Investigation: Designing Printed Circuit Boards for Mini-Satellite Manufacturing
In the rapidly expanding CubeSat market, Tiger Innovations has found a reliable partner in Sierra Circuits. With a focus on high-quality PCBs, Sierra Circuits guarantees the quality of Tiger Innovations' CubeSat projects, meeting tight production and delivery milestones.
CubeSat PCB design for space requires stringent standards to ensure performance and longevity in the harsh space environment. These standards include the use of NASA-approved low-outgassing materials, adherence to IPC Class 3 mechanical reliability standards, radiation and thermal simulation-based design, and rigorous component selection and testing.
The use of low-outgassing materials is crucial in preventing contamination in the vacuum of space, which can degrade sensitive optics or electronics. IPC Class 3 standards ensure mechanical robustness, with strict requirements like minimum annular ring sizes, tear-dropped via pads, and thicker copper layers to withstand thermal cycling, vibration, and mechanical shocks typical of launch and orbit.
Radiation hardening and simulation are employed to optimize shielding, enclosure thickness, and PCB layout, ensuring components and traces withstand cosmic radiation and maintain signal/power integrity. Thermal management is also critical, with thermal simulation and proper power system design critical to maintain stable operation despite large temperature fluctuations in space.
Component and material selection are equally important, with materials requiring adequate thermal and electrical properties, compatibility with space-grade solar cells and power systems, and the ability to endure vacuum and temperature extremes. The use of space-qualified components is common in CubeSat PCB designs.
CubeSat PCBs integrate sensors, onboard computers, and supporting components that must be tested rigorously for operation in low pressure, radiation, and thermal extremes.
Sierra Circuits' Turnkey Pro online platform simplifies the process of procuring PCBs, allowing users to submit a board design, select a turnaround time, have it checked by Sierra's electrical engineering experts, and receive the PCBs before the deadline. This fast turnaround time is vital for meeting the tight project timelines in the CubeSat market.
The lifespan of a CubeSat in orbit varies, with a duration of 4 to 25 years depending on the altitude of orbit it was launched into. Sierra Circuits' Turnkey Pro service provides exact boards for each component of the CubeSat, eliminating the need for returns or over-provision.
The CubeSat market requires companies to deliver cradle-to-grave services from design to manufacturing to in-space operations, with a focus on creating efficiencies to operate on slim margins. Sierra Circuits' PCB manufacturing process allows for efficiencies throughout the CubeSat design, manufacturing, and in-space operations process.
Commercial interests are starting to see the benefits of low-altitude satellite networks for various applications such as GPS and aerial photography. The process of designing, manufacturing, testing, and assembling the circuit boards for CubeSats needs to be managed in conjunction with the larger manufacturing process and timed to deliver final boards at the exact right moment in time.
Carl Hooks, a senior electrical engineer with Tiger Innovations, orders the circuit boards from Sierra Circuits, a PCB manufacturing company in the Bay Area that specializes in quick turn and medium production runs. The partnership between Tiger Innovations and Sierra Circuits enables Tiger Innovations to never have to turn down work due to PCB turnaround, a critical benefit that allows them to gain market share in the growing CubeSat market.
In summary, the CubeSat market presents opportunities for companies like Tiger Innovations that can provide quality services and meet tight timelines. Sierra Circuits' PCB manufacturing process and Turnkey Pro online platform are key enablers for Tiger Innovations to deliver high-quality, space-grade PCBs, ensuring the success of their CubeSat projects.
- The high-quality PCBs provided by Sierra Circuits are crucial for small-business entrepreneurship in the CubeSat market, as they adhere to data-and-cloud-computing standards that require radiation hardening, thermal management, and the use of space-qualified components for space-grade electronics.
- Technology plays a significant role in Tiger Innovations' ability to meet tight project timelines, with Sierra Circuits' Turnkey Pro platform offering a streamlined process for procuring high-quality PCBs, ensuring business continuity and enabling growth in the competitive CubeSat market.
- The partnership between Tiger Innovations and Sierra Circuits is a testament to the intersection of finance and entrepreneurship, as it allows Tiger Innovations to invest in the latest technology and data-and-cloud-computing solutions while maintaining an edge in the rapidly expanding small-business sector of the CubeSat market.
