Onions Have Layers, People Have Layers, Circuit Boards Have Layers

When my son was younger he was very curious about my job as a printed circuit board designer and why (unlike his friends’ parents) it allowed me to work from my home office. He got that the circuit boards I designed basically made electronic devices like CD players, video games, etc., do what they do but he was a little dubious about why it was a big deal that each one was different (I think he thought I was secretly on the couch watching TV all day).

In explaining it, I told him to consider the onion…

Each onion is unique I told him. Different types, different sizes and different shapes. The layers you find when you peel or cut into an onion depend on the onion’s maturity, the amount of water it gets, the soil where they are grown, etc. It’s those individual layers – shaped by those environmental factors above that make up the whole onion. People, also have layers. Even people from the same family who might outwardly resemble each other can be said to have personalities layered and unique from their siblings, parents, etc.  Each of us has had different experiences in our lives that shape us and make us who we are. Like the onion we are also shaped by environmental factors: when/where we are born, our education, etc.  

In the same way (I told him), those circuit boards that make electronic devices go also have different layers, based on what you need them to do. Some utilize power plane signals and some split plains, they use different chips, have different power consumption needs and thus require different copper thicknesses for currents, etc. Every PCB is layered and that is dictated by the designer when he figures out what they need to do. Having designed circuit boards for a variety of products in industries as varied as aerospace, biomedical, oceanographic technology and multimedia, one lesson learned is that every customer and thus design is unique.

At AbsolutePCB.com, we look beyond the design phase and seek to help engineers and designers navigate the sometimes-confusing fabrication process. Your design is unique and so the conversation with the supplier must be succinct and informed. Our over 20 years of experience working with both domestic and international fabrication companies has given us insight into the most effective ways get production right the first time, so you get the finished board (and result) that you’re looking for.   Many engineers don’t know how to do that...they just draw out their design and throw it to the fab house but they don’t necessarily know some the questions they should be asking (or answering).

That’s where we come in…evaluating incoming orders from both the design/client side and from perspective of the fab house, asking the client questions like “Are you sure you want to use this copper weight?” as opposed to another gauge that might suit their design more effectively, etc.   If they’ve made a specific choice for a board that might be outside of the usual process a fabricator might follow, you need to explain that to those folks so they don’t make any edits or substitutions on their end.

AbsolutePCB.com streamlines the process of finding the right manufacturer at the right price, and knowing which questions need to be answered on both ends of the process - ensuring delivery within your timeframe. If speed is of the essence and you just need your boards fabricated to spec by deadline, we can help!