Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1472851
JULY 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 69 good to cut back on superfluous data for overall clarity in the documentation, designers need to avoid the temptation to cut back too much. Be sure to include adequate views, notes, and other details that specify how your design is to be fabricated and assembled. Also, be careful when using "standard" notes and other drawing elements stored in your PCB libraries. Stock drawing elements like these are great time savers, but they must be closely examined first to see if they need updates to match the specific requirements of the design. Minute details such as tolerances or surface finishes may be incorrect and can easily be overlooked. 3. Leverage the power of your design tools. PCB design tools today have some incred- ible features within them to help with the cre- ation of drawings and other manufacturing documentation, but these tools don't always get used. Oen designers face some serious time challenges when getting a design out the door, and typically the drawings are one of the last pieces to the puzzle to be worked on. erefore, many designers will avoid experi- menting with new CAD features and simply go with what has always worked in the past. One of the biggest favors you can do for yourself is to invest some time (before crunch time) and find out what kind of unique fea- tures your design tools might have that you aren't aware of. View generators, table and chart wizards, automated dimensioning, and other advanced CAD features could end up saving you a lot of additional time and effort in the future. 4. During review, ask yourself, "Could I build what I just documented?" I think that everyone is used to reviewing their work for completeness and accuracy, but have you ever looked at a drawing and asked yourself, "Could I build that?" I know that we are PCB designers and not manufacturers, but we are the ones creating the documentation for fabrication and assembly shops to build our designs. We should be able to tell if the man- ufacturers can do the job based on the docu- ments we are sending them. If you are unfa- miliar with the fab and assembly processes, spend some time with your vendors to better understand what they do and what they need from you to do it. As a designer, it is extremely interesting to tour the manufacturing facilities you are using, and see exactly how your design is being brought to life. Aer all, the more we know about what we are telling our vendors to do, the better the final product will be. ese are some of the ideas that run through my head when I'm preparing manufacturing documentation, and I hope that they will help you too. And with that, it's time for me to transition back out to the garage and pick up where I le off. I think that I'm ready to start step four of the great trike project, and I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and a quick note to self: first check and confirm that those rear wheels really are as tightly mounted as they should be. Until next time, then, everyone, keep on designing. DESIGN007 Tim Haag writes technical, thought-leadership content for First Page Sage on his longtime career as a PCB designer and EDA technologist. To read past columns, click here. We should be able to tell if the manufacturers can do the job based on the documents we are sending them.