Your Valuable Teflon PCB Manufacturer in China

Teflon PCB comes with various advantages. Some of the benefits that you would get from Teflon PCBs are as follows:

• Excellent flame resistance
• Thermal stability is very high

Corrosion resistance Teflon PCB

• Corrosion resistance
• Outstanding electric properties
• High heat and cold resistance

The most critical step of Teflon PCB fabrication is surface preparation. You have to prepare the substrate surface to make the layer’s formation and metallization.

Teflon is soft in nature. Therefore you have to pick the machines carefully for the surface preparation process of Teflon PCB.

Teflon PCB preparation

For example, you can not use composite brushes, pumice scrubbers, or bristles in the surface preparation. Those products will deform the  PCB laminate dimension.

Plasma gas and sodium etchants are commonly used in the surface preparation for Teflon PCB.

Sodium etchants confirm that there would be no fluorine atoms on the surface of Teflon PCB laminate, extending hold times post-processing.

Manufacturers also use hydrogen gas to recycle plasma gas.

You don’t need to use oxide as a pre-treatment for PTFE PCB substrates like FR4. You can perform the lamination of copper films and Teflon PCB at 700 degrees F with 450-500 psi without prepregs or bonding films.

PCB lamination

Manufacturers use prepregs or bonding films with low melting points sometimes. This reduces the processing temperature to 250 or 425 degrees F.

However, some hybrid Teflon PCBs use FR4 and PTFE both, and you would need oxide pre-treatment-treatment in that case.

Here are features of Teflon PCB:

• High-frequency Teflon PCB has a stable and low dielectric constant. Low DK ensures better signal transmission.
• The dissipation factor of High Teflon PCB is low, resulting in excellent transmission quality. Moreover, the common dissipation factor benefits with low minimal signal wastage.

High-Frequency PCB

• The thermal expansion rate for Teflon is equal to copper. Different thermal expansibility causes the peeling of copper foil in various temperatures.
• Teflon features low water absorptivity. High water absorption causes DK and DF in a moist environment.
• Teflon has excellent chemical resistance, which ensures impact endurance.

You have to apply a sequential procedure for the lamination process of multilayer Teflon PCB.

The base layer will contain a copper foil sheet and a prepreg layer on top of that. How much prepreg layer you will apply will depend on the application.

The internal core is covered with prepreg layers with copper foil and is put on the base prepreg layer. That process forms the Teflon PCB stack’s single layer, and such laminates are piled up one after another.

PCB Fabrication

After you are done with the last foil, you get the final PTFE lamination stack known as “Book,” and every laminate inside the book is called “Chapter.”

You have to take the book to a hydraulic press and heat it to put a substantial amount of pressure and vacuum on the book. This process is called “Curing,” as the process compresses one laminate against another.

This compression prepares the prepreg resin to fuse with the core and the foil.

After you are finished with the hydraulic press, you have to remove the Teflon PCB and cool it down to room temperature. This cooling process settles the resin, and that is the last step of manufacturing a multilayer Teflon PCB.

Though most of the PTFE PCB manufacturing processes follow the same steps; the outcome is not always the same. Every tiny detail determines the outcome of Teflon PCB.

That’s why working with an excellent Teflon PCB manufacturer is essential. At PCBMay, we provide the highest quality Teflon PCB to maintain the proper fabrication process.

When drilling the Teflon substrates laminated with copper, using a new tool is recommended. The device should have an excellent chip load and slow feed. This process restricts the easy tailing of the laminate fibers and the PTFE.

CNC PCB drilling and routing machine

Most manufacturers use ceramic-filled laminates in the fabrication process as they are easy to drill. This kind of material for Teflon PCB comes with a better coefficient of thermal expansion and dielectric constant.

When you are making Teflon PCB prototypes, you need to follow the following steps:

Material Selection

When you are making a prototype with Teflon PCB, selecting the material is the first step you have to follow.

Plastic is widely used in flexible and fast prototype fabrication. Plastic is easy to mold and fold, and therefore it is manufacturers’ first choice.

Rapid Design

Manufacturers perform the design on a stencil. The stencil marks the location of components and connective parts.

PCB prototype

Design Testing

After completing the design, you have to test the functionality of the Teflon PCB. Here you will ensure that the components are perfectly placed and every connection is also appropriately placed.

Bug Fixing

Rectifying bugs is mandatory if the design has many errors. You have to retrace the components and their connections so that the prototype works perfectly. You will redesign the prototype and come up with a new design.

Rapid Prototyping

In this step, you will fabricate the prototype. You will put the stencil on a plastic board and mount the components.

These days manufacturers use CAD software to complete this process. As this is a fast method of production, this is called Rapid Prototyping.

Functionality Testing

After finishing the fabrication process, it’s time to test the functionality of the Teflon PCB. If the Teflon PCB functions well without any error, the manufacturers take it to the final fabrication process.

Why Is Teflon PCB Prototype Manufacturing Important?

Manufacturing the Teflon PCB prototype is vital in various ways. Here are some of those:

Prevents Failure

This is the primary benefit of manufacturing Teflon PCB prototypes. A prototype helps to identify design flaws and the performance issues of your final production.

Cost Saving

Any kind of PCB failure at the final stage of production can result in severe economic disaster. Moreover, that will cost countless fruitless efforts.

But a Teflon PCB prototype can prevent that from happening. A PTFE PCB prototype provides you the design and functionality of the final production, and you can determine the changes you need and apply them in final production.

Early failure detection saves you lots of manufacturing costs as well as time and effort.

Bug Detection

With a Teflon PCB prototype, you can find bugs and fix them for the final production. This process helps you to simulate the board and learn how it will work in a natural environment.

Teflon PCB prototyping aids fabricators in detecting likely bugs in the printed circuit board.

Design Compatibility

You can check the compatibility of the Teflon PCB design during the design phase. You can enhance the DFA or Design For Assembly and DFM or the Design For Manufacture (DFM) with the prototype.

Manufacturing the Teflon PCB prototype is vital in various ways. Here are some of those:

Prevents Failure

This is the primary benefit of manufacturing Teflon PCB prototypes. A prototype helps to identify design flaws and the performance issues of your final production.

Cost Saving

Any kind of PCB failure at the final stage of production can result in severe economic disaster. Moreover, that will cost countless fruitless efforts.

But a Teflon PCB prototype can prevent that from happening. A PTFE PCB prototype provides you the design and functionality of the final production, and you can determine the changes you need and apply them in final production.

Early failure detection saves you lots of manufacturing costs as well as time and effort.

Bug Detection

With a Teflon PCB prototype, you can find bugs and fix them for the final production. This process helps you to simulate the board and learn how it will work in a natural environment.

Teflon PCB prototyping aids fabricators in detecting likely bugs in the printed circuit board.

Design Compatibility

You can check the compatibility of the Teflon PCB design during the design phase. You can enhance the DFA or Design For Assembly and DFM or the Design For Manufacture (DFM) with the prototype.

There are two layers in a Teflon PCB. Let’s discuss the topic a little bit more:

Internal Layers

There are multiple copper laminates between a Teflon PCB top and bottom layer other than the internal layer. So, the inner layers of a Teflon PCB consist of different copper layers.

Multilayer PCB

Sometimes, manufacturers apply the copper pour method when they need a power plane or ground plane. This process minimizes the number of etchants used in the manufacturing process and also helps the layer to layer bonding.

How much thicker the PCB inner layer will be and how much copper will be used depends on the Teflon PCB specification.

External Layers

The external layer is also called the outer copper layer, and you will find the PCB components attached to this layer.

The components attached to the external layer include transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc. Most of the pieces are attached using through-hole mounting technology.

The external layer consists of a copper foil which is electroplated with copper.

The electroplating increases the thickness of the board and adds additional copper to the barrel of the through-hole.

You can customize the final thickness according to the application of your Teflon PCB.

Every layer within the inner layer of a Teflon PCB comes with unique properties and functions.

The different types of inner layers are not mandatory for all PCBs. Instead, they depend on the circuit board diagram.

Mechanical Layer

How many mechanical boards will be there depends on the design of Teflon PCB. However, having one mechanical layer is a must as that determines the board’s physical dimension.

PCB layers

Solder Paste Layer

Solder paste is the substrate manufacturers spread on top of the PCBs layer. Here the parts are mounted through the soldering.

Solder Mask Layer

This is the protective layer of the Teflon PCB that prevents damage and contamination. The color of the solder mask layer usually is green, and through this green color, you can see other colors according to the requirement.

Ground Planes and Power Planes

These layers are built with copper where ground and power planes are connected to the onboard voltage terminals.

Split Planes

Spit planes are a more advanced version of the power and ground layer. They have separated in such a way that you can link them to various voltage points.

Keep Out Layer

This is an essential layer as it marks the working boundary and makes that distinctive from the outer mechanical layer.

Silkscreen Layer

This Teflon PCB internal layer marks the components with text. You can identify the component by name from this layer.

Routing Layer

The routing layer interlinks the components of a Teflon PCB. You can find them at the top and bottom layers of your Teflon PCB.

Quality certifications are essential for Teflon PCB. You must consider this certification seriously and confirm the Teflon PCB maintains the proper certification before making a purchase.

Here is the list of quality certifications you should look for when purchasing a Teflon PCB:

• ISO Certification
• REACH Certification
• FDA Certification
• BBB Certification
• WEEE Certification
• IPC Certification
• ITAR Certification
• RoHS Certification
• UL Certification
• SMTA Certification
• ESD Association

V-Groove Panelization

The PCB is cut with a thickness of 1:3 from top to bottom in this technique. Typically manufacturers use a 30-45 degrees circular shape blade to perform this.

Then with another machine, manufacturers perform the depaneling of the remaining board. This method is ideal if there are no overhanging parts.

This panelization technique is best for the rectangular-shaped and scoring square Teflon PCBs. Moreover, it prevents strain on the PCB board.

Tab Route Panelization

This penalizing method leaves spaces in the middle of perforated tabs, mounted components, and traces.

You can apply the panelization technique on Teflon PCBs with different or similar designs. This reduces the chances of splintering and minimizes surface stress.

If you are manufacturing heavy-duty applications such as large relays or transformers, tab route panelization is not suitable.

PCB panelization

Perforated Tabs

Tiny holes are perforated in tabs in this process of panelization. These holes are so small that they are also called mouse bites. The depanelization of an independent PCB is easier with tiny holes.

Sanding is mandatory in the perforated tab panelization as some materials are left on the PCBs edge.

This process of penalization is also not ideal for heavy-duty applications like the route panelization method.

The best panelization method for Teflon PCB depends on PCB’s dimension and required edge profile.

You should apply the solder mask within 12 hours after Teflon laminate etching.

Manufacturers use Sodium etch cycle or a regular PTFE plasma cycle to process the etched laminate.

Teflon PCB with solder mask

Before applying solder mask baking, the Teflon PCB laminated also eliminates the residual moisture.

Please follow the following factors that affect the cost of your Teflon PCB:

Panel Size

This is the leading raw material manufacturers apply in the fabrication process. The panel’s general size influences the final cost of your Teflon PCB.

The general rule is you will have to pay a higher price for a more extensive panel.

Lead Time

Lead time is a very vital factor when determining the manufacturing and assembly cost of your Teflon PCB.

If the project requires a brief lead time, you will have to pay an additional sustainable amount.

Layers

The manufacturing cost for single and double-sided Teflon PCBs are almost the same. But if you are planning to manufacture a multilayer PCB, the price will change, and you will be charged for the number of PCB layers.

Inspection Charges

PCB goes through several inspections for the quality check to meet the desired outcome for design and functionality.

The most critical tests are electrical testing, impedance testing, ionic testing, etc. Manufacturers initiate those tests before the final delivery of the Teflon PCB.

How many tests you want to perform can increase the final costs from 10% to 15%.

Surface Finish

The Printed circuit boards are protected with various surface finishes to make them corrosion resistant.

You can use various surface coating, painting, and finishing to improve the longevity of your Teflon PCB assembly.

And for various surface finishing options, the price will also vary.

Different types of PCB surface finish

Number and Size of Drills

Those factors also affect the price of your Teflon PCB by a great deal. If the PCB application needs the perforation of small holes (typically less than .012), that will cost more.

In that case, manufacturers need to use an advanced laser drill machine to drill the holes on the board. And they have to modify their production procedure to achieve the desired result.

You might have to pay 10%-20% additional charges for special drills.

Raw Material’s Type And Size

Teflon PCB’s raw materials must have outstanding wear and tear and corrosion resistance properties.

So, if you are manufacturing multilayer PCBs, the assembly process will need more raw material than double or single-sided PCBs. Moreover, the production cost for a small amount is always higher than a significant amount.

The type and size of your Teflon PCB’s raw materials and the number of products you are making affect the final cost by a great deal.

Compared to FR4, Teflon PCBs are softer. Therefore, unique treatments are required when you  handle and store Teflon PCB. Experts advise keeping them in a non-moist and cold condition, avoiding direct sunlight.

Consequently, you can prevent surface contamination and oxidation.

In the PCB sector, the Gerber file is most important. This file contains every detail information of the Teflon PCB design.

A Gerber file tells the accurate position of layers, circuitry, components, solder masks, and other elements.

PCB Gerber File

Practically a Gerber file is the blueprint of the Teflon printed circuit board that serves all the instructions a machine should follow. The most common format of the Gerber file is RS-274X. This is a popular format as it automatically sets up the aperture settings.

The Gerber files are developed uniquely for each layer of the Teflon PCB. However, some fabricators use a single file with every detail.

Gerber files are crucial for developing rigid PCB, flex PCB, flex-rigid PCB, or Teflon PCBs, both single and multilayer. If there is any design shortcoming, manufacturers can identify that using the Gerber file.

Generate PCB Gerber files

Therefore, Gerber files are not only significant from a production point of view but also crucial for a design modification.  Manufacturers can run a test on the Teflon PCB using the Gerber file and apply any required change for future production.

Moreover, the Gerber files are also very much crucial for repairing and refurbishing Teflon PCB.

Teflon PCB is a sophisticated printed circuit board, and you have to take numerous considerations before choosing your Teflon PCB manufacturer. Here are some of them:

Technical Capabilities

The manufacturing process of PTFE or Teflon PCB demands unique equipment and techniques with a high degree of training.

Many new and inexperienced manufacturers might claim that they can manufacture Teflon PCB, but they can not stand up to the mark when it comes to quality.

PCB manufacturing

Experience

For any sophisticated tasks, experience is the key. Therefore, you should check the level of experience the Teflon PCB manufacturer has before deciding anything.

Talk to them directly and tell them to show the experience level. Another excellent way to check the experience level is to observe their online profile.

Check their experience level in the specific application also.

Customization Options

In most cases, you would need Teflon PCB with standard dimensions. But for some devices, you might need customized Teflon PCBs.

So, you should ask the manufacturer about their capability of manufacturing customized Teflon PCB according to the application requirements. Always choose one that has more customization ability.

Even though you don’t need a customized Teflon PCB, customization capability determines the advanced skill of the manufacturer.

Certification

A manufacturer’s certification is crucial when you are dealing with delicate electronic items like PCBs. This is a sensitive service. So, ask for the credentials the company has and tell them to provide proof of those certifications.

As technology has been advancing at a fast pace, Teflon PCBs are in high demand in the market now. But this is a sophisticated technology, and you should pick the manufacturer wisely. We prepare high-quality Teflon PCB following the exact design. We maintain a strict quality testing procedure in various sections of the manufacturing process.

If you want to know more about Teflon PCB or looking for a project, send us a message. Our Teflon PCB experts will assist you with the rest.