Printed circuit board materials are fiberglass/plastic substrate, solder mask, copper, and named inks.
Plastic substrate/fiberglass
Manufacturers can use flexible or rigid surfaces when fabricating PCBs. These two surfaces completely depend on the PCB design required for the project. Importantly, tough surfaces require polyamide fiberglass or FR4. At the same time, the flexible surface uses flexible materials such as high-temperature polyamide film. Some common non-conductive substrates for flex include polyamides, liquid crystal polymers, polyethylene, and polyester. Additionally, these substrates provide a non-conductive surface on which all conductive circuits run.
Copper wire has a very high conductivity. The plastic substrate used has thin copper traces laminated on all plastic sides. However, for multilayer PCBs, the structure is different. Multiple layers have alternating layers of copper that act as conductive material for insulating material.
Solder mask
Solder mask is a fluid that is typically applied to the outer layers of rigid printed circuit boards. Importantly, its job is to cover the copper pieces to keep them from oxidizing. Additionally, when all components are on the board, the fluid is retained and controls the flow of molten solder. When liquid solder flows out of the surface, it is possible to connect two adjacent circuits and form a short circuit. It is worth noting that the solder mask has a typical green color. However, other colors such as blue, white, red, transparent can also be used.
After applying the solder mask, the next step is to print barcodes, identification information and markings. These tags are nomenclature. Crucially, jargon facilitates accurate PCB assembly.
