Buying and ordering printed circuit board manufacturing

PCB fabrication is the process or method that converts the circuit board design into a physical structure based on the specifications provided in the design package. This physical manifestation is achieved through the following actions or techniques:

• Imaging of desired layout on copper coated laminates

• Etching or removing excess copper from internal layers to expose traces and pads

• Creating a stack of PCB layers by laminating (heating and pressing) board materials at high temperatures

• Holes for mounting holes, through hole pins and vents

• Etching or removing excess copper from surface layer(s) to expose traces and pads

• Plating of pin holes and through holes

• Adding a protective coating to the surface coating or solder

• Silk-print reference and polarity markers, logos or other markings on the surface

• If desired, a coating may be added to the surface copper areas

Now let’s see what this information means for PCB development.

The question can and probably should be asked: “Is it important to understand the PCB manufacturing process?” After all, PCB manufacturing is not a design activity, it is an outsourced activity performed by a contract manufacturer (CM). While it is true that fabrication is not a design job, it is done by strictly following the specifications that you provide to your CM.