A computer circuit board (PCB) is a thin board made from fiberglass, composite epoxy, or other laminate materials. PCBs are found in various electrical and electronic components like beepers, radios, radars, computer systems, etc. differing types of PCBs are used based on the applications in electronics manufacturing.
What are the varied types of PCBs? Read on to learn about them! Often you need to design your PCB in accordance with industry standards, such as here for Intel.
Various Types of PCBs: Know the Most Common Types
PCBs are often classified on the idea of frequency, variety of layers, and substrate used. We’ve rounded up some popular types below! Learn how those are classified and how the PCB is manufactured. The types are not always exclusive.
Single-sided PCBs
Single-sided PCBs are the essential circuit board type, containing just one layer of substrate or base material. The layer is roofed with a thin layer of metal, i.e. copper- which may be a good conductor of electricity. These PCBs also contain a protective solder mask, which is applied on the highest of the copper layer along with a silk screen coat.
Some benefits offered by single-sided PCBs are:
- Single-sided PCBs are low in cost, so it’s utilized for volume production.
- These PCBs are utilized for easy circuits such as power sensors, relays, sensors, and electronic toys.
Double-Sided PCBs
Double-sided PCBs have both edges of the substrate featuring a metal conductive layer. Holes within the circuit board allow the metal parts to be attached from one side to the other. These PCBs connect the circuits on either side by either of the 2 mounting schemes, namely through-hole technology and surface mount technology.
The through-hole technology involves inserting lead components through the pre-drilled holes on the circuit card, which are soldered to the pads on the other sides. The surface mount technology involves electrical components being directly placed on the surface of the circuit boards.
Benefits offered by double-sided PCBs are:
- Compare to through-hole mounting, surface mounting allows more circuits to be attached to the boards.
- These PCBs are utilized for a wide range of applications, including mobile systems, power monitoring, equipment, amplifiers, and lots of others.
Multi-layer PCBs
Multi-layer PCBs are computer circuit boards, which comprise quite two copper layers like 4L, 6L, 8L, etc. These PCBs expand the technology utilized in double-sided PCBs. The layers in multi-layers PCBs are separated by various layers of a substrate board and insulating materials. Offers the benefits of weight and space, these PCBs are compact-sized.
Some advantages offered by multi-layer PCBs are:
- These PCBs offer a high level of design flexibility.
- Multi-layer PCBs play a crucial role in high-speed circuits. they supply more space for conductor patterns and power.
Rigid PCBs
Rigid PCBs ask for those types of PCBs whose base material is fabricated from a solid material and which cannot be bent. Some salient advantages offered by them:
These PCBs are compact, which ensures the creation of a sort of complex circuitry around them.
These PCBs are easy to repair and maintain, as all the components are clearly marked. Further, the signal paths of rigid PCBs are well-ordered.
Flexible PCBs
Flexible PCBs are constructed on a versatile base material. These PCBs are available in single-sided, double-sided, and multilayer formats. This helps in reducing the complexity of the device assembly. Learn more basics about the flexible design here.
Some advantages offered by these PCBs are:
- These PCBs help save plenty of space, together with reducing the overall board weight.
- Flexible PCBs help in decreasing the board size, which makes it ideal for various applications where high signal trace density is required.
- These PCBs are designed for working conditions, where temperature and density may be the main concerns.
Rigid-Flex-PCBs
Rigid-flex PCBs are a mixture of rigid and flexible circuit boards. They comprise multiple layers of flexible circuits attached to quite one rigid board. These PCBs are precision built. Hence, it’s used in various medical and military applications. Being lightweight, these PCBs offer 60% of weight and space savings.
High-Frequency PCBs
High-frequency PCBs are utilized in the frequency range of 500MHz – 2GHz. These PCBs are utilized in various frequency-critical applications like communication systems, microwave PCBs, microstrip PCBs, etc.
Aluminum backed PCBs
These PCBs are utilized in high-power applications because the aluminum construction helps in heat dissipation. Aluminum-backed PCBs are known to supply a high level of rigidity and low level of thermal expansion, which makes them ideal for applications having high mechanical tolerance. These PCBs can be used for LEDs and power supplies.
In various industrial sectors, the demand for PCB assembly is catching up and keeps going higher. Today, you’ll find various reputed PCB manufacturers and distributors, who cater to the competitive connective devices market. it’s always recommended to buy PCBs for industrial and commercial use from reputed manufacturers and suppliers. Twisted Traces is one such trusted and experienced manufacturer of various types of PCBs. the corporate has consistently provided its customers with high-quality circuit boards with excellent speed, and performance.
