From PCB Design to PCB Fabrication

Too often the information en-route from PCB Design to PCB Fabrication is not conveyed properly, resulting in poor boards, higher costs, design re-spins, and ultimately slower product time-to-market. However, these problems can be avoided through careful planning, thorough communication, and proper documentation from the design-end.

A simple view of a typical product cycle from PCB Design to PCB Fabrication is shown below.

At Electronic Interconnect, at the Prototype Fabrication stage, we have seen a plethora of issues which could have been avoided if the Design Engineer had only provided the correct documentation and data for manufacturing the PCB. Some of the main issues are highlighted in the red box above. Overall, going back to the Design Engineer for documents, such as a dimensional drawing of the PCB, result in loss of time and money for all parties involved. Major issues which cause slowdown at the Prototype stage occur after a design-for-manufacturing check finds errors which will impede moving forward due to technology constraints; this is to say when no such constraints were intentionally added by the Design Engineer. For example, small annular rings around Vias, exceptionally thin trace widths and spacings, or antennas and electrical shorts, missing layers, missing drawings and notes; these issues will halt all operations in the engineering department before going to the plant floor. This will, in-turn, mean that the Design Engineer will have to go through each of these issues and either provide waivers to continue as-is, or a new set of fixed data.

In conclusion, valuable time can be saved with a concentrated effort at the design stage to provide proper documentation and cleaner data for efficient PCB fabrication!

For any questions, including DRC/DFM reviews, visit www.eiconnect.com

Electronic Interconnect - Engineering Student Program

At Electronic Interconnect we value our engineering students, because they are the future for engineering advances.

Our Engineering Student Program Features:

1. Projects sponsorship
2. PCB Standard Spec for ONLY $25.00 Each
3. PCB standard Spec for ONLY $2.50 Per Square Inch
4. PCB Layout Software
5. PCB File Check [Free DRC]
6. Multilayer Zoom PCB orders

Find additional information at http://www.eiconnect.com/students_program.aspx

Contact Electronic Interconnect for sponsorship details!

LED Design On Metal-Core Printed Circuit Boards

We have all seen a recent boom in the lighting industry; LEDs are indeed illuminating the future. As you consider converting existing engineering designs, metal-core PCBs have the answer to manage the LEDs intense heat-output problems.

Contact us at design@eiconnect.com if you are interested in up-converting your single-sided FR-4 designs to Metal-Core based boards, or if you would like to start from scratch using this material.

Visit our website at www.eiconnect.com for PCB Fabrication and Ordering information.

Electroninc Interconnect Offers Customer Referal Reward Program

For Every New PCB Customer you Refer to Electronic Interconnect we will send you a $25 visa gift card.
Most of our new customers come to us via referral from our many satisfied customers.

We take that as a very high compliment, and we have made it a practice to show our appreciation by sending $25 visa gift card to those making the referrals.

Refer a new customer to us and after they have placed their first zoom order of amount more then $250.00, we will send you a $25 visa gift card.

See more PCB promotions and coupons.

PCB Product Selection Guide

The PCB product selection guide helps you in choosing the best solution for your printed circuit board needs. Electronic Interconnect offers thermal solutions in metal PCB as well as non-metal PCB.

Heavy copper or PLPCB - PowerLink Printed Circuit Boards

What is PLPCB technology

PLPCB (PowerLink Printed Circuit Boards) technology allows multiple copper weights on the PCB for the Buss Bar Application.

“PowerLink” is defined as the use of 2 or more copper weights on the same external layer of a printed wiring board.

• Use of multiple Copper weights
• In size reduction
• Protects circuit failure
• Reduce number of connectors
• Increased mechanical strength
• Higher current carrying capacity
• Use of high temperature dielectric

Production capabilities

Layer count: 1 - 25
Overall board thickness: 5 - 250 mil
Smallest drilled holes size: 6 mil

Copper weights
• Outer-layers: up to 50 doz/ft2  (3.12 lbs./ft2)
• Inner-layers: up to 8 oz/ft2, with standard processes & up to 90 oz w/special processing.

Dielectric Materials
• FR4, Polyimide, BT-epoxy, Cyanate, Ester, High Frequency laminates – other

LPI Solder-mask
• Green, Red, Black in semi-gloss.

Silkscreen Ink
• LPI White ink (5 mil or larger features)
• Available in : white, black or yellow (8 mil or greater)

Final Finishes
• Lead Free HASL Solder, HASL PbSn Solder, ENIG, OSP

Electrical testing
• Net listed (with fixture), flying probe(fixtureless)
• Insulation Resistance and HI-POT testing

Production Lot traceability on all parts

Unique manufacturing capabilities at Electronic interconnect:

• Multi-copper weights capabilities.
• Heavy / Extreme copper tracks and vias.
• Edge Plating & Plated Castellations

Printed Circuit Boards - IPC Netlist Comparison

Most PCB design software have the ability to export out not only Gerber data for fabrication, but also Netlist information. This Netlist is exported out in the popular IPC-365-A format.

Through our years of experience, we highly recommend asking your board-shop if they have the ability to compare your Gerber data with an IPC Netlist. This comparison ensures that the Gerber data matches the Netlist in your CAD software, avoiding any surprises that may have been caused through export issues or import issues from the fabrication shops CAM software. In the end, this provides an excellent reliability check so that corrections can be made and precious time is not wasted in extra design revisions.

Electronic Interconnect offers full IPC-365-A Netlist comparison support. For more information on PCB design visit our website.

Related article: IPC-1601, Standard on Handling, Packaging and Storage