The Importance Of PCB Design For Manufacturing

In the process of coming to life, an electronic device goes through the phases of being defined, designed, manufactured and delivered to the end user. The needs and requirements enable the identification of the electronic product, knowledge and experience enable its design, manpower and machinery enable its manufacture and logistics and marketing ensure that the product is delivered to the end user. In this section, we will talk about the arrangements that must be implemented in the PCB design phase in order to conduct the production phase, where manpower and machinery are used intensely, in the most ideal manner possible.

When designing a new electronic device, the primary goal is to meet user requirements and needs. For this reason, design remains the last point of consideration or is never considered for manufacturability. Sometimes it is not possible to make adjustments in terms of manufacturability due to mechanical installation requirements, space limitations, electrical restrictions (LVD Low Voltage Directive) or component structures. This causes time losses, extra labor, scraps, reworks or touch-ups during production, and these result in an increase in production time, poor quality and increased production cost. Although these effects are not as pronounced in short term production and low production volumes, high return costs can be encountered in high volume and long term production. With simple design touches we will implement in PCB design such as changing the pad shape, shifting the component's location, proper panelization, application of fiducial points and proper breakaway spots, production time, cost and error rate can be significantly reduced. Even if these are not considered during the design phase, revising the PCB design will be more convenient than the extra labor and time loss costs that will occur in the long run.

When the PCB is being designed to be mechanically and electrically suitable, the designer's incorporation of manufacturability arrangements in the design to the extent that the layout allows, or the process engineer's review of the finished PCB drawing before the placement of the prototype order to determine the manufacturability practices, will eliminate or minimize the aforementioned time, quality and cost factors.

Production is a process based on machinery and manpower, that is designed to work on a continuous basis. From this perspective, since interruptions in the production line or the presence of factors that slow down the production will cause the aforementioned effects, manufacturability arrangements must always be considered by the designer as a priority during the design phase (Design for Manufacturing - DFM).

As Alpplas, we prevent unnecessary costs by taking part in the design processes of our customers and ensuring that the designs are created to be suitable for production.

Cem KANIMDAN
Production Manager