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When you create a circuit design, you want to make sure that it is truly functional before you have it manufactured. Ideally, it will be perfect before you have a prototype made.

Any firm that uses PCBs knows that quality is the most important factor. It is the PCB that runs whatever gear or object it has been fitted into, and so a well-made PCB is essential. Yet, many of the firms using PCBs want a streamlined solution, and so a turnkey PCB assembly process is highly appealing.

Surface mount technology (SMT) is a design and fabrication process that replaces the through-hole mounting of PCB (printed circuit board) components with direct placement on the printed circuit board surface. It is something that is at work in the vast majority of PCB designs tucked inside modern electronics.

Few things are as frustrating as believing that you have designed a quality circuit only to find out it does not work once you have it manufactured. It could mean a lot of wasted time and energy, and it could mean that you spent money to have a prototype made.

Take a look at the manufacturing process used to create PCBs (printed circuit boards) and it is likely to cause a bit of a shock; few consumers understand the complexity of the PCB components hidden inside most of their electronic devices. Whether it is the simplest of calculators or the most advanced household appliance, a PCB (or two, or more) is at work inside.

Gerber files are the industry’s preferred file format for manufacturing printed circuit boards. Most PCB design software has the ability to output the design data in Gerber format to represent a design’s copper layer images, solder mask, legend, and drill and route data accurately.