AstroPCB
PCB Manufacturing
From design files to finished boards: the complete manufacturing process.
PCB manufacturing converts electronic circuit designs into physical printed circuit boards through a sequence of chemical, mechanical and electrochemical processes. From a simple single-layer prototype to a 40-layer HDI board with blind and buried vias, every PCB follows the same fundamental process chain: imaging the circuit pattern, etching copper, laminating layers, drilling holes, plating connections, applying solder mask, finishing the surface and testing the result. The difference between a basic board and an advanced one lies in how many times these steps are repeated, how tightly tolerances are controlled, and which materials are used.
Manufacturing process
Inner layer fabrication starts with copper-clad laminate panels. Photoresist is applied and exposed with the circuit image through direct laser imaging or UV exposure through a photomask. Development removes the unexposed resist. Etching dissolves the unprotected copper, leaving the circuit traces. Automated optical inspection compares every inner layer to the original design data before the layers proceed to lamination.
Lamination stacks the inner layers with prepreg (uncured fiberglass/resin sheets) in the correct sequence and bonds them under heat and pressure. The resin flows to fill the copper features, then cures into a rigid panel. Drilling creates through-holes and via connections. Electroless copper deposition seeds the hole walls, followed by electrolytic plating to build copper thickness in the holes and on the outer surfaces. Outer layer imaging and etching define the external circuit pattern. Solder mask application protects the copper from oxidation and prevents solder bridging during assembly. Surface finish (HASL, ENIG, immersion silver, OSP or others) provides a solderable pad surface. Electrical testing — flying probe or fixture-based — verifies every connection and isolation on the finished board.
AstroPCB manufacturing capabilities
Layer count: 1 to 40+ layers. Board thickness: 0.2 to 6.0 mm. Copper weight: 0.5 to 10 oz. Minimum trace/space: 3/3 mil standard, 2/2 mil HDI. Minimum drill: 0.1 mm laser, 0.15 mm mechanical. Materials: FR-4 (standard through high-Tg), Rogers 4350B/4003C, PTFE, Megtron 6/7, polyimide, ceramic, metal core. Surface finishes: HASL, lead-free HASL, ENIG, ENEPIG, immersion silver, immersion tin, OSP, hard gold. Impedance control: ±8% with TDR verification. Special constructions: HDI with sequential lamination (up to 7 build-up cycles), rigid-flex, hybrid RF/digital, heavy copper, backdrilled vias.
Quality assurance
Manufacturing quality is managed through IPC-6012 standards. Class 2 (dedicated service electronics) is the default. Class 3 (high-performance electronics) is specified for medical, military, automotive and other reliability-critical applications. In-process inspections at each manufacturing step catch defects before they propagate to subsequent operations. Final inspection includes dimensional verification, visual inspection, electrical test results review, and impedance test data for controlled impedance orders.
Prototype and production
Prototype orders (1-50 boards) ship in 3-10 business days. Production orders ship on agreed schedules with optimized panelization for cost efficiency. Every order — prototype or production — includes a DFM review by the engineering team before fabrication begins.