- Single- or double-sided
- Multi-layered
- High-Density Interconnect
- High-Frequency & High-Speed
- And many others
- Consumer electronics
- Industrial applications
- Medical Equipment
- Automotive
- Military and Defense
- Aerospace
- Seismic Monitoring devices
- Power Supply devices
- Battery Chargers
- Industrial Load Testers
- Readouts for Various Equipment
- Motor Controllers
- Water Treatment Plant Controls
- Ultrasonic Equipment
- Robotics
- Health Care Medical Devices
- And so on.
PCB Power Market offers various types of printed circuit boards in the USA to several industries involved in Research and Development. PCB requirements from most research and development requirements are unique but involve single or low quantity volumes. We supply all types of PCBs:
Various industries engage in research and development activities for many reasons. For instance, PCB Power Market engages in research and development to increase the market share of our PCBs and to reach several types of customers. However, not all industrial research and development activities require the use of printed circuit boards; only those involved with electronics require PCB circuit design and circuit board fabrication. Industries that frequently use printed circuit boards include:
We supply printed circuit boards in the US not only to the above industries, but also to any of the above when they engage in research and development activities such as PCB circuit design and circuit board fabrication.
Use of Printed Circuit Boards in Research and Development
Research and Development is the basic activity that any industry takes up prior to firming up its plans for sales and marketing. In this design phase, they try various technologies and techniques to not only create a product that is unique, but also has an optimum circuit board price. This may require them to try several types of PCB board designs to arrive at the best possible solution.
For instance, a research and development organization, in pursuit of new equipment, may start with a double-layer PCB circuit design. They may change over to a smaller, multi-layered board design when they optimize the form factor of their equipment. To overcome the competition, they may decide to change over to a rigid-flex approach for the PCB design to cut down on assembly costs.
Industries upgrading their equipment also use printed circuit boards during their research and development. For instance, a UPS manufacturer may decide to upgrade their existing but conventional power supply model. They may want to add a microcontroller for offering more functionality within the same form factor. This change may require them to migrate their existing two-layer board design to a four-layer HDI board.
Research and Development Applications using Printed Circuit Boards
As printed circuit boards are in use in almost every electronic equipment, it is safe to say any research and development applications involving these electronic equipment will also need printed circuit boards. Research and development applications can have a vast scope, and may generate the need for printed circuit boards in the US for a wide range of activities, including:
Printed Circuit Boards for Research and Development Applications
To match the varying needs of a vast range of industrial research and development applications, PCB Power Market offers several types of printed circuit boards. Whether it is for the design of a new equipment, or redesign of an existing one, research and development organizations can count on us to offer the most suitable printed circuit board for their application.
For example, it is possible to reduce the form factor of existing equipment while providing it with enhanced functionality. This may require using a flexible circuit board to replace the existing rigid boards. As we make flex boards from materials that can bend around edges, they can also be made to fit into challenging areas within reasonable circuit board prices.
Wire harnesses in most existing equipment are expensive to make and assemble. They are prone to assembly errors as well. Using rigid-flex boards, a research and development organization can modify the design to exclude most wire harnesses, thereby improving the reliability of the equipment.
It is possible for a research and development organization to improve the signal integrity of a digital equipment when upgrading its operating speed or frequency. They may opt for using high-speed boards for RF and microwave speeds made of ceramic or similar material that we supply. We also offer printed circuit board fabrication with special characteristics of temperature, resistance, flexibility, conductivity, and more for research and development activities.
First Article Inspection in PCBs for Research and Development
Most research and development organizations look for high quality in the boards they design. For boards using multiple layers and different types of vias, the board quality depends on interlayer bonding and via integrity. Once fabricated, there is no scope for examining the internal structure of the board. PCB Power Market offers a first article inspection for the purpose.
When we undertake a first article circuit board fabrication in the USA, it serves two important purposes. The first is to validate the documentation necessary for fabricating the board and ensure there are no missing documents. Whether it is a new design or the revision of an existing board, it is necessary for the research and development team to verify that the circuit board fabrication meets their expectations totally.
The second purpose for building a first article board is to establish the process of record so that the production process can proceed smoothly. Once the research and development team has established the process of record, we, the contract manufacturer, must replicate it throughout the regular production of the board. We, therefore, guarantee that we will build each board following the same process and that each board will function identically.
Only when a printed circuit board goes for a revision, the process of recording can change. At that point, the user will require a new process of record to validate the most recent changes.
Our Capabilities for First Article Inspection
As the inspection of a first article circuit board involves a very thorough process, we validate all the document requirements on this first build. For this, we look closely at:
Measurable Attributes — These involve measuring and recording board dimensions, track resistances, insulation, etc. We then verify these against design specifications.
Manufacturing Errors — We examine all changes and corrections for overcoming any problems arising during circuit board fabrication and assembly. These may include component mounting issues and soldering problems.
Supplier Validation — We also verify parts and materials that we must install on the board against their specifications. Apart from electronic components, these may include metal parts, subassemblies, cables, and connectors.
Documentation Validity — Ambiguous documentation is one of the sources of confusion during circuit board manufacturing. We highlight any discrepancy between the expectations of the research and development team and the documentation supplied by them.
We design these inspection steps to locate any possible problems in the first article board before the research and development organization hands over the design for regular production. For any problems in the first article board, it must go through the necessary corrective actions before going on to full production.
Conclusion
PCB Power Market offers the latest technology and techniques for meeting the stringent requirements of printed circuit boards in the USA for research and development applications. Although this activity does not involve many boards, we ensure that the few we make are of the topmost quality.
