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MAY 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 61 touch with offshore bare board manufacturers and an outside PCB design customer for an idealistic "lunch 'n' learn" is almost impossi- ble. In retrospect, it is easy to see that positive change can take place more easily in smaller groups. ink globally and act locally, as the saying goes. DFM: Philosophy, Process, and More Philosophy is defined as "love of wisdom" and those who design printed circuits with the manufacturer in mind must seek out wisdom through the philosophical methods of ques- tioning, critical discussion, and rational argu- ment. Systematic presentation of compelling data was employed to show our design team what was missing in the ability of our engineer- ing department to perform at full potential. How about you? Is your design philosophy based upon designing to the capabilities of the valuable manufacturing professionals who are going to be faced with fabrication or assem- bly of your layout? Will they be able to sub- mit a competitive bid for volume production at incredibly low prices with staggeringly low margins for profit? If your layout encompasses all the guidelines and considerations for DFM, the transition should go well. PCB design is also a process, a workflow. Using all the known information at the time of the start of a project, a designer will organize it into a database to begin the PCB layout. Incor- porating effective DFM into a layout requires a sound process that must include a free and open communication link between the PCB designer and all manufacturers to collect man- ufacturing capability constraints. Ideally, the process requires a PCB designer to tour the facilities that will be producing the PCB and PCB assembly. A tactile, hands- on relationship must be cultivated for design rules checking to be meaningfully set up in a design database. An understanding of all PCB manufacturing steps must be understood and acknowledged, including material availability, CAM, drilling, plating, etching, finishes and Figure 4: Another example of an engineering query from an offshore manufacturer.