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5 Tips For Handling Printed Circuit Boards

by Sylvia Miller

Whether you are involved in a technologically heavy industry, or if you just like making or fixing your own electronics at home for fun, you probably find yourself handling printed circuit boards all the time. You could be worried about causing damage to them, which is a legitimate concern considering how fragile they can be. Luckily, following these tips will help you handle your printed circuit boards without causing damage.

1. Dress Properly

Before working with printed circuit boards, make sure that you are wearing rubber-soled shoes or boots. The rubber on the bottom of your footwear will help prevent static electricity, which could cause serious damage to your circuit boards. You should also put on gloves before handling printed circuit boards to help prevent static and other issues.

2. Keep High Humidity in Your Work Area

Whether you are working at home or on the job, make sure that your work area is as humid as possible. Dry air can make static electricity more common, which can damage your circuit board. Consider using a humidifier in your home or business work area to help keep the air from getting too dry.

3. Keep Static Generating Materials Away

Some items can generate static more than others. Make sure that you keep items like plastic and Styrofoam out of your work area, since they can cause static electricity.

4. Keep Circuit Boards in Their Protective Cases

Your circuit boards should have all come along with their own protective cases or bags. These protective shields are designed to combat static electricity and will also work to keep dust and other debris off of your circuit boards, which can help prevent future failure.

5. Handle by the Edges

Avoid touching any of the circuits on your circuit boards if at all possible. You could accidentally damage the circuits or leave oil from your hands behind, which could attract dirt and dust or could cause adhesion problems when you are installing your circuit boards. Instead, handle your circuit boards by the edges when you can.

As you can see, there are a few things that you can do to help prevent damage to your printed circuit boards when you are handling them. Make a point to follow these five tips, regardless of if you are working with printed circuit boards at home or on the job. Then, you can keep your printed circuit boards in good shape.

To learn more, contact a PCB manufacturer like Streamline Circuits

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