Advanced PCB Manufacturing Capabilities

Our software-driven facilities deliver comprehensive printed circuit board manufacturing solutions for every application, from rapid prototype PCBs to high-density interconnect (HDI) boards with advanced via structures.

Need a Custom PCB Solution? Our engineering team can provide expert design for manufacturability (DFM) support to optimize your PCB layout before production.

Manufacturing Assembly

Lamination

Backdrilling is a cost-effective method to improve signal integrity without adding costly additional sub-lamination structures. This process removes the unneeded portion of a via barrel that can cause signal reflections at high speed data rates, or on high frequency RF designs.

Board Details	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Layer Count	2-30	32+	>48
Minimum panel size	12″ x 18″
Maximum panel size	18″ x 24″	21″ x 24″	24″ x 30″
HDI layers	2 – 3	4	8+ as permitted by laminate type
Sequential laminations	2 – 3	4	8+ as permitted by laminate type
Layer-to-layer registration	+/- .002″

Thickness

Design and manufacturing factors usually determine the thickness of PCBs.

Thickness	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Minimum board thickness, single/double sided	.005″		002
Maximum board thickness	.250″		.300″
Minimum core thickness	.001″		.0005″
Minimum core thickness (BC, Kapton)	.002″	.001″	.0005″
Minimum prepreg fill	.003″	.002″	<.002″

Drill and Mill

PCB drilling and milling creates holes, slots, and other cavities in an electronic circuit board.

Drill and Mill	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Minimum drill diameter, mechanical drill	.006″	.005″	.004″
Mechanical drill aspect ratio, unfilled	12:01	15:01	30:1
Mechanical drill aspect ratio, filled	10:01	11:01	> 11:1
Drill to metal (rigid)	.008″	.007″	.00525″
Drill to metal (flex)	.012″	.007″	.00525″
Drill edge to rigid flex transition	.100″	.075″	< .050″
Antipad diameter over drill size	.020″ +	.016″	< .050″
Minimum class 2 annular ring, mechanical drill	.005″	.004″	<.004″
Minimum class 3 annular ring, mechanical drill	.007″	.006″	<.006″
Minimum drill diameter, laser micro via	.004″	.003″	<.003″
Microvia aspect ratio	0.6:1	0.7:1	>0.7:1
Microvia capture pad / hole	+.007″	+.005″	+.004″
Control depth drill tolerance	Keep back .010″ +/- .005″	Keep back .005″ +/- .002″	Keep back .004 +/- .0015″
Back drill, diameter over primary drill	.008″	.007″	<.007″
Back drill anti-pad, diameter over primary drill	.016″	.014″	<.014″

Etch Features

Copper is one of the most important elements in printed circuit boards. The current carrying capacity of a PCB depends on the thickness of the copper trace.

Copper traces are made by using chemicals to etch or remove copper from the board except where the wired connections are present.

Etch Features	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Minimum copper foil – internal	1/2 oz.	1/4 oz.	1/4 oz.
Maximum copper foil – internal	2 oz.	4 oz.	6 oz
Minimum copper foil – external	3/8 oz.	1/4 oz.	1/4 oz
Maximum copper foil – external	1 oz.	3 oz.	>3 oz

Inner and External Layers Print and Etch

Trace width and spacing requirements are based on the functionality of the circuit. They can affect electrical performance and signal integrity.

Inner Layers	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1/4 ounce foil	.002″		<.002″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 3/8 ounce foil	.003″/.003″	.0025″/.003″	<.0025″/.002″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1/2 ounce foil	.004″/.004″	.003″/.003″	<.0025″/.002″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1 ounce foil	.005″/.005″	.004″/.004″	.0035″/.004″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 2 ounce foil	.008″/.008″	.006″/.008″	.006″/.006″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 3 ounce foil	.010″/.010″	.008″/.010″	.008″/.008″

Plated External Layers	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1/4 ounce foil		.0025″/.0025″	.002″/.002″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 3/8 ounce foil	.004″/.004″	.003″/.003″	.0025″/.003″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1/2 ounce foil	.005″/.005″	.004″/.004″	.003″/.004″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 1 ounce foil	.006″/.006″	.005″/.005″	.004″/.005″
Minimum designed line width/spacing, 2 ounce foil	.012″/.012″	.010″/.010″	.008″/.008″
Copper fill to round feature spacing (donuts)	.006″	.005″	.005″

Soldermask

Soldermask is a thin layer of polymer that protects PCBs from oxidation and corrosion. It also helps avoid solder bridges and gives color to the board.

Soldermask	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
LDI solder mask minimum web width, green color	.004″	.003″	less than .003″
LDI solder mask clearance	+/-.002″	+/-.0015″	less than +/- .0015″

Legend

With more PCBs moving towards high-density, flex, and component miniaturization, the quality and readability of a legend is more important than ever.

Legend	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Inkjet legend printing	White	White	White
Color options	Green	Red, Blue, Black, White	Red, Blue, Black, White

Mechanical

Mechanical	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Board profile dimensional tolerance	+/- .005″	+/- .002″	<+/- .002″
Plated through hole diameter tolerance	+/-.003″	+/-.002″	<+/- .002″
Non-plated through hole diameter tolerance	+.002″/ -.001″	+/-.001″	<+/- .001″
Flatness, warp and twist Per IPC-TM-650 2.4.22	<.75%	<.5% Balanced Construction	Unbalanced Constructions AABUS

Impedance Testing

Impedance Testing	Standard	Advanced	Emerging
Impedance controlled – single ended +/- %	+/- 10%	+/- 5%	<+/- 2%
Impedance controlled – edge couped diff. +/- %	+/- 10%	+/- 8%	<+/- 5%
Impedance controlled – broad side diff. +/- %	+/- 10%	+/- 8%	+/- 5%

Electroplating

The electroplating process deposits metal onto the surface of the circuit board and inside the plated through-holes. The most common plated metal is copper.

Electroplating	Standard	Advanced
Low Stress Nickel	100 Microinches	250 Microinches
Gold Plating Thickness	30 Microinches	As Specified
Hole Aspect Ratio	12 to 1	20 to 1

Finishes

The finish of a board, which is sometimes overlooked, is the interface between the board and the components that make the board function as desired.

Finishes	Standard	Advanced
HASL & HASL PB FREE	Yes	Yes
White Tin	Yes	Yes
Electroless Nickel/Palladium/Gold -ENEPIG	Yes	Yes
Electroless Nickel/Immersion Gold – ENIG	Yes	Yes
Immersion Silver	Yes	Yes
Entek Plus HT/OSP	Yes	Yes

Vias

Vias make electrical connections between layers on a printed circuit board. They can carry signals or power between layers. Summit specializes in advanced PCB technologies such as blind vias, buried vias, and via-in-pads.

Types of Vias	Standard	Advanced
Laser Micro Vias	.006″	<.006″
Blind / Buried Vias	.006″	< .006″
Via in Pad	Yes	Yes

Via Fill	Standard	Advanced
Non-Conductive ViaFill	Yes	Yes
Silver / Conductive Epoxy Via Fill	No	Yes
Copper Filled Vias	No	Yes
Through Hole Copper Filled Via	No	Max 20 mils

Inspection Processes and Options

Thorough testing and inspection occurs throughout the production process to ensure problems are captured early on, ensuring high quality and yield.

Inspection Processes	Standard	Advanced
Flying Probe Net List Test	Yes	Yes
Impedance Control TDR	Yes	Yes
AOI Inspection & Hi-Pot Testing	Yes	Yes
Thermal Stress	Yes	Yes
Peel Test	Yes	Yes
Cross Section Pucks	Yes	Yes
Solderability	Yes	Yes
Impedance Coupons	Yes	Yes
AB Coupon	Yes	Yes

Manufacturing Capabilities Overview

Download Summit’s Capabilities

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions:

Summit can fabricate PCBs ranging from simple 2-layer boards to highly complex designs with 30+ layers as standard, and emerging capabilities extend beyond 44 layers.
Standard maximum panel size is 18″ x 24″, with advanced capabilities up to 21″ x 24″ and emerging capabilities reaching 24″ x 36″.
Yes, Summit offers HDI layers and sequential laminations from 2-3 up to 7 layers as permitted by laminate type.
Summit specializes in advanced PCB technologies including laser micro vias, blind vias, buried vias, and via-in-pad, with options for non-conductive, conductive epoxy, and copper-filled vias.
Summit offers HASL (leaded and lead-free), White Tin, ENEPIG, ENIG, Immersion Silver, and Entek Plus HT/OSP finishes for both standard and advanced applications.
Yes, Summit provides full turnkey PCB assembly including single and double-sided SMT, through-hole assembly, BGA placement, and additional services like box build, conformal coating, and functional testing.
Summit Interconnect maintains comprehensive quality certifications including AS9100D, IPC Class II and III, ITAR registration, and RoHS compliance. Certifications vary by facility based on specialized capabilities.

View our certifications by facility or contact us to match your project with the right certified location.
For inner layers with 1/2 oz. copper, Summit can achieve .003″/.003″ trace width/spacing in advanced capabilities, with emerging capabilities below .0025″/.002″.