Manufacturing and Technical Questions

• When should I have my boards electrically tested?
  Does Advanced Circuits bevel gold fingers?
• What is your standard bevel on a printed circuit board?
• What does CNC Rout points mean?
• What is tab route?
• What does "scoring" mean?
• Can you handle Controlled Impedance requirements?
• Can you process my dielectric requirements?
• What is the difference between a prototype pcb (Standard Spec) and production pcb (Custom Spec)?
• What files do you need to manufacture my printed circuit board?
• When do I pay a tooling NRE fee for my printed circuit board?
• If I only have a minor change in my design, do you charge Tooling NRE?
• What is Test NRE?
• What core thicknesses does Advanced Circuits use for multi-layer circuit boards?
• What is the thickest printed circuit board you can process?
• What is the thinnest printed circuit board you can process?
• What is the largest pcb Advanced Circuits can fabricate?
• What do you need if I want my pcb panelized in array format?
• What file generating software would you recommend?
• Can I order a different copper weight when I go to production pcb (Custom Spec) from prototype pcb (Standard Spec)?
• How can I determine the trace width I need for my design?
• Are your proto's built differently than production?
• Are you UL "Underwriters Laboratory" approved?
• Are you MIL SPEC 55110 approved?
• To what acceptability standards do you build?
• What CAM software do you use?
• Can you build RF applications? 

When should I have my boards electrically tested?
-Advanced Circuits recommends the electrical testing of ALL boards particularly multilayer PCB's.  The visual inspection that we perform on all boards is not 100% effective at identifying connectivity issues on the outer-layers and is inadequate for finding them on the inner-layers or within the holes.   While Electrical Test will not detect all defects it will verify that the connectivity of the CAD data is reflected in the finished boards. 
-We feel that Electrical Test is an essential component to the PCB's manufacturing process, however in rare instances customers may determine that the added expense is not justified in particular situations.  It is only to accommodate these situations that we break out this process as an option.
-Our goal is to ship all boards with zero defects and Electrical Test is a critical part of this quality process.  While Electrical Test will not eliminate the possibility of any defects being present on boards that you receive it will significantly reduce the likelihood.   
-Whether Electrical Test is ordered or not Advanced Circuits will warranty the bare boards for defects in materials and workmanship for 90 days from date of shipment.  We will replace or issue credit for any bare boards that are returned and confirmed by Advanced Circuits to be non-conforming to the order specifications and/or the applicable quality and acceptability standards.  We will not accept liability for any cost in addition to the value of the bare boards including but not limited to components, labor, business interruptions and any other consequential damages or losses.

Does Advanced Circuits bevel gold fingers? 
Yes. We do bevel gold fingers unless otherwise specified. We do NOT bevel solder fingers unless specified by customer.

What is your standard bevel on a printed circuit board?   
Our standard bevel is 30 degrees leaving a .030" edge (+/-.005") on a .062" board.
Optional bevels are as follows:
45 degrees leaving .025" edge (+/-.005")
20 degrees leaving .071" edge (+/-.005") 

What does CNC Rout points mean? 
Each corner or "turn" on your pcb is a rout point - that is every time the router bit turns or stops. Each radius is three points. Count 8 for a circle and for each tab-routed pcb in an array configuration.

What is tab route? 
A tab route is used to create arrays, often called "route and retain". The customer can place more than one board (same or different design) up in a given area in an array or panelized configuration. This is typically for the convenience of the customer or for assembly requirements that utilize pick and place machines to load components. The PCB's are then separated by breaking or cutting the tabs. Tabs are usually 0.100" in width and are placed with at least 1 on each side of the boards.

What does "scoring" mean?
This is a "v" groove cut into the top and bottom surface of an array of multiple PCB's or between a board and rails to be removed after assembly. The cut is usually 1/3 top, 1/3 bottom, leaving 1/3 uncut in the middle. This process is used when removing the tabs of a tab route is not a viable option, this does result in a less smooth finished board edge. The boards are typically set up side by side and end to end with the edges adjacent to each other. After assembly the boards are broken or snapped apart.

Can you handle Controlled Impedance requirements?
Yes. Call your salesperson for more info.

Can you process my dielectric requirements? 
No problem. We will run this as a Production order. Be sure to send us your core and stackup details.

What is the difference between proto and production? 
The difference between proto & production is not a quantity or turntime issue, but rather has to do with the range of specs covered. Click here for a complete list of these specifications.

What files do you need to manufacture my printed circuit board?   
We require gerber files (274X or 274D with an aperture list), an excellon drill file, and a drill tool list (may be included in excellon drill file). We can use other formats such as ODB++ or AutoCAD dxf to create gerbers for you. Please send any non-gerber formats to convert@4pcb.com for review.

When do I pay a tooling NRE fee for my printed circuit board?   
You will only pay a Tooling charge if you go directly to Production (Custom Spec) without having ordered a Proto (Standard Spec) as a first step. We do not charge Tooling for Protos (Standard Spec) and neither do we charge Tooling if the proto (Standard Spec) is reordered for Production (Standard Spec).

If I only have a minor change in my design, do you charge Tooling NRE?
When we make any change to your printed circuit board, we assign it completely new tooling. This helps prevent old artwork or cnc programming from being used. Even a minor change will require the same process as new files, so a tooling charge may apply. Please contact your salesperson for details.

What is Test NRE?
The Test NRE is a one-time "non recurring expense" for electrical test. This charge is optional but when paid, all circuit boards will be tested each and every time that part number and revision is ordered without additional charge.

What core thicknesses does Advanced Circuits use for multi-layer circuit boards?   
.005, .008, .010, .014, .020, .040, .059, .093 cores

What is the thickest printed circuit board you can process?   
.125"

What is the thinnest printed circuit board you can process? 
.020" if ordered with solder HAL plating finish. Thinner if other plating options are used. Contact your salesperson for details.

What is the largest pcb Advanced Circuits can fabricate?   
16" x 22"

What do you need if I want my pcb panelized in array format?   
We recommend you send us your complete array pre-panelized. This allows you to set up the array exactly the way you want it. If you need us to set up your array, please be aware that additional engineering time may be billed.

What file generating software would you recommend?   
We would recomment our own exclusive FREE PCB Layout Software "PCB ARTIST".  It's easy, very innovative and loaded with benefits.  We will even give you your Gerber files.  Download it now for Free, visit www.PCBArtist.com.

Can I order a different copper weight when I go to production (Custom Spec) from proto (Standard Spec)?   
Yes, you can. The unit price may change but we will waive any Tooling charge.

How can I determine the trace width I need for my design?   
Some engineers have found the following web site helpful: click here.

Are your proto's built differently than production?   
No. Our prototypes (Standard Spec) use the same premier production (Custom Spec) processes as our production (Custom Spec) circuit boards.

Are you UL "Underwriters Laboratory" approved?   
Yes, you can use the following web link to access our UL registration. Underwriters Laboratory

Are you MIL SPEC 55110 approved?  
No. However, you can Prototype (Standard Spec) with us because we use the same materials, specifications, and processes.

To what acceptability standards do you build?   
IPC-A-6011/6012 latest revision with inspection based on IPC-A-600 latest revision: Class 2 Prototypes (Standard Spec) and Class 2 Production (Custom Spec).

What CAM software do you use?   
We use Gerbtool to edit and view.

Can you build RF applications? 
Yes. We stock several RF materials such as Rogers 4000, Teflon, Duroid, and Polymide. All of the pricing is subject to change at any time without notice. We reserve the right to refuse any order at any time.

For more questions and answers from the European Commission click here.