What is the definition of PCB process? Next, I will explain the definition of PCB process. This article will describe the PCB manufacturing process and the requirements for manufacturers. Depending on the manufacturer’s qualifications or constraints, they may be grouped under a category called “processes”. These categories are determined primarily on the basis of cost. The higher the process level, the higher the cost. Process categories help designers control costs by limiting design.

The following sections explain the differences between the different processes, define the manufacturing constraints, and go into detail about each process, especially the traditional process and how the designer writes manufacturing notes and instructions for each step.

The designer’s manufacturing notes can be a collection of text-based notes attached to A PCB data file (such as a Gerber file or some other data file), or they can be provided by the PCB diagram itself, which communicates the designer’s requirements and details the manufacturing process. Making comments is one of the most ambiguous and confusing parts of the PCB process. Many designers don’t know how to identify these comments or what to identify. This is made more difficult by the varying manufacturing capabilities of manufacturers and the lack of relevant guidelines. The designer must ask several questions and understand the production process before instructing the manufacturer on how to produce.

So why comment? Comments are made not to restrict manufacturers but to provide consistency and a starting point that is crucial when trying to adjust certain values. The values mentioned in this paper are based on conventional processes.

So what is craft? Craft is the knowledge of how to create, manufacture, or perform some goal or function. In PCB design, the term process refers not only to the process data category, but also to the capabilities of the manufacturer. These data are based on the performance of the manufacturer’s equipment and the overall design process.

The three control points are etCH, Drill and registration. Other properties also affect the whole process category, but these three points are the most important.

Previously, there were no clear rules for these processes. For fear of driving customers away or revealing too much information to competitors, manufacturers were not enthusiastic about developing such process categories, and there was no organization or group to record and organize the data. Therefore, with the development of PCB industry, gradually formed a process category specification, divided into the following four process categories: conventional, advanced leading and the most advanced. As the process is upgraded, the data is constantly updated, so the specification of the process category changes. The categories of processes and their usual definitions are as follows:

The minimum and most common grades of the ——– process are generally defined as 0.006 in. /0.006 in. (6/6mil) minimum wire/spacing, 0.012 in. (0.3048cm) minimum drilled hole, and a maximum of 8-10 PCB layers, provided that 0.5 ounce of copper foil is used.

Advanced process ——- stage 2 of the process, which has a process limit of 5/5mil, a minimum of 0.008 in. (0.2032com) drilled hole, and a maximum of 15-20 PCB layers.

The leading process ——– is basically the highest manufacturing level commonly used, with process limits of approximately 2/2mil, a minimum completion hole size of 0.006 in. (0.1524cm), and a maximum number of PCB layers of 25-30.

The most advanced processes ——– are not clearly defined because processes at this level are constantly changing and their data will change over time and require constant adjustment. (Note: most general specifications for processes in industry are based on a conventional process using 0.5 oz of initial copper foil.)