Printed Circuit Board Design and Prototyping in Undergraduate Electronic Program

随着全球市场竞争的加剧，电子设计师必须尽快将他们的产品投入生产。数字控制加工的最新进展使得在使用印刷电路板计算机辅助设计(CAD)软件对设计进行建模几个小时后就可以生产出具有生产质量的印刷电路板原型。该项目提供了一个安全、现代、高效的印刷电路板设计和原型实验室。该项目取代了目前的电路板制造方法，这些方法包括使用不干胶焊盘和迹线的设计，影印到热转印膜上，以及暴露在对学生和环境有潜在危险的显影剂和腐蚀剂化学品中。利用该项目提供的现代印刷电路板CAD软件和快速原型雕刻机，从概念到原型阶段，对电子工程技术专业的学生进行全方位的电子设计培训。设计过程得到了实验室已经实施的模拟和自动化测试能力的补充。该设备具有足够的质量，因此还可以通过将学生项目直接纳入电子设计和制造课程的实验室组成部分来支持当地的行业需求。这个项目的潜在影响是广泛的，就像开发最终用途或用作复杂设计中的部件的电子产品一样广泛。出于对环境和安全的担忧，大多数制造商使用现有的为数不多的板厂之一进行生产，甚至是印刷电路板的原型。电子学专业的学生必须能够生成董事会所要求的文件，甚至是他们自己公司的原型和模拟设施所要求的文件。因此，该项目使学校能够培养电子设计的方方面面，直到原型阶段；同时，学生能够利用现有的工具来验证他们的设计，即在原型制作之前对他们的设计进行模拟，以及在原型制作之后对他们的设计进行测试。这个项目提供了可靠的设备，通过直接服务于工业的学生项目来加强电子设计和制造理论。

With increased competition from the global market, electronic designers must move their products into production as quickly as possible. Recent advances in numerically controlled machining make it possible to produce a production-quality printed circuit board prototype a few hours after the design has been modeled using printed circuit board computer-aided design (CAD) software. This project provides a safe, modern, and efficient printed circuit board design and prototyping laboratory. The project replaces current board fabrication methods composed of designs using self-adhesive pads and traces, photocopying to a thermal transfer film, and exposing to developer and etchant chemicals that are potentially hazardous to students and to the environment. The modern printed circuit board CAD software and rapid prototyping engraving machine provided by this project are used to train our electronic engineering technology students in every aspect of electronic design, from conception through the prototype stage. The design process is supplemented with the simulation and automated testing capabilities already implemented in laboratories. The equipment is of sufficient quality so that it can also be used to support local industry needs through student projects that are incorporated directly into the laboratory component of electronic design and manufacturing courses. The potential impact of this project is as widespread as is the development of electronic products for end use, or for use as components in a complex design. Because of environmental and safety concerns, most manufacturers use one of the few existing board houses for production, and even prototyping of printed circuit boards. Students in electronics must be able to produce the files required by board houses, or even their own companies' prototyping and simulation facilities. This project, therefore, enables the school to foster every aspect of electronic design through to the prototyping stage; at the same time, students are able to take advantage of the available tools used for verifying their designs, namely, simulation of their designs before prototyping and testing of their designs after prototyping. This project provides reliable equipment used to reinforce electronic design and manufacturing theory through student projects that directly serve industry.