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Ask the Experts
Ask the Experts Panel share experiences, theories and practices to help solve problems associated with advanced electronics manufacturing and assembly.
Expert Panel Contributors:
Steven Adamson Market Manager Asymtek Gary Goldberg President and CEO PROMATION, Inc. Edward Zamborsky Regional Sales Manager OK International Inc. Leo Lambert Vice President Technical Director EPTAC Corporation Jack Crawford Director Certification & Assembly Technology IPC |
Which Term To Use - PWB or PCB?
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Details
Is there any real difference between the terms Printed Wire Board (PWB) and Printed Circuit Board (PCB)?
Which do you recommend we use for internal and external documents?
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Comments and Questions Printed circuit boards is the modern term for the bare board, also called the fabricated board. Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) is the term used to describe the finished assembly, not PWA. R.S. Looking at Mr. Leo Lambert's comment, the different between the two terms is mainly in having the printed components or not. What are "Printed components"? Does this refer to legend printing or component mark printing? T.I. The boards in question essentially provide a substrate with interconnect traces and pads. Some have embedded components but are NOT a functional circuit by any stretch of the imagination. I seem to recall that in the 1970s the board industry agreed that PCB was incorrect and that PWB accurately reflected the functionality. Some old timers, who resist change, clung to the inaccurate PCB term. Apparently, laziness has prevailed for man but PWB is frequently used now. If you think about it, using lithography, today's SoCs (systems on a chip) are the only true "printed circuits", requiring only power. T.T. We have been a manufacturer of printed circuit boards for 37 years now, our UL Card says Printed Wiring Board. But most people say PCB or Circuit Board. R.K. |
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