Prototypes assembly is important to many industries. In fact, any industry that uses any kind of electronics likely depends on quality prototype assembly. From the most basic circuit board assembly to the most complicated, the revenues from circuit board assembly in the U.S. totaled as much as $44 billion in the year 2014 alone.
If you use a television remote, you are using a piece of equipment that began with a printed circuit board (PCB). Every morning when you get ready to leave your house and use the convenience of a remote starter for your car you are relying on a fob that would have been created, tested, and eventually finalized through the PCB fabrication process. Any idea that relies on any kind of electrical circuit has, at some point gone through the demo stage and creation process of finding out exactly what kind of PCB prototype assembly platform. And while some pieces can operate with an already designed format, it is far more likely that a specific pattern or design has to be created.
Although these prototypes may seem slightly simpler and faster to design with today’s technology, this has not always been the case. Before PCB design software was introduced, for instance, these intricate printed circuit boards were first designed using clear Mylar sheets, which were as much as four times bigger than the final circuit board would be. On these mylar sheets, however, designers were able to create a transparent photomask of the proposed design. This initial design, after making its way through several review stages would then be created and tested. The mylar sheets, like the computer designs that are used today, served as early, less expensive drafts.
With the advancement of PCB design software it is not surprising that the PCB market exploded. By 1995, just a little over 50 years after the introduction of the very first PCBs, this became a $7.1 billion industry. A mere five years later in 2000, the industry grew to over $10 billion; since 2012 the PCB market has expanded to $60 billion worldwide.
