3D Printing

3D Printed Mock Up Boards For Testing & Validation Services

With its custom 3D printer, ATS offers 3D printing for the testing and validation of mockup PCB boards. Early board designs and re-spins are often limited in quantity until the final design is approved and manufactured. 3D printed circuit boards allow the airflow and temperature testing and validation services to be performed on the prototype PCB. This allows ATS to start validating the board and its heat sinks without waiting for the final actual PCB to be shipped, saving valuable design time and avoiding expensive PCB spins.

Additionally, if this engagement is done at the conceptual stage, the prototype board can be tested in ATS’ water tunnel for optimum thermal layout. Where, such a layout is communicated to the design engineer for electrical feasibility. This process has saved many designs to avoid heat sink or other cooling solutions since the board’s layout has optimal system airflow for cooling of the components on the PCB. After the CAD files are provided by the customer, ATS is able to print an exact or scaled replica of the PCB for thermal evaluation and PCB layout optimization.