From Hand-wired to SMT: The Development History of PCB

With the continuous development of the electronic industry, circuit boards have become indispensable components in this market. These boards play a crucial role in computers, mobile phones, and other intelligent devices. From the beginning of a single electronic component to today's collection of tens of millions of components, circuit boards have been undergoing changes and development.

 

The era of hand-wired

The history of circuit boards can be traced back to the late 19th century, when we already used wood and paper chips to make simple circuit boards. In the early 20th century, electrical engineers began using hand-wired circuit boards to assemble circuits, which had a small slot for inserting electronic components and soldering them manually.

In the late 1960s, the emergence of automation equipment began to transform the circuit board manufacturing industry. Etching and drilling machines greatly improve production efficiency and make it easier to manufacture smaller circuit boards.

 

The rise of assembly technology

At the end of the 20th century, the appearance of assembly technology brought about a revolution in circuit boards. Assembly technology refers to the process of attaching smaller packaged electronic components to a circuit board. These components are attached to the surface of the board, rather than being welded through the board from the other side. The technology makes the boards smaller, faster and easier to assemble.

Surface Mount (SMT) electronic components occupy less space, allowing designers to manufacture smaller circuit boards, further promoting the development of electronic products. In addition, it also reduces the risk of short circuit welding on the circuit board.

 

Flexible printed circuit board

Flexible circuit boards have the characteristics of being easy to bend and deform, and they are usually made of polyester film and used to connect electronic components. Compared to traditional circuit boards, flexible circuit boards have the characteristics of being smaller, lighter, and thinner, making them adaptable to multiple application fields.

 

The tendency in the future

Nowadays, the rapid development of electronics has led to the development of new applications, new materials, and new manufacturing technologies. According to its extensive market demand and adaptability, the circuit board manufacturing industry will become increasingly important.

With the continously development of AI and the Things, more smaller and better performance electronic products will come out. In the future, people will pay attention to the environment protection, which will challage to the manufacturing industry, especially the PCB development.

With the continuous progress of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, smaller and better performing electronic products will emerge. In the future, people will pay more attention to environmental protection, which will also pose challenges to the development of the manufacturing industry, especially circuit board manufacturing.

As a core component in the field of electronics, the future development of circuit boards remains a focus of researchers.