Easy PCB Assembly for PCB Designers

This is a simple checklist of 12 Best Practices to make sure your PCB Assembly

does not go On-Hold.  As a good PCB Designer you do your best to work with the PCB shop’s guidelines to build good, easily manufacturable printed circuit boards.

But you must also think of what happens after the circuit boards are manufactured. They go to PCB Assembly so that components can be assembled on to the boards.

Here are 12 helpful steps you can take as a PCB Designer to ensure your PCB assembly is easy and not put on hold.

ALL printed circuit boards MUST have at least 3 fiducials.

ALL NON-RECTANGULAR circuit boards MUST be panelized.

All printed circuit boards with any side that is LESS THAN 3 inches in length MUST be panelized.

ALL Vias under BGAs MUST ALWAYS be tented with solder mask.

All via in pads, even with passive components, MUST have via fill.

Any boards with components LESS THAN 1/4th inch along any edge of the boards MUST be panelized.

ALL POLARIZED capacitors MUST have a (+) sign (on the silkscreen, or some other way to indicate the positive side of the capacitor.

ALL DIODES and LEDS, MUST have an ARROW or NEGATIVE sign, on the silkscreen, indicating the cathode side of the diode or LED.

All Connectors MUST have a (1) or (dot), on the silkscreen, indicating where pin 1 MUST be.

All ICs MUST have a (1) or (dot), on the silkscreen, indicating where pin 1 MUST be.

All crystals MUST have a (1) or (dot), on the silkscreen, indicating where pin 1 MUST be.

ALL components to be installed on bottom side of board, MUST have their silkscreen printed on the BOTTOM side of board.

We hope these tips and best practices are helpful for making your PCB Assembly

easy!