Rigid PCB Capabilities refer the various designs, components, and methods, which can be used to produce the PCB. Depending on the customer’s and application’s requirements, a rigid PCB can be designed with a different material substrates, adhesives, and laminations. The manufacturer can also suggest protective surface finishes for the PCB.
Details of Rigid PCB Capabilities
Generally, the manufacturer divides his capabilities into various sub-categories. You will find the following categories on most Capabilities Pages of the websites of PCB manufacturers.
- Board Attributes: This refers to all the physical aspects of the circuit board. Some of the board attributes include:
- Minimum and maximum layer count
- Minimum and maximum board thickness
- Core thickness
- Dielectric
- Copper Foil weight and thickness
- Panel sizes
- Drill diameters
- Through hole sizes
- Blind via finished sizes
- Impedance tolerance
- Soldermask
- Surface Finishes: This refers to the different types of finishes offered by the manufacturer:
- OSP
- ENIG
- HASL
- Tin nickel
- Lead Free HASL
- Electrolytic hard and soft gold
- Immersion tin, silver, and gold
- Solder Masks: Manufacturers can also offer solder mask options:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Black
- White
- Yellow
- Gloss, semi-gloss, and matte green
- Fabrication: Customers can ask for specific fabrication techniques for their PCBs:
- Bevel
- Milling
- V Score
- Heatsinks
- Countersink
- Counterbore
- Edge Plating
- Routed Array
- Edge Castellation
- Laminate Materials: Different laminates can be provided to meet the client’s need.
- PSA
- Nelco
- Neltek
- Polyclad
- FR (406/08/10)
- Rogers (3000, 4003, 4353, 5880, 6000)
- Testing: This refers the tests that can be performed on the PCB to ensure its reliability, speed, and performance.
- Flying Probe
- Automated Optical Inspection (AOI)
- Automated X-Ray Inspection (AXI)
- Certification: This is an important point for the customer to know. The PCB certifications are proof that the PCBs are manufactured to their varied regulations.
- UL
- ITAR
- AS 9100
- ISO-9001
- IPC-6012/6013
- MIL-PRF-31032
- MIL-PRF-50884
- MIL-PRF-55110
Understanding the manufacturing capabilities of a Rigid PCB provider can help customers to find the right manufacturer who meets their needs. The manufacturer can also provide solutions for the customer’s requirements to showcase their capabilities.
