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38 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2021 Article by Anaya Vardya AMERICAN STANDARD CIRCUITS Introduction One of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. is article is the latest 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." Multilayer Construction Guidelines A printed circuit board stackup refers to the material construction of the PCB, including core dielectrics, prepreg dielectrics and cop- per weights. Many factors need to be consid- ered when developing a stackup, including DFM 101: Layer Stackup Figure 1: Multilayer PCBs are similar in basic construction to typical multistory buildings.