A guide to PCB card guides, ejectors and pullers

Read time: 8 minutes | Published on: 29 April 2022

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Protecting your PCB designs

PCB installations and removal can cause stress and bending strain to boards, components and connectors. Once installed, the vibration from the application can create more problems. To counter these issues, card guides, card extractors and card pullers are used to ensure the PCB performs as intended, in typical applications such as electrical cabinets, consumer electronics and telecoms.

This article will cover:

PCB card guides

These mount circuit boards into limited spaces, such as the chassis in PCB card racks. The purpose of a PCB guide includes some or all of these elements:

Save space
Prevent the circuit board from bending
Provide the circuit board with stability
Protect against shock and vibration

PCB card ejector

This is known by several names: circuit board extractor, circuit card puller and PCB inserter, although they are not exactly the same, despite their similarities in function. A PCB ejector relieves stress to the PCB and its connectors and cables by easing removal of the board from tight spaces.

It’s mounted onto the circuit board as shown here. The handle enables the user to avoid the circuitry and pull out the board. The handle acts as a PCB ejector lever, using mechanical force against the guide rack or chassis.

PCB puller

A PCB puller mounts on the PCB. It has curved tabs with fingertip grips that enable you to manually and simply insert or remove the board safely from rails or racks. A puller is used when you’re dealing with what would otherwise be a difficult insertion or extraction. This usually means a densely packed area or large PCBs and tight-gripping multi-pin edge connectors.

Mounting methods

The PCB card guide you choose will depend on the circuit board’s mounting direction in your application. You’ll use either vertical mount PCB card guides or horizontal configurations. But how do you mount them?

That depends on the card guide you choose. The example here shows a push-fit horizontal guard guide. The guide is pushed through fixing holes and snapped into place. Push-fit is probably the most common mounting method for its security and convenience.

Some card guides rely on circuit board mounting screws while still others have adhesive backing.

Types

Below are the different types of card guides, extractors, and pullers, along with their unique attributes for you to compare, and what need each fulfils. You can also learn about the other PCB components you’ll need in our Ultimate guide to PCB hardware.

PCB card guide: horizontal, snap in

Deep channel for maximum PCB retention
Tension grips apply spring pressure to hold boards
Mounts circuit boards in tight spaces
Operating temperature range: -40°F to 266°F, polycarbonate, UL94 V-0

Use for: High vibration and shock applications

PCB card guide: horizontal, multi panel

Snap-in, push-fit mounting
Tension wings provide firm retention of PCB
Narrow width allows for higher density or optimum air flow
Available in:
- Nylon 6/6, -40°F to 194°F, UL94 V-2, and another nylon 6/6 style, up to 230°F, UL94 V-0
- Nylon 6, 32°F to 140°F, UL94 V-2
- PVC, 32°F to 122°F, UL94 V-0

Use for: Sturdy retention of multi PCBs

PCB card guide – vertical, locking

Snap-in for fast, easy installation
Locking tab securely holds the board in place
Tension guides mount into a square hole to prevent rotation
Operating temperature range: -40°F to 185°F, nylon 6/6, UL94 V-2

Use for: Easy installation

PCB card guide – vertical, non-locking

Hold PCB boards of any width vertically in place
Tension guides with double channel enables side-by-side mounting
Designed to allow board to easily slide in and out
Operating temperature range: -40°F to 185°F, nylon 6/6, UL94 V-2

Use for: Added stability for mounting wide PCBs or multiple boards

PCB card guides – horizontal, adjustable

Designed in three pieces to enable easy adjustments
End pieces snap into chassis mounting holes
Operating temperature range: 32°F to 122°F, PVC, UL94 V-0

Use for: Easy maintenance

PCB card guide – horizontal, double-tapered ends

Two tapered ends for quick and easy insertion of PCB from both sides
Side grips hold PCB in place
Hollow pin design eases insertion of the guide
Snaps into 2 panel holes
Available in:
- Nylon 6/6, -40°F to 185°F, UL94 V-2
- PVC, 32°F to 122°F, UL94 V-0
- ABS, 32°F to 140°F, UL94 HB

Use for: Supporting boards in tight spaces

PCB card guides – vertical, metal pin

Screw mounted
Secure, locking threaded metal pin holds PCBs in place
Pin easily engages and releases with a finger press
Tension guides support boards vertically in tight spaces
Includes mounting hardware
Operating temperature range: -4°F to 284°F, glass-filled nylon UL94 V-0

Use for: Secure PCB hold

PCB card ejectors

Leverage against guide rack or chassis ejects board
Prevents undue stresses and protects PCB’s components, circuitry and connectors
Available in nylon 6/6, -40°F to 194°F, UL94 V-2. Also in nylon 6/6, up to 185°F, UL94 V-2

Use for: Easy PCB removal

PCB card installers & extractors

Mounts directly onto the board, providing a handle for pulling the board without touching any of the circuitry
Acts as a lever to move the board out
Available in:
- Glass-filled nylon 6/6, operating temperature range: -22°F to 284°F, UL94 V-0
- Nylon 6/6, operating temperature range: -40°F to 194°F, UL94 V-2

Use for: Easy board installation and extraction from tight spaces

PCB card puller

Attaches to circuit board for ease of pulling out and pushing back into position
Curved tab for fingertip grip makes it easy to pull board out and push it back
Operating temperature range: -40°F to 185°F, nylon 6/6, UL94 V-2

Use for: Easy removal and replacement

Materials

Plastic PCB card guides, ejectors and pullers are perhaps more common than those made of metal. The benefit of plastics is their cost, light weight and for some, such as nylon, their strength-to-weight ratio. Plastics can also be modified. For instance, PVC doesn’t normally have good heat stability, but additives solve that problem.

Excellent materials for these applications include:

ABS: Tough, impact resistant with low shrink and high-dimensional stability. Good resistance to acids and bases.

Nylon 6: High tensile and impact strength. Withstands high temperatures and resists abrasions and chemicals, except for strong acids and bases. Nylon should not be used in humid environments, as it absorbs moisture over time.

Nylon 6/6: Excellent abrasion resistance and outstanding dimensional stability. Higher tensile strength and withstands higher temperatures than nylon 6. Better chemical resistance to acids than nylon 6.

Glass-filled nylon: High rigidity, mechanical strength, hardness and toughness. Outstanding dimensional stability and good fatigue strength and chemical resistance.

Polycarbonate (PC): Strong and tough with excellent impact resistance. Good dimensional stability and heat resistance. Resistant to mineral acids, many organic acids, oxidizing and reducing agents, neutral and acid salt solutions.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Excellent electrical insulation properties. Dense with good impact strength and very good tensile strength. Resists chemicals and alkalis.

You can learn about board materials in our guide Your PCB substrate: a guide to materials.

At a glance: Materials

It’s worth repeating that plastics can be modified with additives to achieve the characteristics you want. For example, nylon degrades over time when exposed to UV light. By adding carbon black, you can reduce degradation from sunlight.

	ABS	Nylon 6	Nylon 6/6	GF nylon	PC	PVC
Electrical insulation	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good	Excellent
Acids & alkalis resistance	Poor—Good	Poor—Good	Poor—Good	Poor—Good	Good	Good
Aromatic hydrocarbons resistance	Poor	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Poor	Poor
Dimensional stability	Excellent	Poor	Poor	Good	Very good	Good (with annealing)
Tensile strength	Excellent	Good	Good	Excellent		Excellent
Impact resistance	Good	Good	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Heat resistance	Good (with additives)	Good (excellent with additives)	Good (excellent with additives)	Very good	Excellent	Good (with additives)

Download free CADs and try before you buy

Free CADs are available for most solutions, which you can download. You can also request free samples to make sure you’ve chosen exactly what you need. If you’re not quite sure which solution will work best for your application, our experts are always happy to advise you.

Whatever your requirements, you can depend on fast despatch. Request your free samples or download free CADs now.

Questions?

Email us at sales@essentracomponents.com or speak to one of our experts for further information on the ideal solution for your application 800-847-0486.