Printed Circuit Board production (PCB production)

The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) production requires many different steps in fields of mechanical, galvanic and chemical processes. The complete process of Printed Circuit Board production (PCB production) for a double layer PCB is as follows: (For detailed information of each process please click on the links)

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1. Incoming order

   To take an order for the PCB production, the PCB manufacturer needs the following data and information:

   • Gerber files or other layout files to convert into PCB production files (e.g. Eagle, Target, Orcad, Sprint, Protel etc.)
   • Quantity
   • Lead time
   • PCB thickness (0,1mm to about 3mm. Standard is 1,6mm)
   • PCB base material (FR4, FR5, CEM, Rogers, Isola, or other special PCB base material types)
   • Copper thickness(35µm to 300µm copper thickness)
   • Number of layers (if not clearly defined by Gerber files)
   • If necessary: panel type and size
   • Mechanical processes (V-cut, routing, punching, bevelling etc.)
   • Surface finishing (HAL, immersion tin (Sn), immersion gold (NiAu), immersion silver (Ag), finger gold, OSP etc.)
   • Solder mask (Desired colour, standard colour is green)
   • Electrical test (E-test) if needed.
   • Silk print if needed (desired colour, standard colour is white or yellow)

2. Data inspection
3. Files okay?
4. Call back customer
5. CAM preparation
6. Prepare operation chart
7. Plot films
8. >2 layers
9. Cut (package)
10. Drill
11. Deburring (scrubbing)
12. Laminate photo resist
13. Laminate etch resist
14. Etching
15. Strip etch resist
16. Inspection
17. Solder mask
18. Surface finishing
19. Silk print
20. Produce screen for silk print
21. Print silk print
22. Electrical test
23. Okay
24. Final routing
25. Final inspection
26. Dissapprove
27. Packing/shipment
28. Inner layers
29. Inner layer inspection
30. Activate surface
31. Layer stack-up and pressing
32. Etch back epoxy resin and desmear
33. Through hole plating (PTH)
34. Copper build-up

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The processes in Printed Circuit Board production (PCB production) can be divided into further processes. The industrial PCB production of a simple double layer PCB amounts to around 100 single steps.

A simple process chart about PCB production, you can find here.

You can download the flowchart of the PCB production process as a *.PDF document.

Downloads:
PCB production process (3,5 MB)
Flowchart of the production process (154 KB)