Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
Beyond Design: High-speed Rules of Thumb
Global PCB Connections: A Technical Overview of Long-flex Printed Circuit Boards
It’s Not Your Father’s DFM Anymore
September 28, 2017 | Pat McGoff, MentorEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Trivia question for you: What was the first design for manufacturing (DFM) tool used in the PCB industry? Answer: The eye loop.
Yes, back in the day when design organizations sent actual photoplotted films of their PCB design to the bareboard fabricator, the fabricator would put the received films on a light table and measure feature sizes for line widths, spacing between features and annular ring using an eye loop with a reticle etched onto the glass lens. If the features were beyond the capabilities of the fabricator, the job would be declined and the customer notified. If the film had extraneous features they would be removed with an Exacto knife. Voids would be filled in using a black marker.
Simpler times, then. Ten mil lines and spaces and double-sided PCBs were the norm. Manual DFM was feasible.
Needless to say, our industry has advanced in technology since those days. We have PCBs that exceed 64 layers, build-up technology with laser-formed stacked and staggered microvias, embedded devices, and complex rigid-flex circuits. And our design, fabrication, and assembly processes morphed into the new global economy, and in many cases, outsourced and off-shored.
So, what does DFM look like today? Well, for one, it’s become more than DFM. We now expect our software tools to serve us more completely to take new designs to market. DFM has evolved to become an integral part of new product introductions (NPI). Today’s NPI software spans design and manufacturing to accelerate the optimization of a PCB for manufacturing. It looks at the entire design-to-manufacturing release process and deliverables, then streamlines them.
Engineers at best-practice companies use NPI software to help identify ways to optimize their design during the initial release process, with a holistic view of their bareboard fabricators’ and assembly suppliers’ capabilities. It’s not simply a matter of catching mistakes these days. It’s about understanding the various challenges and limitations involved in the chosen manufacturing processes and then empowering the product owner to make the trade-off decisions that best serve their objectives.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the September 2017 issue of The PCB Design Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Koh Young Honored by Foxconn with 2024 Digital Ecosystem Partner Award
11/26/2024 | Koh YoungKoh Young Technology, the global leader in True 3D measurement-based inspection solutions, is proud to announce that Foxconn honored us on November 15, 2024, with its prestigious 2024 Digital Ecosystem Partner Award.
NEOTech Significantly Improves Wire Bond Pull Test Process
11/25/2024 | NEOTechNEOTech, a leading provider of electronic manufacturing services (EMS), design engineering, and supply chain solutions in the high-tech industrial, medical device, and aerospace/defense markets, proudly announces a major advancement in its wire bond pull testing process, reducing manufacturing cycle time by more than 60% while maintaining industry-leading production yields of over 99.99%.
HANZA Wins New Customer in Germany
11/25/2024 | HANZAHANZA AB, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, continues to secure new business, and has entered a manufacturing partnership with a leading German company specializing in advanced measurement equipment for mechanical components.
Standard of Excellence: Hiring for Quality Positions in Manufacturing, Engineering, and Management
11/26/2024 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceIn continuing my series on finding, signing, and keeping good people for your company, this month we discuss hiring good people for your quality department. Even when hiring was easier, hiring for the quality department has always been especially challenging. It takes a special kind of person: someone with attention to detail, someone ready to stand for his or her convictions, and someone who can stand up under pressure when the company needs to ship product and the quality manager refuses to because it is not up to par. The quality department is the very soul of any manufacturing company.
China Overtakes Germany and Japan in Robot Density
11/22/2024 | IFRChina's adoption of robots continues at a rapid pace: The country has surpassed Germany and Japan in the ratio of robots to factory workers, taking third place in the world in 2023.