Advancing Tech: We Take a Look at the Tech Trends Revolutionizing the PCB Industry

Key Factors Shaping the Future of the PCB Industry:

• Advancing technologies continue to spur new growth opportunities
• Rising advances in consumer electronics drive complexity in PCBs
• Continued miniaturization of electronic devices
• Improved predictive maintenance with the use of AI
• Broadening application of  PCBs in the automotive sector

Today’s complex but tiny, multilayered PCBs have come a long way from their original designs and functionalities, invented at the turn of the century and patented by Paul Eisler in 1943. Since then, more sophisticated manufacturing processes and design software have also enabled greater efficiencies in production and lowered costs. For example, just a decade ago, HDI, FPGAs, and microvias were exclusive to the highest-priced designs, yet today they are easily accessible all over the globe.

At the core of the electronics innovation game, the PCB industry must keep up with the pace of change, maturing and developing in response to PCB-dependent technologies as they advance and changing consumer demand. As consumers push for faster, slimmer devices and both individuals and industries seek refined functionality, leading PCB designers are under intense pressure to keep up. Just one example is how the high-frequency transmissions required for 5G have now necessitated the use of complex mixed-signal PCBs, which can be very difficult to lay out without the right PCB design tools.

Let’s take a deeper look at the tech, and the trends, revolutionizing the PCB industry.

Trends Driving Trends: AI, IoT, and 5G Connectivity

The global IoT market is expected to rise from $399.41 billion in 2022 to $1057.55 billion by 2027.

Converged AI, 5G connectivity, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have been an impetus for change, fueling growth and advancements in PCB manufacturing.

Providing access to network speeds of up to 20 Gbps, 5G is expected to run ten times faster than current LTE networks and 20 times faster than 4G with low latency (of one millisecond, essentially offering real-time), and high reliability of up to 99.9999 percent. This greatly affects the operation of IoT devices by enabling gadgets of all kinds, including sensors and machines, to communicate and share data faster than ever, revolutionizing how we live and, most especially, how we work. 

Where Wi-Fi fell short in the past, 5G makes real-time critical communications possible, becoming a manufacturing differentiator and an essential prerequisite for smart factories of the future. 

However, as 5G systems roll out across the globe, its high-speed capabilities continue to pose a challenge when it comes to designing and manufacturing PCB boards. To ensure signal integrity, for instance, designers must consider factors such as width, trace length, routing, termination, and shielding. Another issue, electromagnetic interference, can be reduced through filtering, shielding, grounding, and layout.

To meet the needs of 5G applications and obtain high circuit density with low signal loss, instead of the traditional subtractive etching approach, PCB makers are using the modified semi-additive process (MSAP) technique. In this technique, wherever photoresist is not present, a thin copper layer is applied to the laminate. Employing photolithography to achieve high-precision etching with little loss in signal strength, the copper between the conductors is removed.

Miniaturization and Other Rising Advances in Consumer Electronics

The pervasiveness of PCBs in our personal lives persists as consumers increasingly begin to incorporate new technologies into their daily lives, now monitoring and controlling common day-to-day tasks such as turning on the lights or setting the AC to a cool 78 degrees Fahrenheit through a simple voice command. 

From smartwatches that monitor everything from your steps to your calorie intake to smart devices that control your living room lights, demand for consumer electronics has surged, driving technological advancements in everything from gaming consoles, smartphones, and smart homes to Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) devices.

In order to meet demand driven by the trend toward miniaturization and enable functionality like resting heart rates on a smartwatch, PCB manufacturers are enhancing functionality and capabilities through the utilization of advanced materials in circuit boards such as liquid crystal polymers, resin-coated copper, and glass fibers.

AI for Improved Predictive Maintenance

Although leveraging AI for more stringent quality and production control has been fairly prevalent in other sectors for some time now, it is still somewhat uncommon in PCB manufacturing. AI can help improve output and product quality, designing circuits and manufacturing faster and more consistently than traditional methods.

Artificial Intelligence-based Advanced Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) systems with ML can be used to detect defects such as missing components and broken solder joints, reducing false alarms and production line delays by capturing 2D/3D images and using pattern recognition algorithms to compare captured images against a given reference point.

By more rapidly detecting faults, an AOI system can help improve manufacturing line efficiencies, alert operators of potential issues before they become real problems, speed up rework, and thereby reduce overall production costs.

Assisted by AI, soldering machines can be highly efficient in soldering fine-pitch integrated circuits (ICs), a critical process in manufacturing small electrical components where a very high-temperature nozzle is used for soldering tiny electrical components to the board.

The vast amounts of data collected by AI-driven systems throughout operations should be leveraged to their full advantage, carefully evaluated to identify areas of improvement, and more effectively and reliably produce PCBs. To improve predictive maintenance in the PCB fabrication process, smart sensors can be used to capture important data that is then analyzed to identify areas in the process more prone to error, helping to reduce assembly line downtime and avoid potential losses.

The vast amounts of data collected by AI-driven systems throughout operations should be leveraged to their full advantage and carefully evaluated to identify areas of improvement, optimize operations, and more effectively and reliably produce PCBs. 

To improve predictive maintenance in the PCB fabrication process, smart sensors can be used to capture important data that is then analyzed to identify areas in the process more prone to error, helping to reduce assembly line downtime and avoid potential losses.

Broadening application of PCBs in the automotive sector

Projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.7% between 2023 and 2031, the global automotive PCB market size stood at $13.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to be valued at $25.6 billion by 2031.

As reported by Transparency Market Research, increasing market demand for next-generation automobiles and growing adoption of Mobility 4.0 are anticipated to propel automotive PCB industry growth. The aim of Mobility 4.0 is to develop smart, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems with the use of leading-edge technologies such as the aforementioned IoT and AI, as well as autonomous vehicles.

Consumers want effective, practical transportation options that can be individualized, features offered by next-generation automobiles. Further stimulating the market, to help promote sustainability and the reduction of fossil fuels, governments are promoting the adoption of electric and hybrid vehicles through incentives and subsidies.

3D Printing of PCBs

Over the last ten years, 3D printing technology has matured from a means for prototyping to a technique that allows for mass production, now utilized in many industries, including PCB manufacturing. 3D printing uses additive manufacturing to build objects. Substrates can be printed layer by layer with liquid ink, then added onto parts that contain electrical functionalities. The process can be used to make PCB boards with unique features and capabilities previously impossible through conventional processes.

As 3D printing limits human error, reduces waste, and eliminates the need for expensive molds, tools, and equipment, it’s a great way to lower costs, reduce energy consumption and improve efficiencies while enabling customized design.

Other added benefits include:

• Rapid prototyping and testing, allowing to speed up the production of boards and enabling on-demand customization and manufacturing.
• In the designing of PCB boards, 3D printing offers more room for creativity and flexibility, allowing for complex shapes and structures and enabling the incorporation of multiple components and functions onto a single PCB board.
• 3D printing helps minimize the environmental footprint of PCB production, allowing for the use of biodegradable or recyclable materials and reducing the amount of hazardous chemicals and substances in comparison to conventional PCB manufacturing.

Biodegradable PCBs

To help minimize the impact of PCBs on our planet, manufacturers must work collaboratively to promote sustainable methods, reduce non-degradable e-waste, and minimize hazardous substances in the environment.

The industry’s reliance on silicon has driven PCB manufacturers to find more sustainable alternatives, propelling an uptick toward organic or biodegradable PCBs. Biodegradable PCBs avoid the use of non-biodegradable materials such as chemicals, metals, and plastics and can, therefore, decompose naturally when exposed to conducive conditions such as heat, moisture, light, or microorganisms.

Not only are biodegradable PCBs more eco-friendly, reducing the consumption of energy and natural resources through the use of renewable and recyclable materials, but they also lower costs through the use of cheaper, more abundant materials. Some of the components that may be used in biodegradable and partially biodegradable PCBs include chemical-free bio-composites made from natural cellulose fibers extracted from agricultural wastes and coproducts such as wheat gluten, banana stems, or chicken feathers.

Renewable Energy Sources

Renewable energy will produce 35% of global electricity by 2025: International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Electricity Market Report 2023.

The sustainability trend behind the move to biodegradable PCBs spurs further industry growth as our reliance on fossil fuels grows ever larger, progressively impacting our environment and forcing the prioritization of research and development of renewable energy sources. This has resulted in increased demand for PCBs used in renewable energy sources such as wind turbine control systems, solar inverters, and energy storage systems.

The need for PCBs of higher and higher complexity will continue to expand. What is considered cutting-edge technology today will quickly become commonplace tomorrow. To keep pace with the projected trends, leading manufacturers must gear up and position themselves to support greater structures and the use of different materials. This may lead to requirements for new raw materials, upgraded production lines, new machinery, and, of course, aligning with the right partners.