Military Grade PCBs
PCBs for rugged, mission-critical military and aerospace applications require design and manufacturing amalgamation so that they can meet the high-performance need of harsh environments, including extreme shock & vibration, High Temperatures (as low as -150 degree Celsius), Radiation tolerance, and Efficient Radio Frequency transmission without degradation. From in-flight entertainment devices & military-grade defense electronics to the components for various space missions, the A&D PCB-based equipment is everywhere.
Military-grade printed circuit boards are subjected to high pressure and stress throughout their life-span, which means they should be designed using high-temperature substrates like copper or aluminum. First and foremost task, a military-grade PCB should be able to perform is effective heat-dissipation.
The Aerospace & Defense industry uses various equipment & systems, which are expected to perform ceaselessly in extreme conditions. High quality PCBs are the vital elements for any electronic system for aerospace & defense manufacturers. Such PCBs are expected to produce high-quality end products along with continuous support to the customer.
Military-grade PCBs are used to manufacture accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones, torque & force sensors, and load cells, which are used in applications, say gas turbine engines & rocket motor combustion instability testers, cryogenic fuel pulsations, hydraulic pump evaluation, and helicopter health & usage monitoring (HUMS). These PCBs are also used for structural, vibration and flight testing of aircraft, as well as satellites for vibration, pyro shock, force limited vibration and acoustic stress testing. They can also be used in wind tunnels and to measure aircraft noise.
Equipment for gun & small arms ammunition testing, penetration shock recorders, impact testing, and rapidly fluctuating pressure & cavitation measurements also require specifically designed PCBs. A&D PCBs are manufactured considering AS9100 and ISO 9001 standards to meet aerospace environmental requirements.
Material & Surface Finish: Isola, Rogers, Polyimide, and FR-4, and Taconic are the most commonly used PCB materials for Aerospace & Defense Industry. HASL, ENIG, OSP, Immersion Silver, and Wire Bondable Soft Gold are used prominently for military-grade PCB finish.
Applications: These PCBs find usage in various electronic systems used in defense industry like Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAM), Command and Control Systems, Cyber counterintelligence systems, Automatic search Jamming Systems, Auxiliary Power Units, Signal Sensors, Electronic Warfare System, Radar, Phased array antennas, Direct broadcast satellites, Power backplanes, and GPS antennas.
