PCB Prototype

PCB Prototype

A PCB Prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a PCB board built to test the concept or process of your PCB design. PCB Prototype indicates manufacturing an actual PCB board of a theoretical design to verify that it works. So, PCB prototype is the most critical time during development stage to verify whether the design can work before production. GWT offers PCB prototype services,send us your Gerber files, quantity and fab notes, we will fabricate and deliver the PCB board to you on time.

Types of PCB Prototypes

Different types of PCB prototypes are applied to test different aspects of the PCB design. Over the course of a project, a design team may use multiple PCB Boards at various stages of the design process. Some of these PCB prototype types include:

1.Visual Models: Illustrate the physical aspects of the PCB design, and show the overall shape and component structure. These are usually the first prototypes, which are used to communicate and review the design in a way that is easy and affordable.

2.Proof-of Concept Prototype: Just simple PCB board prototypes that focus on replicating the primary function without carrying all fabrication process of the final product. This kind of prototype PCB board is primarily to show whether the design concept is viable.

3.Working Prototype: the board contains all of the planned features and functions of the final product. It is used to identify weakness or problems in the design, and rarely represent what the finished product is going to look like.

4.Functional Prototype: This prototype is close to the final product as possible, provides the most accurate idea of what the design will look like and how it will work, with some basic material difference to keep prototype board costs low.

Engineers usually work through this list from top to bottom throughout the PCB design and verification process at prototyping stage.

GWT PCB Prototype PCB Capabilities:

GWT is a rapid prototype PCB manufacturer, the prototype PCB manufacturing service is available to our global customers. We can provide any kind of simple-to-complex prototype PCBs with or without special requirements:

--Rigid PCB: 1-30 layers

--HDI boards: laser drilling microvias, blind and buried vias, till any layer interconnect

--Flex circuit: 1-8 layers

--Rigid-Flex PCB: 2-20 layers

--IMS PCB: 1-4 layers, aluminum base, copper base and ceramic base.

--Embedded resistors and capacitors

--Advanced substrates: Panasonic, Rogers, Isola, Dupont, etc.

--Controlled impedance: Single-ended, differential pairs, hatch impedance

--Heavy copper: 3-5oz

--Conductive carbon or silver ink printing

--Gold Plating: Hard or soft gold with selective or full body plating

--Edge plating and plated half-holes

--Resin filled, silver paste filled, copper block filled

--blind and buried vias, microvias, back drilling

--VIPPO

Accurate and Reliable Prototypes

Having an accurate, reliable PCB prototype makes it much easier to solve design issues throughout the development process. Quality PCB prototypes accurately represent the functionality of your final product, allowing designers to see and test the following aspects:

1.PCB design: Prototyping enables designers to catch flaws early in the development process, and the more accurate the design, the more accurate the identification of the flaw. This helps minimize design costs down the line, while also reducing the project timeline.

2.Functional testing: What works in theory doesn’t always work in practice. Accurate PCB boards will help assess the theoretical values of the board to see if they show up in the practical values. This allows any differences in value to be checked, updated and potentially reevaluated.

3.Conditional testing: The real world is a brutal environment for products, so it is essential that PCB products go through appropriate testing to ensure that they will survive environmental conditions. For example, prototypes typically undergo temperature variation testing, power variation testing, shock resistance testing and more.

4.Final product design: PCBs are usually incorporated into a final product, and prototypes help determine if the planned product or packaging need to be adjusted for the final PCB design.

For these purposes, having an accurate PCB prototyping will help make other processes significantly easier, and will better prepare design teams for what to expect when they begin production runs.