Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1532278
54 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2025 Connect the Dots by Matt Stevenson, ASC SUNSTONE CIRCUITS Designing for Reality: Routing, Final Fab, and QC In the previous episode of I-Connect007's On the Line with… podcast, we discussed sev- eral commonly used surface finishes, laying out the unique properties, the application process, and the associated pros and cons. Our final steps in the manufacturing process include routing, final inspection, and shipment. Boards are ready for assembly, except they are still in panel form. How do we break all these boards apart? PCBs usually need to be removed from the manufacturing panel. Even if some boards stay in a sub-panel for assembly, we need to remove the outside frame. ere are instances where the customer pre- fers to receive their order in panel form and break the boards out down the road, but most of the time, this is done aer the manufacturing process. is enables us to put finished edges on the PCBs and add tabs for tab-routed boards. Routing Options e most common method is to rout the indi- vidual board into its singulated format. For exam- ple, if the design calls for 3x3 boards, we cut them to meet those specifications, and the customer receives stacks of individual 3x3 boards.