PCB Technical - Four strategies based on PCB product design

There are many ways to solve PCB-based product design problems, and there are great differences between them. But which method is the fastest? Which is the most effective? Which project consumes the least resources? All these issues have an important impact on the success of the project. For PCB designers, there are two options: First, you can design freely, and then find a production chain to realize this design. The second is to understand your production chain and optimize your design to suit the manufacturer’s strengths while maintaining the required functionality.

Senior designers share five strategies here, which can help you plan ahead without adding weeks or unnecessary costs to the design process.

1. Research and select suppliers early in the design

You must know that after the design team completes the prototype design, the next step in the design process is to obtain a prototype design processing example for testing. Although for the team, this is only a planned step, but in fact this process includes multiple steps, such as you must purchase components and make printed circuits, and these components need to be correctly connected to the PCB. How the entire production process is realized depends on the selection and management of the design team.

Therefore, you need to understand the production process in advance, including component availability and service provider capabilities, which can help you reduce rework and redesign. Know thyself, ever-victorious. Of course, in all cases, the printed circuit board must be manufactured according to the design.

2, before layout, reduce costs and optimize performance

Cost not only refers to the number of components used in the design, it also includes the complexity of the PCB design, the number of flying probe tests, and design-related manufacturing issues. Therefore, you need to optimize your PCB performance in the most comprehensive way before layout, and reduce unnecessary cost investment before layout as much as possible.

3. Develop your layout into a "sweet pot" of the manufacturing plant

No matter which manufacturer he chooses, he will have a "sweet pot", and the design is in the middle of the manufacturing process window. From this point of view, within the production capacity, small changes in manufacturing can still keep your design intact, thereby increasing your profitability and reliability.

4, use supplier DFM tools to verify your layout production capacity

A reputable PCB manufacturer will run your design through a design for manufacturing (DFM) tool to check any design details for visual inspection errors. A top manufacturer will provide a feasibility report when quoting your design. The content of the report is to verify whether your design is suitable for the manufacturing process. This report is a very important step for obtaining a suitable assembly board, and it is also the first measure to develop optimized production circuit boards.

When the PCB design is simpler, or far away from the current technological advantages, these strategies have less impact on your design cycle. If the requirements for error in circuit testing are stricter, then these strategies become more and more important.