PCB Blog - Manufacturing process of PCB

PCB is an indispensable part of electronic products, and its manufacturing process mainly includes the following steps.

PCB manufacturing process

The PCB manufacturing process mainly includes steps such as design, graphic conversion, plate making, etching, drilling, coating, welding, testing, and cleaning.

1) Design phase

The design phase is the starting point of PCB production, and the circuit schematic and PCB layout are designed using CAD software to determine the size, wiring method, pad size, and other information of the PCB board.

2) Graphic conversion phase

After the design is completed, it is necessary to convert the circuit schematic and PCB layout into Gerber files for plate making and etching processes.

3) Board making stage

Board making is the core process in PCB production. By converting Gerber files into photoresist films, and then transferring the photoresist film patterns to copper foil through processes such as exposure and development, the circuit and graphics of the PCB board are produced.

4) Etching stage

Etching is the process of removing unnecessary copper foil by soaking the copper foil after plate making in an etchant, waiting for a certain time, and then etching off the excess copper foil to form the circuit and pattern of the PCB board.

5) Drilling stage

Drilling refers to drilling various hole positions on the PCB board, including pad holes, positioning holes, installation holes, etc. Drilling requires the use of a drilling machine or drilling machine for operation. Drilling is to drill holes on the printed board for subsequent component installation and wiring.

6) Coating stage

Coating is the removal of the photoresist film on the copper clad plate, and then covering a layer of welding film through processes such as drying and exposure for subsequent welding operations.

7) Welding stage

Welding is the process of installing components onto a PCB board and welding them. The welding process requires the use of soldering iron or welding equipment for operation.

8) Detection phase

Testing is the process of quality inspection on welded PCB boards, mainly including AOI testing, X-ray testing, ICT testing, etc.

9) Cleaning stage

Cleaning is the process of cleaning the welded PCB board for subsequent packaging and assembly operations.

Equipment required for PCB manufacturing process

The equipment required in the PCB manufacturing process mainly includes plate making machines, etching machines, drilling machines, coating machines, welding equipment, testing equipment, cleaning equipment, etc. Among them, the plate making machine is used to make photoresist films, the etching machine is used to etch off excess copper foil, the drilling machine is used to drill holes, the coating machine is used to cover the welding film, the welding equipment is used for component installation and welding, the testing equipment is used for PCB quality inspection, and the cleaning equipment is used for cleaning the welded PCB board.

PCB board is an indispensable component in electronic manufacturing, and its manufacturing process involves multiple links, requiring precise operation and control.