Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Elementary Mr. Watson: Closing the Gap Between Design and Manufacturing

Modern PCB designers are not merely engineers or technicians. I believe that PCB design, at its core, is an art form, and modern PCB designers should be considered artists. Beyond the technical calculations and engineering rules lies a creative process that involves vision, balance, and a passion for what we do. Like any artist who works with brush and canvas or chisel and stone, a PCB designer shapes invisible pathways that bring ideas to life. Each trace, layer, and component placement reflects thoughtful decisions that blend form, fit, and function. 

Like a sculptor with stone, they must respect the material's resistance. Our canvas is FR-4, copper, and glue, with our strokes being traces—carefully guided paths that carry power and purpose. Our vision is hidden beneath solder mask and silkscreen, yet it pulses with life, orchestrating machines, enabling systems, shaping the future, and improving people's lives. 

Like other artists, the designer is governed by constraints. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry captured this balance: "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." PCB designers, engineers, and artists share a mindset of thinking outside the box and having unrestrained visions of what can be. 

As  ECAD software has developed over the decades, a major problem is that a PCB designer's intent is not always possible to fabricate. I have seen a widening gap between what designers want to achieve and what fabricators can deliver. Essentially, software enables you to create anything. Fabrication reminds you what's real. 

ECAD tools have empowered designers to dream bigger and push boundaries in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. We are now witnessing brilliant electrical designs, but on the fabrication side, it's impossible or at least economically unfeasible. The software can simulate perfection, but the factory must contend with tolerances, materials, tool wear, and thermal dynamics. It's in this disagreement that projects stall, costs rise, and deadlines slip. Rather than more design power, we need tighter integration of fabrication expertise in the design process. 

At the center of the design world are two prizefighters. In one corner, there’s designer intent, which is fast, creative, and empowered by advanced ECAD tools. It moves with bold ideas: ultra-fine traces, stacked microvias, complex layer stacks executed with the swift precision of a few mouse clicks. In the other corner, there is fabrication capability, with steady, experienced, grounded in the physics of copper, drill bits, and thermal stress. They don't fight to win. They spar to understand each other. The designer throws innovation; fabrication responds with reality. One dreams, the other delivers. In the exchange, brilliant designs are born—not from dominance, but from balance.

This balance is best understood in Figure 1. What's best in these scenarios? That depends on your perspective. Designers may see success as pushing bold ideas into reality, while fabricators value smooth, reliable production. On the other hand, a challenge for one side might be a chance to improve for the other.

Quadrant I: Mismatch—Overdesigned, Underbuildable

The designer's intent is high, and the fabricator's capabilities are low. This is the "bridge too far" scenario, where designers push the boundaries of creativity and technical demands beyond what fabricators can reliably build. These ambitious designs often come with long requirement lists and a high risk of failure, leading to costly rework and wasted materials. Fabricators tend to avoid these projects, as they can harm yield, timelines, and reputation. On the other hand, designers often feel frustrated, believing that rigid manufacturing constraints limit their ability to innovate.

Closing this gap requires early collaboration, clear expectations, and DFM tools that offer real-time feedback. When designers understand fabrication limits and maintain open communication with manufacturers, they can identify problems and address them early on. A flexible, informed approach allows innovation to thrive while ensuring the design remains practical and buildable.

Quadrant II: Cutting Edge—Needs Coordination

The designer's intent is high, and the fabricator's capabilities are high. This is where ambitious PCB designs meet capable fabrication, but success depends on coordination. Designers push advanced features like HDI, microvias, and tight tolerances, while fabricators have the tools to build them. However, assumptions can be costly. Early collaboration on stackups, materials, and DFM rules is essential to avoid delays or rework. When both sides communicate clearly and work as partners, innovation becomes practical and manufacturable.

Quadrant III: Underutilized—Safe but Wasteful

Designer intent is low, and fabricator capabilities are low. This is a mismatch: the simple, conservative design clashes with the fabricator’s capacity for much more advanced work. This often occurs when designers adhere to outdated or overly cautious rules, either to avoid risk or because of a limited understanding of the fabricator's full capabilities. While the design is easy to produce and unlikely to fail, it misses opportunities for cost savings, size reduction, or performance improvements. This underutilizes the fabricator’s high-end equipment and processes, leading to inefficiency. Bridging this gap requires designers to stay current on manufacturing advances and to design confidently to the level that the fabricator can support.

Quadrant IV: Aligned—Optimal Fit

Designer intent is low, and fabricator capabilities are high. This represents the ideal partnership, where a moderate or straightforward design intent aligns with a high fabrication capability. Designers create practical, well-optimized layouts that leverage advanced manufacturing processes without introducing unnecessary complexity. Fabricators can produce these boards efficiently, with high quality and minimal risk, leading to faster turnaround times and lower costs. This represents a mature relationship founded on mutual understanding and respect for each other's strengths and limitations, yielding reliable, cost-effective products and a seamless transition from design to delivery.

Ultimately, the success of any PCB project hinges on alignment. When designers and fabricators understand each other's goals, constraints, and capabilities, excellent things happen. The matrix reminds us that innovation thrives in collaboration. By aiming for that ideal balance—where design intent and fabrication capability are in sync—we not only build better boards, we build stronger partnerships, more reliable products, and a more connected future.

John Watson is a professor at Palomar College, San Marcos, California.