The following standard and advanced capabilities will assist printed circuit board (PCB) designers in setting up their basic design checks. Full capabilities for printed circuit board manufacturing may extend beyond the rules below but often times involve additional processes and costs to achieve the desired results. It is recommended that designers who require capabilities beyond what is described below contact us to help maximize the effectiveness of the design and the printed circuit board manufacturing process.
| Standard Capability | Advanced Capability | |
| Overview | ||
| Minimum Layer Count | 1 | 1 |
| Maximum Layer Count | 16 | 30 |
| Trace/Space | 0.004″ | 0.002″ |
| Finished Hole Size | 0.006″ | 0.004″ |
| Surface Finishes | HASL, ENIG, Hard Gold, Soft Gold (see all below) | ENEPIG, OSP (see all below) |
| Materials | FR-4, High Temp FR-4, Isola, Rogers, see material library for all | PTFE/Duroid, Polyimide, Flex, see material library for all |
| Controlled Impedance | +/- 10% | +/- 5% |
| Annular Ring | 0.005″ At drilled size, class 2 | 0.003″ Mechanical, 0.001″ Laser |
| Outer Layers Finished Copper | 1 oz to 2 oz | 1 oz to 5 oz |
| Inner Layers Finished Copper | 0.5 oz to 2 oz | 0.3 oz to 4 oz |
| Soldermask Colors | Green, Black, Blue, Red, White, Clear, Custom | Yellow, Custom |
| Silkscreen Colors | Green, Black, Blue, Red, White, Clear, Custom | Yellow, Custom |
| Filled Vias | Non-Conductive Fill | Non-Conductive Fill or Conductive Fill |
| Smallest Mechanical Drill Diameter | 0.008″ | 0.004″ |
| Smallest Laser Drill Diameter | N/A | 0.003″ |
| Blind Vias | No | Yes |
| Buried Vias | No | Yes |
| Aspect Ratio | 10:1 | 15:1 |
| Plated Hole to External Copper | 0.008″ | 0.005″ |
| Plated Hole to Internal Copper | 0.0105″ | 0.008″ |
| Clearance – Copper to Edge of Board | Outer Layer Rout – 0.010″ Outer Layer V-Score – 0.015″ Inner Layer – 0.015″ | Outer Layer Rout – 0.005″ Inner Layer Rout – 0.005″ |
| Minimum Panel Size | 9″ x 12″ | 8″ x 8″ |
| Maximum Panel Size | 18″ x 24″ | 24″ x 36″ |
| Plated Slots | Routed | Routed or Nibbled |
| Non-Plated Slots | Routed | Routed or Nibbled |
| Plating in Holes | 0.0008″ | 0.0015″ |
| Web (or Mask Width) | 0.005″ | 0.003″ |
| Soldermask Swell | 0.003″ | 0.001″ |
| Silkscreen Width | 0.003″ | 0.003″ |
| Inspection & Testing Criteria | ||
| IPC Class 2 | Yes | Yes |
| IPC Class 3 | No | Yes |
| Netlist Generation and Netlist Compare | Yes | Yes |
| Trace / Space | ||
| Outer Layers (finished copper) | 1 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .004″ | 1 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .002″ |
| 2 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .006″ | 2 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .005″ | |
| 3 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .008″ | 3 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .008″ | |
| 4 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .012″ | 4 oz Cu Min Trace .011″ Space .012″ | |
| 5 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .016″ | ||
| Inner Layers | 0.3 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .002″ | |
| 0.5 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .0035″ | ||
| 1 oz Cu Min Trace/Space .005″ | 1 oz Cu Min Trace .004″ Space .005″ | |
| 2 oz Cu Min Trace .006″ Space .008″ | 2 oz Cu Min Trace .005 Space .007″ | |
| 3 oz Cu Min Trace .009″ Space .010″ | ||
| 4 oz Cu Min Trace .012″ Space .015″ | ||
| Drilling | ||
| Min drilled diameter, final board thickness 0.031″ or less | 0.006″ | 0.004″ |
| Min drilled diameter, final board thickness between 0.031″ and 0.062″ | 0.008″ | 0.006″ |
| Min drilled diameter, final board thickness between 0.062″ and 0.093″ | 0.010″ | 0.010″ |
| Min drilled diameter, final board thickness between 0.093″ and 0.125″ | 0.0145″ | 0.012″ |
| Min / Max laser drilled dielectrics | N/A | 1.5 mil/6 mil |
| Min / Max micro via diameter -as ablated- | N/A | 2.5 mil/8 mil |
| Min micro via capture/landing pad annular ring | N/A | 2 mil |
| Micro Via Depth to Diameter Aspect Ratio | No | 0.75:1 Greater upon review. |
| Pre-drilled core blind vias | No | Yes |
| Sublamination blind vias | No | Yes |
| HDI Via Structures | No | 4+N+4 Greater or anylayer upon review |
| Buried vias | No | Yes |
| Filled vias | Non-Conductive fill | Non-Conductive or Conductive fill |
| Nibbling | No | Yes |
| Largest hole | 0.247″ plated, 0.250″ non-plated | No maximum |
| Slots | Plated or non-plated, routed | Plated or non-plated, routed or nibbled |
| Plating in holes | 0.0008″ | 0.0015″ |
| Plated hole to copper | 0.008″ | 0.005″ |
| Surface Finish | ||
| Hot Air Solder Level (HASL – Lead) | Yes | Yes |
| Hot Air Solder Level (HASL – Lead-Free) | Yes | Yes |
| Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) | Yes | Yes |
| Immersion Silver | Yes | Yes |
| Hard Gold Fingers with ENIG | Yes | Yes |
| Hard Gold Fingers with HASL | Yes | Yes |
| Electrolytic Hard Gold | Yes | Yes |
| Electrolytic Soft Gold | Yes | Yes |
| Electroless Nickel Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold (ENEPIG) | No | Yes |
| Organic Surface Protectant (OSP) | Yes | Yes |
| Bare Copper | Yes | Yes |
| Electroless Palladium Immersion Gold (EPIG) | No | No |
| Tin Nickel | No | Yes |
| White Tin | Yes | Yes |
| Carbon Ink | No | Yes |
| Soldermask | ||
| Colors | Green, Black, Blue, Red, White, Clear, Custom | Yellow, Custom |
| Finish/Texture | Semi-gloss, Matte | Semi-gloss, Matte |
| Tented Vias | No | Yes |
| Soldermask Plugged Vias | Yes | Yes |
| Soldermask Thickness over Copper | 5 micron to 25 micron | 5 micron to 25 micron |
| Soldermask Web | 5 mil | 3 mil |
| Soldermask Gap to Pad | 4 mil | 2 mil |
| Copper Ring Under Mask-Defined Pad | 3 mil | 1 mil |
| Peelable Soldermask | No | Yes |
| LPI Soldermask | Yes | Yes |
| Dry Film Soldermask | No | Yes |
| Silkscreen | ||
| Colors | Green, Black, Blue, Red, White, Clear, Custom | Yellow, Custom |
| Minimum Legend Width/Height | .003″/.027″ | .003″/.024″ |
| Space between Silkscreen and Pad | 5 mil | 4 mil |
| Controlled Impedance | ||
| Layers | 2-16 Layers | 0-30 Layers |
| Impedance Tolerance -SE, Differential Pairs or Coplanar- | +/- 10% | +/- 5% |
| TDR Testing | Yes, Included | Yes, Included |
| Board Thickness | ||
| 1-Layer or 2-Layer | Min .015″ | Max .200″ | Min .008″ | Max .250″ |
| 4-Layer | Min .020″ | Max .200″ | Min .015″ | Max .250″ |
| 6-Layer | Min .031″ | Max .200″ | Min .025″ | Max .250″ |
| 8-Layer | Min .047″ | Max .200″ | Min .031″ | Max .250″ |
| 10-Layer | Min .062″ | Max .200″ | Min .040″ | Max .250″ |
| 12-Layer | Min .062″ | Max .200″ | Min .047″ | Max .250″ |
| 14-Layer | Min .062″ | Max .200″ | Min .054″ | Max .250″ |
| 16-Layer | Min .068″ / Max .200″ | Min .062″ | Max .250″ |
| Laminate Materials | ||
| View our Material Library for details | ||
| CNC / Routing / Score / Mechanical Rules | ||
| Router Bit Size | .045″, .062″, .078″ & .093″ | Min .020″, Max .093″ |
| Spacing for Tab Rout Array | 0.100″ | |
| Standard V- Score Angle | 30° | 20°, 30°, 45°, 60° |
| V-Score Depth | One third of board thickness (min 0.010″) | |
| Jump Score | No | Yes, overshoot up to 0.35″ |
| Scoring Direction | Vertical and Horizontal | Routed Scoring |
| Bevel Angle | 20, 30, 45, or 60 Degree Gold Finger Bevel | Milling/Offset or Recessed Beveling |
| Countersinks | 82, 90 & 100 Degree Countersinks | 60, 82, 90, 100 Degree Countersink ** |
| Counterbores | Yes | Yes |
| Edge Castellations | No | Min Castellated Hole Size .020″ |
| Plated Edges | No | Yes |
| Cross Section | Level 1 | Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 |