Medical PCB for electronic design of medical devices

In the past few decades, PCBs have become increasingly small, and few industries are better able to apply this than the medical industry. Although this is a recent headline news, the electronic design of medical devices has not fully focused on reducing size.

Both the buyer and their own end customers have seen the urgent need for performance improvements. How is it? High density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit board.

Today, electronic engineers have more reasons than ever before to use medical PCBs. As you will see below, the healthcare industry's constantly changing demands require it!

What is a medical PCB?

The first thing is that medical PCBs can integrate a large amount of internal wiring through the use of advanced technology, making them more compact. New technologies help to reduce size without sacrificing performance, providing engineers with multiple construction options based on their applications.

Medical PCB boards require additional manufacturing technologies, such as:

The second stack

Stacked micropores

Interwoven micropores

Buried hole

Plated through-hole

Laser drilling

Why is high-density board crucial for medical technology?

Medical device manufacturers must meet the highest standards, which means they consume the best HDI technology currently available. There is also the issue of quality of life - the less invasive the device is, the earlier the patient will use it.

When you see implants, the most obvious is the demand for cutting-edge technology in the design of medical electronic devices. For example, pacemakers require small size, light weight, and reliability. High speed transmission in medical PCBs is an ideal medical device, where device response time can mean life or death.

The demand for smaller circuit boards and better performance has led to the emergence of medical PCBs, allowing for more components to be placed on each side of the original circuit board. Designers are able to utilize increased I/O in a smaller space. The signal transmission speed is faster and the signal loss is less.

The design and manufacturing of medical PCBs are more challenging and costly, but the cost is usually worth it. Medical PCB assembly typically requires HDI technology, even if the cost of each board increases.

Medical PCB restrictions

Every technology has its limitations, and medical PCB technology is no exception.

For most medical device manufacturers, the biggest limitation of HDI technology is its cost.

Manufacturing HDI boards requires expensive equipment and specialized knowledge, which not every board manufacturer possesses. The output is lower because each circuit board requires more time to build. The multi-layer requirements of circuit boards are constructed using the correct data to achieve the expected results.

This technology is relatively new and rapidly developing, so the situation from last year may no longer be applicable this year. You also need to figure out which of the six variants is most suitable for your device - this is a daunting task without internal experts.

Medical PCB: Want or Need?

Compared to standardized PCB boards, what we can do with medical boards today seems magical, especially those PCB boards that have been around for a long time. But this magic requires careful design and manufacturing, so your product is not just smoke swirling.

If you and your manufacturing partners can separate the correct medical PCB circuit board from the correct application, you will ultimately achieve smaller and more efficient circuit boards. The peace of mind brought to patients will be more worthwhile than the increased costs.