Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1372612
48 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2021 We will do DFM for prospective customers, for customers we already have from a design level, assembly level, and then we will go out to a subset of board houses and we'll choose. Primarily, we oen go to the same one or two because they understand that when we order, we're going to place the order with them. We request many DFMs and that helps a lot, even if you can get a stackup going with them, for example. With that information, knowing that where this design sits now, these are the things that we're going to ask you when you place the order. If you can incorporate this now, when you place the order, we can check those boxes off. We've already answered those questions. at's a big advantage that the board houses have offered. Now you can have them do a full rate and they'll charge you for it. But a lot of times the mini-DFM will shake out a lot of the main issues that they would run into, if you can incorporate those before you place the order. Johnson: Are you running DFM in-house at your facility or are you relying on the fabrica- tor to do all those for you? Vaughan: No, we do both, and we run it in our internal Valor as well. When we do that offer- ing, we basically post-process their design. When we get a request for it, we do a table plot review with three or four designers. We'll get their eyes on it, looking at the Gerbers, making suggestions. We run it through our Valor tool to see what it outputs, and then we put togeth- er a PowerPoint report. If there are tests that are required or request- ed, then we would do a DFT with our test engi- neers and we provide a full-on package, includ- ing what the mini-DFM from a board house may ask and then say, "Here are your majors, you really want to pay attention to them. We would suggest that you make some changes around those for the benefit of everybody in the supply chain involved, including you and your end customer. Here are the minor things, It's understandable, because at the end of the day, they're running a business to retain cus- tomers and to beat out the competition. To have your recipe out there for the world to pick apart, I can understand why there's some hesi- tancy. ere's been some pushback in that re- gard, but we have a few fab houses that we just have a really long-term relationship with, and who have been a little bit more forthcoming or giving of that information. Johnson: Compare and contrast for me when a fabricator wants to improve that communica- tion. Obviously, fabricators want to get boards that take minimal CAM time for them; they want to get jobs that can pass right through and onto the manufacturing floor. at would be their ideal. It would be in the fab's best in- terest to make sure that their customers sub- mitting designs are providing designs that are spot-on accurate. As a fab, how much do you divulge? How much do you keep a secret? For you as the customer, you need that informa- tion as well so that you can design to what's go- ing to work for them. Vaughan: Yes. And I think your answer lies in how you summarized it. ey want plug and play. ey want to be able to get something, import it, export it, build it, and ship it. Just like we don't want the hang-ups on the back- end when we're getting ready to populate it and assemble it, they would prefer not to have the hang-ups on the front end when they're getting ready to CAM it, tool it, and build it. Just like you said, having that mindset that they would prefer to cut down on the labor time of the CAM and all the front end. To do that, you need to communicate to your customer base what you would like to see to make that hap- pen. It goes back to what I was saying about the internal communication channels. With the external customer base able to be more flu- id in that communication loop, almost every fab house will offer it by way of mini-DFMs.