What we're learning on the fabrication floor, and what's changing at Hextron. Updated as new work gives us something worth writing about.
A practical framework for evaluating manufacturing capability, materials, DFM support, quality control, testing, engineering communication, and production scalability — not just the quoted price.
Read the full note →Tg, Td, CTE, Dk, Df, glass weave, resin content and copper weight — what these values actually mean for fabrication, assembly, and long-term reliability, and what to put on the drawing.
Read the full note →Moving from ten boards to ten thousand changes panelization, tooling, testing strategy, yield economics, and traceability — not just the purchase order size.
Read the full note →A design-for-manufacturing look at when HDI actually solves a routing problem — via architecture, stackup coordination, fine-line limits, and reliability considerations.
Read the full note →Bend radius, polyimide stackups, coverlay, stiffeners, dynamic vs. static flex, and the cost tradeoffs between the three constructions.
Read the full note →How ENIG, lead-free HASL, OSP, immersion silver, immersion tin, and hard gold differ — and which one actually fits your pad geometry and assembly process.
Read the full note →CAM review, inner-layer imaging, lamination, drilling, plating, solder mask, surface finish, electrical test, and inspection — the full fabrication sequence.
Read the full note →Stackup, trace geometry, dielectric thickness, copper roughness, differential pairs, CAM compensation, and TDR coupons — where impedance actually goes wrong.
Read the full note →How AOI, bare-board electrical test, flying probe, fixture testing, final inspection, and traceability work together to catch defects before they ship.
Read the full note →Tight trace spacing, small vias, unnecessary HDI, excess layers, material choices, tight tolerances, poor panel utilization, and incomplete fabrication data.
Read the full note →More engineering notes are added as real projects give us something worth sharing — this isn't a content calendar.
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