Single-Sided Copper PCB Drilling for Wave Soldering
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of printed circuits with electronic components soldered on the opposite side of the circuit requires costly and time-consuming metallising processes, leading to environmental contamination, especially when using thin nonconductive materials like polymide or polyvinyl fluoride films, as existing methods involve drilling and metallising holes for electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
Drilling holes in the support before rolling and applying a copper layer on one side to cover these holes, followed by drilling smaller holes inside the initial holes to facilitate tin flow during wave soldering, eliminating the need for metallising and reducing copper usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the support is drilled after rolling with copper layer on both sides, then electrical connections are established, but the metallising process is expensive, time-consuming and environmentally contaminating
Solution Approach 1:
The support is drilled before rolling the copper layer, so that the holes are already in place before the copper is applied. This preliminary drilling action eliminates the need for subsequent metallising operations while ensuring proper electrical connection paths are established.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the metallising operation from the traditional three-step process. By drilling holes before rolling and using a single-sided copper application, the complex and contaminating metallising step is completely removed from the production process.
2Reliability
If copper layer is applied on both sides of the support, then electrical connections are ensured, but copper consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of applying copper symmetrically on both sides of the support, the invention uses an asymmetric approach by rolling copper only on one side. The holes are drilled before rolling, allowing the single-sided copper layer to still provide necessary electrical connections through the pre-drilled holes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the unnecessary copper application from the second side of the support, eliminating redundant copper usage while maintaining functional electrical connections through the pre-drilled holes and single-sided copper layer.
3Reliability
If metallising operation is performed, then electrical connections are made, but environmental contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention completely removes the metallising operation from the process sequence. By drilling holes before rolling and using a single-sided copper application, the harmful metallising step is extracted and eliminated, eliminating associated environmental contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful metallising process into a beneficial simple rolling operation. By reordering operations to drill before roll, the process transforms a harmful chemical treatment into a simple mechanical operation with environmental benefits.
4Reliability
If holes are drilled in the support, then electrical connections are enabled, but the simple drilling operation does not guarantee safe fixing of electronic components
Solution Approach 1:
Holes are drilled as a preliminary action before rolling the copper layer. This ensures that the hole positions are precisely established in the support structure before any copper application, providing accurate positioning for subsequent component soldering and fixing.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-drilled holes serve as intermediaries that bridge the support structure and the copper layer. These holes provide defined pathways for electrical connections and serve as precise reference points for component placement and fixing, ensuring both electrical functionality and manufacturing precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This process significantly reduces costs, operating time, and environmental impact by eliminating the metallising step and ensuring reliable electrical connections through the passage of tin during wave soldering.
Implementation Method 1
the first operation consists in rolling both sides of the support with sheets of copper or any other conductive material
Implementation Method 2
the third operation consists in metallising the holes drilled on the laminated support to make the electrical connections in each hole, whose walls are covered with conductive material, usually copper, to favour the flow of the tin drop through and over the hole during the wave soldering process
Data Source
Figure 1~8
Figure 9~14
AI summary
The present patent application relates to a production process of printed circuits on which electronic components without leading wire situated on the opposite side with respect to the circuit printed side are soldered. In particular, the said process provides for drilling the support (10), rolling it with a layer of conductive material (20) on only one (10a) of the two sides (10a and 10b) and making the circuits on the said side (10a).