What Is PCB Routing?

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In the electronic devices we encounter daily, whether smartphones, computers, or smart home devices, there is an essential component – the PCB, also known as the Printed Circuit Board. The PCB routing, as a crucial part of the PCB manufacturing process, plays a vital role. Today, let’s talk about this somewhat mysterious “PCB routing” and what it actually is.

First, we need to talk about the PCB. PCB stands for Printed Circuit Board, which is a fundamental material used to support and connect electronic components. It uses printing technology to laminate wires, electronic components, and other structures together to form a board-like product. The PCB not only has good conductivity, insulation, and mechanical properties but also enables compact layouts of electronic components, improving circuit performance and efficiency. In simple terms, the PCB is the “nerve center” of electronic devices, responsible for transmitting various electrical signals.

So, what is PCB routing? Simply put, the routing (CNC) is the process of using a routing machine (also known as a PCBA depaneling machine, online depaneling machine, etc.) to carve out specified panel shapes on the circuit board according to a pre-programmed procedure using a milling cutter. This process is similar to carving patterns on a wooden board using woodworking tools, except the tool is replaced with a high-precision milling cutter and the material is a circuit board.

Specifically, the routing machine can precisely process various shapes and sizes of holes, grooves, and other structures on the circuit board. These structures may be for installing components, connecting lines, or meeting specific design requirements. Compared to V-CUT (which cuts V-shaped shallow grooves on both sides of the circuit board), routing excels in precision and flexibility. While V-CUT is simple to operate, it has lower precision, and the connection interface after depaneling may be rough; routing, on the other hand, can carve various complex panel shapes on the board according to the program, ensuring high dimensional accuracy and smooth interfaces.

The routing machine can be classified into manual routing and mechanical routing based on its working principle and degree of automation. Manual routing, as the name suggests, relies on workers to manually adjust hole positions and use drill bits for drilling. This method, while flexible, is inefficient and its accuracy is limited by the operator’s skill level. Mechanical routing, however, uses mechanical principles to automatically complete the hole-making process. It controls the milling cutter’s movement trajectory through a pre-set program, quickly and accurately completing drilling, routing, and other processing tasks.

The workflow of mechanical routing is roughly as follows: first, place the PCB to be processed on the workbench of the routing machine and secure it; then, input the designed processing program into the control system of the routing machine; next, start the machine, and the milling cutter will process the circuit board according to the programmed path; finally, after processing is complete, remove the circuit board for subsequent handling. The entire process is highly automated, significantly improving production efficiency and processing accuracy.

In the PCB manufacturing process, routing is an indispensable step. It is widely used in the processing of various circuit boards, whether single-sided, double-sided, or multilayer boards, and requires routing to complete specific processing tasks. For example, in the PCB of communication devices, to install various components such as chips, resistors, and capacitors, corresponding holes and grooves need to be processed on the circuit board; in computer motherboards, to connect core components like CPUs, memory, and graphics cards, high-precision slots and interfaces need to be processed through routing.

Additionally, routing is often used in the depaneling process of circuit boards. In PCB manufacturing, to save materials and improve production efficiency, multiple circuit boards are usually spliced together for processing. After processing, they need to be separated through routing. This process not only requires high precision but also ensures that the edges of the split circuit boards are smooth and free of burrs, to avoid affecting subsequent installation and use.

With the continuous development of electronic technology, the functions and complexity of PCBs are also constantly increasing. This poses higher requirements for routing technology. To meet market demands, routing machines are continuously evolving towards higher precision, efficiency, and automation. For instance, modern routing machines can now achieve multi-axis linkage processing, allowing for the simultaneous processing of more complex panel shapes; at the same time, by incorporating advanced control systems and sensor technologies, the processing accuracy and stability of routing machines have been significantly improved.

In the future, with the rise of smart manufacturing and the Industrial Internet, routing technology will increasingly focus on integration with digitization, networking, and intelligence. By building smart factories and digital production lines, comprehensive monitoring and optimization of the routing processing process can be achieved; by introducing big data and artificial intelligence technologies, deep mining and analysis of processing data can provide strong support for production decisions. All these will drive routing technology to higher levels, providing more reliable, efficient, and flexible solutions for electronic device manufacturing.

Through the above introduction, I believe everyone has a deeper understanding of PCB routing. As a crucial part of PCB processing, routing not only relates to the processing precision and performance of the circuit board but also directly affects the overall quality and reliability of electronic devices. Therefore, when choosing routing services, we should not only focus on price factors but also pay attention to processing quality and service level. Only in this way can we ensure that our electronic devices stand out in the fierce market competition and win more users’ favor and trust.

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