The process of creating circuit boards began in the 1850s, before the invention of the car and the airplane. They were rough contraptions mounted on wood and used metal strips or rods to conduct electricity between electrical components. Printed circuit board manufacturing started out in this rough fashion and continued this way until 1925, when the first patent was filed that allowed for the conductive elements to be etched into the board and insulated over. Thus, the printed circuit board was born. In the 1950s is when printed circuit boards came into their own, for it was around this time that the first computers were being developed and people were beginning to invest in the creation of new technologies. It was at this time printed circuit boards found their way into the commercial realm. Printed circuit board manufacturing began to gain momentum as companies and manufactures were looking for electronic devices that were not so bulky and sluggish. They found printed circuit boards were just the thing they needed to help their companies. .

In the 1970s is when printed circuit board manufacturing began to reach its prime, creating printed circuit boards that were more compact and were able to increase the density of mounted components and lessen the space between electrical paths printed on the board. The manufacturing of printed circuit boards had come a long way since their primitive counterparts. Printed circuit board manufacturing today is one of the largest business in the world, with printed circuit boards found in almost any electronic device out there; from computers to cars, beepers and even the coffee maker in the kitchen. There are circuit boards everywhere, helping to make our world run more efficiently and with more speed. Printed circuit boards are becoming smaller every day, able to rest on the tip of a finger yet able to do more than the bulky computers that filled rooms in the mid twentieth century. It would be hard to imagine a world without printed circuit boards, they have come to take up a big part of our lives.

The future of printed circuit board manufacturing is bound to be filled with great leaps in manufacturing techniques and development. Circuit boards will most likely become smaller and more efficient, more powerful and able to do more work than anyone ever dreamed. With computer manufacturing on the rise, printed circuit board manufacturing will rise with it. Soon enough, printed circuit boards will be able to fit into the eraser of a pencil and will become more readily available as the manufacturing techniques used to create these boards will become more refined. The technology will become cleaner, as it is already with the banning of lead in the circuit board manufacturing process. Industries that will benefit more from the further development of printed circuit board manufacturing will most likely be the aerospace, military and medical industries, who’s technology must be efficient and cutting edge. However, exactly what the future holds for printed circuit boards, only time will tell.