Material Composition | Industrial Robotics, High-Temp Devices | Industry: FR-4 (Tg 130°C, UL 746C) Base: FR-4 (Tg 140°C ▲) Advanced: FR-4 (Tg 155°C ▲▲) | Advanced tiers withstand higher thermal stress (e.g., 155°C for industrial drones) | Advanced material increases cost by ~20% due to reinforced layers |
Surface Finish | Consumer Toys, Medical Devices | Industry: HASL (35µm lead, IPC-4552) Base: Lead-free HASL (30µm ▲, RoHS) Advanced: ENIG (3µm Ni + 0.05µm Au ▲▲) | Advanced offers RoHS compliance and superior solderability for medical-grade use | ENIG adds ~30% cost for advanced anti-corrosion properties |
Component Density | Compact Drones, Wearables | Industry: 150 components/in² Base: 200 components/in² ▲ (microvia tech) Advanced: 250 components/in² ▲▲ | Base reduces form factor by 20%; Advanced enables ultra-compact designs (e.g., VR headsets) | Higher density complicates repair and increases assembly costs (~15%) |
Connector Types/Count | IoT Sensors, Modular Systems | Industry: 1 header connector Base: 2 connectors (header + USB ▲) Advanced: 3 connectors (header/USB/I2C ▲▲) | Advanced supports multi-protocol connectivity (e.g., I2C for sensor arrays) | Additional connectors add ~$2/unit to BOM cost |
Thermal Management | High-Performance GPUs, Server Boards | Industry: Natural convection Base: 5 thermal vias/in² ▲ Advanced: 10 vias + heat sinks ▲▲ | Advanced reduces hotspot temps by 15°C (ideal for gaming drones) | Heat sinks add 2mm thickness and ~$5/unit |
Customization Flexibility | Custom Electronics, Prototyping | Industry: Fixed layouts Base: Component swaps ▲ Advanced: Full layout redesign ▲▲ | Advanced enables tailored PCBs for niche applications (e.g., LiDAR modules) | Custom layouts require 30% longer lead times and NRE fees |