Select an Application, Then Review the PCB Construction It Requires
A board used in a smart watch, an automotive radar system, a 5G base station and an industrial battery module may all be called a PCB, but their design priorities are different. Compact products may need HDI build-up and fine line/space. Communications equipment may require controlled impedance and back drilling. Power electronics may need thicker copper and a structure designed around current and heat.
Use this page to find the application closest to your project. The configurations below illustrate how application requirements influence board construction. Your Gerber files, stack-up and operating conditions determine the final manufacturing review.
PCB Application Examples
These examples show how different application requirements can affect PCB structure. Final specifications are confirmed for each project.
| Application | Example PCB Configuration | Project Points to Confirm |
|---|---|---|
| UAV and Industrial UAV Controllers | 12-layer boards; project examples include second-order HDI, 75/75 μm line/space, 1.0 mm or 1.6 mm board thickness and 0.10 mm blind vias. | Confirm controller function, vibration environment, board thickness, via structure and required surface finish. |
| Wearables, Smartphones and IoT Devices | Project examples include 8-layer HDI boards for smart watches and 5G smartphones, plus 6-layer first-order HDI boards for IoT products. | Confirm available board area, finished thickness, fine-line design, blind-via build-up and assembly constraints. |
| Automotive Connectivity and Multimedia | Project examples include a 16-layer vehicle-system board for vehicle networking, radar and autonomous-driving applications, and a 10-layer third-order HDI automotive multimedia board. | Confirm the electrical architecture, impedance needs, via-filling requirements, operating environment and documentation requirements. |
| 5G Communications and Network Equipment | Project examples include a 12-layer 5G base-station PCB with 60/60 μm line/space, as well as a 16-layer mechanical-blind-via board for a 5G base-station power module. | Confirm signal requirements, impedance, back-drilling needs, layer stack-up, power distribution and test requirements. |
| Industrial Control, Medical Equipment and Security | Project examples include a 20-layer industrial-control and medical-equipment board, 8-layer intelligent-security boards and 6-layer LED display boards. | Confirm layer count, copper distribution, back drilling, via plugging, board thickness and end-use environment. |
| Battery and Power Electronics | An industrial high-power battery charging-module example uses a 4-layer thick-copper construction with 3 oz inner-layer copper and 5 oz outer-layer copper. | Confirm current path, copper weight, thermal load, minimum hole size, board thickness and surface-finish requirements. |
PCB Solutions by Application
Choose the industry closest to your product to review the related application environment and PCB considerations.
-
Aerospace & Aviation
Aerospace, aviation and unmanned-aircraft electronics combine electrical requirements with demanding mechanical and environmental constraints. Controllers, communication modules and power distribution boards can require different constructions within one platform. Suitability for aircraft or flight-critical use must…
-
Semiconductor
Equipment control boards, evaluation boards, test interfaces and package substrates are different products. Conventional PCB capability does not automatically establish suitability for a package substrate or fine-pitch interposer. Define the board role, device interface, electrical…
-
Medical Electronics
Monitoring, diagnostic and laboratory equipment have different board requirements. Circuit function and risk context determine manufacturing and verification; the term medical does not define a universal process. Required supplier certification must be verified for the…
-
AI
An AI product may be a compact sensor node, an edge-computing module or a larger accelerator assembly. PCB requirements come from processor packaging, memory interfaces, power demand and the mechanical envelope. The label AI does…
-
Automotive
An interior display, radar module and power controller cannot use the same generic PCB requirements. Vehicle location, electrical architecture, operating environment and customer qualification guide material selection. Required quality-system certification and customer approval must be…
-
Industrial Control
Industrial controllers, instrumentation and gateways combine analog measurement, communication and power switching. A board inside a protected cabinet has different requirements from a field-mounted module. Define service conditions before selecting materials and protective finishes; component…
-
Consumer Electronics
Consumer electronics balance size, assembly, user interfaces and cost. A wearable sensor, home device and handheld controller can need different interconnect and power strategies. Choose board construction from the enclosure, interfaces and manufacturing requirements of…
-
Communications
Communications hardware combines RF, high-speed digital links, power conversion and control. Frequency labels or laminate brands alone do not establish electrical performance. Stack-up, copper geometry, interconnects and measurement methods must be reviewed together.
-
Energy
Converters, battery-management systems, chargers and lighting require coordinated current, isolation and thermal design. Copper thickness or a metal core alone does not determine allowable current or temperature. Geometry, duty cycle, cooling and the complete assembly…
Start with the Information That Affects Your PCB Build
For a useful engineering review, send your Gerber files, layer count, stack-up, finished board thickness, copper weight, via structure, impedance requirements, surface finish, quantity, panelization and test requirements. If the application involves high current, high density, mobile communication, automotive electronics or industrial use, describe the operating conditions and any special process requirements at the beginning.
Our HDI PCB and multilayer PCB pages can help you identify the relevant product direction before requesting a quotation.