Systems, circuit boards, as well as other parts made by the original equipment manufacturer called the OEM are incorporated into the final product of another company. For instance, computer makers frequently include OEM components in their sold systems, such as software and processors.
Money and time could be saved by the OEMs. Rather than having to design each tertiary portion or system, the use of third-party components allows an organization to concentrate on its primary business. Multiple OEM as well as third-party manufacturers’ bundled systems and products may be handled by an end user, like the IT department. In order to guarantee the whole system’s availability and reliability, some kind of central control is typically necessary
What are OEM Circuit Boards?
The OEM circuit boards are electronic assemblies which link components electrically using copper conductors. Electronic components are mechanically supported by circuit boards, allowing a device to be housed inside an enclosure. The manufacturing procedure, packaging of the integrated circuit, as well as they are bare printed circuit board structure must all be taken into consideration while creating the circuit board.
On the OEM circuit boards, conductive elements like pads, copper traces, as well as conductive planes are present. The insulating material gets laminated between conductor layers to form this mechanical structure. In order to offer an electronic component legend, the entire structure gets plated, covered in a solder mask (non-conductive), and then printed with silkscreen material.
This bare board gets transported to the PCB assembly once these fabrication stages are finished so that components could be soldered onto the circuit board and then the PCBA could be tested.
Inside this electronics industry, PCB design has developed into a distinct vertical. PCBs are crucial because they offer sturdy support to keep components in place, electrical connections between components, and a small packaging that may be included into the end product. The ideal software will assist in taking a design right from the concept step then all through to the manufacturing. Even the simplest circuit board requires careful design utilizing special software programs.
We’ll delve into the definition of a PCB in this post, as well as some key ideas to keep in mind when designing your circuit boards.
Types of OEM Circuit Boards
Single-sided OEM Circuit Boards: Only one surface of this board is used to install components. Usually, the solder mask is applied on the totally copper (ground) surface.
Double-sided OEM Circuit Boards
On the two surfaces of this sort of circuit boards are installed components. The surfaces will have traces which carry signals in-between components since every surface is specified as the signal layer present in PCB stack-up.
Multi-layer OEM Circuit Boards
The inside layers of these boards may be a conductive plane layer or conductors that transfer electrical impulses between components. PCBs with many layers can have either one or two sides.
Rigid OEM Circuit Boards
The boards are created and put together on stiff laminates like FR4-grade fiberglass laminates impregnated with epoxy resin. There are other varieties of stiff laminate materials that offer distinct material qualities for usage in specific specialized applications.
Rigid-Flex OEM Circuit Boards
In the PCB assembly, rigid-flex circuit boards join at least two rigid parts together using the flex polyimide ribbon. When this design needs to incorporate a moveable component, like a bending or folding enclosure, the rigid-flex circuit board may be used.
Flexible OEM Circuit Boards
Highly flexible PCBs are mainly composed of different flex polyimide ribbons and do not contain any stiff components. In the same way that rigid-flex and rigid circuit boards could have some components mounted as well as soldered on them, so can these boards.
Metal-Core OEM Circuit Boards
To provide far better rigidity as well as heat dissipation over traditional rigid OEM circuit boards, these boards incorporate one metal slab inside the core layer, often aluminum. There are some design considerations to make to guarantee solvability because the manufacturing process for metal-core rigid PCB designs differs significantly from the manufacturing process for ordinary rigid PCB designs. High-power lighting as well as several industrial applications frequently use these boards.
Ceramic OEM Circuit Boards
These less common boards are employed in applications requiring a thermal conductivity that is extremely high so that the circuit board can effectively dissipate significant quantities of heat off from the components.
Material for OEM Circuit Boards
A PCB’s base can be constructed from a variety of materials. The requirement is that the substance must be durable, insulating, and heat resistant.
The usual material used in manufacturing the OEM circuit boards include the following.
- Ceramic
- Copper coated with resin
- Non-woven epoxy and glass
- Woven epoxy and glass
- Epoxy and cotton paper with or without phenolic
Applications of OEM Circuit Boards
Circuit boards are created by OEMs to satisfy specifications. These OEM circuit boards are widely used in a variety of applications, including:
Medical equipment
OEM circuit boards are being used by the healthcare industry in increasing quantities as technology develops and new capabilities are revealed. Devices utilized for diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, as well as other purposes often contain PCBs.
Boards for implants as well as numerous other uses, including monitoring for ERs, must likewise be relatively compact. As a result, a lot of PCBs for medical devices use HDI (high-density interconnect). As a result, a lot of PCBs for medical devices use HDI (high-density interconnect).
PCBs are necessary for the operation of computers, smartphones, and numerous other consumer goods that consumers use every day. PCBs are becoming a greater part of human’s everyday lives as we incorporate electronics into more products.
Small PCBs having a lot of connections are needed for the increasingly compact laptops and smartphones that are being produced by manufacturers. To bring the prices of the finished product low, PCBs used in consumer electronics must also be relatively inexpensive.
Automotive
Automobiles are using an increasing amount of different electronic components, according to automotive makers. OEM circuit boards once were mainly used for items like headlight switches and windshield wipers, but nowadays they allow many sophisticated functions that ensure easier and safer driving.
Telecommunications
A crucial component of the communications sector is the OEM circuit boards. Both the infrastructure which supports consumer electronics like cellphones and the devices themselves depend on them.
Types of Assembly Processes for OEM Circuit Boards
Through-Hole Mounting
The assembly worker inserts component leads in holes drilled to a bare OEM circuit board during the thru-hole installation procedure. The technology was first applied to PCBs.
Applications requiring high reliability use through-hole technology because it produces a much stronger connection compared to the surface mount technology. This is due to the fact that, unlike for surface mounting, these leads are completely embedded in the board rather than being connected with solder. The testing and development of applications which require manual component modifications can also benefit from the use of through-hole technology.
Surface Mounting
For surface mounting procedure, solder is used to attach components directly onto the circuit board surface. This technique was created during the 1960s and started to gain popularity during the 1980s.
It is currently the most popular component mounting technique. Instead of using through-hole components for connecting the different layers of a PCB, surface mount pcbs use tiny components known as vias.
The assembler can attach components on the board’s sides by making use of surface mounting. Additionally, because the surface mounted component could be smaller, more pieces can fit onto one single board. Because of the cost savings, electronic devices have been able to become smaller throughout time. In addition to being quicker and less labor-intensive compared to thru-hole mounting, surface mounting also has the advantage of being less expensive.
Why Choose OEMs for Your Circuit Board Manufacturing
Quality is guaranteed
OEM circuit boards with a quality guarantee are supremely precise and of the highest caliber. You can be certain that you will receive the same boards whenever you place an order with an OEM. OEMs create precise goods by working from the original component’s design template and blueprint.
They are aware of the materials to utilize at each stage of these components manufacturing, so you do not have to define the materials utilized. You’ll obtain the precise product you want, whether you work in the health, medical, or robotics sectors, you are sure to get the product you seek
Value
The value of the circuit board is what keeps your clients and draws in new ones. Keeping generic spare parts on hand could lower the price of your goods.
Affordable Prices
Dealing with the OEMs gives your company access to reasonable product costs. You can take advantage of proportionate cost savings because these manufacturers will develop bulk goods to serve the supply business.
Durability
100% durability is guaranteed for products purchased from the OEMs. Because it was created with accuracy, you do not need worrying about the quality of these materials as well as the product’s durability in demanding circumstances. Manufacturers cannot compromise component quality since they are aware of how important it is to consumers.
Conclusion
An OEM partnership can help a manufacturer as well as a reseller save money. Building manufacturing facilities and managing OEM production internally are not requirements for businesses. They merely incorporate the OEM components into the system and market their products under their brand name.
