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82 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021 Introduction One of the biggest chal- lenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manu- facturing process. is arti- cle is the first in a series that will discuss these cost drivers (from the PCB manufacturer's perspective) and the design decisions that will impact product reliability. DFM Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is defined as the practice of designing printed circuit boards that meet not only the capabilities of the customer's assembly manufacturing pro- cess, but also the capabilities of the board fab- rication process at the lowest possible cost. While not a substitute to early design engage- ment with the PCB fabricator, these articles will provide guidelines that will help to "design for success." Panelization Panelization is the process of placing one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) on a man- ufacturing panel and incorporating features to assist manufacturing (such as tooling holes, fiducials, coupons, panel thieving, etc.). Pan- elization is one of the highest-impact factors in the cost of a PCB. e panel area available for circuit boards and coupons is known as the usable area. e number and type of coupons are based on the specs that the PCBs are being built to and requirements for controlled impedance. Cou- pons may sometimes fur- ther reduce the amount of a PCB panel that is avail- able for the circuit boards. is area is measured as a percentage, defined by the total area for PCBs divided by the total panel area. PCBs are arranged in the useable area. Any area outside the useable area is designated for tooling to optimize manufacturing or DFM 101: PCB Panelization Table 1: Several different standard panel sizes are typically available, as well as custom-sized panels for large footprint applications, and custom design and special tooling (all units in inches). Article by Anaya Vardya AMERICAN STANDARD CIRCUITS