One of the latest trend in education for young teenagers is coding. And while there is no denying that coding and programming are important skills for upcoming generations, behind all of the codes that are written are printed circuit board assembly (PCB) products that bring power to the items that require this coding. In fact, small batch PCB production continues to be an important component of many of the items that we use on a daily basis. For this reason, many educators understand the importance of not only introducing coding to students, but also introducing the basics of how PCB assembly products. Through the use of introductory circuit world, in fact, many young student first find an interest in electronics and engineering.
In Five Minutes, You Can Find a Number of Household Items That Rely on the PCB Fabrication Process
From television remotes to toasters, small batch PCB development enables the technologies that we depend on today. Fortunately, current technologies allow PCB assembly processes to be faster than ever before, allowing researchers and developers the opportunity to quickly and frequently test their products. Consider these facts and figures about how the PCB fabrication industry helps both large companies and individual developers test their ideas:
- $44 billion was the revenue of circuit board and electronic component manufacturing in the U.S. in the year 2014.
- Printed circuit boards were designed using clear Mylar sheets before PCB design software was introduced. This earlier process required Mylar sheets that were up to four times bigger than the circuit board itself where designers would create a transparent photomask of the proposed design.
- The advent of machine-assembly for orders of all sizes means shops can assembly PCBs in a fraction of the time it would normally take for hand placement. Some PCB assemblers, in fact, have a standard turn-time of five days or less, a tome period that is 75% faster than the industry average.
- With today’s technologies, a single automatic line can place and solder more components than 50 hand solder operators. This automatic line can also achieve this task producing a product that better and of more consistent quality.
- $50,000 to $150,000 is the typical engineer’s salary. A career that may have had its earliest starts in an interest in PCB usage.