The technological revolution of the past couple decades has changed the face of modern life dramatically. It wasn’t that long ago that wireless communications meant large walkie talkies, not sleek handheld smart phones. As recently as the 1970’s, a room full of computers at NASA didn’t have the computing power of today’s personal computers.

All this technological innovation has been built on the backs of increasingly sophisticated printed circuit boards (PCB). Simply put, PCBs are flat ceramic pieces on to which patterns that connect circuits are are etched, or silk screened, with a conductive material. These electronic highways and byways form the nerve center of almost every piece of electronic equipment since World War 2.

Although modern printed circuit technology was first developed in England 1936 for use in radios, it truly came of age during the Second World War when it was used in proximity fuse devices. The technology proved useful in these explosive devices because it was tough enough to withstand a great deal of shock.

Advances in PCB manufacturing have streamlined the electronic design process and put powerful technological devices in the hands of millions of ordinary people. It’s virtually guaranteed that the next generation of smart electronics will be built on PCBs.