PCB Services
PCB Fabrication Services
From bare board fabrication to complex HDI and specialty constructions.
PCB fabrication transforms your design files — Gerber data, drill files and stackup specifications — into physical circuit boards ready for component assembly. The fabrication process encompasses dozens of individual manufacturing steps: inner layer imaging, etching, lamination, drilling, copper plating, outer layer imaging, solder mask application, surface finish, electrical testing, and final inspection. Each step must be executed within tight tolerances for the finished board to meet its electrical and mechanical requirements. AstroPCB provides full-spectrum PCB fabrication from simple 2-layer prototypes to 40-layer HDI constructions with specialty laminates.
Fabrication process overview
Inner layer fabrication begins with copper-clad laminate sheets. Photoresist is applied, exposed with the circuit pattern using direct imaging or photoplotter film, developed to remove unexposed resist, and etched to remove unprotected copper. The resulting inner layer panels are inspected by automated optical inspection (AOI) against the Gerber data. Accepted inner layers are oxide-treated for adhesion and stacked with prepreg sheets in the specified sequence for lamination.
Lamination bonds the stack under heat (170-190°C) and pressure (250-400 PSI) for 1-2 hours. The prepreg resin flows, fills the copper features and cures into a rigid panel. After lamination, mechanical and laser drilling creates through-holes, blind vias and microvias according to the drill data. Electroless copper deposition seeds the hole walls, followed by electrolytic copper plating to build the required barrel thickness (minimum 25 microns for IPC Class 3). Outer layer imaging, etching, solder mask application and surface finish complete the fabrication sequence.
What AstroPCB fabricates
Layer count from 1 to 40+ layers. Board thickness from 0.2 mm to 6.0 mm. Copper weight from 0.5 oz to 10 oz. Minimum trace and space from 3/3 mil (standard) to 2/2 mil (HDI). Minimum drill from 0.1 mm laser to 0.15 mm mechanical. Materials including FR-4 (standard through high-Tg), Rogers 4350B/4003C, PTFE, Megtron 6/7, polyimide, ceramic and metal core. Surface finishes including HASL, lead-free HASL, ENIG, ENEPIG, immersion silver, immersion tin and OSP. Controlled impedance to ±8% with TDR verification.
Quality and inspection
Every production panel undergoes automated optical inspection on inner layers and outer layers, electrical testing (flying probe for prototypes, fixture test for production), dimensional measurement, and visual inspection to IPC-6012 standards (Class 2 standard, Class 3 on request). Impedance coupons are measured by TDR for controlled impedance orders. Cross-section analysis is performed on qualification and periodic production samples. Material certificates, inspection reports and test data are provided with each shipment.
Prototype to production
Prototype quantities (1-50 boards) ship in 3-10 business days depending on complexity. Production quantities use optimized panel layouts for cost efficiency and ship on schedules agreed during quotation. The same manufacturing process and quality standards apply to both prototype and production — the difference is panel utilization and scheduling priority, not fabrication quality.
Request a fabrication quote
Upload Gerber files, drill data and a fabrication drawing or specification. The engineering team will DFM-review your design and return a quotation within one business day.