Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

Printed Circuit Board
The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is a mechanical device used to electrically connect and hold
electronic components. The technical textile used in the manufacture of printed circuit board is the
woven glass fibre fabric which is used as reinforcement along with the epoxy resin. The glass fibre
impregnated resin called ‘prepregs’ is used to bind the copper foils to give copper laminated boards,
called laminates. These laminates are further cut into various sizes based on the requirement.
Product characteristics
The glass fabric used affects the performance of final electronic circuitry built on the PCB. The “fibre
weave effect” or FWE is one of the central issues associated with the influence of the glass
reinforcement fibre on the electrical performance of the PCB.
The glass fabric used for PCB is generally Style 1080 however there are various styles specified by
IPC. The standard construction of this style of fabric involves 60 yarns per inch in the warp or
machine direction and 47 yearns per inch in the weft or cross-machine direction. The thickness of the
fabric is typically, 2.1mil (0.053mm).
The desired properties of the glass fabric required for PCB applications are as follows:
1. Dimensional stability
2. Surface smoothness
3. Ability to withstand laser and mechanical drilling
4. Superior conductive anodic filament (CAF) resistance
5. Uniform dielectric constant (generally in range of 6.6-6.9)
6. Lower dissipation factor (0.006)
7. Reduced signal skew and improved signal integrity
Market dynamics and key growth drivers
The PCB industry and hence the demand of glass reinforcement fabric is primarily driven by growth
in the Electronic goods industries which includes computers and allied equipment, consumer
durables, mobile phones, calculators etc. The growth production of electronic goods in India (value
terms) as collated by Electronic Industry Association of India (ELCINA), during the last 5 years has
been 13%, of which computer desktops and laptops was at 29% , communication and broadcasting
equipment at 13%, consumer electronics at 8% and industrial and others at 15%.