You’ve read about them everywhere and you may have even seen a few in the sky near your home. Drones are growing in popularity among average consumers, but for now their usage is limited to photography and videography and little more. However, these drones are also changing the way that wars are waged and everyday life in a combat zone is conducted thanks to increased functionality in printed circuit boards. Drones reduce the number of American soldiers that need to be sent into combat zones, according to an article on PCB007.com. In addition to surveillance, drones are used to fly missions at night or into areas where it is too risky to send soldiers. Armed drones are also accurate and air strikes result in fewer civilian casualties than in ground combat. As the military and aerospace industries begin to rely more on drones and robots to carry out objectives, PCB manufacturers must be ready and capable of producing circuit boards that perform flawlessly under pressure to avoid any missteps that can have potentially fatal consequences.

Ensuring Your Printed Circuit Boards Are Up to Standard

The last thing that you want to find when you are ordering printed circuit boards is that something is wrong with your design and you run into a delay. It is especially crucial to have not only a complete design and your files submitted to your PCB manufacturer during the ordering process, but also a design that will allow your application to exceed your expectations for quality and performance. Some of the most common Gerber file errors engineers run into include:

1. Missing Aperture List
2. Missing Drill File
3. Missing Tool List
4. Insufficient Annular Ring
5. Insufficient Inner Clearances

Quality Assurance Systems & Mil/Aero Certifications

At Advanced Circuits, you can count on our team’s broad-based technical expertise and the systems we have in place to provide our aerospace & defense customers with the PCB reliability and performance required for critical applications.  Our multiple state-of-the-art facilities are ITAR registered and have been certified to meet or exceed all major Mil/Aero requirements.

Capabilities for Highly Specialized Aerospace & Defense PCBs

Our advanced PCB technology allows us to meet the most rigorous requirements and PCB design criteria with the precision and performance our customers demand. Some of our capabilities include: up to 40 layer boards, via-in-pad, sequential lamination, laser drilled microvias, oversized boards, heavy copper up to 20 oz., laser direct imaging, cavity boards, and microwave/antenna boards.

An expert at Advanced Circuits can help you get your order sorted out so that you can get the PCBs you need on your deadline. Learn more by contacting a representative today.

Source

1. “American Troops Benefit from Drone Implementation,” PCB007, n.p., 10 October 2014, Web, 16 October 2014.

Printed circuit board innovations in the military and aerospace industries continue at a rapid pace. Thin glass is being examined as an alternative to epoxy resin and other materials for use in the high temperature applications. Laser drilling along with thin glass material could provide PCB manufacturers a new way to manufacture boards with properties that are desirable for aerospace applications:  low thermal expansion and high chemical stability. Read the press release Electronic Circuit Board Based on Thin Glass: Improved Functionality for Aerospace Technology to find out more.

Certifications for Manufacturers of Printed Circuit Boards

Makers of printed circuit boards continue to refine their manufacturing and assembly processes in order to meet the strictest requirements of the industry. Since the military electronics sector relies on the highest quality of PCBs in order to support defense measures it is critical that PCB companies hold and renew certifications. This way, defense contractors will know that the circuit boards ordered will perform as needed under high-pressure circumstances. In addition to being certified for defense applications, PCB manufacturers obtain certifications for using certain materials in production. Product designers and engineers may also need to order PCBs that meet specific industry standards for compliance reasons. Contact an expert at Advanced Circuits today to learn more about PCB certification.

PCB manufacturers are already able to produce circuit boards that meet the high demands of aerospace and defense companies. As the needs of these applications continue to get more advanced, printed circuit boards may need to go a step further. According to Gen. Robert Cone, the Army is considering reducing the size of certain teams and replacing soldiers with drones and robots. As a result, production of PCBs will undoubtedly rise. Circuit boards will need to be able to connect high-powered components, run at a high level in extreme conditions be versatile enough to be used however the defense industry needs. While engineering capabilities continue to get more impressive each day, official remarks pointing to the adoption of robots on this scale will likely jumpstart the development processes for PCB makers around the world.

Ensuring Printed Circuit Boards Meet Quality Standards

One of the most important things for defense contractors and companies to consider moving forward is how they will ensure that they are getting quality printed circuit boards. With so much riding on these advanced applications, for instance the success or failure of a military operation, they will need to work with PCB manufacturers that demonstrate repeated results. Advanced Circuits understands this and continually strives to meet the strict standards set in order to hold current certifications for each. You can learn more about the materials, manufacturing processes and quality assurance systems used by contacting a representative today. That way you will be able to design your next application and circuit boards knowing that you are getting the PCBs you need the first time.