Question 1

What is the CAM normalization process?

Accepted Answer

The Basic Steps of the normalization process are:

Rename the files to our standard naming convention
Check to ensure that all necessary files are present
Import Gerber and NC drill files into our CAD system
Review that the boards’ specifications in the order match the data supplied (based on information in Gerber files, non-Gerber prints and other document files)
Preparation of files for Custom Spec orders, there are basic modifications that are made to most every set of files received by AdvancedPCB. These modifications are required for our custom spec process and are not intended to alter the functionality of your design in any way.

Question 2

What is the CAM panelization process?

Accepted Answer

Import Gerber and NC drill files into our CAD system
Step and repeat the images into the usable area (16" x 22") of our production panels
Add the panel identification and tooling features to the border of the panels
Save the Gerber images of the panel artwork (conductor layers, solder mask images and legend images) and send them to the photo department for laser photo plotting
Save the NC drill files and place them on our network so that they will be available for the CNC controllers to retrieve
Create the NC rout programs that are used to add slots and large holes and to cut the individual boards from the production panels. These are then placed on our network so that they will be available for the CNC controller to retrieve
Prepare the data files used for our Quality Assurance steps. The reference data that is used for Automation Optical Inspection (APQI) and Electrical Test (ET) are prepared and placed on our network so that they will be available when needed during production

Question 3

Can I send the Gerber file directly from my design software?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend the use of a standalone Gerber viewer. What you see is not always what you get. Don't assume that what you see in your design software is what the manufacturer will see. Sometimes, there are wide variations between what the design software shows and the output in the Gerber files. It's wise to use a third-party review to check your design. You will find that files output in a 274-x format will import into most of these packages with no additional configuration needed.

Question 4

What types of vias do you offer?

Accepted Answer

We offer exposed, tented, plugged, and filled vias.

Question 5

How do you process exposed vias?

Accepted Answer

These will be processed with a clearance in the solder mask image that is equal to or greater than the via pad size plus .005-inch solder mask swell.
If you have a requirement other than this, we can accommodate clearances as small as the finished hole size plus .005 inch. Please include any specific requirement in the fabrication notes or order documentation, or both.
These can be quoted and ordered with our standard parameters.
Unless prior arrangements have been made, the boards will be built based on the solder mask image files submitted.
Most design software packages have accommodations for including or excluding the vias from the solder mask images.

Question 6

How do you process tented vias?

Accepted Answer

These will be processed with no clearance in the solder mask image for the vias.
This will result in the pads being covered with a solder mask, and the holes may be open, partially plugged, or completely plugged.
Because we do not have a dry film solder mask available, we cannot offer vias tented in such a way as to guarantee that all of the holes will be completely covered.
These can be quoted and ordered with our standard parameters. Unless prior arrangements have been made, the board will be built based on the solder mask image files submitted.
Most design software packages have accommodations for including or excluding the vias from the solder mask images.

Question 7

How do you process plugged vias?

Accepted Answer

These will be processed with an additional process that will fill the vias with a solid material that will prevent solder and air flow through the vias.
The entire via cavity may not be completely filled.
These orders will require a custom quote.

Question 8

How do you process filled vias?

Accepted Answer

These will be processed with an additional process that will fill the vias with a solid material that will prevent solder and air flow throughout the vias.
The entire via cavity will be filled.
These orders will require a custom quote.

Question 9

How do you process a silkscreen?

Accepted Answer

We increase any text widths below 0.005 inch to a minimum of .005 inch.
A silkscreen clip layer (Corresponding solder mask layer) is created to eliminate ink on pads. We do not add via clearances if the via holes are tented.
The board outline is removed from artwork if present.
Text outside of outline is removed.

Question 10

How do you process additional markings on the PCB?

Accepted Answer

Our UL logo and date code (WKYR) will be added in either copper or silkscreen on all Custom Spec Orders unless otherwise specified. An internal reference number (e.g., P94301) will be added to Standard Spec orders in copper.
Additional customer-required markings will be added as requested.

Question 11

What is scoring?

Accepted Answer

Scoring is a "v" groove cut into the top and bottom surfaces of an array configuration of multiple PCB's or a PCB with removable rails or frame. The cut depth is set such that the material left is the lesser of .018" or 1/3 of the finished thickness. When this process is used the printed circuit boards are typically set up side by side and end to end with no gap between the edges. This results in the v-grove cutting into the area of the boards, so a .015" clearance between the edge of the boards and any conductors is required.

Question 12

How do I indicate score lines?

Accepted Answer

When placing an order that requires scoring please indicate this requirement by checking the score option on the order form. If the CAD files supplied with the order already have the boards step and repeated, indicate the locations of the score line in the fabrication or panel print. If you are supplying the CAD data as a 1-up image please supply a drawing with the array configuration that you would like including tooling holes, fiducials and step and repeat requirements. Our standard score angle is 30 degree (blade angle total), but we can also do a 60 degree angle at a premium price.

Question 13

What do you need from me to set up a scored array?

Accepted Answer

We can set up your scored array for you (Standard and Advanced PCB orders), If we have:

Your single board files (1-up files)
The total number of boards in the array and if the number of boards in the X direction and the Y direction. (boards will be placed edge to edge (0 mils between)
The width of the Top, bottom, left, and right rails (standard is 0.5"), if required.
Select “scored array” on your order.

Question 14

What is tab routing?

Accepted Answer

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. The tabs are usually .050" is width.

Question 15

How do I tab route my board?

Accepted Answer

We can set up your array for you (Standard and Advanced PCB orders), If we have:
- Your single board files (1-up files)
- The total number of board in the array and if the number of board in the X direction and the Y direction. (Please allow 0.100" between your individual boards for tab rout spacing)
- The width of the Top, bottom, left, and right rails (standard is 0.5"), if required.
- Select tab route array on the order.
When placing an order that requires tab routing please indicate this requirement by checking the tab rout option on the order form. If the CAD files supplied with the order already have the boards step and repeated, indicate the locations of the tabs in the fabrication or panel print. If you are supplying the CAD data as a 1-up image please supply a drawing with the array configuration that you would like including tooling holes, fiducials and step and repeat requirements.
Click here to view a default array drawing.

Question 16

How much space should I leave out for tab routing?

Accepted Answer

Please allow 0.100" spacing between your individual pcb boards for tab rout spacing
- Artwork, drills and rout will be panelized as required when an array is ordered. Additional tooling holes and fiducials will be added upon request.
Unless an array setup is specifically requested the following standards will apply:
- For tab-rout orders .100" spacing will be added between boards.
- No spacing between score boards will be added unless there are routing requirement that would necessitate additional spacing.
- .500" rails will be added around entire array.
- Score lines will extend to the end of the array.
- Jump scoring will require a minimum of .250" spacing before the start of the score line and .250" past the score line.
- Tooling holes or fiducials will be added per customer specification, in the absence of any specification these will be added based on our standard configuration.
Click here to view sample default array drawing
If perforated tabs (mouse bites) are requested, we will use a .060 tab with two .018 holes in each tab. The edge of the perforations (mouse bite) holes will be on the edge of the outline.
The files are then saved and stored on our network.

Question 17

What are your PCB manufacturing tolerances?

Accepted Answer

See tolerance information here.

Specifications	Standard Specs	Custom
Layer Count	0 - 10 Layers	0 - 40 Layers
Turn Time	Same Day - 5 Day	Same Day - 4 Weeks
Quantity Req.	1 - 10000+	1 - 10000+
Materials	FR-4	FR-4 / Rogers / Polyimide / Aluminum Clad / High-Temp. FR4 / Halogen Free, Mid to Low Loss, High Speed Digital/ RF, Buried Capacitance/ Flex
Plate Finish	Lead-Free HAL*	Electrolytic Hard Gold / Soft Gold / ENIG / ENIPIG/ OSP-HT/ Nickel / Immersion Silver / Leaded & Lead-Free HAL
Cert. / Qualifications	IPC Class 2 - A600	IPC6012 Class 2-3A / IPC6012 Class 3 DS/IPC6018 Class 3 MIL-PRF-31032 / MIL-PRF-55110 / ISO 9001:2008 / AS9100D / MIL-P-50884 Certified ITAR / IPC 6013 Class 3 & 3A/ES/ IPC 1791 Trusted Electronics/ CMMC V2.0 L2/ Others
Board Thickness	.031" / .062" / .093" / .125"	Full Range Available
Copper Weight	1 oz. Inner / Up to 2 oz. Outer	0.5 - 4 oz. Inner / 1-20 oz. Outer
Trace / Space	5 / 5 Mils	Down to 2.75 / 3 Mils

Specifications	Standard	Custom
Layer Count	0 - 10 Layers	0 - 40 Layers
Turn Time	Same Day - 5 Day	Same Day - 4 Weeks
Quantity Req.	1 - 10000+	1 - 10000+
Materials	FR-4	FR-4/Rogers/Polyimide/Aluminum Clad/High-Temp. FR4/*Others »*
Plating Finish	Lead-Free HAL*	Electrolytic Hard Gold/Soft Gold/ENIG/Nickel/Immersion Silver OSP/Leaded & Lead-Free HAL
Cert. / Qualifications	IPC Class 2 - A600	IPC6012 Class 2-3A / IPC6018 Class 3 MIL-PRF-31032 / MIL-PRF-55110 / ISO 9001:2008 / AS9100C / *More »*
Board Thickness	.031" / .062" / .093" / .125"	Full Range Available
Copper Weight	1 oz. Inner / Up to 2 oz. Outer	0.5 - 4 oz. Inner / 1 - 20 oz. Outer
Trace/Space	5 / 5 Mils	Down to 2.75 / 3 Mils
Solder Mask (LPI)	Green	Various Color Options
Legend	White	Various Color Options
Min. Hole Size	0.010"	0.004"
Hole Tolerance	+/- 0.005"	+/- 0.003" (Upon Request)
Rout Tolerance	+/- 0.010"	+/- 0.005" (Upon Request)
Slots/Cutouts/Edges	Non-Plated Only	Plated / Non-Plated
Plated Holes	Plated / Non-Plated	Plated / Non-Plated
UL Markings/Dates	Yes**	Yes**
Lead-Free Markings	Yes	Yes
Gold Fingers	Yes	Yes
Fiducials	Yes	Yes
Scoring	Yes	Yes
ITAR	Yes	Yes
Castellated Holes	X	Yes
Controlled Dielectric	X	Yes
Controlled Impedance	X	Yes
Counter Sinks	X	Yes
Counter Bores	X	Yes
Blind/Buried Vias	X	Yes
Microvias	X	Yes
Mask Plugged Vias	X	Yes
Via-in-Pad	X	Yes
Etch Back	X	Yes
Tetra Etch	X	Yes
Cover Coat	X	Yes
Cavity Process	X	Yes
Laser Rout	X	Yes
LPI Legend	X	Yes
Edge Mill	X	Yes
Unique Serialization	X	Yes
Back Drilling	X	Yes
Controlled Depth Drill	X	Yes

Laminate	Type	Tg Celsius	Td Celsius	T-260 Minutes	T-288 Minutes	Dk	Df	UL94
Aluminum Clad						@ 1 MHz	@ 1 MHz
		130	380			4.8	0.016	V0
Isola						@ 1 GHz	@ 1 GHz
370HR	FR4 / Phenolic	180	340	60	30	4.04 @ 2 GHz	0.021 @ 2 GHz	V0
185HR	FR4 / Phenolic	180	340	60	>15	4.01 @ 2 GHz	0.0200 @ 2 GHz	V0
ED130UV	FR4	135		10		4.34	0.016	V0
FR406	FR4 High Temp	170	300	10	>2	3.95	0.0161	V0
408HR	FR4	190	360	60	>30	3.69	0.0091	V0
IS620i	Modified Epoxy	225	364	60	>20	3.58	0.0059	V0
P95	Polyimide	260	416	60	60	3.78	0.0172	HB
P96	Polyimide	260	396	60	60	3.78	0.0172	V0
Nelco						1 GHz	2.5 GHz
N4000-6	FR4 High Temp	175	325	4-8		4.0 @ 2.5 GHz	0.022	V0
N4000-11	Modified Epoxy	175	345	30		4.1	0.02	V0
N4000-12	Modified Epoxy	190	350	>60		3.7	0.008	V0
N4000-13	Modified Epoxy	210 - 240	350	>30	>10	3.7	0.009	V0
N4000-6 SI/EP	Modified Epoxy	210 - 240	350	>30	>10	3.7	0.009	V0
N4000-29	FR4 High Temp	175 - 185	350	>60	15	4.3	0.015	V0
Arlon						1 MHz	1 MHz
85N	Cer/Glass	250	407	>60	>60	4.2	0.01	HB
Rogers						8-40 GHz	10 GHz
RT/duroid 5880	PTFE / Glass		500			2.2	0.0009	V0
RT/duroid 5870	PTFE / Microfiber		500			2.33	0.0012	V0
RT/duroid 6002	Cer/PTFE		500			2.94	0.0012	V0
RT/duroid 6006	Cer/PTFE		500			6.45	0.0027 @ 10 GHz/A	V0
RT/duroid 6010	Cer/PTFE		500			10.7	0.0023 @ 10 GHz/A	V0
3003	Cer/PTFE		500			3	0.001	V0
3006	Cer/PTFE		500			6.5	0.002	V0
3010	Cer/PTFE		500			11.2	0.0022	V0
3203	Cer/PTFE		500			3.02	0.0016	V0
3210	Cer/PTFE		500			10.8	0.0027	V0
4003C	Hydrocarbon/Cer	>280	425			3.55	0.0027	N/A
4350B	Hydrocarbon/Cer	>280	390			3.66	0.0037	V0
4450B	Hydrocarbon/Cer	>280	390			3.3 ± 0.05 @ 10 GHz	0.004	V0
Taconic						10 GHz	10 GHz
TLC	PTFE / Glass					3.2	0.003	V0
TLE	PTFE / Glass					2.95	0.0028	V0
TLT	PTFE / Glass					2.5 @ 1 MHz	0.0006 @ 1 MHz	V0
TLX	PTFE / Glass		553			2.55	0.0012 @ 1.9 GHz	V0

Thickness guide (mils, 1/1000 inch),*
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Pre-Preg Styles	Against core with .5 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 30% of the board area	Against core with .5 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 70% of the board area	Against core with 1 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 30% of the board area	Against core with 1 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 70% of the board area	Against core with 2 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 30% of the board area	Against core with 2 oz copper and signal traces utilizing 70% of the board area	Against the top and bottom copper layers (foil)	Additional plies that are not directly against conductor layers
106	1.9	2.2	1.5	2.0	0.5	1.5	2.3	2.1
1080	2.6	2.8	2.1	2.6	1.1	2.2	3.0	2.7
2113	3.5	3.7	3.0	3.5	2.0	3.1	3.9	3.5
2116	4.7	4.9	4.2	4.7	3.2	4.3	5.1	4.6
7628	6.5	6.8	6.0	6.5	5.0	6.1	6.9	6.2

Layer	Layer Description	Thickness
Layer 1	Foil: 1 oz foil thickness 0.00135”	0.00135”
Prepreg top	Sheet 1 of Prepreg style 2116 (Column G, Row 2116: 5.1 mils)	0.0051”
Prepreg top	Sheet 2 of Prepreg style 2116 (Column C, Row 2116: 4.2 mils)	0.0042”
Layer 2	Signal Plane: 1 oz foil thickness 0.00135”	0.00135”
Core	Laminate core 0.039”	0.039”
Layer 3	Ground Plane: 1 oz foil thickness 0.00135”	0.00135”
Prepreg bottom	Sheet 1 of Prepreg style 2116 (Column D, Row 2116: 4.7 mils)	0.0047”
Prepreg bottom	Sheet 2 of Prepreg style 2116 (Column G, Row 2116: 5.1 mils)	0.0051”
Layer 4	Foil: 1 oz foil thickness 0.00135”	0.00135”
Total thickness (Finish +/- 10%)		0.0635”

Advanced PCBs

Standard vs. advanced

Still wondering whether or not your board is a Standard or Advanced PCB?

AdvancedPCBs: Capabilities

AdvancedPCBs: Certifications

Advanced PCBs: Laminates

Advanced PCBs: Multi-layer stackups

Calculate the thickness of your custom stackup.

Advanced PCBs: Board Finishes

Electrical Test

Engineering FAQs

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	0.020"	0.031"	0.040"	0.047"	0.062"	0.093"	0.125"	Max Board Size
4-layer	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	16” x 22”
6-layer	X	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	16” x 22”
8-layer	X	X	X	X	✔	✔	✔	16” x 22”
10-layer	X	X	X	X	✔	✔	✔	14” x 20”
11-layer and up	X	X	X	X	✔	✔	✔	>14” x 20”