Fab-process articles for PCB manufacturing - how XFPCB builds boards from CAM through surface finish, which process choices affect yield, and what belongs in clear fabrication notes.
CAD annular ring assumes a centered finished hole. The drill is larger, plating and layer shift change what is left, and Class 2 and Class 3 do not judge the same ring.
Read articleA cavity is a routed pocket, not a slot or a backdrill. Name the side, the depth datum, whether the floor may show copper, and an inside corner the cutter can really make.
Read articleSingle-sided, multilayer, flex and rigid-flex are constructions, not prototype levels. A simpler board answers a different product. Quick-turn changes the queue, not the stack.
Read articleHow a PCB/PCBA factory DFM review actually runs: intake, fab and assembly checks, what CAM may adjust silently, how EQs are raised and answered, and when the job is signed off.
Read articleA factory walk through metal core PCB fabrication, from laminate to hi-pot test, showing which step causes burrs, scratches, edge cracks and leaks, and what to specify.
Read articleHow a through-hole multilayer is pressed: foil build vs core (cap) build, how to read which one a stackup sheet shows, when to ask for each, and why odd layer counts rarely pay.
Read articleA factory-floor map of automated vs manual steps in PCB fabrication and PCBA, why variation concentrates at manual touchpoints, and how buyers design out and control hand work.
Read articleSort boards by change rate and restrictions before picking domestic or offshore, then move them with a transfer package and correlation build instead of requalifying twice.
Read articleFactory/buyer flex PCB laser ablation: coverlay/dielectric opening, skiving vs laser, pad cleaning, UV/CO2 roles, DFM/RFQ locks for China flex fabs — soft CTA.
Read articleIndustrial PCB manufacturing buyer guide: plant environment, materials/stackup, IPC class, conformal coat and heavy copper, China fab DFM/RFQ locks.
Read articleFactory/buyer LED PCB board guide: when FR-4 is enough vs MCPCB/aluminum, thermal vias vs metal core, copper/drive current, white mask notes, array assembly, China RFQ locks.
Read articleFactory/buyer PCB edge plating: castellated half-holes, sidewall wrap, EMI/chassis contact, route-before-plate DFM, inspection, China fab RFQ locks — soft CTA.
Read articleFactory map of electronic packaging levels L1–L3: component packages, PCBA where the PCB lives, MCM/modules, PCB vs IC substrate RFQ boundary, L1→L2 BGA/QFN yield, and L2→L3 handoff.
Read articleFactory guide to embedded copper coin PCB: what it is, how made, thermal path, resin fill/coplanarity, embedded vs press-fit, vs vias/heavy Cu/MCPCB, and China fab RFQ checklist.
Read articleFactory guide to embedded resistors PCB: thin-film planar process (8 steps, 3 etches), outer mask vs inner bury, chem drift after micro-etch/brown, CAM compensate, laser trim, SMT vs embed, and China fab RFQ + coupon acceptance.
Read articleFactory methods guide: EMI shield cans vs conductive coatings — can materials and SMT DFM (NiAg vs SS, pick-up, lands), fixed vs removable frames, design factors (height, heat, gaps, BeCu), plastic housing paint mix/settle traps, can vs coating vs both matrix, and China PCBA RFQ fields.
Read articleChina-fab ENIG guide: Ni+Au stack, process steps, IPC-4552 Ni/Au + XRF fab notes, black-pad bath control, ENIG vs HASL/OSP/ImAg/ENEPIG, selective ENIG, and incoming QC.
Read articleAnswer-first China-fab guide to IPC Class 3 PCB fabrication: class vs AS9100 myths, annular ring and plating differences vs Class 2, inspection depth, cost of over-specifying, and RFQ language that sticks.
Read articleAnswer-first China-fab view of the PCB design engineer’s job: DFM handoff, stackup and class callouts, Gerber/BOM discipline, EQ loops, and the release package that prevents quote delays.
Read articleAnswer-first China-fab guide to laminate dimensional stability: why thin cores shift, RTF vs brush, glass/resin control, CTE/Tg, and RFQ notes that cut multilayer registration scrap.
Read articlePCB board design and layout: placement order, functional zoning, unbroken return paths, fiducials, DFA spacing, and fab-file readiness before you order.
Read articleRoHS for PCBs: 10 substance limits, homogeneous materials, lead-free SAC process, CoC vs IPC-1752 docs, halogen-free vs eco, and the buyer RFQ checklist.
Read articleHow PCBs are made from Gerber to IPC-A-600: multilayer fab flow, DFM tolerances, ENIG vs OSP, Class 2/3 gates, and cost drivers for EE and procurement.
Read articleChina-fab multilayer stackup guide for 4-12+ layers: choose layer count from BGA and rails, via types that add lamination cycles, reference and symmetry rules, fab sequence, and RFQ drawing callouts that cut CAM EQs.
Read articleChina fab guide for overseas buyers and technicians: what a PMU is versus a PMIC, DC-DC hot loop and SW/FB layout, LDO heat, 2 vs 4 layer return paths, sequencing checks, QFN thermal vias and paste, heavy copper DFM, field failure map, ripple probe tips, and fab notes that protect power-section intent.
Read articleChina PCBA process guide for procurement and technicians: SMT vs THT, stencil print and SPI, pick-and-place, reflow zone profiling, AOI/X-ray by package risk, hybrid THT after SMT, defect-to-station map, and RFQ clauses that prove a controlled line.
Read articleChina fab DFM guide: why green DRC still draws CAM EQs, how process sheets redefine DFF+DFA, IPC class cost traps, shop-floor failure modes, and finish/copper/file levers that hide cost.
Read articleChina fab quick-turn PCB guide for NPI sourcing: what expedite really buys, layer/material/impedance lead-time ranges, prototype vs pilot vs volume, CAM holds, and the file package that stays in the fast queue.
Read articleManufacturing emphasizes the production sequence and factory workflow. Tech goes deeper into materials physics and capability detail behind those process steps.
Start with the PCB Fabrication Process page, then use Manufacturing articles for deeper step-by-step context tied to RFQ and DFM decisions.