PCB Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Review

Optimize your PCB design for seamless, cost-effective production

ETEMCO’s DFM review — a second look before production

Why Design For Manufacturability matters

A key component of our process here at ETEMCO is the design for manufacturing (DFM) review of your bare board and the board assembly. We take a close look at your design to spot any potential production issues or opportunities to reduce cost. This allows us to streamline the process, and make sure everything will run smoothly before production begins. It’s a comprehensive step that improves quality, helps avoid costly mistakes, and gets your product to you delivered faster.

  • Component placement & clearances

    There are numerous guidelines for the exact placement of components on a printed circuit board, including thermal management, signal integrity, and ease of assembly.


    Our DFM tools check the placement of components to ensure there’s enough space for proper soldering and mechanical assembly. Component clearances are checked between leads, pins, and pads to prevent short circuits or poor solder connections. 

  • PCB layout & routing review

    Another vital section of our process is reviewing the PCB layout and conducting a thorough routing check, giving special attention to wire routing and trace optimization. This helps identify and correct design flaws before production begins. As part of this phase, we make sure the PCBs are functioning properly with minimal signal interference, power issues, or thermal problems.

  • Solder mask & stencil review

    We’ll check that the solder mask (the protective layer applied to the PCB) is intact and aligned correctly so that it covers the necessary areas while leaving the pads exposed for soldering.


    During this stage, we’ll also review the stencil, which is used to apply solder paste to the pads before the components are placed.

  • Manufacturing process compatibility

    Our team carefully examines your design to ensure compatibility with our equipment and processes from start to finish. It is important to catch these issues up front, rather than running into an issue halfway through the production process and then trying to figure out how to move forward.

Straightforward process to get your PCB production-ready

How ETEMCO’s DFM review works

2. Our production team conducts a thorough review

We’ll carefully inspect every detail, looking at technical specifications and manufacturing requirements. Our goal during this PCB DFM check is to identify any potential issues early in the process.



In addition, we will look for ways to build your board assembly more efficient, which translates into savings for you.

1. Submit your PCB design files

Our expert team will thoroughly review your design to ensure it meets the necessary manufacturing standards, performs optimally, and adheres to best practices for production. 

3. We provide a detailed report with actionable recommendations

We will provide a report detailing areas of improvement, potential design issues, cost saving suggestions, and optimizations that could elevate performance, manufacturability, and reliability.

4. You update your design, and we move forward with manufacturing

Once you update your design based on our recommendations, we’ll proceed with the manufacturing process. You can relax as we bring your high-quality PCB assembly to life efficiently and on schedule. 

  • What design files do I need to submit for a DFM review?

    If you wish for us to review your board assembly for Design For Manufacturability, just send us what you would normally send us for a quote: Assembly document, Bill-of-Material, Gerber files. Product photographs or a product sample, while not absolutely necessary, are very helpful for a DFM review.

  • What are the most common manufacturability issues you find?

    The most common issues we find tend to be surface mount components to close to the edge of a board or a through-hole component, lack of fiducials, consideration not given to style of connectors, components not placed in most efficient manor, not utilizing SMT parts when available. There are so many nuances to building a board efficiently, but suffice it to say that in the many years we've been doing this, we know an issue when we see it.

  • How does a DFM review help reduce costs in PCB production?

    Costs are reduced because when a board is made so that it runs efficiently in our manufacturing processes, time is saved, and those savings are passed along to the customer in a lower price.

  • Can ETEMCO recommend design changes to improve manufacturability?

    You bet; that is what a DFM does!

  • How long does a typical DFM review take?

    A typical DFM is usually done upon request, and, depending on complexity, it can take 24-72 hours. If it's part of our quote process it may take a bit longer.

Common questions about PCB DFM reviews

Ask for your DFM review before manufacturing.

Fast quotes, responsive service, & in-depth reviews

With our experienced team and advanced software, we take proactive measures in the design for manufacturing review for your PCBs, ensuring the final product is durable, safe, and performs as expected over its lifecycle. 


Reach out now to begin the process.