Printed circuit board design helps to make today’s technology possible. As modern devices get smaller and smaller, consumer demand increases for faster and more complex processing, and vast amounts of data is consumed, custom PCBs become even more essential. While you might think about the effect that consumer technology has on printed circuit board design, there are other industries and electronics that also depend upon the features of PCBs. Some designs are created for use in biomedical devices, military and defense machinery, heavy-duty equipment, and other professional development and manufacturing.

What is a Custom PCB?

While most people are aware of the printed circuit board and it’s high-tech look with green panels and shiny circuitry, they might not be aware of all the options available for custom PCBs. The design of a custom printed circuit board is relative to the device, component, or machinery that is being created for by the engineer. Custom PCBs feature small electronic components and strips of conductive material. Copper and aluminum are commonly used materials that are excellent conductors of electricity. The copper or aluminum is printed onto a piece of insulated material and is used to integrate circuits and other components to save space.

The great news is that printed circuit board technology can be used to enhance simple and complex electronics designs. It can also be used to save space in large projects and very small device manufacturing. The electronic test industry ensures that the PCB, functional test interface and other related components are working effectively and efficiently, providing the desired result and meeting industry requirements or government regulations for safe operation. There’s a lot that goes into the design of custom PCBs, much more than most people realize. There are many benefits associated with using printed circuit board designs in manufacturing for electronic devices and components.

Advantages of Printed Circuit Boards

Custom PCBs are designed and manufactured by EMC Technologies to accommodate requirements from our clients. This can include simple double-sided and complex multi-layered designs. Our team can create these designs directly from the customer’s specifications, or we can develop the printed circuit board entirely in-house for the client. The custom PCBs that we design are available in either Allegro or PADS format, depending on the needs of the client. Our team utilizes the design and manufacture of PCBs as an integral component of the functional test interface adapter for a number of essential reasons.

Some of those reasons include the ability to provide greater signal integrity and repeatability. This helps us to reduce the debugging time for electronic test industry functions, allowing our team to create faster and less expensive exact duplicates of interface test adapters. The opportunity to create a better organization of relays, power and ground busses and signal conditioning components is also a definitely advantage. Custom PCBs and assembly designs can also be used as part of a connector saver adapter card for ease of maintenance with high-volume testing. Printed circuit board design and custom functional test interface applications go hand in hand for the benefit of the client.

Other Benefits of Custom PCBs

Developers and manufacturers utilize custom PCBs for a number of reasons. One of the most significant advantages is the space-saving ability for more condensed circuitry. This helps developers to create smaller, more compact designs to meet the increased demands of the industries that they serve. Another benefit is that custom printed circuit board design offers the opportunity to provide labor-saving installation, replacement, and services for the device or machinery that is being developed. Additional labor savings come from automated production of custom PCBs to reduce labor costs and increase repeatability, accuracy, and quality.

While more time is spent initially on the design and tooling of the custom printed circuit board, the investment pays off in the ability to improve manufacturing, reliability, and reduce costs associated with ongoing labor and maintenance. Even more benefits include the elimination of the need for decals by direct-print of legends and the ability to integrate LED lights to provide function verification for users and service providers. At EMC Technologies, our team has many years of experience working with PCBs for the electronic test industry. Our knowledge and cutting-edge use of state-of-the-art technology and methods can help to reduce troubleshooting time and ensure accuracy within the functional test interface and other essential components.

Contact EMC Technologies

If you are interested in learning more about our custom printed circuit board design options and other custom services, contact our team by calling 508-672-0808. We can answer any questions that you might have about custom PCBs, functional testing, functional test interface design, and provide you with a FREE estimate for our services. Call today to take advantage of our electronic test industry experience for your business needs.