Fabrication Contract
Commercial sourcing of unpopulated printed circuit boards establishes the technical specifications and quality assurances required before component mounting. Bare board procurement defines contractual requirements for dielectric stackups, surface finishes and panelization geometries. Purchasing specifications enforce compliance with IPC-6012 standards for rigid structures.
Fab shops build raw panels according to Gerber files, netlists and fabrication drawings supplied by design teams. Receiving inspections verify dimensional tolerances, hole plating thickness and solder mask alignment.
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance criteria require physical coupon testing from each production panel. Cross-section analysis verifies microvia plating integrity, dielectric thickness and copper foil adhesion. Ionic contamination testing confirms cleanliness levels below specified microgram limits per square centimeter.
Microsection inspection identifies internal defects like resin voids, micro-cracks or plating folds before populating boards with active components. Non-compliant panels face immediate rejection at incoming quality control.
Supply Exposure
Lead times and fabrication yields directly influence assembly production schedules. Supplier capability audits assess registration accuracy, inner layer registration limits and copper plating consistency. Substrate material lead times fluctuate based on specialty resin availability.
Failure to define clear procurement parameters increases scrap rates during surface mount reflow. Contractual yield agreements protect buyers from financial losses caused by latent fabrication defects.