“Reducing Weight by 40% While Maintaining Robustness for Harsh Environment Operations”
Project Overview
Customer Background
A European UAV manufacturer specializing in industrial surveillance (identity protected) required a weight-optimized RF PCBA for their next-generation drone’s communication module, targeting multi-band operation (900MHz/2.4GHz/5.8GHz). The legacy design’s excessive weight (120g) limited flight time, while inadequate environmental protection caused failures in marine operations.
Technical Challenges
The existing FR4-based 6-layer PCBA (120g, IP54) suffered from:
? Excessive Weight:
- Thick copper layers (2oz) and unnecessary grounding planes
- Bulky 0805/0603 passives limiting miniaturization
? Environmental Weaknesses:
- Corrosion in salty/coastal environments (72h salt spray test failures per MIL-STD-810G)
- Humidity-induced delamination at high-altitude operations
? Inefficient RF Performance:
- Insertion loss spikes (±0.8dB) due to improper microvia transitions
- Limited assembly density preventing PoP (Package-on-Package) integration
KKPCB’s Weight-Saving & High-Reliability Solution
1. Advanced Material & Stackup
- Core Material: Aluminum substrate (AI 6061) + Low-loss PTFE hybrid build-up:
- Dielectric Constant (εr): 3.4 ±0.05 @ 6GHz
- Thermal Conductivity: 2.2 W/m·K (3× better than FR4)
- Blind/Buried Vias: HDI 1+n+1 stackup, reducing layer count vs. conventional 6-layer
- Final Weight: 72g (40% reduction)
2. IP67 Environmental Protection
- Parylene-based Conformal Coating:
- Salt Spray Resistance (MIL-STD-810G): 500h no corrosion
- Humidity Resistance: 95% RH @ 85°C, 1000h stable
- Corrosion-Resistant ENIG Finish (Au: 0.08μm, Ni: 4μm)
3. High-Density Assembly (0402 + PoP)
- Micro-SMT Components: 0402 passives vs. legacy 0603
- 3D PoP Integration: RF SoC + Memory stacked assembly, saving 15% PCB area
- Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) optimized for tiny components
Performance Results
✈ Operational Improvements:
- 22% Increase in UAV Flight Time (from 45 to 55 mins with same battery)
- 18% Lower BOM Cost (via optimized material selection & miniaturization)
? RF Performance:
- Insertion Loss Variance: <0.3dB across bands
- VSWR: <1.5:1 at all three communication bands
? Reliability:
- 50G Shock / 10-500Hz Vibration Test Passed (DO-160G)
- Thermal Cycling (-40°C ↔ +85°C): 500 cycles with no failure
Why KKPCB for UAV Electronics?
✅ Lightweighting Experts: RF + Power PCBAs under 100g
✅ Harsh-Environment Specialization: IP67 / MIL-STD-810G qualified
✅ High-Density Assembly: 01005, PoP, uBGA experience
Need a Lighter, Tougher PCBA for Drones?
Contact our UAV solutions team:
? sales@kkpcb.com | ? www.kkpcb.com/uav
