We manufacture bare printed circuit boards through a controlled process, built to industry standards and customer requirements for repeatable quality from prototype through production.
PCB production transforms your design data into a finished, electrically tested circuit board. The process moves through carefully controlled stages, including intelligent analysis, automation data extraction, imaging, chemical processing, drilling, plating, surface finishing, and testing. Because the accuracy of each stage affects the next, quality checks are built throughout the process rather than reserved for final inspection.
Here's what happens, step by step, once your design reaches our floor.
A short walkthrough of the fabrication floor - imaging, lamination, drilling, and plating - shows the process better than any diagram can.
Design data is reviewed and converted into a production plan. The engineering team performs manufacturability checks, defines the stackup and materials, plans panelization, verifies impedance requirements where applicable, and creates the manufacturing instructions, or traveler, before the job reaches the production floor.
Base laminate materials are issued according to the approved stackup, with material certifications and lot information recorded to maintain traceability throughout the manufacturing process. The laminate is cleaned and coated with a light-sensitive material called photoresist, while prepreg materials are prepared for lamination as required.
Direct imaging (DI) exposes the circuit pattern onto the photoresist-coated laminate. The photoresist is developed, unwanted copper is etched away, and the remaining resist is stripped to reveal the finished inner-layer circuit pattern.
Inner layers undergo Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) to identify potential defects and verify alignment with the design data. The copper surfaces are then treated to promote adhesion, and the inner layers, prepreg, and copper foil are stacked and pressed together under controlled heat and pressure to form a multilayer panel.
Panel edges are trimmed as needed, and X-ray drill optimization is performed to verify layer alignment and achieve best-in-class registration. Through-holes and vias are then drilled using controlled drilling programs.
When specified by the design, laser drilling is used to create microvias and other precision features. Drilled features are then treated using chemical or plasma processes, as required, to remove resin smear or laser residue and expose clean internal copper. Etchback may also be performed when needed so subsequent copper plating can form reliable interconnections.
A thin, conductive layer of copper is chemically deposited onto the hole walls, preparing them for subsequent electrolytic copper plating.
Photoresist is applied to the outer copper surfaces, and DI transfers the outer-layer circuit pattern. The resist is then developed to expose the areas that require additional copper plating.
Copper is electroplated to the required thickness, followed by a temporary tin coating that protects the circuit pattern during etching. The remaining photoresist is stripped, unwanted copper is etched away, and the tin is removed to reveal the finished outer-layer circuitry.
A protective coating (solder mask) is applied over the circuitry, shielding everything except the points that need to be soldered.
A specified surface finish, such as ENIG, ENEPIG, or lead-free or tin-lead HASL, is applied to exposed copper to protect against oxidation and maintain solderability.
Reference markings (still often called "silkscreen") are printed onto the board to guide assembly.
Each board is electrically tested against the design data to identify opens and shorts and verify circuit continuity before final inspection.
Individual boards and test coupons are routed from the production panel. Boards are inspected for dimensional accuracy and workmanship, and coupon cross-sections are evaluated as required to verify plating, layer alignment, and other construction requirements.
Finished boards are packaged to prevent damage and contamination, then shipped with the required documentation and lot traceability.
From double-sided rigid boards to complex constructions that combine rigid and flexible sections.
From four-layer boards to complex constructions with more than 40 layers.
Microvias, fine lines and spaces, and blind, buried, or via-in-pad structures that route more connections within a limited area.
The laminates, prepregs, copper foils, and flexible substrates used to form the physical and electrical structure of a PCB. Materials are selected based on design requirements such as operating frequency, signal loss, thermal performance, flexibility, reliability, and manufacturability. Common options include FR-4, low-loss and RF laminates, flexible polyimide materials, and materials designed for thermal management.
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