Rigid PCB

Rigid PCB

What is Rigid PCB?

Rigid PCB are Printed Circuit Boards that are made out of a solid substrate material that prevents the board from twisting. Possibly the most common example of a rigid PCB is a computer motherboard. The motherboard is a Multilayer PCB designed to allocate electricity from the power supply while simultaneously allowing communication between all of the many parts of the computer, such as CPU, GPU and RAM.

Rigid PCB make up perhaps the largest number of PCBs manufactured. These PCBs are used anywhere that there is a need for the PCB itself to be set up in one shape and remain that way for the remainder of the device's lifespan. Rigid PCBs can be anything from a simple single-layer PCB all the way up to an eight or ten-layer multi-layer PCB.

All Rigid PCBs have single-layer, double-layer or multilayer constructions, so they all share the same applications.

• Rigid PCB is a type of regular PCB which can not be twisted or folded into any shape because it comes with FR4 stiffener which is very useful for added amount of stiffness and rigidity.

• Rigid PCB is made up of copper trances and paths which are incorporated on a single board in order to connect the different components on the board. The base material of the board is made of rigid substrate which gives rigidity and strength to the board.

• Computer motherboard is an ideal example of rigid PCB that comes with rigid substrate material.

• Once the rigid PCBs are manufactured they can not be modified or folded into any other shape.

• Rigid PCBs are cheap as compared to flexible PCBs. They are traditional forms of PCBs and widely used in many electronics products.

• Substrate layer, also referred base material, is made of fiber glass.

Multilayer Rigid PCB Stackup

• On the top of substrate layer, there resides a copper foil which is laminated on the board with the help of added amount heat and adhesive.

• Solder Mask Layer houses above the copper layer.

• Silkscreen layer is located above solder mask layer.

• Most of the electronics made use of traditional rigid PCB. However, technology has been evolved and many products abandoned rigid PCBs because of their inability to get folded or twisted. This has erupted the idea of flexible PCB and soon it became the prerequisite for most of the professionals in the market.

• Manufacturing process of both rigid and flexible PCBs is same with some exceptions in terms of their flexibility, softness and cost.

• Some extra measures are required for processing Flex PCB when it comes to material handling. Also proper specifications are required in order to avoid any cracked solder joints when the board is bent.

• Flexible PCBs are most costly than rigid PCBs, however, we are referring here individual cost of the flexible PCB, it may happen the overall cost of the project using rigid PCB is higher than the cost of the flexible PCB, but individual cost of flexible PCB will be higher.

• Many cheap electronics make use of rigid PCBs including audio keyboards, desktop devices, solid state drives, toys and many electronic gadgets. However, flex circuits are observed in ultra high performance device because they don`t involve connectors also thinner than rigid boards and can be used in smart phones, cameras, tablets and GPS control system.

• Both rigid and flexible boards can be incorporated together to construct a unified product that comes with both strength and flexibility.

• Some flex PCBs follow the same design as rigid circuit design but they are not completely identical to the rigid circuit boards.

• Flexible PCBs provide flexible and bending solutions and they also require less space and are mostly Single Sided PCB.

• Rigid PCBs typically cost less than flex circuits. I say [typically" because when considering the total cost of ownership there are some applications that, when using flexible PCBs, may be less expensive compared to using rigid PCBs. To get a true and accurate understanding of the total cost of ownership, you first need to appreciate the fact that flex circuits may eliminate the need for components such as connectors, wire harnesses, and other circuit boards. By removing these components from a design, material cost, labor and assembly cost, and scrap cost are all reduced.

• Many electronic devices (laptop and desktop computers, audio keyboards, solid-state drives (SSDs), flat-screen TVs and monitors, children`s toys, and various electronic gadgets) employ rigid PCBs instead of flexible PCBs. However, flex circuits may be found in ultra-compact and/or high-performance devices, including GPS units, tablets, smart phones, cameras, and wearables.

• Greater sophistication is not the only reason to use flex circuits; low-tech applications,such as LED lights, may utilize flex circuit technology, in some cases because it makes installation much easier.

• A computer motherboard is a perfect example of rigid PCB which is a Multilayer Rigid PCB, used to distribute electricity from power supply, and creates a conducting path between CPU, GPU and RAM.

• Rigid PCBs are manufactured in volumes and once they are designed, they can not be altered or modified and remain same throughout the entire life span of the project on which they are placed.

• Some low cost products make use rigid PCBs like toys, ,electronics gadgets, desktop devices and solid state devices.

• You should also have a look at Double Sided PCB, these are also Rigid PCBs.

• Single Sided PCB: These rigid printed circuit boards feature metal trace on single side of the dielectric. Single sided rigid PCBs are ideal for rapid productions due to their manufacturability, as well as simple design.

• Double Sided PCB: As the name suggests, these printed circuit boards have a layer of dielectric sandwiched between two metal layers. The double sided rigid printed circuit boards have become an industry staple. Their applications vary from low to high temperature ranges, fine line surface mounting, solder coatings, and high copper builds.

• Multilayer PCB: Multi-layer rigid PCBs feature more than two conductive metal layers, which are clearly separated by equal dielectric layers. These circuit boards allow our PCB designers to create a vast range of interconnects, as well as applications.

Learn more about JHY PCB by exploring the manufacturing capability of Rigid Printed Circuit Board below. We can do more than you can imagine.

Additional information

• Rigid Flex PCB Fabrication service
• Flex-Rigid PCB Technology
• Rigid Flex PCB Manufacturing Capability
• Flexible and Flex-Rigid PCB Applications
• Rigid PCB vs. Flexible PCB: How to choose?