A printed circuit board is used to direct electricity to the various components attached to its insulated base, and these electronic boards of different sizes and varying complexities are now found in pretty much all electronic gadgets, ranging from smartphones and computer motherboards to even medical equipment like CAT scanners. To highlight how important PCBs are to modern electronics, read on as we discuss some of its multiple applications across three separate industries.
Healthcare: Imaging, Monitoring and Treatment
Diagnostic devices and imaging systems in particular have PCBs inside them, and depending on the exact medical device we are talking about, the schematic can be quite complicated. Most modern scanners, from CT and CAT scanners to USG and MRI machines, have printed circuit boards in them to distribute power properly. Then, there are the diagnostic camera equipment and robotic microsurgery systems that rely heavily on PCBs as well.
Aside from these, infusion pumps, monitoring displays and even pacemakers have PCBs in them. There are a lot of other modern medical devices that are used in modern medical treatments that use PCBs, too, and the number is only going to grow with time.
LED Lights
LED lights are replacing CFL, because they are significantly more power-efficient but can do so much that CFL could never have been used for. Even that small blinking indicator on your smartphone is an LED light, and all camera-mounted, diagnostic equipment has small LED lights to let the doctors see what’s going on during a coloscopy or an endoscopy. Each LED light in existence has a PCB inside it, which makes it possible for these lights to function in the way that they do.
Consumer Electronics: The Motherload of the PCB Industry
Everything from monitors and TV sets to smartphones, gaming consoles and mechanical keyboards have multiple PCBs in them. This is why both small scale and large scale PCB production continues to be a profitable sector as well as a reliable career path.
Modern electronic board design software tools like Altium have made it especially easy for people to try their hands in printed circuit board design, even if they are not electrical engineers. You can fail as many times as you need to, because it’s a digital simulation till the final schematic is ready to be printed on a board. For those that have an engineering background, though, the possibilities are only limited by their imagination and skill.
The Evolution of Technology is Dependent on PCBs
The bottom-line is that technology is everywhere, and it’s evolving with every passing day. However, the printed circuit board is a basic, electronic device which has been in existence for nearly a century, powering those technological wonders by intelligently distributing electricity to every component attached on it.
Printed boards themselves have evolved to a great degree throughout the decades as well, and they will continue to change and evolve in various ways. However, there is practically no chance of the humble printed circuit boards becoming obsolete anytime in the near future!