INTRODUCTION

Printed circuit board (PCB) is now an important item for any

mechanical, electrical and electronics device. It is used mainly for the
maintenance of device as well as to minimize the maintenance problem. The
PCB are classified in three category.

Single Sided
Double Sided
Multilayer
Flexible

In ESTC as PCB manufacturing lab with advance facilities have been

setup. The lab have PCB production (Single sided & Double side only)
capacity of 3 meter square per shift max. 40cm x 40cm PCB size.
The raw materials for PCB productions are basically copper clad
sheet, various chemicals & films of different kinds. The PCB of moderate &
lower quality.
Glass epoxy sheet have single & both sided copper and used for
manufacturing the single, double & multi PCB of high quality. For
processing single side PCB general chemical are required but for double
sided PCB specialized chemical are essential. In India generally Growl &
Well brand name chemicals are used for PCB production line.
SINGLE SIDED BOARD
The term single sided means the insulating substrate contains circuit
pattern on only one side which is called as solder side. The other side is
called component side. This kind of PWPB is used in professional and nonprofessional grades and are manufactured by Print and Etch method.

1.
DOUBLE SIDED BOARD
The term Double Sided means the circuit pattern is present on the either
wide of the insulating material. Circuit pattern is present both on
components side and solder side. In this board, the components density and
the conductor lines are higher than the single sided boards. There are two
types of double sided boards commonly available. They are: Double sided board with plated through hole connection (PTH)
Double sided board without plated through hole connection (Non
PTH)
Double Sided PTH Board has plated through hole connection between the
top and bottom layer. This is a new concept of technology. In this board all
the component mounting holes and inter-layer connecting holes are drilled
and metallised with through hole electro plating. The top side is called
component side and bottom side is called solder side. The component side
has less dense circuits and solder side has more dense circuits in horizontal
direction.
Double sided NON PTH board is only an extension of single sided board
and there is not much change in manufacturing method.
MULTILAYER BOARDS
It consists of a number of layers of separate conductors bonded together to
produce a homogenous unit. It can be constructed as a number of double
sided boards stocked together. In the board, the circuit density is high
compared to double sided board.
The interconnections between the inter layers are obtained by means of
plated through hole. The through hole connection are of two types:
Blind via ( One side visible) PTH
Buried via ( Invisible ) PTH.
Totally the size of the multiplayer board is drastically reduced. The board is
manufactured like double sided board with plated through hole techniques
after layers are built up.
FLEXIBLE CARDS
Flexible boards are similar to rigid boards excepts the boards are made from
a flexible substrate materials. The base materials are very thin and the
common thickness is 0.1mm. Plastic fillers such as Polyester, Polyimide,
Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene resin (FEP), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) and
2

thin Epoxy glass with excellent electrical and mechanical properties are used
for flexible boards. Laminates are available with or without filler reinforced
material and with copper either on one or both the sides in rolls.
BASE MATRIALS
The Base
A thin insulating material which is the mixture of filler and resin on which
all conductors and the components are mounted, is called base material .This
can be either rigid or flexible material.
Filler
These are continuous webs of base, such as organic, Non organic, metallic or
non- metallic form
Aramide fibers ( Organic)
Graphite( Non- Metallic)
Copper clad invar ( Metallic)
Molybdenum (Metallic)
Resins
These are based on synthetic types of organic base materials, either thermo
plastic or thermosetting plastic formed by poly mersation process.
Resins are polymeric material which are obtained in their natural form the
trees. On exposure to the atmosphere, they dry into hard semi- transparent
masses.
There are two types of resins
Natural resins
Synthetic resins
Natural Resins: - They are obtained from natural sources like plants and
animals. On exposure to atmosphere, they dry into hard semi- transparent
masses.
Examples:- Amber wood resins and Shellac.
Synthetic Resins: - There are obtained from the chemical reactions of a
simple organic compound through polymerization reactions. Synthetic resins
are of two types
Thermo Plastics
Thermosetting Plastics

Thermo Plastic
There plastic are softened on heating Plastics are available in their
additive or semi- additive form and are used for general purpose surface
mount applications. The example for thermo plastics are.
Cellulose Derivatives
oly hydro carbon ( Polyethylene, polytetra flouro ethylene)
Polystyrene , Polypropylene, etc.
Vinyl polymers (Polyvinyl) acetate, chloride alcohol, polyamide, etc.
Polycarbonate resins
Thermosetting Plastics
These resins do not soften or melt after its manufacturing process.
When heated they only change irregularly.
Examples of thermosetting plastics :- Formaldehyde resins ( Phenol
formaldehyde, urea melamine resins) Polyester resins. Epoxy resins,
Silicone resins, Polyamide resins.
COPPER FOIL
A layer of very thin copper foil of thickness of 17.5 microns, 35
microns or 70 microns is bonded to one or both sides of the base material.
17.5 micron copper foil is also denoted as half ounce since half ounce of
copper is used to get a 1 sq. ft of copper clad sheet with 17.5 micron
thickness of copper.
LAMINATES
Phenolic Laminates
Phenolic laminates are reinforce with paper fillers and the copper foil
is pressed to the base material. Hence they are also called as paper phenolic
copper clad laminates. Commercially available grades are 1.6 0.8, 1.6 18/18
Fr-2, 1.6 35/0.
Epoxy Laminates
he base material is reinforced with glass fiber or paper fiber as filler
and epoxy resin and the copper foil is pressed over it to get copper clad
laminates. Hence they are called glass epoxy copper clad laminates or paper
epoxy copper clad laminate depending on the type of filler used. Type of
epoxy laminates :-

Thickness :1.6, 35/0

0.8, 18/18
1.6, 18/18
2.4, 18/18
3.2, 18/18

- S/S
- D/S
- D/S
- D/S
- D/S

Teflon Laminates
Teflon is reinforce with glass fiber to get a laminate of low dielectric
constant and it is used to Radio frequency (RF) applications with small
leadless components. Due to the high Co- efficient of Thermal Expansion,
the use is limited.

PROCESS FLOW CHART OF S/S PCB

Film Master Preparation

Brushing

Screen Fabrication

Screen Printing

Etching

Manual Drilling

Ink Stripping

Masking

Roller Tinning or HAL

Legend Printing

Final Cutting

Quality Control.

PROCESS FLOW CHART OF D/S PCB

Film Master Preparation
Brushing

Sheet Cutting

CNC Drilling

Electro less

Photo Printing

Pattern Plating or Electroplating

Dry film Stripping

Etching

Masking

HAL
Control.

Tin Stripping
Legend Printing

Final Cutting

Quality

Mechanical Operation
Under mechanical operation. We understand PCB production steps
such as drilling, laminate cutting to processing size or final size. Slot cutting
etc. In PCB manufacturing basically two type of material used. Base
material with glass enforced show typically 10 times liner abrasives effect
on the cutting tool used than those with paper. Therefore tools made of
tungsten carbide materials are preferred for glass reinforced.
SHEARING
Shearing is suitable cutting method for almost any king of base
material of less than 2 mm thickness. If boards thicker than 2 mm are cut the
finish of the edges become coars and unclean and there for unacceptable.
The shearing of glass reinforced laminate is less difficult in obtaining
a perfect edge finish. Paper reinforced laminates required after heating up to
a temp. in the rang up 60- 1000 C to obtain a clean edge.
SHEARING MACHINE
Laminate shearing is preferably done on manual or motor drive plate
shear plate shears used for laminate cutting should not be used for sheet
metal cutting because perfect blades are a newest for clean laminate shearing
when shearing start the board to be cut is first firmly pressed down with &
spring loaded hold down device before shearing is executed.
This hold down is an absolute must be to prevent the otherwise
unavoidable shifting of the board. While shearing it through. The hold down
device should be at a very close distance to the cutting blades.
SHEARING BLADES
Both blades can be of rectangular shape but the lower one is often
provided with a free angle of up to 7 0 for shearing of different kind of
laminates a length wise angle between. The blades of 1-15 0 will give best
results for glass epoxy materials up to 4 0 can be tolerated for a clean edge
finish the gap between the cutting edges of the two blades of the two blades
has to be les than 0.25 mm for the cutting to other final size the board to be

cut is aligned is such away that corner marks are flush with the fixed
shearing blade.
SAWING
The sawing of laminates by means of a circular saw is the preferred
method of many laminate manufacturers. PCB manufacturers, too. Often use
these sawing machine. Which are specially designed for this purpose. The
edge finish is smooth and acceptable for clean cutting. The dimension
tolerances are of the same order as in shearing unless a jig with registration
pins is used, which provides a 0.2 mm tolerance field.
CIRCULAR SAWING MACHINE
Sawing machine of the moving- table type give the best results. The
design should be such that no noticeable drop in cutting speed occurs during
operation. This is achieved by heavy pulleys with more than one V- belt. The
optimum saw blade speed can very in the range of 2,000-6,000 rpm which
calls for suitable provisions for speed control.
CIRCULAR SAW BLADES
For paper phenolic materials, HSS blades with a diameter of
approximately 300 mm are used at a speed of 2,000- 3,000 rpm. Too thing
should be around 1.2-1.5 tooth per cm circumference. The time between re
sharpening is multiplied by a factor of 3-5 if tungsten carbide tipped saw
blades are used at a speed of 2,500-6,000 rpm.
Glass- epoxy materials are cut with tungsten- carbide tipped blades or
for still better performance, with diamond wheels. The higher initial costs of
such blades are offset by the much longer life and improved edge finish.
OPERATION
For safety purposes, the blade should always be covered by a suitable
guard device. The circular saw is adjusted in such a manner that the free
height of the blade above the boards to be cut is in the range of 10-14 mm. A
bad edge finish can be caused by a blunt or badly sharpened blade, by too
much play in the bearings, by a too coarse too thin or by an incorrect feed

rate. Thick materials need a lower feed rate while thin materials can be cut
faster.
PUNCHING
Punching of holes into PCBs ( also called pressing) is a widely used
method in high- volume production of consumer- type boards made of paper
phenolic and paper epoxy laminates. The punching of glass epoxy boards is
not common because of cracks formed inside the hole.
A cross section of a punched hole will show a conic shape and
partially a rough surface. Punching of holes is therefore not compatible with
professional PCB plated through hole processes. For plated through hole,
only drilling provides an exactly cylindrical shape and a high surface
smoothness.
Where paper phenolic material is punched, the cold punching varieties
are usually preferred. This is not only because heating up of the boards is
adverse to a rationalized production but also because of dimensional
accuracy which can be better controlled in cold punching. In warm
punching, an expansion of the boards or 20-40 ppm/c has to be considered
during the tool design stage.
The actual punching is performed on ex center presses with a capacity
of 10-30 t and 100-200 strokes/min. The punching is always done from the
copper foil side in case of single-sided PCBs. The punches should have a
diameter which is 0.1-0.12mm bigger than the desired whole diameter in
boards of 1.6mm thickness. The conicity of the hole depends on the
difference between punch and die hole diameter. The smaller the difference,
the lesser the conicity, but at the same time tool manufacturing costs will rise
enormously with the higher precision required. A very typical diameter
tolerance of punched holes is 0.1mm
BLANKING
When the clean cutting operation is done with a punching toll (either
than with a shear or a saw), it is called blanking.
In some cases, hole punching and blanking are done with the same
tool in the same operation. Therefore most of what has been said under
punching applies equally to blanking.
Blanking is sometimes also used for glass epoxy materials but the
edge finish does not look very clean although it is functionally acceptable.
9

(with blanking tools, PCB dimensions can be kept within a tolerance field of
(0.1-0.2)mm.
Where standard PCB formats with a pin registration system are
prevalent, blanking can be very efficient and economic solution for cleancutting of PCBs. This also includes PCBs with plated through holes.
MILLING
Clean- cutting of PCBs by milling is preferred where a good finish
and exact overall dimensions are a required feature. Milling of PCB control
Can be carried out on wood or metal working milling machines, either of
horizontal or vertical type. The usual cutting speeds are in the range of
1,000-3,000 rpm with straight or spiral tooth HSS milling cutters. Here too
use of tungsten carbide tools will result in a much longer life of the cutter,
especially for glass epoxy materials. For milling a strong support to the PCB
must be given, if necessary with backing plates. This is to avoid possible
delimitation .

ROUTING
In routing, the clean cutting is done with the help of a pin router
machine . The boards are moved past a vertical side mill with the aid or a
routing jig. The routing jig is guided in relation to the mill by holding it
against a bushing which is concentric with the mill. Internal registration
holes are used to position the PCBs on the routing jig.
Routing provides an excellent edge finish similar to milling. The
dimensional tolerances are within. (0.1-0.2)mm. Compared with blanking, it
is much slower, its speed depends on the quantity of material to be removed.
But a routing jig is much cheaper than a blanking too. Sometimes blanking
with slight oversize is applied followed by routing to get a smooth surface
finish.
DRILLING
Drilling of component mounting holes into PCBs is by far the most
important mechanical machining operation in PCB production processes.
Holes are made by drilling wherever a superior hole finish for plated through
hole processes is required and where the tooling costs for a punching tool
cannot be justified. Therefore drilling is applied by all the professional grade
PCB manufactures and generally in all smaller PCB production plants and
laboratories.

10

DRILLING MACHINE
Drilling machine PCB application are available in a wide range of
designs and principles. But one common feature of all PCB drilling machine
is the high speed range which is required for an economic and efficient
drilling of the various base material. The speeds mostly used are around
20,000-50,000 rpm. The minimum spindle speed available should not be less
than 15,000 rpm for glass reinforced laminates ( tungsten carbide drill bits )
or 8,000 rpm for paper reinforced laminates and HSS drill bits. Very
sophisticated drilling machines have spindles operating up to 1,00,000 rpm.
While very simple machines use belt drives of fast running DC- motor
spindles, there are electronically controlled high frequency spindles
employed in almost all the more sophisticated drilling machines. The spindle
speed can thus be controlled over a wide range and is kept constant. In some
cases, the spindles are water cooled with the help of a water circulation and
cooling system built into the machine.
JIG DRILLIN
With jig drilling also called semi automatic drilling, the productivity
goes up to 30-50 strokes per minute. The resulting accuracy is comparable to
drilling by optical sight( 0.10mm) but more results are obtained.
A jig can be made our of 3mm acrylic glass or brass. The holes in the
jig are drilled by optical sight using a film master of the respective pattern
on the top of the plate , followed by drilling. The drilling of the side of the
holes into the jig is done with almost care because of their reference
function. Counter sinking is carefully done to suit the type of position sensor
(spring tracer) used in the drilling machine.
The machines and methods discussed so far make use of only one
spindle which permits simultaneous drilling of maximum five boards in a
stack. To increase productivity , specially designed jig drilling machines are
available , operating with up to 8 spindles , all governed by the same jig and
sensor . In certain design , the movement of the tables is controlled via the
jig sensor while other designs utilize the control of the spindle position via
the sensor.
The ensure that all the holes are drill in jig drilling operations , the
routes corresponding to the various drill bit diameters can be indicated on
the jig by different colors and controlled by a reset able stroke counter.

11

DRILL BITS
The drilling of holes into paper phenolic laminate with drill bits made
of high speed steel (HSS) does not cause much difficulties . However if the
same drill bits are used for glass epoxy materials, the cutting edges will
become blunt after a short time and re sharpening has to be done. Therefore
drill bits made of tungsten carbide are widely used in PCB drilling
operations, even for paper phenolic laminates.
Drill bits made of tungsten carbide are also preferred because of a
very high operation time between re sharpening and also excellent quality of
holes. Based on this fact, the present section will deal exclusively with drill
bits made of tungsten carbide materials.
The tungsten carbide drill bits employed are usually of the solid types
straight shank drill bits are used in drilling with bushes which give perfect
guidance very close to the point where the bit enters the boards and thus
enable very accurate hole positions. Standard shank drill bits are used
without bushed. They are costlier because of more tungsten carbide material
involved. On the other side, the standardization on one particular shank
diameter will be cheaper on the drilling equipment side (only one collect
type required)

12

CNC DRILLING PROGRAMME

Firstly take the solder side positive film. Paste the miler sheet on the
film make the path making i.e. identify the different tool for different colors.
After path making the film is put on drill bed put glass on the film,
Camera is fixed on drills spindle. Firstly you have checked the film is paste
on drill bed is state line or not. If the film is state line than you have start the
programming.
Press the programming switch program LED is glow. Set tool switch
(1) You have firstly feed the speed and feed rate for auto tool changing feed
and speed is feed by using Joy Stick. Top display of the DRO to the required
spindle RPM i.e. X- axis & feed State in Y- axis.
The top display reads directly in RPM x 1000 i.e. reading of +000.50
equal to 50,000 RPM. The Max. speed which can be set is 60,000 and any
display above +000.60 will set to Max spindle speed of 60,000 RPM.
Now use the joys till to set the bottom display of the DRO to the
required Down feed. The down feed is entered as a number from +000.00 to
+000.99. Any display above +000.99 will be taken as 99 and stream the
max. down feed of 150 hits/min. Do not set any negative value. Press the
SP/FD button above the tool switch the machine will response with a beep
sound. You have feed every tool. After the speed and feed is feeded than you
have set the tool switch (01). Move the camera with the help of path making
on the film and centering the pad and press the hole switch. When tool is
completed press tool (02) start same as above after completion of
programme press END switch one time. For I.C. or connector holes you
have set the first hole of the IC press hole switch than move he camera of the
last hole of the IC press hole switch than move the camera of the last hole of
the IC. Set the number of holes by using thumb wheel of SIL that press SIL
switch. The machine automatic take Co- ordinate of each holes.
If you want to see previous position of hole Co-ordinate used BST
switch. If you are press the BST switch the camera goes to the previous hole
position. SST used for forward position.
After completion of programme save the programme on magnetic
Tap(Audio Cassettes ) for, further used. Press play & Record button of tap
records and that press save switch blinking the LED of save switch indicate

13

that programme is save on magnetic tape after completion of saving green

LED will be glow and beep sound will be create.

DRILLING OPERATION
After completion of program put the laminate on the bed paste the
film on laminate to sheet the full program will be drill or not.
If the laminate is ok than move the camera corner of the laminate and
press X, Y button of DRO. At that time the display of DRO X & Y both
direction is 00. Move the camera on the first hole of the programme press
M/Exp button. At that time the tool setting will be zero position.
Firstly you have checked the program on monitor it is fully drill in
laminate or not. With the help of RUN & check switch. If program is ok.
Than press reset & home button the machine goes in home position. Set the
drill bit on drill pot in sequence remove camera release the program switch
press the RUN button.
After completion of drilling the machine goes in home position and
beep sound will be create and END switch will be glow up. Thats indicate
drilling is completed. If you want to drill other panel once again press reset
home remove drill laminate & place new laminate and press RUN switch
again.

14

PHOTO FILM PROCESSING

Dark room section is an important area of PCB and screen printing
with the help of this area for PCB and Screen Printing with the help of this
area, the Film master (neagative and positive) are prepared. Negative or
positive which is used directly on PCB coated by photo resist film or light
sensitive screen is called film master.
Requirement for the preparation of film master: Following are
required for the preparation of film master.
Lith Film ( Ortho graphic film)
Developer
Hardener
Retouching brush
Retouching ink
PCV tray
Hanging clip.
Orthographic film
It is used for the preparation of film master. An photographic material
consists basically of two layer, the emulsion and the base is myler.
The emulsion under unexposed conditions, contains the light sensitive
material Silver Bromide is coated in emulsion side. The base material can be
accelerate, polyester on glass. In PCB Technology, the use of polyester based
film has become standard. The film used in PCB manufacturing must have
high contrast capability.
DEVELOPER
It is used for developing the exposed film. It is available in market as
Lith film developer. Its container/box consists two packets on which part (A)
and part(B) are printed. The equal ratio of part A & part B is used for
developing the exposed film.
Hardener
It is used for hardening and fixing the picture on film. It is basically
sodium thio-sulphate and dissolved in water for after developing the film.
Retouching Brush
It is used to cover the pin holes developed on film master generally
0 number brush is used.
Retouching Ink
15

It is basically ink of gray colors which is used to cover pin holes with
the help of brush so that light can not be passed on.
Hanging Clip
These are steel clips used for hanging the film master while drying.
FILM PROCESSING
Following steps are involved in film processing:

Exposing
Developing
Hardening
Drying
Retouching

At the time of exposing every bulb and tube light is OFF position only
RED bulb Zero watt should be On position. For negative artwork and
emulsion side of lith film and artwork will be paste and put between two
glass ( non- emulsion side of lith film is up side) and on the lamp with 2
to 3 sec. After exposing the lith film is taken out developed in developing
solution by manual shaking when the negative are visible the film is
taken out from developing solution and kept in hardening solution for
some time so that the visible negative and positive become hard.
Then the film is taken out from hardening solution and kept for drying in
air. In case any pin holes observed it is retouched with proper ink and
brush.
In case of positive preparation the lith film and negative are kept
emulsion to emulsion. After exposing the film is taken out and developed
in developing solution. After this process the film is kept in hardening
solution for some time so that the visible negative and positive become
hard.
Then the film is taken out from hardening solution and kept for drying
in air. In case any pin holes observed it is retouched with proper in brush.

16

SCREEN PRINTING
Process:In Screen Printing techniques, there are three types of stencil making
methods namely
1.
Direct stencil with film
2.
Direct stencil with emulsion and film
3.
Direct stencil with emulsion.
Step 1

Screen Mesh Selection

Mesh size of 90 T to 110T is used for indirect methods and mesh size
of 120T is used for direct method.
Mesh size of 90 T to 110T is used for indirect method and mesh size
of 120T is used for direct method.
Step 2
1.
2.
3.

Stencil Making
The Direct method
Indirect method
Direct- Indirect

Step 3
1.
2.
Step 4
1.
2.
Step 5
1.

Exposing

:-

Carry out step exposure test .

Maintain the distance between halogen lamp and vacuum
Developing :The exposed screen must be moisturized both the sides with cold
water and then thoroughly washed from the squeegee side.
Check the screen opening.
Drying
The developed screen is dry at 30 0c
17

2.

Inspect the screen and touch up the pin holes with proper super
coat solution.

3.
Step 6

Printing :-

1.

Clean the substrate

2.

Set the printing machine

3.

Check the ink viscosity

4.

Check the squeegee blade.

5.
(A)

The Squeegee blade should not project

approximately 35mm. From the squeegee handle.

more

than

(B)

The squeegee hardness should be 70-75 shore

(C)

Squeegee angle should be 750c

(D)

Squeegee length should be exceeding the image by 2-3 cm on

each side.

6.

Check the temperature and humidity in the working area.

(i)

Humidity should be 50-60 0c

(ii)

Temperature should be 18-21 0c

18

Direct and indirect Film Using Charomoline Film

Process :Step 1:(i)
Fixing the charomoline film
(ii) Cut the charomoline film more than the actual circuit size
(iii) Keep the film emulsion side in contact with the printing side
of the screen.
(iv) Apply coating solution (P.V.A.) on the squeegee side.
(v) Remove excess solution with squeegee.
Step 2:Drying
(i)
Dry the coated screen
(ii) Remove the packing shut carefully
Step 3:(i)
Keep the film master emulsion side in contact the printing
side.
(ii) Expose the screen for 3-4 min. under a halogen lamp.
Step 4:(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Developing :

Develop with cold water on both sides.

Removes excess water.
Dry the screen under a fan
Inspect the opening area and retouch up the pin holes.

19

Direct Stencil Making Process

(Using Ply vinly Acetate (PVA)
Procedure :Step 1 :- Mixing
i.
ii.
iii.

Weigh the emulsion and catalyst

Mix the above according to
recommended
Keep if for 30 min.

the

supplier

Step 2 :- Coating
i.
ii.
iii.

Two coats on the print and four to five coats on the

squeegee side all wet on wet. ( It means the next
coat is given when the previous coat is still wet.)
The screen should be dried on a horizontal
position print side down, for half hour at 30oc
Make the emulsion thickness between 14 to 18
microns

Step 3 :- Exposing
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
Step 4 :- Developing
i.
ii.
iii.

Keep the film master emulsion in contact with the

screen printing side.
Use metal halogen lamp
Provide 1.5 m distance between lamp and vacuum
frame
Exposing time approx. 5 minutes
Spray cold water both sides and then thoroughly
was from the squeegee side.
Check the open area.
Dry the screen

Step 5 : Printing

20

Indirect Method Direct Stencil with emulsion and filler using Five
Star Film
Process
Step 1:i.
Take a five star film and cut to a required size.
Step 2 :- Exposing
i.
Use U.V. lamp
ii.
Keep the film master on the five star film in to
reverse direction
iii.
Deep the non emulsion side of the five star film in
contact with the emulsion side of the film master.
iv.
Expose 2-3 min.
Step 3 :- Developing
i.
Mix water with hydrogen peroxide in the ration 3:1
i.e. 3 part water and 1 part H2O2
ii.
Keep the exposed film in the solution for 20 sec.
iii. Wash the film with warm water (40 0c) on the
emulsion side.
Step 4 :- Fixing
i.
The developed film should be fixed on the screen.
ii.
Keep the emulsion side in contact with printed
side.
iii.
Remove the excess water
iv.
Dry the screen using warm (4000oc) air or with
fan
v.
Inspect the pin holes and air gaps
vi.
Retouch the unwanted openings.

21

ETCHING
Etching techniques used today are
(a) Immersion etching
(b) Bubble etching
(c) Splash etching
(d) Spray etching
The spray etching is the most commonly used technique due to high
productivity and fine line definitions.
Immersion Etching
Immersion etching technique involves a deep tank containing etching
solution into which the boards are immersed. They are kept immersed until
the etching is complete. This requires a long process time. The solution can
be heated to speed up the etching process. This method is suitable for small
boards or prototype. In this method, the etch rate is low. Normally
ammonium per sulphate or hydrogen peroxide with sculpture acid etching
medium is used for immersion etching.
Bubble etching
In this technique air is bubbled through the etching solution. This
technique is a modified form of immersion etching and this gives high etch
rate. Air passing through the solution has two functions.
(a)
It ensues fresh etch ant contact on the surface.
(b)
It enhances the oxidation power and regenerates the etch ant.
Rate of etching to a certain extent depends on the air pressure to get
good quality of etching. Chromic sulphuric acid.
Splash Etching
Splash etching or paddle etching is better than the bubble
etching with regards to even etching and minimum under cut. But at a
time, only a limited number of boards can be etched. Ferric chloride
and chromic sulphuric acid solutions are commonly used in this type
of technique. The machine principle involves a paddle or cup attached
to a motor driven shaft. When the motor rotates, the etchant is thrown
by centrifugal force towards the boards being etched. The contact of
22

the solution with the boards depends on the shaft rotation and paddle
design.
SPRAY ETCHING
In spray etching technique, there is no sludge formation and the
etching rate is constant. There are two types of spray etching. They
are:(a) Horizontal Spraying
(b) Vertical Spraying
The etch ant is pumped under pressure from the reser through a pipe
network to the nozzles and splashed on to the boards. The rate of
etching depends on etch ant chemistry, the pump pressure and nozzle
configuration and placement. The boards are etched continuously in a
closed loop system.
The etch rate is high in this system with minimum undercut and
fine line definition. Ammonimu chloride etch ant is commonly used in
this technique for double sided PTH boards.
The spray etching machines are available in automatic semi
automatic modes for vertical or Horizontal type of spray. The
automation contains pressure control, heating element, specific
gravity indicator and automation solution regeneration.
The equipment fabricated should be made of acid and alkali
resist material like PVA. However, equipment for sulphuric acid
hydrogen peroxide etch ant system require stainless steel, poly
carbonate or poly propylene material.
Etching Solution
Ferric Chloride as etching solution. Ferric chloride etching
solutions are used in PWB industry. It still uses composition or ferric
chloride in water and hydrochloride. It has a high etch rate and high
copper dissolving capacity. It is quite inexpensive.
Ferric chloride is used with screen inks, photo resist and gold plated
boards. But this is not suitable for tin or tin lead plated boards.
At the initial stage of etching process, the concentration of copper
dissolved increases and the etch rate also increases linearly, after
which there is a fall in the concentration. The better dissolution of
copper occurs when the etch ant is sprayed perpendicular to the
copper surface, when the boards is moved. The rate of dissolution
23

copper depends on the ferric chloride concentration, temperature and

agitation.
Chemistry
The Cupric chloride further reacts with copper to form cuprous
chloride. The overall reaction is
CU+ + Fe 3+
Cu2++ +Fe 2+
Hydrochloric acid is added to increase the etching rate and depress the
formation of ferric hydroxide.
Composition of Ferric Chloride Etch ant
FeCl3 (Ferric Chloride)
Specific Gravity
Copper Dissolving Capacity
HCL( Hydrochloric Acid)
Temp.
Antifoaming Agent

350-500 gm/ ltr.

1.4
120 gm/ ltr.
10m/lt
20-45 Deg.
-`
3ml/lt.

Hydrogen Peroxide Sulphuric Acid Etchant :This system is extensively used for copper surface preparation which
is also called micro etching. It is compatible with organic and metallic resists
and provides a steady etch rate with optimum undercut.
Chromic Sulphuric Acid Etch Ant:Chromic acid mixed with sulphuric acid is used because of its strong
oxidizing power and suitability for all kinds of metal resist ( tin, tin-lead,
gold vinyl lacquer and dry or liquid photo resist) It has fast etching rate with
little under cutting. But the use is now limited since it is difficult to
regenerate and it is highly toxic polluting and hazardous to health. Hence it
is not recommended for use.
Ammonical Etchant/ Ammonium Chloride Etch Ant:Alkaline ammonical etching system is used in both batch and
conveyor spray etching system and is compatible with metallic and organic
resists. The advantages of this etch ant are minimum undercut, high copper
dissolving capacity and fast etch rates. It is easily replenishable.

24

Chemistry
Duty of high copper dissolving capacity, the system is increasingly
used in PWB industry. Function of different ingredients are: Cupric chloride as copper ion
Ammonium hydroxide complexion agent and also to increase
the pH
Ammonium chloride improves the etch rate
Ammonium bicarbonate as a better
To preserve the solder metal surface
Ammonium Nitrate increase the etching speed.
The etch rate is increased with increase in temp. The cupric ion is
oxidized to cuprous complexion by oxygen in air.
CU+CU(NH3)42+
2CU(NH3)2+
4CU(NH3)2+5NH3+O2+2H20

4CU(NH4)42+4OH

Composition
Ammonium Bicarbonate
Ammonium Nitrate
Cupric Chloride
Ammonium Chloride
pH
Temp.
Specific Gravity
Copper Content

75g/l
80g/l
200g/l
100 to 110g/l
8.5 to 9
45 to 55oc
1.2 to 20oc
150 to 160g/l

Under Cut
The reduction of line width more than the designed width during
etching is called under cut. This happens due to more dissolution of copper.
Over hang

25

Excess metal growth on the side of the line is called over hang. Excess
overhang may induce electrical shorting like the silvers.

BRUSHIGN
Laminate Surface Preparations
For the image transfer to take place, the laminate should be free from
oil, grease, dust finger prints and foreign particles. Any contamination on the
surface of the laminate may impair the adhesion of the photopolymer or
decrease the bonding of the electro deposited copper. Hence very good
cleaning methods are required. The methods commonly followed are : Chemical Cleaning
Mechanical Cleaning
Chemical Cleaning
The chemical cleaning uses concentrated alkali chemicals to remove
the oil, grease and soil particles on the surface of the laminate. The
concentration of the alkali chemical which is between 80- 100% at a temp.
between 60o c to 70oc is used for 20 to 30 minutes for cleaning the laminates.
After this process of alkaline soda, the laminates is effectively rinsed with
filtered tap water which is oil and soil fee. Water immersion followed by
strong water spray ensures complete removal of cleaners. Neutral or acidic
cleaners are sometimes preferred because of the attack of hot alkaline
solutions on exposed epoxy or polyamide substrates.
Mechanical Cleaning :In the mechanical cleaning process, the laminates are cleaned by using
abrasives such as emery corundum aluminum oxide and silicone carbide.
The mechanical cleaning operations are of different types. They are :
Polishing
Brushing
Buffing or Sanding
Debarring or Scrubbing

26

Polishing
This process involves, smoothening of the metal surface to improve
appearance. To do it polishing wheels are generally used.
Brushing
This process is a metal smoothening operation which involves non
metallic wire brushes such as nylon. The wire brushes are generally run wet.
For very dull finishes pumice slurry of grade 3F or 4F with water is used.
Buffing
Buffing involves the metal surface buffed with the muslin wheel, to
obtain low gloss finish to high gloss finish. They can be done in two ways.
(a)
(b)

Satin finishing
Cut down buffing

Deburring
After the board is drilled or punched, the burr formation is noticed.
Burr is the extra projection of metal when a hole is drilled through PWB.
These sharp edges should be eliminated. The machine used for debarring
consists of a debarring wheel (fused silicone carbide). This is used to remove
the burr on the drilled laminate. This process is carried on only in the
presence of wet conditions. The sanding process wet debarring involves a
water resistant abrasive of 280 to 600 grid.
In all the above methods, after laminate is cleaned, the boards are
rinsed with water at high pressure and dried with hot blow air. Normally all
mechanical processes involve automatic or semiautomatic machines. During
these processes, the base material may be removed which is turn degrades
the electrical properties of the boards. Hence strict process monitoring is
required.

27

PHOTOPRINTING
Pre-laminating Cleaning (Surface Preparation) :The laminate surface is cleaned, using any one of the method
mentioned under surface preparation techniques discussed at the beginning
of this chapter
Pre-lamination Drying
The laminate surface whether it is drilled or un drilled will absorb
water or moisture during surface cleaning process. The absorbed moisture is
removed by moisture during surface cleaning process. The absorbed
moisture is removed by 15-20 minutes bake in an oven set at 110deg._+5
deg. C
Water must be physically removed or blown off from the surface and via
holes before oven drying. A high volume air turbine dryer should be used at
this stage.
Lamination :The cleaned and dried laminates are coated with dry film photo resists
using hot roll laminator. The hot roller is preheated at 120deg.c. and the
lamination is done at high pressure. The dry film is coated on the laminate
surface. The temp. pressure and fee space varies from one laminator to the
other based on the recommendation of the dry film photo resist
manufacturers. The distance between top chamber and the surface heating
which is called as the free space must be at the required level. Less free
space may lead to air entrapment between resist film and the laminate
surface. The entrapment may bead to metal chip age during plating or under
cut during etching.
Hold Time After Lamination
The hold time between lamination and exposure should be controlled
carefully for optimum results. Dry film photo resist after lamination is
immediately cooled for 10 to 15 minutes. For better dimensional stability.
This period is called the normalizing period.
28

During the a lamination the resist is coated at a temp. of 120 deg. c. If

no time is allowed for cooling its dimensional properties will vary . If the
polymer is exposed, the resolution of the circuit image is varied. So hold
time after lamination is very important.
Exposing :Exposure is carried out by registration of the emulsion side of the
photographic film like diazo film or sliver halide film on the polyester sheet.
The two are then placed in a vacuum frame for intimate contact between
surfaces. The proper exposing time depends on light intensity, temperature,
thickness of photopolymer, and type of equipment being used. To determine
the required exposure time, hold time and the suitable development
conditions a trial production work may be carried out. The required exposure
level varies with the type of film and photopolymer manufacturer normally
supplies suitable data.
Developing
Developing the exposed laminate after stabilization starts with the
peeling off the protective polyester cover sheet. The developing process
washes away the unexposed or un polymerized photo polymer without
affecting the exposed polymerized portions of the film.
Developing time is dependant on the chemistry and temperature of the
developer solution and the thickness of the photo polymer. Recommended
chemistries and temperatures must be maintained before the starting the
developing process. If not controlled, the developer affects the polymerized
resist causing degradation of the surface and the side wall of the film.
Thorough removal (development of unexposed resist from surface is
necessary to ensure good etching and plating.
The total time between lamination and development should not be more than
8 hours to minimize difficulties in developing process.

29

PLATING OPERATIONS
The purpose of metal deposition in electronics is to protect the surface from
corrosion, to increase the solder ability and to interconnect the components.
Different processes are followed to deposit metal in PCBs. They are :(A)

Electro less Plating.

(B)

Electro Plating.

Electro less Plating

Electro less plating mechanism is similar to the electroplating but the
electrons are obtained from chemical reduction process. In electro plating
the electrons are obtained from a DC power source to reduce metal ions to
the metallic state. But in case of electro less plating, external source of
energy is not used. The reaction takes place only on a catalytic surface.
A catalytic surface is a surface on which a noble metal like palladium is
seeded to trigger the chemical reduction process. Plating would occur only
on the catalyzed substrate.
The Process for Electro less Plating :The following operations are carried out in sequence to complete the
electro less plating on a drilled hole in a PCB to create PTH.
(a) Laminate drilling
(b) Laminate debarring
(c) Laminate cleaning either by solvent degreasing or alkaline soak
cleaning
(d) Water rinse
(e) Micro etch or etch back multiplayer boards
(f)
Water rinse
(g) Dipping in sulphuric acid of 20% concentration
(h) Water rinse
(i)
Sensitizer dipping
30

(j)
(k)
(l)
(m)
(n)
(o)

Activation mixed catalyst

Water rinse
Accelerator dip
Water rinse
Electro less plating ( copper electro less plating)
It the laminate is already, there is no need for step (i) and step (j)

Debarring
The drilled board surfaces are cleaned using debarring machine which
uses a 320 grade silicon carbide brush.
Alkaline Soak Cleaning for Laminate Cleaning
In PTH process, instead of vapor degreasing, hot alkaline soak
cleaning is most used. In this process oil, grease layers and epoxy smears are
removed. The bath contains mixed, alkali chemicals. The temperature of the
bath is 60-70deg.C and the dipping time is 20 minutes.
Micro Etching for Surface Cleaning
Ammonium per sulphate and sulphuric acid solution is used for micro
etching or cleaning of copper surfaces already existing on the laminate. In
this process some amount of copper is removed from copper surfaces and
dissolved in the solution used to achieve uniform surface. The important of
micro etching is to get uniform metal surface and to increase the bonding
between the copper layers. The etch back method is used multilayer PTH
processing to cleaning the hole walls.
Acid Dip
20% sulphuric acid is used for the dipping process. This helps to get
active copper surface on the board.
Pre- Activator
Pre Activator is a mixture of stannous chloride and hydrochloric acid.
The function of this bath is to initiate the reaction of catalyst.
HCL AR Grade
Remaining
Time
Tem.

30%
D.I. Water
1 Min.
R.T.
31

W.R.
No.
Activator
Activator or catalyst is a solution of palladium chloride, hydro chloric
acid and some non ionic wetting agent. The function is to activate the entire
surface including metal and base.
37% Hole AR grade
2000ml/l
Ginplate Additivae
5ml/lt.
Ginplate Activator
76ml/lt.
Time
5-6min.
Temp.
25-32deg.C
Post Activator
Pre activator and activator are missed in a bath to get mixed catalyst
solution. The mixed catalyst produces the catalyst film only on the surface of
insulator but the copper foil of the laminate remains un activated. The thin
palladium film will improve adhesion between the base copper and plated
copper.
Ginplate PA-491
17%
Remaining
D.I. water
Time
3-5 Min.
W.R.
0.5 Min.
The pre activating step involves immersion of the board in an acidic solution
containing stannous ions which are absorbed by the surface of the resin.
Kthe stannous ions reduces the palladium ion and the stannous ions are
oxidized to stannic ions according to a reduction reaction.
Electro less Copper Plating
Ginplate CU 406A
Ginplate CU 406B
Ginplate CU 406C
Water
Time

100ml/lt.
100ml/lt.
10ml/ltr.
D.I. Remaining
10-12 Min.

Principal of Electro Plating

It is the process by which the coating metal is deposited on the base
metal by passing a direct current through an electrolytic solution containing
the solvable salt of the coating metal.
32

The metal to be plated is used as the cathode in the electrolytic cell.

The anode in the cell can be same as the metal to be coated on cathode or
any other inert metal having good conductivity. The reaction which take
place at the junction between the electrolyte and the electrodes is called
electrolysis. It is accompanied by transfer of electrons.
Electro Chemical Terms.
Anode :- It is a positively charged electrode. During electrolysis, positive
ions are formed at the electrode. In other words, oxidation reaction takes
place.
Anion:Negatively charged radical which on electrolysis is attracted
towards the anode.
Cathode :- It is a negatively charged electrode. During electrolysis,
negative ions are formed at the electrode. In other words reduction reaction
takes place.
Anodes :
In electroplating, the positive electrode or anodes in the from of bars,
plates, rods or pallets are used. It may be the same metal of electrolyte or
different, but it should be free from any impurities. The contaminated anode
will affect the electroplating solution and cathode deposition. So the anode
used in electroplating should be 99.9% pure. The size of the anode is also
very important and it depends on the current carrying capacity.
Anode Bags :Anode bags are used to cover the anodes and filter the dissolved
particles. The anode bags are made up of poly propylene materials and are
available in various grades (1 micron to 10 micron).
Electro Plating
Acid Cleaner
D.I.
25%
Temp.Remaining
Time
5Min
W.R.
0.5Min
Micro Etch
Ginplate AD 481 40/L
H2So4 AR Grade 5CC
Time
1Min.
Temp
2Min.
33

W.R.
Acid Dip
H2So4
Remaining
Time
W.R.

0.5Min.

10%
D.I. Water
R.T.
1Min.

Electrolytic Copper Plating

H2SO4
10%
CuSO4
80g/lt.
Cupper Acid
7CC/lt.
Brightener
2CC/lt
Dipping Time
15min.
Current Density 2-3Amp/Sq.dm.
Voltage
3-9V
Filtration
Const.
Agitation
Low or moderate air pressure
Anode
Phosphoresced Cu Min. 0.04-0.08
Anode Bag
Napped polypropylene
Anode to Cathode Ratio 2:1 More
W.R.
0.5-1min
Electrolytic Tin Plating
Stannous Sulphate
H2SO4
Stannous Carrer
Stannolume Brightner
Time
W.R.
Anode Current
Filtration

30g/l
1000ml/l
30ml/l
2ml/l
1min
R.T.
1-2 Amp/dm2
Recommended

34

GENERAL PLATING DEFECTS

1.
Voids :If the holes are not drilled and cleaned properly, during
electro less plating gases or organic chemicals are entrapped or accumulated
in the holes walls. When the boards are wave soldered or pr heated, the
entrapped chemicals or gases escape with high pressure and give
discontinuity or cracks on the hole walls. These are called voids
2.
Blow Holes :During plating and copper clad manufacturing, some air
entrapped between the copper layers or between copper and base material.
This air comes out when the boards is kept in high temperature. This will
give cracks in the plating pattern. That result is blow holes , small voids also
give blow holes.
3.
Out gassing :Pinholes are formed during tin-lead surface finished. This is due to codeposition of organic additives during electroplating of tin lead.
SOLDERMASK OVER BARE COPPER
This is one of the major solder resist application technology. SMOBC
stands for Solder Mask Over Bare Copper. One of the major disadvantages
of conventional tin lead electroplating undermeath the solder mask is
blistering of solder mask, during wave soldering or infrared reflow or vapor
phase soldering operations.
The flow of the molten tin lead under meath the solder mask leads to
the development of a strong hydraulic force which forces its way through the
solder mask, thereby reputing the solder mask which can seriously bring
down the reliability of the PCB, by acting as a direct conduit for the flow of
liquids and excessive soldering flux on to the base material.
The SMOBC process overcomes these problems by totally eliminating
the tin-lead deposition on the conductor undermeath the solder mask. An all
copper plated PCB can often the prepared by the tin and etch process. In this
case the PCB is initially drilled and the holes are moralized by the
35

conventional electro less copper plating process. Then the copper is built up
to the required thickness by panel plating. After this copper build up the dry
film is laminated and exposed using a negative photo tool which
polymerizes the photo resist in the exposed areas there by forming a tent
over the hole. Then the board is directly taken for etching where the
unwanted copper around the hole and the conductor areas are removed
leaving only the holes and the conductor pattern. Later on the photo resist is
stripped and solder masked where only on the pad areas copper will be
exposed and the copper on the tracks will be covered by the photo resist. The
copper exposed are later on prevented from getting corroded by applying a
thin coating of tin lead by a process of hot air leveling (HAL).
The other alternative process is to process the PCB by the
conventional pattern plating process. However, the metal etch resist is
stripped and the PCB is solder masked. In this case also, the pads are
prevented from getting corroded by the process of HAL, there by increasing
the solder ability of the Printed Circuit Board.
LEGEND PRINTING
This is the printing done generally on the component side of a PWB,
which gives the details of the components and their assembly position on the
board. Legend printing is done by the process of screen printing. Epoxy
based ink is used for this purpose. These inks when once printed and cured,
bond permanently with the epoxy of the base material. This marking which
gives the component outline with their identification numbers helps in the
identification of the component during the rework and troubleshooting of the
PCBs.
Legend printing is generally the last process done in the fabrication of
a printed circuit board. This is done by the screen printing process.
Generally used colors for legend printing are white, black and yellow.
Roller Tinning
This is a process for putting the tin layer on copper pad to improve
solder ability and protect from atmospheric attack. This process is suitable
for single sided.
Hot Air Leveling

36

HAL i.e. Hot Air Leveling is an advance machining process, applied

on double sided & multilayer PCB for putting tin layer of required thickness
on copper pads. This process increases the production & reduces the
rejection percentage as earlier there was heavy rejection in tin plating.
Quality Control of PCB
This is last process for PCB production to minimize the rejection
percentage in process quality control is very essential. Following are
required for quality control of PCB.

Hole dia gauge. (To measure the size of a hole)

Beta Scope.
( To measure the thickness of plating)
Double adhesive tap.( For peel off test)
Bare board tester.( For finding out the short and open circuit of the
board)

37

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

The process of HAL, thereby increasing the solder ability of the Printed
Wiring Board.
LEGEND PRINTING
This is the printing done generally on the component side of a PWB,
which gives the details of the components and their assembly position on the
board. Legend printing is done by the process of screen printing. Epoxy
based ink is used for this purpose. These inks when once printed and cured,
bond permanently with the epoxy of the base material. This marking which
gives the component outline with their identification numbers helps in the
identification of the component during the rework and troubleshooting of the
PCBs.
Legend printing is generally the last process done in the fabrication of
a printed circuit board. This is done by the screen printing process.
Generally used colors for legend printing are white, black and yellow.
Roller Tinning
This is a process for putting the tin layer on copper pad to improve
solder ability and protect from atmospheric attack. This process is suitable
for single sided.
Hot Air Leveling
HAL i.e. Hot Air Leveling is an advance machining process, applied
on double sided & multilayer PCB for putting tin layer of required thickness
on copper pads. This process increases the production & reduces the
rejection percentage as earlier there was heavy rejection in tin plating.
Quality Control of PCB
This is last process for PCB production to minimize the rejection
percentage in process quality control is very essential. Following are
required for quality control of PCB.
Hole dia gauge
( To measure the size of a hole)
Beta Scope
( To measure the thickness of plating)
Double adhesive tap ( For peel off test)

67

 Bare board tester ( For finding out the short and open circuit of the
board)

2.

68