Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1525004
10 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 Feature Article by Jen Kolar MONSOON SOLUTIONS At Monsoon Solutions, we provide PCB lay- out services for the full lifecycle of products, from one-off prototypes to items manufac- tured in production volume. We also manage manufacturing and assembly for prototype and smaller production runs for both customer- produced and in-house layouts. As a result, we see various manufacturing data packages and work with many different manufacturers. I asked our PCB design engineers and program managers to share the cost adders and cost sav- ers that designers can affect, and it was inter- esting to see that in addition to more technical responses, some of the biggest culprits were rather simple. Hidden (and Obvious) Design Mishaps With Big Cost Impacts Fabrication Note Errors Starting with PCB fabrication, one of the most obvious and simplest cost adders is incor- rect or missing fabrication notes. As designers, we all like to have a starting point for a layout rather than having to start from scratch, and that oen means starting from a similar board, which comes with existing fabrication notes. As a service bureau, we also oen work on revisions of designs, and thus we inherit fabri- cation notes from the previous design. A com- mon mistake I see from designers is when they leave notes the new designer doesn't under- stand or know if they are required. I will oen see them ask the customer about the notes,