USES OF PCB ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING FOR PROTOTYPE LEAD TIME

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USES OF PCB ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING FOR PROTOTYPE LEAD TIME



Sometimes, even the best technology in the world isn’t the right fit for the job. Simply put, time and volume matter.Get more news about Pcb Prototype,you can vist our website!

For example, PCB prototyping is a necessary step (whether you think you have the time or not) to ensure the final product will succeed. There's a lot of experimentation that occurs here. Multiple iterations of the design are fabricated on PCBs to achieve a perfected single function before moving to final production.

This is one reason additive manufacturing migrated to the world of electronics manufacturing. Additive manufacturing -- known more popularly as 3D printing -- has accelerated the growth of the fast PCB prototype service industry by creating an alternative to overseas and off-site fabrication of prototype boards. Additive manufacturing primarily exists in the electronics world for quick-turnaround PCB prototype assembly.

The second-most frequent reason we hear from buyers? Avoiding a high one-time tooling cost. OEMs that have a small order or prototype and don’t want to pay for tooling might opt for 3D printing over traditional PCB manufacturing. For example, if you only need a small, plastic piece for alignment of your assembly, there’s no point in paying for the cost of a mold.Additive manufacturing involves making a three-dimensional physical object from a digital file. The creation of a 3D object is made possible by laying down progressive layers of material.

An object will start as a circuit design that's then converted into computer-aided design (CAD) files. These files are then converted into .stl (stereolithography) format. The printer can understand regular CAD files. This .stl format is used for 3D printing, computer-aided manufacturing, and rapid PCB prototyping. When it comes to quick-turn PCB prototype assembly, additive manufacturing has a few advantages over traditional methods.

The obvious advantage is the manufacturing time saved. Whereas manufacturing complex PCBs takes several days or even weeks when using traditional PCB creation processes, in additive processes, this time can be reduced to hours.
Designers keen on the precise manufacture of their circuit designs are limited by traditional manufacturing techniques. They, therefore, have to compromise on their vision in multilayer PCBs, especially when it comes to things like trace design.

Additive manufacturing, on the other hand, breaks the shackles of planar design geometry.

Both individual PCBs and multiboard systems can be 3D printed in complex shapes and even in non-planar geometry -- including curves and varied thicknesses. The layer-by-layer printing process lets the PCB designer embed or mount components on the side of a non-planar substrate. It also allows unique interconnect vias: