What is the PCB Shelf Life? Extending the Life of PCBs
PCBs or Printed Circuit Boards are essential parts of electronic devices, often known as the backbone of such devices. This complex and flat sheet interconnects a range of wires and connections, allowing power to flow smoothly and enabling the device’s proper functioning. Given their vital role, having PCBs in appropriate working order is necessary. However, they also have an expiry date. Knowing the PCB shelf life is essential, just as it is vital to learn ways to extend it for long-lasting use of the product.
What is the typical PCB Shelf Life?
Numerous variables, including the materials chosen, the climate, and the particular application, influence the PCB shelf life. PCBs typically have an average lifespan of a few to ten years or longer when treated and kept correctly.
An essential factor in PCB shelf life is its strong immunity to humidity and temperature, which is why substances, including FR-4 epoxy glass, are commonly used to make them. Its longevity can be shortened by contact with dampness, high temperatures, and pollutants.
Delamination or electrical malfunctions might result from absorbed moisture. Thus, it’s critical to keep PCBs stored in a dry setting. Storage life may be increased with appropriate packing, like vacuum-sealed containers with drying agents
How Does PCB Shelf Life Vary?
A variation of factors influences PCB shelf life. Although environmental conditions, building materials, and their usage play the primary role, other factors are also at play. The following are primary factors that impact PCB shelf life.
Raw Materials: The life of PCBs depends on the components used in manufacture. PCBs containing superior materials and strong moisture resistance typically have extended lifespans. Lower-quality or less expensive substances could deteriorate quickly.
Surrounding Conditions: One crucial element is the storage conditions for PCBs. PCBs must be kept in a regulated space with consistent temperatures and humidity. Increased humidity or extreme temperatures can cause PCBs to absorb moisture and delaminate.
Finishing and Coatings: The Life of PCBs may be impacted by the finishing or treatment that is put on it. Specific therapies, such as immersion in gold or silver, provide superior durability against rust, increasing their shelf life. PCBs with poor or insufficient finishing might be prone to corrosion and deterioration.
Controlling and Packing: It is also important to consider the way PCBs are transported, stored, and packed. Static-resistant measures, suitable management methods, and packing that includes moisture-resistant substances and desiccates can all help shield PCBs from elements that might shorten their useful life.
Intended Usage: The expected function of the PCB might affect its lifespan. PCBs in essential high-reliability operations typically undergo more stringent inspection and production management, resulting in extended PCB shelf life. Consumer-grade PCBs might have lower longevity since they are meant for short-term usage.
Manufacturer’s Guidelines: Diverse PCB producers might establish unique longevity requirements according to their raw materials, production methods, and quality benchmarks. It is critical to adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines to extend PCB shelf life.
Importance of PCB Shelf Life
PCB shelf life is vital for a whole bunch of reasons, which we will be discussing in the following section:
Dependability: PCBs are the basis of electronics, so their reliable operation is critical. A PCB aged beyond its lifespan can experience problems like delamination, material deterioration, or electrical malfunctions. Maintaining the dependability of electrical devices requires ensuring an adequate PCB shelf life.
Cost-effectiveness: Producers may incur expenses due to costly fixes, upgrades, or cancellations brought on by the early failure of PCBs. Reducing these costs and increasing production effectiveness can be achieved by prolonging PCB shelf life with appropriate storage and transport procedures.
Security: Consumers’ security is crucial for instances where PCBs are used, like medical equipment, aircraft, and vehicle systems. Such devices’ operation and security may be jeopardized by PCB breakdowns brought on by insufficient shelf life, which might result in fatal circumstances.
Influence on Environment: PCBs are often found in e-waste. Shorter PCB shelf life and early disposal add to electronic trash, significantly impacting the surroundings. The ecological impact of disposing of electronics is lessened when the PCB lifespan is extended.
Reducing Downtime: Production interruptions and greater upkeep expenses might result from machinery breakdowns in manufacturing facilities caused by PCB breakdowns. Extended PCB shelf life translates into fewer unplanned malfunctions, which lowers downtime and boosts output efficiency.
Regulatory Adherence: Rules and norms governing many sectors mandate that producers guarantee the dependability and durability of their goods. Controlling PCB shelf life and performing periodic tests to confirm functionality are common ways to comply with these regulatory standards.
Can PCB Shelf Life be Extended?
Increasing PCBs’ shelf life through various techniques and procedures essential for guaranteeing electrical equipment’s dependability and durability is possible. The following are a few methods to increase PCB lifespan:
Consistent Examination: Regular electric or physical examinations can assist in identifying early indicators of harm or deterioration. This makes prompt remedial action possible.
Appropriate Storage: PCBs must be enclosed with regular moisture and temperature levels. Conditions that are dry and cold for storage help avoid the accumulation of moisture, which can cause splitting and other issues.
Antistatic Control: Using ESD-safe equipment or antistatic PCB control, electric shocks that could damage delicate components and deteriorate panels are less likely to occur.
High-quality Components: Selecting premium components for PCB assembly, such as coatings and bases, can significantly extend PCB shelf life. Improved immunity to corrosion is offered by long-lasting treatments such as immersing it in silver or gold coating.
Proper Packing: Using drying products and moisture barrier materials inside their packaging, PCBs can be shielded against external variables that might decrease their usefulness.
Follow Producer’s Guidelines: Because the vendor’s management and maintenance directions are specifically tailored for the particular characteristics of the board in question, it is essential to follow them.
Environment Screening: Evaluation of PCBs under challenging environments, like changing temperatures and moisture assessment, may assist in verifying how well they function and ensure the anticipated PCB shelf life is met.
Potential Dangers of Using Expired PCB
Using obsolete PCBs may lead to a variety of risks and challenges on several levels, such as the following:
Electric Downtime: Older PCBs with deteriorating parts, delamination, and increased impedance to current can sometimes or continuously produce electrical faults in electronic devices.
Reduced Durability: Expiring PCBs are especially prone to unplanned failure, endangering the power system’s general reliability and resulting in malfunctions or functional problems.
Protection Risks: In sectors where client protection is critical, such as medical equipment or automotive systems, expired PCBs may represent a severe risk to customers. This might lead to mishaps or disastrous incidents.
Raising Service Expenses: Older PCBs might have to be replaced or repaired more frequently, increasing maintenance expenses and causing delays in commercial and industrial environments.
Environmental Consequences: The untimely removal of outdated PCBs leads to electronic trash, which depletes resources and causes adverse effects on the natural world.
PCBs are crucial components, and it is vital to know their shelf life to prevent severe failure or even life-threatening occurrences.
