PCB Design & Stackup Guides

Make construction decisions before release: board thickness, copper weight, impedance, flex bends, HDI and via-in-pad requirements.

Start with the process or construction guide, then use the focused checklists to define a revision-controlled RFQ. Published examples are general guidance; project limits and acceptance criteria need engineering approval.

Guides and release checklists

• What Is a PCB? Layers, Materials, Types and How to Order

  A beginner-friendly explanation of the printed circuit board, with practical distinctions that matter when moving from a design to a manufacturing quote.

• Standard PCB Thickness: Sizes, Tolerances and Stackup Choices

  1.6 mm is common, not mandatory. Choose finished thickness from mechanical fit, stackup and the tolerance your assembly actually needs.

• 1 oz vs 2 oz Copper PCB: Thickness, Current and Design Trade-offs

  Copper weight is mass per area, not a current rating. Understand what thicker copper changes before putting 2 oz on every layer.

• Via-in-Pad PCB Guide: Filled, Capped, Tented and HDI Vias

  Via-in-pad can save routing space, but a pad location alone does not define the fill, cap, planarity or reliability requirements.

• PCB Stackup Planning for Controlled Impedance

  How to build a stackup table that fabricators can quote and your SI team can measure: reference planes, dielectric targets, differential pairs, coupons, and tolerance choices.

• HDI PCB Design Guide: Microvias, Stackups, and Cost Drivers

  How microvia structures, sequential lamination, and via-in-pad decisions drive HDI cost and reliability—and how to choose the simplest stackup that routes your design.

• Flex PCB Bend Radius Guide

  Minimum bend radius for flexible PCBs depends on thickness, copper weight, and whether the bend is static or dynamic—here is how to estimate it and what changes the number.

• What to Expect from a DFM Review on Your PCB Stackup

  What a real PCB DFM review covers—annular rings, mask slivers, copper balance, finish trade-offs, HDI and flex risks, and test access—and how to answer questions without slowing your quote.

• Rigid-Flex PCB Design Guide: Bend Radius, Stiffeners, and Coverlay

  The mechanical decisions that make or break rigid-flex designs: bend radius rules, static vs dynamic flexing, stiffener strategy, coverlay openings, and stackup choices.

• DFM Checklist Before PCB Production Release

  A practical pre-production checklist covering fabrication, assembly, test access, and documentation—so your release package survives engineering review without a respin.

• How to Specify a Controlled Impedance PCB

  A practical format for impedance tables: target value, tolerance, layer, reference plane, and fixed vs. fabricator-adjusted geometry, so the first quote matches the board you actually need.

• PCB Impedance Tolerance: ±5% vs. ±10%

  What ±10%, ±7%, and ±5% impedance tolerance actually cost in process control, and a framework for choosing the tolerance your design needs instead of the tightest number available.

• 50-Ohm PCB Trace Design Guide

  Why 50 ohms became the RF default, the variables that set trace width for a 50-ohm microstrip or stripline, and what to hold fixed versus leave to the fabricator.

• Microstrip vs. Stripline vs. Coplanar Waveguide: Choosing an RF Trace Structure

  Three transmission-line structures solve the same impedance target differently. Here is how microstrip, stripline, and coplanar waveguide trade off loss, shielding, and routing density.

• Flexible PCB for Camera Modules: Design and Manufacturing Notes

  Camera-module flex circuits pack fine-pitch sensor connections, shielding, and a tight bend into a few millimeters of width. Here is what that construction actually requires.

• 4-, 6-, and 8-Layer Rigid-Flex PCB Stackups

  How rigid-flex layer count, flex-layer placement, and stiffener strategy change as you move from a simple 4-layer build to denser 6- and 8-layer constructions.