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Learning to Speak ‘Fab’
April 23, 2025 | Ray Fugitt, DownStream TechnologiesEstimated reading time: 1 minute

Over the years, I’ve seen many PCB designers make DFM mistakes. At DownStream, I work with design and fabrication, and sometimes it feels as if the two segments are speaking completely different languages. But once designers learn to speak “fab,” many of these DFM challenges disappear.
I taught a class at PCB East 2024, “The 21 Most Common Design Errors Caught by Fabrication (and How to Prevent Them),” with my co-presenter Mike Tucker of Millennium Circuits. At PCB West 2024, we presented an updated class, “10 (More) Common Errors in PCB Design and How to Catch Them.” Is this an evergreen topic?
Design007 Editor Andy Shaughnessy and columnist Kelly Dack attended our PCB West class, which was packed with designers and design engineers, and many of them had questions. When Andy asked me to contribute an article on the most common miscommunication errors made by PCB designers, I said, “Sign me up.”
You Know the Drill
Let’s start with the drill chart shown in Figure 1. It seems like a normal drill chart at first. But take another look. What is a “finished drill size” anyway? Do they mean hole size? What’s the difference?
To read this entire article, which appeared in the March 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
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Facing the Future: Time for Real Talk, Early and Often, Between Design and Fabrication
07/08/2025 | Prashant Patel -- Column: Facing the FutureThere has always been a subtle but significant divide between those who design and those who build printed circuit boards. It’s not a hostile gap, but it is a real one, and in today’s high-speed, high-complexity, high-stakes environment, that gap is costing us more than time and yield. It’s costing us innovation.
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.