

depending on the drill size we drill a stack of one to three PCB panels together. We can drill
holes down to 100 microns in diameter. To give you an idea of the size, the diameter of a
human hair is about 150 microns. Drill change is fully automatic. The machine selects the
drill to use from the drill rack, checks that it is the correct size, and then loads it into the drill
head .

BASIC ASPECT OF DESIGN

Minimum Track width =0.4 mm (S/S) ,0.2 mm (D/S)

Minimum track space=0.4 mm (S/S) ,0.2 mm (D/S)

Minimum Annular ring=0.4 mm (S/S) ,0.2 mm (D/S)

Board to track =0.8mm

Mask open=0.25 mm (S/S) ,0.10 mm (D/S)

Legend Decode=0.25mm

Legend Clearance from Masking=0.2mm

Minimum Drill Size=0.7mm(S/S),0.3mm(D/S)

LIBARAY PARTS

Fuducial:- There are two types of components .One is through –hole components and
another is SMD components. Some SMD components are so small in size that they can not
be placed manually so they are placed machine and Al machine requires FUDUCIAL for
placement of SMD’s Fuducials are places unsymmetrical to avoid wrong placement of
components.

V-Grooving:-. Any of several longitudinal cuts made on the faces of pieces of laminate of
PCB Edges are sometimes chamfered to create a "V" where pieces are placed edge to edge.
V-grooving is done when the order of PCB is large and we never make single PCB at one
time so when there is order is in bulk then panel are made i.e. number of same PCB on one
panel to save time to get single PCB from panel V-grooving is done. Basically v-grooving is
a type of cutting the panel to get single PCB.

There are two type of v-grooving

By Manual:- In manual v-grooving, shaft is made to give v-groove to the panel.

By CNC:-In CNC v-grooving, computer numeric controller is used, which holds the panel by
set of drills and start giving the v-grooving cuts one by one.
 v- grooving
machine

c) Locating:- Locating is the most important part of PCB in manufacturing for machine
purpose. Layers are matched with each other mainly by the locating .CNC processes and tool
process is only depend upon the locating. If the PCB is not consisting the locating marks in
each layer and the locating hole , then matching criteria is approximately.Locating are
basically the holes which are used to match the different layers of PCB design to used in easy
manufacturing of PCB. Locating are the refrence points .

d) Batch Code :- Batch code is the week code of PCB manufacturing .It shows the
manufacturing week of the PCB and manufacturing year.

e) UL NO. :- UL Logo is American safety consulting and safety company. It drafts the
safety standards for electronics devices. It provides safety related certification, validation ,
testing ,inspection adulating, advising , We have UL 94-VO certifications which is for
flammability of plasic materials for parts in devices.

f) ROHS Logo :- ROHS stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. With the exception
of explicit orders for a HAL SnPb (lead-tin) surface, all of our PCBs are RoHS compliant:
Multi-CB - RoHS Declaration of Compliance.

g) Lamination :- Multi-layer printed circuit boards have trace layers inside the board. This is
achieved by laminating a stack of materials in a press by applying pressure and heat for a
period of time. This results in an inseparable one piece product. For example, a four-layer
PCB can be fabricated by starting from a two-sided copper-clad laminate, etch the circuitry
on both sides, then laminate to the top and bottom pre-preg and copper foil. It is then drilled,
plated, and etched again to get traces on top and bottom layers

h) Inner layer automated optical inspection :-

The inner layers are given a complete machine inspection before lamination because
afterwards mistakes cannot be corrected. The automatic optical inspection system scans the
board and compares it with the digital image generated from the original design data.

PTH :- PTH stands for plated through holes . When the holes are plated with copper in
double sided PCB then the holes are called PTH holes.
NTPH:- NPTH stands for non- plated through holes When the holes are not plated with
copper in PCB then the holes are called NPTH holes.

Panelization

Panelization is a procedure whereby a number of PCBs are grouped for manufacturing onto a
larger board - the panel. Usually a panel consists of a single design but sometimes multiple
designs are mixed on a single panel.

There are two types of panels: assembly panels - often called arrays - and bare board
manufacturing panels.

. Another method, which takes less space, is to cut V-shaped grooves across the full
dimension of the panel. The individual PCBs can then be broken apart along this line of
weakness.[12] Today depaneling is often done by lasers which cut the board with no contact.
Laser panelization reduces stress on the fragile circuits.

PCB Array Design

Control PCB Fabrication Costs by Thinking About Panel Sizes

Getting the most for your money in custom printed circuit board manufacturing requires a
little up-front knowledge of how they are made. Unfortunately, your manufacturing partner
may not talk completely straight about their processes and pricing model (kudos to those that
have live pricing on the websites). If you're new to the industry, or just looking for hints on
how to lower your PCB costs, keep reading and perhaps you'll learn something new. Nothing
in this article is rocket-science, it's really a matter of some common-sense math.

While designed-in features are the predominant driver of PCB manufacturing costs, the more
subtle factor of panelization efficiency can also have a dramatic impact. One of the key things
to understand about your PCB order is that the manufacturer (some would say "fabricator")
probably doesn't build individual boards. For the sake of automation and repeatability, their
machinery and processes are setup to handle uniformly-sized "panels" of material. Unless
your board is large, or requires special processing, it's likely it will flow through the
manufacturing process on panels with other designs.

Working from a fixed panel cost, you can quickly see that more boards packed into a set of
panels means more efficient (less costly) manufacturing. And, generally speaking, the more
boards that fit on a panel the lower the per-board price. This works out well for both
customers and fabricators. However, it's one of those things that seems to be missed during
PCB layout. Costs can skyrocket when your design differs from "what everyone else is
doing" because your boards will need to be on panels all by themselves. Boards that are done
using "common" technology are easily aggregated; meaning the cost of manufacturing the
panel can be spread among multiple customers. This can be a huge cost saver. But if you're
boards are going to be on panels by themselves, you have to take a close look at panelization
efficiency.

The math behind finding the best board size isn't complex, but it's tedious. So to save you a
little time in a spreadsheet, we've added a little calculator at the bottom of this page. Before
we get to that, however, I want to volunteer a couple examples of PCB panelization
scenarios:
The point of the above examples is that size really does matter when it comes to effectively
using the space on panels. Assuming panels have fixed cost (and they should, when they are
identically built), then size choices can also impact your price. The difference between
getting 2 boards per panel and 4 boards per panel may be a tiny fraction of an inch. The
designer of the board in the third example above could cut their per-board price by as much
as 50% by shaving a tiny bit off each dimension. Here are another couple examples, this time
with the exact same size board and panel, but with the board rotated 90 degrees:

Array Design Tips

The primary reason for having your boards delivered in an array is to make automated
assembly faster and less expensive. Running an array of boards through a pick-and-place
machine is far more efficient than sending them through one at a time. Arrays are also
desirable because they allow the addition of tooling rails, tooling holes, and fiducials, all of
which help your assembler.

Tooling Holes are non-plated holes added to the rails so the array can be pinned down to
prevent unwanted shifting during assembly. They are typically 3.0mm diameter, but can be
drilled to your required specification.

Fiducials are copper spots on the rails, which aid automated pick-and-place assembly
equipment by providing a uniform reference point. The copper fiducial is typically .040" in
diameter and will not be covered with mask to make it easier for assembly equipment to see.
At PCB Universe, Inc., many of our customers are contract electronics manufacturers
(CEM’s - EMS's). Elmatica have a lot of experience in setting up arrays for automated
assembly, and can follow your array specifications or we can set one up for you.

Which array is best for you?

There are three types of arrays: Scored, Tab Routed, and a mixture of both. So how do you
decide which one is right for your design?

Scoring can be the preferred choice for two reasons.

Scoring has the advantage of a more consistently smooth board edge, and it wastes less
material, which can mean cost savings especially

for larger quantities or high layer count printed circuit boards where every square inch
counts.

Consider tab routing, breaking nabs, when your design has an irregular shape or if you
need space between your boards to allow for overhanging components. A mix of scoring and
tab routing can be used when some board sides are straight, which can be scored, while
irregular sides must be tab routed.
UTILIZATION OF PANEL

In utilization process ,we try to use maximum area of sheet by altering the panel size, try to
reduce offcut from sheet .Panelization is done according to utilization of sheet.
BASIC TERMINOLOGY

Now that you’ve got an idea of what a PCB structure is, let’s define some terms that you may
hear when dealing with PCBs:

● Annular ring - the ring of copper around a plated through hole in a PCB.

Annular ring on resistor Annular ring on vias

● DRC - design rule check. A software check of your design to make sure the design

does not contain errors such as traces that incorrectly touch, traces too skinny,

or drill holes that are too small.

● Drill hit - places on a design where a hole should be drilled, or where they

actually were drilled on the board. Inaccurate drill hits caused by dull bits are a

common manufacturing issue.

● Finger- exposed metal pads along the edge of a board, used to create a connection between
two circuit boards. Common examples are along the edges of computer expansion or memory
boards and older cartridge-based video games.

● Mouse bites - an alternative to v-score for separating boards from panels. A

number of drill hits are clustered close together, creating a weak spot where the

board can be broken easily after the fact. See the SparkFun Protosnap boards for

a good example.

LilyPad Protosnap with mouse bites

Mouse bites on the LilyPad ProtoSnap allow the PCB to be snapped apart easily.

● Pad - a portion of exposed metal on the surface of a board to which a

component is soldered.

● Paste stencil - a thin, metal (or sometimes plastic) stencil which lies over the

board, allowing solder paste to be deposited in specific areas during assembly.

● Pick-and-place - the machine or process by which components are placed on a

circuit board.

● Plane - a continuous block of copper on a circuit board, defined by borders

rather than by a path. Also commonly called a “pour”.

Various portions of the PCB that have no traces but has a ground pour instead.

● Slot - any hole in a board which is not round. Slots may or may not be plated.
Slots sometimes add to add cost to the board because they require extra cut-out

time..

● Solder paste - small balls of solder suspended in a gel medium which, with the

aid of a paste stencil, are applied to the surface mount pads on a PCB before the

components are placed. During reflow, the solder in the paste melts, creating

electrical and mechanical joints between the pads and the component.

● Solder pot - a pot used to quickly hand solder boards with through hole

components. Usually contains a small amount of molten solder into which the

board is quickly dipped, leaving solder joints on all exposed pads.

● Solder mask - a layer of protective material laid over the metal to prevent short

circuits, corrosion, and other problems. Frequently green, although other colors.

Solder mask covers up the signal traces but leaves the pads to solder to.

● Solder jumper - a small, unwanted blob of solder connecting two adjacent pins

on a component on a circuit board.

● Surface mount - construction method which allows components to be simply

set on a board, not requiring that leads pass through holes in the board. This is

the dominant method of assembly in use today, and allows boards to be

populated quickly and easily.

● Thermal - a small trace used to connect a pad to a plane. If a pad is not

thermally relieved, it becomes difficult to get the pad to a high enough

temperature to create a good solder joint. An improperly thermally relieved pad

will feel “sticky” when you attempt to solder to it, and will take an abnormally

long time to reflow.

● Trace - a continuous path of copper on a circuit board. Trace are of two types :- signal and
guard trace

● Via - a hole in a board used to pass a signal from one layer to another. Tented

vias are covered by solder mask to protect them from being soldered to. Vias

where connectors and components are to be attached are often untested

(uncovered) so that they can be easily soldered.

There are three types of via :-

Blind Via

Through Via

Buried Via

● Wave solder - a method of soldering used on boards with through-hole

components where the board is passed over a standing wave of molten solder,

which adheres to exposed pads and component leads.

PCB MANUFACTURING PROCESS

Before discussing the PCB manufacturing steps, it's wise to learn about the basic anatomy of
a PCB board. The primary component of a PCB is the fiberglass substrate board. The sturdy
material provides the strength of the board. We add layers of copper and additional layers of
fiberglass substrate and copper onto the substrate, which comprises a typical four layer board.
In addition, the PCB board receives a solder mask layer.

Let's examine the full manufacturing process of a PCB — a process that involves 16

steps.

Step 1: Design and Output

It probably comes as no surprise that the first step involves designing the PCB.

Technically the first step occurs in the mind of the designer, but we'll skip that part. Like all
manufactured goods, PCB relies on a plan. Depending on the PCB requirements, the designer
creates a layout using industry standard design software.

The most frequently used program is called extended Gerber. The 1980's baby food ad
campaign sought beautiful babies, and this software creates some beautifully designed
offspring. Gerber also goes by the name IX274X.

The PCB industry birthed extended Gerber as the perfect output format. The software
encodes all vital information — the copper tracking layers, component notations, and the
solder masks. All aspects of the PCB design undergo checks at this point. The software
performs oversight algorithms on the design to ensure that no errors go undetected. The
designer also examines the plan with regard for elements relating to track width, board edge
spacing, trace and hole spacing and hole size.

Step 2: From File to Film

After the designer outputs the PCB schematic files and the manufacturer conducts a DMF
check, it's time to print. PCB files don't print to a regular printer. The manufacturer uses a
special printer called a plotter, which makes photo films of the PCBs. The manufacturer will
use the films to image the PCBs. Although they're laser printers, they aren't a standard laser
jet printer. Plotters use incredibly precise printing technology to provide a highly detailed
film of the PCB design.

The final product results in a plastic sheet with a photo negative of the PCB in black ink. For
the inner layers of the PCB, black ink represents the conductive copper parts of the PCB. The
remaining clear portion of the image denotes the areas of non-conductive material. The outer
layers follow the opposite pattern: clear for copper, but black refers to the area where the
manufacturer will remove existing copper. The plotter automatically develops the film, and
the film is securely stored to prevent any unwanted contact.

Each layer of PCB and solder mask receive their own clear and black film sheet. In total, a
two-layer PCB needs four sheets: two for the layers and two for the solder mask. Of course,
the films correspond perfectly to each other. When used in harmony, they map out the PCB
alignment.

Step 3: Printing the Inner layers: Where Will the Copper Go?

This step in PCB manufacture prepares to make actual PCB. The basic form of PCB
comprises a laminate board. Laminate serves as an ideal body for receiving the copper that
structures the PCB. The epoxy resin and glass fiber core of the laminate sheet provides a
sturdy and dust-resistant starting point for the PCB. Copper is pre-bonded on both sides. The
process involves whittling away the copper to reveal the design from the films.

In PCB construction, cleanliness is key. The copper-sided laminate is cleaned and passed into
a decontaminated environment. During this stage, it's vital that no dust particles settle on the
laminate. An errant speck of dirt might otherwise cause a circuit to short or remain open.

The film and board line up and receive a blast of UV light. The light passes through the clear
parts of the film, hardening the photo resist on the copper underneath. The black ink from the
plotter prevents the light from reaching the areas not meant to harden, and they are slated for
removal. The aspect of light control is vital during this stage, and only yellow light floods the
interior of the room. Yellow light carries the least UV level wavelengths.

After the board becomes prepared, it is washed with an alkaline solution that removes any
photo resist left unhardened. A final pressure wash removes anything else left on the surface.
The board is then dried.

This step only applies to boards with more than two layers. Simple two-layer boards skip
ahead to drilling. Multiple-layer boards require more steps.

Step 4: Removing the Unwanted Copper

With the photo resist removed and the hardened resist covering the copper we wish to keep,
the board proceeds to the next stage: unwanted copper removal. Just as the alkaline solution
removed the resist, a more powerful chemical preparation eats away the excess copper. The
copper solvent solution bath removes all of the exposed copper. Meanwhile, the desired
copper remains fully protected beneath the hardened layer of photo resist.

Not all copper boards are created equal. Some heavier boards require larger amounts of
copper solvent and varying lengths of exposure. As a side note, heavier copper boards require
additional attention for track spacing. Most standard PCBs rely on similar specification.
Now that the solvent removed the unwanted copper, the hardened resist protecting the
preferred copper needs washing off. Another solvent accomplishes this task. The board now
glistens with only the copper substrate necessary for the PCB.

Step 5: Layer Alignment and Optical Inspection

With all the layers clean and ready, the layers require alignment punches to ensure they all
line up. The registration holes align the inner layers to the outer ones. The technician places
the layers into a machine called the optical punch, which permits an exact correspondence so
the registration holes are punched perfectly.

If the machine finds an inconsistency, the comparison is displayed on a monitor for the
technician to assess. Once the layer passes inspection, it moves to the final stages of PCB
production.

Step 6: Lay-up and Bond

In this stage, the PCB takes shape. All the separate layers await their union. With the layers
ready and confirmed, they simply need to fuse together. Outer layers must join with the
substrate. The process happens in two steps: lay-up and bonding.

The outer layer material consists of sheets of fiber glass, pre-impregnated with epoxy resin.
The shorthand for this is called prepreg. A thin copper foil also covers the top and bottom of
the original substrate, which contains the copper trace etchings. Now, it's time to sandwich
them together.

The bonding occurs on a heavy steel table with metal clamps. The layers securely fit into pins
attached to the table. Everything must fit snugly to prevent shifting during the alignment.

an aluminum foil and copper press plate complete the stack. Now it's prepped for pressing.

The technician slides the stack over to the mechanical press, which compresses the layers.
Then, pins are driven through the stack to ensure its fixation together. Next, the stack is
placed on a tray and taken to the bonding press.

Next, a certain amount of unpacking occurs. With all the layers molded together in a super
sandwich of PCB glory, the technician simply unpacks the multi-layer PCB product. It's a
simple matter of removing the restraining pins and discarding the top pressure plate. The
PCB goodness emerges victorious from within its shell of aluminium press plates. The copper
foil, included in the process, remains to comprise the outer layers of the PCB.

Step 7: Drill

Finally, holes are bored into the stack board. All components slated to come later, such as
copper-linking via holes and leaded aspects, rely on the exactness of precision drill holes. The
holes are drilled to a hairs-width-the drill achieves 100 microns in diameter, while hair
averages at 150 microns.
To find the location of the drill targets, an x-ray locator identifies the proper drill target spots.
Then, proper registration holes are bored to secure the stack for the series of more specific
holes. Before drilling, the technician places a board of buffer material beneath the drill target
to ensure a clean bore is enacted. If you've ever used a home drill and placed a piece of scrap
wood below your drill site to eliminate splintering, it's the same idea. The exit-material
prevents any unnecessary tearing upon the drill's exits..

The drills use air-driven spindles that turn at 150, 000 rpm. At this speed, you might think
that drilling happens in a flash, but there are many holes to bore. An average PCB contains
well over one hundred bore intact points. During drilling, each needs its own special moment
with the drill, so it takes time. The holes later house the vias and mechanical mounting holes
for the PCB. The final affixation of these parts occurs later, after plating.

After the drilling completes itself, the additional copper that lines the edges of the production
panel undergoes removal by a profiling tool.

Step 8: Plating and Copper Deposition

After drilling, the panel moves onto plating. The process fuses the different layers together
using chemical deposition. After a thorough cleaning, the panel undergoes a series of
chemical baths. During the baths, a chemical deposition process deposits a thin layer — about
one micron thick — of copper over the surface of the panel. The copper goes into the recently
drilled holes. Prior to this step, the interior surface of the holes simply exposes the fiber glass
material that comprises the interior of the panel

Step 9: Outer Layer Imaging

In Step 3, we applied photo resist to the panel. In this step, we do it again — except this time,
we image the outer layers of the panel with the PCB design. We begin with the layers in a
sterile room to prevent any contaminants from sticking to the layer surface.

We apply a layer of photo resist to the panel. The prepped panel then passes into the yellow
room. UV lights affect photo resist. Yellow light wavelengths don't carry UV levels sufficient
to affect the photo resist.

The process stands as an inversion to that of the inner layers. Finally, the outer plates undergo
inspection to ensure all of the undesired photo resist was removed during the previous stage.

Step 10: Plating

We return to the plating room. As we did in step 8, we electroplate the panel with a thin layer
of copper. The exposed sections of the panel from the outer layer photo resist stage receive
the copper electro-plating. Following the initial copper plating baths, the panel usually
receives tin plating, which permits the removal of all the copper left on the board slated for
removal. The tin guards the section of the panel meant to remain covered with copper during
the next etching stage. Etching removes the unwanted copper foil from the panel.

Step 11: Final Etching

The tin protects the desired copper during this stage. The unwanted exposed copper and
copper beneath the remaining resist layer undergo removal. Again, chemical

solutions are applied to remove the excess copper. Meanwhile, the tin protects the valued
copper during this stage. The conducting areas and connections are now properly established.

Step 12: Solder Mask Application

Before the solder mask is applied to both sides of the board, the panels are cleaned and
covered with an epoxy solder mask ink. The boards receive a blast of UV light, which passes
through a solder mask photo film. The covered portions remain unhardened and will undergo
removal. Finally, the board passes into an oven to cure the solder mask.

Step 13: Surface Finish

To add extra solder-ability to the PCB, we chemically plate them with gold or silver. Some
PCBs also receive hot air-leveled pads during this stage. The hot air levelling results in
uniform pads.

Step 14: Silkscreen

The nearly completed board receives ink-jet writing on its surface, used to indicate all vital
information pertaining to the PCB. The PCB finally passes onto the last coating and curing
stage.

Step 15: Electrical Test

As a final precaution, a technician performs electrical tests on the PCB. The automated
procedure confirms the functionality of the PCB and its conformity to the original design.

Step 16: Profiling and V-Grooving

Now we've come to last step: cutting. The different boards are cut from the original panel.
The method employed either centers on using a router or a v-groove. A router leaves small
tabs along the board edges while the v-groove cuts diagonal channels along both sides of the
board. Both ways permit the boards to easily pop out from the panel.
REFRENCES

http://www.gargelectronics.com/machinery.html

www.asktraining.com

wikimapia.org

Wikipedia.com