ABSTRACT
PCBs were invented for mass production of electronic equipment. The idea is that a plain circuit board is ‘printed’ with a copper film that provides all the connections between components. If the master layout is correct, all PCBs made from this will be correct. All that is necessary is to drill holes for the component wires or pins, insert the components, and apply a wash of molten solder. The whole process, including most of the placing of components, can be automated. Large numbers of circuit boards can be produced at greater speed and lower cost.
