To design my board, how may I ask a PCB manufacturer for the constants rules or clearance rules? What is the particular terminology that I would use at the time of asking about the design standards which they follow? How may I ask them about their standard design specifications which I have to use in my PCB layout design to aid fabrication?
1 Answer
Almost every PCB vendor will have their capabilities listed on their website.
For example:
http://www.4pcb.com/pcb-capabilities.html
https://www.protoexpress.com/content/capability.jsp
http://www.sunstone.com/pcb-manufacturing-capabilities
Typically, the most important things in a simple design are minimum trace and space (these are often the same number) and via size constraints (hole size and annular ring). Minimum trace width is the minimum width of any copper features. Minimum space means copper to copper clearance. Annular ring is the width of the "ring" around a via, measured from the edge of the pad to the edge of the hole.
Your specific design may run into issues/questions with any of the other constraints, though.
Regarding design standards, you may be referring to IPC 6012, Class 1, 2 & 3. Class 1 boards have minimal requirements and may have significant etch imperfections (e.g. a trace which is etched most of the way through) and are typically used for inexpensive/"limited life" consumer electronics. Class 2 introduces more stringent requirements on etch tolerance and is typically used for applications requiring reasonable reliability. Class 3 includes the most stringent requirements (e.g. the annular rings around vias must be unbroken for the full 360 degrees) and are typically only used for high reliability situations such as medical and military applications.