LED PCB Assembly: Introduction, Benefits, and Usage

 

LED PCB Assembly is the result of PCB technology evolution. The advancement is the reason behind the world’s re-innovating the application of the circuit. Today, we are able to see Printed Circuit Boards in almost every consumer applications.

These PCBs tend to enhance the overall performance and longevity of the applications. Printed Circuit Boards did make a great impact on several industries, but the input in the LED industry is revolutionary.

Due to PCB, there is great progress in the LED industry. Their life span has increased and their performance has significantly enhanced. In the course of this article, we will be talking about the LED PCB in detail. So, keep on reading to, fully understand the importance and application of LED PCB.

 

Table of Content

• Introduction to LED
• Introduction to LED PCB
• Aluminum for LED PCB
• Embedded LED PCBs
• Designing of LED PCBs
• Advantages of LED PCBs

 

Introduction to LED

 

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. They have been the latest technology that offers high-quality lighting. The Light-emitting diode are a solid-state device that does not need additional heat to create a light, on the contrary, the light emits when the current flows through them. There is a recombination of electrons in the semiconductor with the electron holes. This process releases the energy that is responsible for creating photons.

The usage of LED is not limited to lamps or bulbs, on the contrary, you can see their application over a wide range of both industrial as well as consumer products. LEDs are a strong form of energy, but it requires effort and hard work to create robust LEDs.

 

Introduction of LED PCB Assembly

 

The evolution of Printed Circuit Boards has helped the manufacturer come up with better or sophisticated Printed Boards. One of the major advancements of PCB technology is LED Printed Circuit Boards.

Yes, you heard us right. You can now have access to LED PCBs. The modern Printed Circuit Boards incorporate LEDs. These LEDs make it possible for the current to pass through the components at a defined voltage. Since the manufacturers are able to control the amount of current, thus it is possible for them to come up with LED PCBs that can operate at high voltage.

The manufacturer’s solder LEDs to the circuit board along with a chip that generates light when connected electrically. In order to bound the chip, they use a ceramic base along with a thermal heat sink.

An important thing to remember here is that LED PCB boards tend to generate heat at a high volume. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to cool them down using orthodox methods. Using a metal core PCB board is usually the first preference especially for LED application. The reason being, a metal core PCB board has a higher ability to dissipating the heat, in comparison to the conventional boards.

Likewise, Aluminum PCB is a good choice for manufacturing circuit boards for LED lights. LED light industry on whole has started to incorporate Printed Circuit Board technology due to its endless benefits. Some of these benefits include enhanced light quality, improved shelf life among others.

 

 

Aluminum for LED PCB

 

The aluminum base are usually the most common LED PCB. They show effective results and offer high performance. The conductive link between the Heat Sink and the IC is basically the thermally conductive dielectric layer of the aluminum base. This concept is unlike FR4.

The aluminum and the copper have enhanced and improved the characteristics of the thermal expansion to a great extent. Even the dimensional stability of an MPCB is much more than the conventional insulating material, FR4.

The great thing about the aluminum base is the versatility it offers. Since there are different types of aluminum available serving different purposes, thus it is possible to have more specialized LED Printed Circuit boards.

Below, we are going to shed some light on different types of Aluminum.

 

Types of Aluminum

 

All these types are highly effective and they offer great results. We are not doing a comparison on which type is better; on the contrary, we are providing the basics of every aluminum type.

 

Flexible Aluminum

 

Flexible Aluminum uses a different technique to provide great insulation. It uses the combination of ceramic fillers along with Polymide resins for the insulation purpose. Due to this combination, the manufacturer enjoys aluminum thermal conductivity while retaining the flexibility feature.

 

Hybrid Aluminum

 

As the name suggests, it is basically a merger of aluminum with a non-thermal material. The hybrid aluminum uses FR4, which acts as the non-thermal material. Doing this makes it possible for the manufacturer to offer all the supreme thermal conductivity while retaining the rigidity of the Printed Circuit Boards.

 

Multi-Layer Aluminum

 

For a highly complex Printed Circuit Boards, multi-layer aluminum is an excellent choice due to its outstanding and amazing thermal conductivity. You will not find a heat conductor better than a multi-layer aluminum.

Due to these reasons, a multi-layer aluminum PCB is common among the LED light industry. They offer high efficiency, free of mercury, low power consumption and long life to the applications they are embedded in.

 

Embedded LED PCBs

 

Embedded LED PCB assembly tends to create outstanding results. An embedded LED Printed Circuit board usually features either a bi-color or a single color LED. For bi-color, the two colors are white or blue. These colored lights tend to act as the indicator light especially in the case of non-tactile membrane switches.

There is wide applications of embedded LED PCBs, however, they are commonly seen under the rubber keypads and under the polyester graphics.

 

User Interface and Embedded LED Printed Circuit Boards

 

Since Printed Circuit Boards have the ability to provide structural display windows using the LED indicators, thus they are the first choice for the lower circuit in a membrane switch. Of course, integrating them into the PCB membrane is not a challenging task.

In fact, the manufacturers believe that this is the easy part. The more challenging part is deciding the right kind of LED. There are different types of LEDs that you can embed with the Printed Circuit Board. You need to know which type works well with your application.

Below, are the types of LED available.

 

Block LEDs or Single Point LEDs

 

Among the different types, the most versatile LED types are the block and the single point LEDs. You can incorporate them with almost all types of the base material. However, a good idea is to use them with either a texture or a matte surface, as they will ensure greater light diffusion.

Do remember, that it is only possible to, graphically manipulate the LEDs to appear as a part of the switch, as it is not possible to come through a tactile switch’s active area. Thus, all LED PCB assembly manufacturer tends to use this technique.

 

Single Point, Surface Mounted and Integral LEDs

 

PCB manufacturer tends to mount a single point, surface mounted and integral LED to the bottom layer of the circuit board. For these kinds of LEDs, it is possible to enjoy a wide range of colors. Unlike, some traditional LEDs, where you are limited to only white or blue.

The good news is that with these LEDs, you can easily terminate from the same connector tail as the switches themselves. This enhances the overall speed of the Printed Circuit board. The termination is possible when you accommodate the LEDs by embossing the graphic layer.

 

 

 

Designing of LED PCB

 

In modern days, we have a computer that aid in designing the perfect LED PCB. The exact design of the Printed Circuit Boards greatly depends upon the users’ requirements. However, there are some basic rules that need to be followed in order to come up with effective and robust Printed Circuit Boards.

 

LED PCB Designing Rules

 

For an LED PCB, you need to cater to two main aspects of the design. First, it is important to ensure that the LED sits within the circuit board’s drilled holes. Ensure that the holes are part of the design. Second, you need to focus on the distance between the holes.  A good approach is to have a minimum distance between the holes and the positive and negative terminals to power the LED.

Once, you finalize these steps. You need to save the file in the industry Standard format of the Printed Circuit Boards i.e. the Gerber File. Ensure that the Gerber files have the required number of layers. Each layer will be showing different aspects of the Printed Circuit Board.

For example, Layer 0 should highlight the dimensions of the board outline. Likewise, Layer 1 should show information regarding the copper wires’ pattern. Layer 2 should highlight information regarding the design of the drilled holes.

After you have the Gerber file, you need to create a text file that contains information regarding the layer content as well as the board dimensions. Next, send both the Gerber file and the Text file to your designated LED PCB assembly manufacturer.

When you buy an LED, make sure that it is according to your specifications. Pay close heed to the required voltage and ensure that the LED has the ability to withstand the power supply that you need to your Printed Circuit Boards.

To build the PCB, you will first have to mount the LED electrons and then solder them to both the negative as well as the positive voltage terminals. Make sure that you have connected the terminals in the right way. If you are unable to do so, you will have to face adverse results.

Next, focus on correctly connecting the voltage rails to the power supply. After the connection, simply turn on the power supply and set your desired voltage. Once the Printed Circuit board is Powered, the LED will automatically light up.

 

Benefits of Embedded PCB

 

Since modern electronics are getting smaller by every passing day, thus using LED membrane switches is a good option as they allow simple final assembling as well as product sourcing. The embedded LED Printed Circuit boards are better options for medical devices, appliances, consumer devices, low-light environments, and light to light to medium industrial applications.

They are also extremely useful for certain marine and aviation applications. Since a wide range of application incorporates LED Printed Circuit Boards, thus they offer endless benefits. Below we have highlighted the top benefits of the LED PCB.

 

• They offer a wide range of colors, sizes, and intensities
• Extreme low power consumption
• Low profile
• Lightweight
• The backlist membrane switch costs very less
• Moisture resistant
• Dust resistant
• Longer shelf-life
• Integration into complex interface assemblies is efficient and effective
• Can be used in copper flex membrane switches
• Used in silver flex membrane switches

 

Advantages of LED PCB (Generic)

 

The modern LED Printed Circuit Boards offer a wide range of benefits. Some of these benefits are as follows:

• The LED PCBs are extremely energy efficient. One of the major reasons, consumer industry today is a fan of them.
• The technology is extremely flexible, thus making it possible for the consumers to come up with their own personal design.
• The LED PCB assembly can be done in a compact size, something that is not common among the traditional printed circuit board.

 

Factors to consider when choosing the right LED Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer

 

Choosing the right LED PCB assembly manufacturer does require an indebt research. After all, the future of your consumer products tends upon these LED manufacturers. We simply cannot emphasize on the importance of choosing the right manufacturer.

We understand that choosing a good manufacturer can be a daunting task, however, we can be of great assistance here. As we are among the leading LED PCB manufacturer, we tend to deliver only the top-notch quality Printed Circuit Boards. Below, we have come up with the reasons to choose us as your LED Printed circuit board manufacturer.

1. We always consider the R&D according to all the modern technologies to ensure that we provide you with high quality LED PCBs.
2. We will never compromise on the quality of the Printed Circuit Board.
3. Our outstanding customer service makes it possible for our clients to reach out to us in an efficient manner.
4. Our experts offer error-free design and incorporate high-quality material for PCB manufacturing.
5. We offer the most competitive prices.