The growing demand for high-quality materials for use in PCBs continues to grow day by day as our technology continues to evolve. Many brands have been developing materials and components for PCBs to meet this ever-growing demand. Among these brands is a notable name since the 50s, and it’s none other than the Rogers brand of PCB materials.
In this article, we’ll explore the Rogers PCB brand and discover the advantages of utilizing their high-frequency materials in your electronic projects and the like.
Rogers PCBs: Overview and Notable Applications
Before proceeding further into this discussion, let’s briefly overview Rogers PCB and learn about some of its well-known applications. Rogers is a brand specializing in developing PCBs made out of polytetrafluoroethylene that are renowned for their quality and performance. The brand has been operating for more than 60 years and Rogers continues to be the institute of creating top-notch and innovative PCB materials that have always provided fast yet reliable performance.
This PCB brand contains extensive coverage of niches that range from satellites to testing equipment; making their PCB materials almost universal in application. However, we’ll mention four notable applications where they tend to see frequent use:
1. Automotive Electronics and Accessories
Driver assistance systems and other in-vehicle connectivity functions all require the use of Rogers PCBs because these electronics rely heavily on high-performance PCBs as they enable key functions such as radar, GPS, navigator modules, and communication widgets inside vehicles of this era.
2. Aerospace, Military and Defense Equipment
The aerospace, military, and defense equipment all have stringent requirements as components are constantly under intense work environments; requiring resilient PCBs such as those made by Rogers. Examples of equipment from this niche that utilizes a Rogers PCB are avionics of various aircraft, military-grade computers, and radar systems.
3. Telecommunication Systems
One of the niches that utilizes the capabilities of a Rogers PCB is the telecommunication niche. Their low dielectric constant and dissipation factor ensure that communication signals and high-speed data transfer remain consistent. As a result, Rogers components have become a fundamental component to signal towers, satellites, and data networks.
4. Precision and Testing Instruments
Rogers PCBs also see a lot of usage in measuring equipment because their electrical properties are ideal for facilitating the accuracy and reliability of displayed results on the testing and measuring equipment. Testing and measuring equipment that contains this type of PCB tends to be oscilloscopes and other high-frequency measurement tools.
What are the perks of using Rogers High-Frequency Materials?
Now that we’re oriented on the Rogers PCB brand and know some of its applications, let’s move on to learning about the advantages of using the Rogers-made PCB parts. We’ll get to understand how these components can elevate the performance of your electrical configuration
1. Less Prone to Signal Distortion due to a low Dielectric Constant
The Rogers PCB materials can work in environments with signal interferences as they can preserve their signal transmission better than that of a traditional PCB. That’s because the materials have a low dielectric constant – between the ranges of 2.2 to 3.8, or in other words – the materials have a low capability of storing electrical energy within an electromagnetic field.
What this results in is that the electronics that utilize Rogers PCB materials are less susceptible to signal distortion and electrical loss. As a result, the materials are ideal for use in high-frequency applications ranging from signal towers, satellites, radars, and server hubs.
2. Efficient to use due to Low Dissipation Factor
Rogers PCB materials also sport a pretty low dissipation factor that averages around 0.0009 to 0.0003 at high frequencies. What this means is that the electronics that use Rogers PCB materials have stronger signal integrity and lessened power consumption, thus rendering devices to perform more efficiently and in the case of portable electronics, have a significantly longer battery lifespan.
3. Not Vulnerable to Dimension Warping
Another key trait that Rogers PCB materials have that makes them a superior choice for manufacturing PCBs is that they have low moisture absorption and low coefficient of thermal expansion. This means that the PCB materials aren’t prone to deformation or warping when exposed to different environmental conditions – whether it is exposure to a few drops of rainwater or extreme heat.
Since the PCBs aren’t prone to warping or distortion, this will ensure that they will maintain the integrity and stability of high-frequency circuits – which in turn maintains the consistent performance of a device or a circuit.
4. Made for Intense Workloads
The Rogers PCB has an immense mechanical strength which makes them ideal for work environments that are too intense for a traditional printed circuit board. Place the PCB inside industrial-grade or military-grade equipment and it will do its job smoothly even during heavy workloads for an extensive time.
If this intense workload was given to a traditional PCB board for comparison – it would either end up broken and require frequent replacement to maintain the equipment or the system’s functionality.
5. Better Heat Dissipation
Unlike traditional PCBs, Rogers PCBs are excellent conductors in electronic setups that use a lot of power or when used in dense circuit setups. Due to their better heat-dissipating properties, Rogers printed circuit boards can assist in prolonging the lifespan of devices, systems, or components despite the demanding working environment. On top of that, the devices or systems are less prone to overheating.
Rogers PCBs: High-Frequency Materials with High Quality
To sum up what we’ve covered – Rogers PCB is historically a brand known for its high-quality PCBs that have materials with desirable electrical properties. Those properties allow their PCBs to function even in the most intense work environments. As a result, their PCBs are sought out by many electronic manufacturers and different institutions as they provide hefty amounts of electrical performance despite consuming less energy.
These PCBs may require investment; but if you want your electrical designs and prototypes to last, consider using a Rogers PCB on your devices and circuits.
