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44 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 Adhere to the Principles of DFM We recommend integrating all these best practices into a design process that looks for- ward to the manufacturing process. Finding issues earlier makes them cheaper and easier to fix. From the outset, perform all design tasks while considering yield and other manufactur- ing issues that affect cost and quality. Communicate with your manufacturing partner regularly throughout the design pro- cess. ey can do more than just find problems. A good manufacturing partner has valuable insight into how design decisions impact man- ufacturability, yield, and quality of the boards. Each manufacturer has unique capabili- ties and process requirements that can have a large impact on the manufacturability of your design, making an open line of communication critical. For example, your suppliers can con- firm that you are using up-to-date footprint files throughout the design process. Highly manufacturable designs exist within a range of specifications. Manufacturers can oen help you tweak your design to make the best use of these ranges. Designer/manufac- turer communication about DFM can help save time, reduce costs, and even improve the functionality of your board. Help When You Need It Choosing a manufacturing partner with readily available support staff can help you solve manufacturability puzzles during the design process, rather than aer submission. It's useful to ask a few questions of any poten- tial manufacturing partner before deciding. • Is competent technical support available when you need it? • How quickly will they respond to your needs? • Email is slow, so how can you get support for time-sensitive issues? • What is their escalation policy for difficult support requests? • What support packages are available and how much do they cost? e real key to optimizing the manufactur- ability of your PCB designs is choosing the right tools, process, and manufacturer that meet the needs of your design. Treat your parts suppliers, PCB manufacturer, and PCB fabri- cator as members of your design team. Pri- oritize open and persistent collaboration with each of them. Good communication and adherence to a DFM-focused process will ensure board qual- ity, manufacturability, and cost-effectiveness. DESIGN007 Matt Stevenson is vice president at Sunstone Circuits, a division of American Standard Circuits. To read past columns, click here. Matt is also the author of The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to… Designing for Reality.