{"id":660,"date":"2021-07-22T13:48:53","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T13:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/?p=660"},"modified":"2021-07-22T13:49:12","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T13:49:12","slug":"how-to-select-the-right-pcb-materials-a-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/how-to-select-the-right-pcb-materials-a-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Select the Right PCB Materials: A Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One can\u2019t overstate the importance of picking the right materials for making a printed circuit board (PCB). Each piece\u2019s benefits can change greatly depending on the material you choose. Your PCB can range from a standard board to complex, bendable PCBs; in short, you\u2019ll find a wide range of options. So, you should use this guide on how to select the right PCB materials.<\/p>\n<h2>Substrate<\/h2>\n<p>When considering materials, start by looking at the four layers of a PCB. The substrate holds the PCB together and needs to handle the heat and electricity that runs through the PCB; due to this component\u2019s importance, you should greatly factor it into your decision. A lot of hard PCBs use fiberglass as their substrate materials, while others use flexible plastics.<\/p>\n<h2>Laminate<\/h2>\n<p>Laminate isolates and separates signals between PCB layers and the outside. A lot of PCBs laminate copper to the substrate with various heat-resistant materials. You\u2019ll find quite a few options, so choose the one that best fits your PCB\u2019s thermal and electrical needs.<\/p>\n<h2>Solder Mask<\/h2>\n<p>The solder mask consists of a thin layer of material that helps prevent outside exposure for the PCB\u2019s traces. These are usually made from polymer that stops dust and doesn\u2019t inhibit electrical signals. Several epoxies and photo-imageable solder mask options suit different needs, making this component an important material to consider.<\/p>\n<h2>Silkscreen<\/h2>\n<p>When you need to place the PCB\u2019s components the right way, the silkscreen layer provides a handy solution. This material is an epoxy layout that plans where the components of the PCB will sit. This layer can also double as writing on the PCB, helping to label parts and add any additional information someone might need about the PCB.<\/p>\n<p>As you can see, you can choose from a variety of materials, and using this guide on how to select the right PCB materials will help you learn what you need to focus on. You can also get a lot of help by using <a href=\"https:\/\/pcbunlimited.com\/products\/usa-pcb-assembly\">prototype PCB assembly services<\/a> that assist you when you make your PCB. Just remember that each part accomplishes different things; if you keep those unique goals in mind, you\u2019ll craft a great PCB.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One can\u2019t overstate the importance of picking the right materials for making a printed circuit board (PCB). Each piece\u2019s benefits can change greatly depending on the material you choose. Your PCB can range from a standard board to complex, bendable PCBs; in short, you\u2019ll find a wide range of options. So, you should use this <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/how-to-select-the-right-pcb-materials-a-guide\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["entry","author-pcbunlimited","post-660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pcb-assembly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":664,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660\/revisions\/664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pcbunlimited.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}