Key Design Guidelines for Aviation & Aerospace PCBs: Reliability, Performance, and Compliance

Nov 04,2019

Aerospace and aviation electronics have to withstand extreme conditions in the outer space. Thus, they require special construction and designs than regular commercial PCBs. Designers and manufacturers of these PCBs have to keep several things in mind when designing them. The previous post focused on the challenges faced by these PCBs, and a few important design considerations to overcome them. This final part of the post will discuss a few more important design factors to consider while designing PCBs.

A Few Vital Design Considerations to Improve Reliability of Aerospace and Aviation PCBs.

The following are a few important things that PCB designers have to keep in mind while designing PCBs for aerospace and aviation applications.

• Use the Right Tolerances:

  Tolerances are one of the important deciding factors while designing the PCBs. It is important to ensure that the PCBs are designed with the right tolerances and have adequate clearances, drilled holes, and spacing. Components on these PCBs must be set at 20 thousandths of an inch from the surface of the board to enable better heat dissipation.

• Ensure if the Right Soldering is Used:

  PCBs that are regularly exposed to vibrations and shocks require strong soldering to keep components in place. Hence, it is important to ensure that the soldering is used. Sometimes, PCB manufacturers may also use pins to keep these components in place.

• Follow Industry Standards for PCB Manufacturing:

  All PCB designers and manufacturers have to keep certain standards in mind when designing PCBs for aerospace and aviation applications. Some important standards include ISO 9100, AS9100D QMS by FAA, and so on.

• Perform Rigorous Testing Before Shipping:

  All types of industrial electronics are subjected to testing, but aerospace and aviation PCBs need rigorous testing in special environments. Most manufacturers have built their own vacuum zones to test their PCBs at negative temperatures. If designing PCBs for geostationary satellites or low orbit satellites, then they have to perform extreme temperature tests to ensure the reliability of the PCB.

By following these guidelines, PCB designers and engineers can easily avoid designing and manufacturing mistakes that may affect the functioning of PCBs. If you plan to buy these aerospace and aviation PCBs, it is important that you outsource them from reliable manufacturers such as Creative Hi-Tech. The company provides PCBs for use in aerospace and aviation applications such as radio communication systems, auxiliary power units (APU), radar and monitoring systems, LED lighting systems, and so on.