Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517130
MARCH 2024 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 31 • Confirm the design integrity of your prototype and provide status reports • Perform design rule checks (DRCs) as you design • Offer unlimited customer support both via email and phone With regard to features, stay focused on the basics. When evaluating design tools, you should first look for the following attributes: • Be easy to learn • Have an intuitive user interface (UI) • Possess features key to your design needs • Include access to an expansive parts library • Be in widespread use • Generates Gerber files usable by most manufacturers • Integrates smoothly with your manufac- turing process Different tools will have different sweet spots with regard to the production process. Designers should learn and have more than one CAD tool in their toolbox to give them more f le x ib i lit y f rom design to design. The selection pro- cess may involve some trial and error, but once you find tools that fit your needs, designing for reality will become easier. Anticipating Variations in the Manufacturing Process ough the basics of production are univer- sal, variations in the manufacturing process are inevitable. e sources of variation dur- ing production are found in raw materials, equipment, human actions, environment, and method. e raw materials required in a manufactur- ing process most oen come in the form of a manufactured material or ore. ere will inev- itably be slight inconsistencies in the materi- als. is can have a cascading effect, creating variations during PCB production and poten- tially impacting board performance. No two pieces of equipment operate identi- cally in perpetuity, even if they are the same make and model. Over time, every piece of equipment will produce variation due to wear and tear, frequency of use, and quality of main- tenance. Shop floors are filled with equipment from a wide array of eras and vendors, and every unique combination of machines will produce its own always-evolving output varia- tions. Even using the same PCB manufacturer for every design will not eliminate variation. Given enough production runs, that manufac- turer will inevitably produce slightly different results. e human factor is arguably the biggest source of variability in any manufacturing process. Every person is different and reacts differently to stimuli. Each day presents man- ufacturing personnel with its own produc- tion variables. Many facilities run multiple shis, so different shis will have slightly different takes on process, and as a result every person is going to do the same task in slightly dif- ferent ways that are most comfortable in the conditions of the moment. Environmental factors can cause variation in a manufacturing pro- cess, impacting the process itself or the incoming raw materials. Heat and humidity are the most common environmental factors that can alter the PCB manufacturing process. Changes in air quality like volume of particu- lates (debris and vapors) can all produce varia- tions in production output. PCB manufacturers should always be look- ing for ways to improve, and when they do, the resulting changes to the steps or method of a manufacturing process can create variation. The human factor is arguably the biggest source of variability in any manufacturing process.