Printed wiring board is a traditional term for a bare circuit board before any components are attached. It emphasizes the board's role as a fixed wiring matrix. The term is heavily used in military, aerospace and older IPC standards to strictly differentiate the bare fabrication from the final assembly.
Heard on the job
We've a lot of 500 PWBs coming in from the fabricator tomorrow morning.
Also heard as
- bare board
Do not mix it up with
- PCA: PWB is the bare board, while PWA is the board after components are soldered on.
Related terms
PCB
Printed Circuit Board, the physical fiberglass and copper substrate that holds and connects components.
PCA
Printed Circuit Assembly, a board that has all its components soldered on.
Bare board
A manufactured printed circuit board before any components are soldered onto it.
IPC class
Reliability class 1, 2 or 3 under IPC standards, setting the acceptance criteria a board is built to.