PCB Manufacturing Process Capabilities

Printed circuit board technologies have changed rapidly over the past several years, pushing capabilities of standard production facilities and limiting what you can build and where you can build it. New technologies require new production equipment.

Providing quality PCB parts in a single standard production house is a thing of the past. Not all circuit board parts fit into one location. Knowing the capabilities within your supply chain and expanding your offering is not only an investment but necessary for survival in the PCB world. As more PCB manufacturing companies close domestically and across the world, a strong, reliable company with history is what you need.

At a Glance: PCB Manufacturing Process Capabilities

• Advanced PCB manufacturing capabilities support high-density, high-reliability designs through technologies such as microvias, controlled impedance structures, fine-line circuitry, heavy copper construction, and multilayer registration control.
• Manufacturing capability limits directly influence circuit board design decisions involving drill sizes, aspect ratios, copper weights, line widths, layer counts, solder mask features, and impedance requirements.
• Understanding a manufacturer's process capabilities early in the design cycle helps reduce redesign risk and ensures the PCB can be produced consistently, cost-effectively, and to specification.

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Below you will find a list of PCB manufacturing process capabilities.

Category	Description	Sym.	Capability
1. Microvia Diameter	1.1 Microvia Diameter at Target Land	A	100 um 0.004"
	1.2 Microvia Diameter at Capture Land	B	125 um 0.005"
	1.3 Microvia Target Land Size	C	0.012"
	1.4 Microvia Target Land Size	D	450 um 0.0177"
2. Stagger & Stack	2.1 Min. Staggered Via Pitch Staggered Via Pitch	A	560 um 0.022"
	2.2 RCC Thickness RCC	B	50 um 0.002"
	2.3 Blind Via Layers	N	2
3. Material & Construction	3.1 Finished Board Thickness	H	0.012" – 0.250"
	3.2 Min. Inner Layer Thickness	H1	0.075 mm 0.003"
	3.3 Min. Dielectric Thickness	H2	0.05 mm 0.002"
	3.4 Max. Inner Layer Copper	T1	6 oz
	3.5 Max. Outer Layer Copper	T2	6 oz
4. Warp	4.1 Warp & Twist (Max.)	A B	< 0.75%
5. Pad	5.1 Min. Finish Hole Size	H	0.005"
	5.2 Min. Land Size	H	0.018"
	5.3 Min. Annual Ring for Via	R1	IPC Class 2
	5.4 Min. Annual Ring for Component	R1	0.05 mm 0.002", provided designed per IPC
6. Drill	6.1 Tolerance for PTH Hole	A	0.08 mm 0.003"
	6.2 NPTH Hole Tolerance	B	0.05 mm 0.002"
7. Registration for S/M	7.1 Registration for S/M to Pattern	S1-S2	0.0024"
	7.2 Registration for Legend to S/M	NA	0.005"
8. Registration for Drill	8.1 Registration for Drill to Inner Layer	S	0.075 mm 0.003"
	8.2 Registration for Drill to Datum	S	0.05 mm 0.002"
	8.3 Registration for First Drill to Second Drill	NA	0.005"
9. Registration for Layers	9.1 Layer to Layer for 4 layers	S	0.08 mm 0.003"
	9.2 Layer to Layer for 6 layers	S	0.10 mm 0.004"
	9.3 Layer to Layer for 8 layers	S	0.13 mm 0.005"
10. Line Width	10.1 I/L Min. Width (0.5 oz)	W2	0.003"
	10.2 O/L Min. Width (0.5 oz)	W1	0.003"
11. Line Space	11.1 I/L Min. Space	S2	0.003"
	11.2 O/L Min. Space (0.5 oz)	S	0.003"
12. Drill Capability	12.1 Max. Aspect Ratio (Board Thickness 0.063")	H/T	12.0
	12.2 Min. Drill Hole Size (Board Thickness 0.063", After Plating)	H	0.0083
13. S/M Thickness	13.1 Max. Thickness on Copper	H1	0.025 mm 0.001"
	13.2 Max. Thickness at Shoulder	H2	0.0075 mm 0.0003"
14. S/M Capability	14.1 Min. SMD Space for Dam	W2	0.0078"
	14.2 Min. Dam Size	W1	0.004" 0.005" for white and black colors
15. Carbon Capability	15.1 Max. Contact Resistance	NA	30 Ω / sq
	15.2 Max. Primary Resistance	NA	30 Ω
	15.3 Min. Thickness	NA	0.0004"
	15.4 Min. Space	A	0.015"
	15.5 Max. Space for Registration	B	0.007"
16. HAL Capability	16.1 Min. PCB Thickness for HAL	H2	0.6 mm 0.0236"
	16.2 Min. Pad Width/Space for HAL	W	0.25 mm 0.0098"
	16.3 HAL Thickness for any point	H1	0.001 mm ~ 0.025 mm 40micro-inch ~0.001"
	16.4 Thickness on QFP Pad (0.05" Wide Quad)	A	0.015 mm ~ 0.030 mm 0.0006" ~0.0012"
17. HAL Capability	17.1 Outline Tolerance-Punching	AB	NA
	17.2 Outline Tolerance-Routing	AB	0.005"
18. Beveling Capability	18.1 Beveling Angle	B	200-600
	18.2 Tolerance for Outline of Bevel	A	+ - 0.005"
19. V-Cut Capability	19.1 V-Cut Angle V-Cut	C	30°
	19.2 Range of Board Thickness	H	0.030"~0.125"
	19.3 Tolerance of V-Cut Residual	B	0.05 mm 0.003"
	19.4 V-Cut Off Line V-Cut	D	0.125 mm 0.005"
20. Test Capability	20.1 Voltage	NA	5 –500 VDC
	20.2 Isolation	NA	500 MΩ
	20.3 Continuity	NA	20Ω~100KΩ
	20.4 Min. SMD PAD Pitch SMD	P	0.3 mm 0.0118"
21. Impedance Control Capability	21.1 Impedance Control > 50O	NA	+/- 10%
	21.2 Impedance Control < 50O	NA	+/- 10%
22. Differential Impedance Capability	22.1 Differential Impedance Control > 50O	NA	+/- 10%
	22.2 Differential Impedance Control < 50O	NA	+/- 10%
23. Coplanar Impedance Capability	22.1 Coplanar Impedance Control > 50O	NA	+/- 10%
	22.2 Coplanar Impedance Control < 50O	NA	+/- 10%

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Links

• Why are PCB manufacturing capabilities important during the design phase?
• What are microvias, and why are they used?
• What is controlled impedance, and when is it required?
• When should heavy copper PCB construction be considered?
• What manufacturing specifications should engineers review before finalizing a PCB design?

Why are PCB manufacturing capabilities important during the design phase?

Manufacturing capabilities establish the practical limits of what can be produced, including trace widths, spacing, hole sizes, layer registration, board thickness, copper weights, and impedance tolerances. Designing within these limits helps ensure manufacturability, yield, reliability, and cost control.

What are microvias, and why are they used?

Microvias are small laser-drilled interconnections used in high-density PCB designs to connect layers while minimizing space requirements. They support advanced packaging technologies, increased routing density, and more compact electronic assemblies.

What is controlled impedance, and when is it required?

Controlled impedance is the ability to manufacture PCB traces to a specified impedance value within a defined tolerance. It is commonly required for high-speed digital, RF, and communications applications where signal integrity is critical.

When should heavy copper PCB construction be considered?

Heavy copper designs are typically used in applications that require higher current-carrying capacity, improved thermal performance, or increased power-handling capability. The source identifies support for copper weights up to 6 oz on both inner and outer layers.

What manufacturing specifications should engineers review before finalizing a PCB design?

Engineers should evaluate capabilities related to microvias, drill sizes, aspect ratios, line widths and spacing, copper thickness, board thickness, solder mask tolerances, layer registration, impedance control, routing tolerances, and testing requirements to ensure the design aligns with manufacturing limits.

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