48.1 INTRODUCTION

There has never been a standard printed wiring board (PWB) produced for multiple customers and multiple products. Each board represents an application-specific design. As component technologies change, the capabilities of and expectations for PWB fabrication also change and evolve to accommodate the associated interconnection requirements. In addition, with the increased reliance on contract fabrication and assembly, there are added complications of distance, language, and often culture to take into consideration when defining product acceptability elements of contracts. To be successful in this environment, it is critical to have clear methods of communication in the design, fabrication, and acceptability of PWBs. This can be done by establishing and following some basic rules.

This chapter gives guidelines for developing a clear understanding, at all levels of fabrication, of acceptability criteria. Detailed standards for specific purposes are available from a variety of sources. However, those presented here rely on IPC-A-600. While acknowledging that these documents are revised routinely and frequently, it is important to use the most current. However, it is critical for the contract to be definitive as to which standard and revision is being used.

48.2 DEVELOPING ACCEPTABILITY CRITERIA

Some elements of the user-manufacturer agreement that must be defined at the...