PCB Manufacturing FAQs

Start with a fabrication data package, drill and routing information, board outline, quantity and a revision identifier. Add a fabrication drawing covering layer order, material, finished thickness, copper, surface finish and critical tolerances. Include impedance and inspection requirements where relevant. Mark unresolved requirements as questions rather than silently leaving them to assumption.

Not by themselves in every case. Gerber describes fabrication layers; a Gerber job file can carry additional job information. A controlled drawing or specification should still resolve construction, tolerances and acceptance requirements that are not unambiguously defined in the supplied package. Ask which export format and associated files will be used for the build.

Do not rely on the newest filename to resolve a technical conflict. Identify the conflicting features, agree the governing document or a revised package, and record the decision in writing. A useful release manifest lists each approved file and revision. Any proposed departure from the requirement should be reviewed before it is used.

A component bill of materials is normally relevant to assembly or sourcing, not the definition of a bare-board fabrication job. For a bare PCB request, concentrate on fabrication and mechanical data. Include a BOM and assembly scope when the same project also needs component procurement, placement, programming or assembled-board testing.

Call out finished board thickness, material requirements, starting or finished copper as applicable, surface finish, hole and profile tolerances, controlled impedance, via treatment and acceptance criteria. Identify any customer-controlled details that may not be changed. Ask the quotation to identify remaining assumptions so both sides can review the same build definition.

Use the same revision and technical scope for every quantity tier. Ask for unit price, non-recurring charges, test or tooling costs, packing, freight, taxes where applicable and quote validity to be identified separately. A cheaper number is not directly comparable when the material, testing, delivery basis or included services differ.

State the approved grade when the design depends on a particular material. Otherwise, describe the electrical, thermal, mechanical and qualification requirements and request a proposed construction for review. Define whether alternatives are allowed and what evidence is needed. Do not treat a familiar family name as approval for every material sold within that family.

No: the copper specified before processing and the finished conductor requirement are different points in the manufacturing definition. Make clear which quantity your drawing controls, and ask the fabricator to confirm the resulting construction. Copper weight also affects achievable geometry, so the copper requirement and design-rule review should be considered together.

Describe the assembly process, component pitch, contact use, storage plan and any qualification restrictions before asking for a finish recommendation. Require the selected finish and any thickness or acceptance criteria to appear in the approved specification. Avoid changing a finish solely for price without reviewing its effect on the intended assembly or contact function.

Specify the target, tolerance, signal layer and reference structure for each controlled net group. Review the material and finished geometry with the fabricator, then agree the measurement and reporting scope. A nominal impedance value alone does not define a transmission line, and it does not identify which structures must be verified.

Define the permitted substitutions and required approval route before ordering. Where the design controls the material, dielectric spacing or layer arrangement, request written review of the proposed change and its consequences. A sourcing substitution should not automatically become an approved electrical or mechanical design change.

No. Feasibility depends on the construction and the fabricator’s qualified process. Ask for a rule set that matches the copper, layer build and hole technology of your project. A published minimum from another supplier is not a GlobalWellPCB capability commitment, nor is it necessarily an economical target for an entire board.

Distinguish plated-through holes (PTH) from non-plated holes (NPTH) in the drill information and fabrication drawing. Specify the finished size and tolerance where fit matters. Slots and cutouts also need clear geometry and plating intent; do not expect the presence or absence of a copper pad to resolve every ambiguous hole.

Not necessarily. State whether a dimension is a finished-hole requirement or a tool size. For plated features, processing changes the relationship between the two. A connector-fit requirement should therefore use an agreed finished dimension and tolerance rather than an assumed drill compensation. Avoid applying a different supplier’s compensation rule to your order.

Provide a via table identifying the connected layers, required finished geometry, plating or filling requirements and acceptance criteria for each via type. Include the proposed stackup. Ask for a feasibility review before locking the layout, and require any alternative via structure or process proposal to be approved against the design requirements.

No. Identify which pads contain vias and specify the required via treatment, surface condition and assembly constraints. Ask whether the proposed construction is suitable for the land pattern and assembly process. Do not leave filling, capping or exposed openings to inference from a drawing label; record the accepted construction explicitly.

Send the single-board design and identify any mandatory panel requirements. When a production panel is proposed, review the orientation, board spacing, rails, fiducials, tooling features and separation method as applicable. Confirm who supplies the final panel drawing and whether it is a release-controlled document, especially when assembly is also included.

Use unambiguous mechanical geometry and identify the required plating, tolerances and any critical mating surfaces. Keep the board outline consistent across outputs. Edge-copper and separation requirements depend on the chosen process, so route, score and connector-edge requirements should be reviewed together instead of inferred from a generic clearance rule.

A continuity and isolation test addresses unintended opens and shorts; it is not a transmission-line impedance measurement. Request impedance verification separately when required. Agree the method, structures, tolerances, sampling and report content. Similarly, a board can pass an electrical connectivity check without proving that the assembled product will function correctly.

No. A coupon is a separate, representative test structure associated with the manufactured panel. Specify how it represents the controlled structures and what results are required. A coupon report should not be described as a direct measurement of every routed product net or every connector transition.

Identify the applicable standard, revision, product class and any agreed addenda or drawing exceptions. IPC-A-600 addresses printed-board acceptability; do not use a generic “IPC compliant” note as a substitute for a defined acceptance plan. Referencing a standard does not itself establish a supplier’s certification or a product’s regulatory approval.

List the records needed for your application, such as electrical-test evidence, dimensional checks, impedance results, material documentation or agreed cross-section evaluation. Confirm their scope, sampling, traceability and availability in the quotation. Do not assume that every possible inspection or a full report package is automatically included with every order.

Ask the order acknowledgement to define the start conditions: approved data, resolved engineering questions, material readiness and commercial requirements as applicable. Quote preparation, technical approval, manufacturing and transit are separate stages. After release, request a documented impact review before changing files; cost and schedule depend on the work already committed.

For a repeat, confirm the approved revision, change history and whether construction or acceptance requirements have changed. For storage, obtain handling and storage instructions appropriate to the finish, packaging and planned assembly process. Do not assume that every finish has the same shelf life or that a visual check proves continued solderability.