PCB Design - Top Factors Related to Data Routing and Layout
Download as PPTX, PDF0 likes686 views
When it comes to PCB design and layout, the decisions made early in your project can significantly impact not only the functionality of your circuit board but also its manufacturability, cost, and lead time. Understanding these critical considerations helps ensure a seamless transition from design to production while avoiding costly errors or delays. Key factors to address include material selection, maximum board thickness, layer count, and whether to incorporate advanced features like blind and buried vias. Additionally, considerations around copper weights, trace widths and spacing, balanced copper distribution, and overall design complexity can heavily influence both manufacturability and reliability. A crucial question is: When should you involve your PCB provider in the design process? Engaging early can help identify potential roadblocks, ensure design-for-manufacturing (DFM) compatibility, and optimize your layout for efficient production. In this webinar, we take a deep dive into PCB designs as they relate to manufacturing. Whether you’re developing a simple two-layer board or a complex multilayer design, this session will provide actionable insights to streamline your process and achieve the best results for your project. For more information on our PCB solutions, visit https://www.epectec.com/pcb.
PCB Design - Top Factors Related to Data Routing and Layout
- 1. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability PCB Design: Top Factors Related to Data Routing and Layout 04.10.2025
- 2. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 2 Agenda Layout/Routing - Items to Consider – Impedance, component choice, keep-out areas, critical component placing When to ask for PCB Manufacturing Input How Can Epec Help? Production/Design/Customer Collaboration PCB Data - Processing Modifications, Limitations Other Data Considerations UL/Date Code Markings
- 3. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 3 Layout / Routing - Items To Consider
- 4. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 4 Your Project - What We Would Like To Know What is the PCB intended to do function-wise? – What is the end product? – ITAR? Mil-spec? Medical? Automotive? What are the power requirements? Input, thermal, distribution? Challenging environment concerns, humidity, extreme heat or cold, vibration? Defining the size constraints X, Y, Z Is there a budget for the layout and routing?
- 5. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 5 Components Once your project is defined and its requirements are somewhat known, the search for the right component and its specifications begins – Consider cost, availability, and an alternative – Consider compatibility and reliability How to choose your components? – Review data sheets, documents from manufacturers • Watch voltage parameters, signals, temperature, and communications specs • Footprints are critical for land
- 6. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 6 Defining More Critical placement, depending on the function, connections – Is there anything we need to know? Crosstalk or noise - are there any known potentials from prior projects? Are there any keep-out areas? – Assembly text adds? – Cutouts for pass-through or drop-ins, overhangs? BOM, schematics, outline
- 7. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 7 Design/Routing/Layout Needed What is critical to consider? – SI - signal integrity – PI - power integrity – EMC - electromagnetic compatibility Compliance with standards – IPC-2221: generic, materials, component placement, & high voltage – IPC-6012: PCB manufacturing standard
- 8. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 8 Design Group Starter Checklist For starters, the items we need to review for design are: – BOM – Schematic – Outline 1:1 That’s the short list or must-haves for now
- 9. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 9 Bill of Materials PERFECTION! What makes this BOM perfect?
- 10. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 10 Schematic Formats The most important part A completed schematic, we see many formats – Best: Eagle, Altium, Mentor, even PDF – Schematics allow us to assess the complexity, scope of the design – Provide your preference format for CAD: • Cadence Allegro, Mentor PADS, Xpedition, Altium, we will choose the best fit if no preference is provided
- 11. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 11 Capturing Schematic Drawings
- 12. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 12 Sometimes It Needs Work
- 13. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 13 1:1 Outline and Why We Need It
- 14. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 14 Design/Layout, Routing, & More After Electrical Engineering is where we want to come in – Design concept is complete or near – Project layout, components, timeline – To add an outside design service? Some outside design services are great and are our partners – Is this ITAR, domestic only? So, why Epec? – Build-to-print technologies – We’ve been around manufacturing for a bit • Find a better way, not all incoming data is manufacturable – Building the perfect relationship
- 15. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 15 When To Ask For PCB Manufacturing Input
- 16. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 16 Quote Time, What We Know, But What Else? Schematic: A complete or in-process clarification needed BOM: Bill of materials, preliminary list, P/N, MFG part#, alternate – Some components are in short supply, allowing for alternate – When non-standard/specialized are used, data sheets – mfg. – Include the same for any components or hardware 1:1 Outline of the intended PCB The size X, Y is most important as well, if critical thickness – Cut-outs - are there any omit locations for any reason? – Critical component placement – Mounting devices
- 17. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 17 Further Discussion Call time and prep Collaboration between Epec and design team – Initiate quote and discuss data, items needed and the next steps • Proceed to quote • Or Q&A with customer • Information needed • Email is great, but some of the time a call is best • Manufacturing of engineered products – we don’t always have all the answers, which is the same reason why our customers call Preparing team members’ call after initial discussion(s)
- 18. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 18 Project Intensions Overview from our customer Brief project description – Include application, end use environment • Consumer, industrial, aerospace, automotive, medical – Certifications – are there any known certs? – Testing needed – ICT, impedance, access points – Impedance controls, intended materials for build CAUTION – High-speed, power distribution, voltage – Compliance – ITAR, IPC, UL, RoHS, Eu, CE, certs may be required along with markings
- 19. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 19 Considerations For Layout and Routing
- 20. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 20 PCB Design vs Routing & Layout
- 21. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 21 Schematic Capture Clearly drawn in any format, preferably not hand drawn Redraw in CAD tool, Eagle, as part of the quoted cost Symbol representation, components, resistors, chips, nets
- 22. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 22 Schematic Drawn schematic to be redrawn in In Eagle for layout and routing Clear symbols representing chips, resistors, etc., will connect to nets When done correctly, everything will link in the layout, nets will connect to models of components, allowing probing to see locations in the schematic
- 23. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 23 Layout Of PCB: What Else Do We Need To Know? Understanding layout and routing and the complexity of the project – Component placement • Choice – equivalents • Placement • Cut-outs or keep-outs – Trace routing • Impedance controls – Layer management Design rules – Trace, space, clearance – that’s not all
- 24. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 24 Setting Design Rules Line width, setting max., min., and preferred width are set SI & impedance controls High-speed component placement to keep to minimum trace length
- 25. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 25 Routing Begins 1:1 OUTLINE – DXF or X,Y Some components have been placed Yellow lines = nets Art of placement Optimize without compromise
- 26. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 26 Routing Begins (Continued) Additional components have been placed Land changes What is next when room is tight Options vs. cost
- 27. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 27 Final Routing Components have been placed Red/Blue – trace What are we missing? Layers vs. blind/buried 1 side vs. 2 sides
- 28. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 28 The Art Routing PCBs
- 29. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 29 Vias – Communications Specialist Vias have the same rule for max., min., and preferred size of hole and pad Through-holes, blind, buried, as designed Back drilling for high speed Thermal vias for heat
- 30. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 30 A Little More About Impedance Controls Opposition of an electric circuit when alternating current is applied Why 50 ohms? Common metric/least bad between traces used, minimum loss, max. power, max. voltage Trace width, thickness, dielectric and length Mark the impedance on the schematic
- 31. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 31 Impedance & Copper Copper thickness, trace width performance – Compensation – Etch factor – Mixed core technology Manufacturing challenges when balance is not considered Copper pour Tear drop We note the circuitry for impedance by width or layer 0.0001 upsize Fab. note for ohms +-20% Solid grounding planes vs broken ground/power planes
- 32. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 32 Partnering with PCB Manufacturing
- 33. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 33 Customer Setup & Project Placement Behind the scenes, we have vetted the opportunity Customer set up in our system – Credit application, terms & conditions, credit card, financials, NDA, contacts Deliverables – Final schematic diagrams – PCB layout, RS274X, fabrication drawing, NCDrill – BOM What else to expect from Epec – Data review, DFM, changes if needed, back to design team
- 34. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 34 Why Is It Important To Link To Your Supplier PCB manufacturing – having us involved during development stage We know manufacturing In some cases, we can provide a cost savings Why we do what we do – Data receipt • Cost savings, layers vs. blind/buried – Complexity, manufacturing can and can’t do – Not all manufacturing is created equal
- 35. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 35 Summary
- 36. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 36 Summary Today, we reviewed Epec services & advantages to design layout and routing As partners in a common goal of getting your product right, we want to help YOU with your projects long before you are ready to place a circuit board order HOW can we do this for you at a lower cost than internally hiring new people or sourcing to a second party that knows design layout and routing but has never manufactured a board?
- 37. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 37 Our Products Battery Packs Flex & Rigid-Flex PCBs Cable Assemblies Printed Circuit Boards CNC Machining User Interfaces Flexible Heaters EC Fans & Motors
- 38. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 38 Q&A Questions? – Enter any questions you may have in the control panel – If we don’t have time to get to it, we will reply via email
- 39. Manufacturing That Eliminates Risk & Improves Reliability 39 Thank You Check out our website at www.epectec.com. For more information email sales@epectec.com. Stay Connected with Epec Engineered Technologies Follow us on our social media sites for continuous technical updates and information: