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up vote 9 down vote favorite
4

I have seen wide varieties at previous companies, from too few to too many with boilerplate, old revisions of standards, etc. Can you suggest a middle of the road list? This is for regular PCB fabrication for production.

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One thing to keep in mind is that it's tempting to copy-and-paste fab notes from an existing design -- but those requirements may sometimes be contrary to your own interests. Make sure that you agree with the details, especially when they reference a standard. Otherwise, you may be spec'ing yourself to a more expensive board than you need! – Toybuilder Apr 6 '11 at 18:01

4 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

Identification:

  • client's name,
  • (project ID),
  • unique PCB ID

PCB metrics:

  • material,
  • CTI (Comparative Tracking Index),
  • thickness,
  • color,
  • number of layers,
  • layer stacking: reference to Gerber filename for each layer,
  • copper thickness,
  • solder mask color,
  • silkscreen color

Panelization

  • Tooling for PCB edges: V-cut or milling,
  • PCB outline drawing with tolerances. This may be as simple as a rectangle, but this board's outline consists of 52 line segments

Layout

  • If there's room for it some shops like to add a quality logo (like UL) and/or a production date to the silkscreen. Tell them which area of the PCB they can use for this.
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I has to look this up "The Comparative Tracking Index or CTI is used to measure the electrical breakdown (tracking) properties of an insulating material." from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_Tracking_Index – Brian Carlton Apr 13 '12 at 16:01
up vote 4 down vote accepted

Here is one I found (free login required), but I don't know if it's good or complete. I don't see UL-94V, for example. Printed Circuit Board Designer's Reference; Basics gives this example chapter.

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2  
+1 for the note about "Thieving". I always get a question from the Fab House about this. – Robert Dec 8 '10 at 21:10
awesome website thanks for the link :) – smashtastic Dec 9 '10 at 17:57
1  
The first link is dead. They probably moved it here: pcbdesignschool.com/?p=17 – PetPaulsen Aug 23 '11 at 22:43
up vote 3 down vote
  • Board Name
  • Company/personal name
  • Copyright year
  • Thickness
  • Board material type
  • Copper weight
  • Panelization instructions
  • Tolerances
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up vote 2 down vote

To what's already been mentioned, I'd add

  • Surface finish (HASL, gold-plated, or ...)
  • Lead free requirements or lack thereof
  • Serialization requirements
  • Allowed deviations from the design files (i.e., remove silkscreen from areas not covered by solder mask, etc.)
  • color of solder mask
  • Any specifications for controlled impedance (i.e. "tracks drawn as 4.05 mil wide on top layer shall be 50 Ohm controlled impedance +/- 10%")
  • Tolerances for board dimensions, drill registration, drill diameter.
  • Fire safety rating (e.g. 94V-0), if required.
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