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DFM 101: Final Finish Design Guidelines
April 12, 2023 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsEstimated reading time: Less than a minute

Introduction
One of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. There are many design considerations that need to be factored into any decision of which final finish to select for a particular application. We will cover these in this final installment of final finish DFM.
Final Finish Design Guidelines
Shelf Life
The shelf lives shown in Table 1 assume that the materials have been stored in the original unopened package under conditions of 68° to 77°F (20-25°C) and < 50% RH.
Table 1: Final finishes and corresponding shelf lives.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the March 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
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Tim’s Takeaways: Take It From Scotty, Simple Really is Better
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