PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, or traces, etched from copper sheets laminated non-conductive substrate onto a substrate.Alternative names are Printed Wiring Board (pwb) and etched wiring board. A PCB populated with electronic components is a printed circuit assembly (PCA), also known as a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA).

PCBs are rugged, inexpensive, and can be highly reliable. They require much more layout effort and higher initial cost than either wire-wrapped or point-to-point constructed circuits, but are much cheaper, faster, and consistent in high volume production. Much of the electronics industry’s PCB design, assembly, and quality control need are set by standards that are published by IPC organization.