-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Book Excerpt: Producing the Perfect Data Package
June 3, 2020 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Mark Thompson's I-Connect007 eBook The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... Producing the Perfect Data Package. Mark is in engineering support at Prototron Circuits and a Design007 columnist.
Chapter 1: Identifying Product Board Class and Pre-Quote Software
Deciding upon the class of the final product will determine what files are needed for fabrication and assembly. It is critical to note that for a product to be built to any class level, it must be designed to that class level from its inception.
STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS
Let’s review the various PCB classes as defined by IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries. IPC is the trade association for the electronics industry that provides standards, training and certification, market research, education, and public policy advocacy to support all facets of the industry, including design, PCB manufacturing, and electronics assembly.
First, understand that IPC has different specifications depending on the PCB type. This book will address rigid and rigid-flex PCBs. The industry standards for these PCB types are:
• IPC-6012: Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards
• IPC-6013: Qualification and Performance Specification for Flexible Printed Boards
• IPC-6018: Qualification & Performance Specification for High Frequency (Microwave) Printed Boards
• IPC-6012DS: Space and Military Avionics Applications Addendum to IPC-6012D: Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards
There are three different board classes as defined by IPC-6012 and IPC-6013. The appropriate class will be defined by the criticality of the product the PCB will be integrated with.
CLASSES
• Class 1 is for “general electronic products” and is the lowest reliability class. Therefore, it requires the least amount of additional information in a fabrication package to meet product reliability. For instance, a Class 1 or Class 2 PCB does not require a netlist compare, whereas Class 3 and Class 3A do require it. Thus, for a Class 1 or Class 2 part, if IPC netlists and any instructions expressing the need for a net compare are not provided, a separate netlist file is not required in the output package.
• Class 2 is for “dedicated service products” and requires a little more information to be provided, as continued performance and extended life cycle are required. Uninterrupted service is not mandatory for Class 2 PCBs. It is important to note that while a Class 2 PCB does not require an IPC netlist be provided to do a design versus exported image data comparison, it is highly recommended as part of the output package.
• Class 3 is specified for the highest reliability and continued high performance in segments where equipment failure simply cannot be tolerated, such as the medical or aerospace industries. For IPC 6012 Class 3 an IPC netlist comparison is required. Netlists typically follow IPC-D-356, IPC-D-356A, or a Mentor neutral file. Other older forms of IPC netlists can be used if a fabricator has the ability to use raw computer-aided design (CAD) data, but by far the most common formats for fabrication are the three previously mentioned.
As a fabricator, we constantly see PCBs called out as IPC-6012 Class 3 that have not been designed to meet Class 3 requirements, such as minimum annular ring or clearance. If the PCB was not designed to meet Class 3 requirements, the fabricator does not have a chance to provide the customer with a Class 3 PCB.
To download your copy of Mark Thompson’s eBook The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... Producing the Perfect Data Package, click here.
To visit the I-Connect007 library and check out the entire lineup of free eBooks, click here.
Suggested Items
Altair Acquires Research in Flight, Forging a New Path for Aerodynamic Analysis
05/07/2024 | AltairAltair a global leader in computational intelligence, announced it has acquired Research in Flight, maker of FlightStream®, which provides computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a large footprint in the aerospace and defense sector and a growing presence in marine, energy, turbomachinery, and automotive applications.
Altair Acquires Research in Flight, Forging a New Path for Aerodynamic Analysis
05/03/2024 | AltairAltair a global leader in computational intelligence, announced it has acquired Research in Flight, maker of FlightStream®, which provides computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software with a large footprint in the aerospace and defense sector and a growing presence in marine, energy, turbomachinery, and automotive applications.
Boeing, GKN Aerospace Close Deal for St. Louis Site
04/29/2024 | BoeingBoeing has closed a deal with GKN Aerospace St. Louis and its parent company, Melrose Industries, to continue the manufacturing of critical components that support the U.S. government and its allies.
Cicor Records Solid Growth in Q1
04/16/2024 | CicorThe Cicor Group continued to grow in the first three months of the year. Quarterly sales increased by 11.8% to CHF 107.3 million compared to the first quarter of the previous year (Q1/2023: CHF 96.0 million).
TT Electronics Awarded Contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace
04/11/2024 | TT ElectronicsTT Electronics, a leading provider of global manufacturing solutions and engineered technologies, announced today that its Fairford UK business has been awarded a new contract with long-standing customer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (Kongsberg) for the production of complex cable harness solutions.