Electric connections were established through point-to-point wiring before Printed circuit board assembly became widespread, but as the wiring insulation aged and cracked, frequent failures occurred at wire junctions. The durability and duration of these connections are improved using wire wrapping. As demand for electronics increased, the development of the printed circuit board was implemented.
The assemblage of printed circuit board is a multiple process that includes through-hole technology and surface mount technology. It can be multi-layer (inner and outer layer), one copper layer (single sided) or two copper layers (double sided).
In through-hole assembly processes, the component leads are placed onto the board and are soldered via a wave soldering process. This process limits the available routing area for signal traces on layers below the top layer on multi-layer boards since the holes must pass through all layers to the opposite side and it also requires many holes to be drilled accurately
In the surface mount technology process, there is deposition of solder paste onto the connection pads of the printed circuit board. Components are placed onto the pads reflowed in a reflow furnace to melt the solder paste to form the electrical and mechanical connection of the component leads to the printed circuit board.
The printed circuit board assembly can be designed manually or with dedicated layout software. Four materials are used in the building of a printed circuit board, these are:
- Copper foil
- Laminates
- Resin impregnated B-stage cloth
- Copper-clad laminates
The printed circuit board assembly is produced in most of the world leading electronic companies, like Permatech Electronic Corporation which offers high yield, high quality, and affordability.