PCB Outline Design for Material Yield

Solution Overview

Problem

The existing manufacturing processes for printed circuit boards (PCBs) are inefficient, leading to high costs and waste due to the conventional cutting methods used to produce multiple PCBs from a base plate, which do not maximize the yield of usable material.

Innovation Solution

A printed circuit board design featuring a base substrate with a unique outline configuration, including a central outline with a stepped shape and symmetrical features, allowing for efficient cutting and increased productivity by minimizing waste and enabling the production of more PCBs from a single base plate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional cutting methods are used to produce PCBs from a base plate, then PCBs can be manufactured, but material waste increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of PCBs produced per base plateVSAvoidmaterial waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The base plate is divided into multiple PCB regions through strategic outline design, allowing simultaneous production of multiple PCBs from a single base plate. The first and second outlines define separate PCB regions that can be cut out independently, maximizing material utilization and reducing waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The second outline is designed with asymmetric positioning relative to the first outline, allowing optimized spatial arrangement of PCBs on the base plate. This asymmetric layout enables better packing efficiency and reduces unused material space compared to symmetric arrangements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Ease of manufacture

If multiple PCBs are produced from a single base plate, then manufacturing costs decrease, but cutting complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing costVSAvoidcutting process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The base plate is divided into multiple PCB regions through strategic outline design, allowing simultaneous production of multiple PCBs from a single base plate. The first and second outlines define separate PCB regions that can be cut out independently, maximizing material utilization and reducing waste.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The second outline is designed with asymmetric positioning relative to the first outline, allowing optimized spatial arrangement of PCBs on the base plate. This asymmetric layout enables better packing efficiency and reduces unused material space compared to symmetric arrangements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

Data Source

PatentUS10009999B2Printed circuit board and display device having the same

Publication Date: 2018.06.26 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD

AI summary

Provided is a printed circuit board and a display device having the same. The printed circuit board includes a base substrate including a first outline that extends in a first direction and a second outline facing the first outline, the base substrate having a first area, a second area, and a third area successively defined thereon in the first direction and a pad part disposed on the second area. A central outline of the second outline which overlaps the second area has a stepped shape that gradually decreases in distance between the central outline and the first outline from a first point of the central outline contacting the first area to a second point of the central outline contacting the third area.