Temporary conductors used to plate contact fingers belong to the manufacturing arrangement, but their removal affects the finished circuit. Review the plating connection and the final separation together. A successful gold thickness check does not establish that the delivered board has the intended electrical topology.
Identify what exists only during plating
Eurocircuits’ hard-gold process explanation describes electrical connections from plated fingers to the production frame. It also shows why shortened fingers may require a different connection direction. That manufacturing need should be visible in the approved panel preparation.
Mark the functional contact, temporary conductor and removable panel region as different objects. Do not let a temporary connection become an unexplained addition to the customer copper layer.
Compare the intermediate and final states
| State | Review question |
|---|---|
| Before plating | Are the intended fingers connected to the plating supply? |
| After profiling | Which temporary paths have been physically removed? |
| After beveling | Does the final edge match the connector drawing? |
| Final electrical test | Is the intended finished connectivity verified? |
Include every contact length and orientation. A route that cleanly removes connections from long fingers may not address a differently connected short finger.
Make the removal boundary inspectable
Overlay the final outline and bevel definition on the manufacturing copper proposal. Identify where each temporary conductor crosses the removed region. Resolve ambiguous intersections before the first production panel is prepared.
For example, a lateral connection between short fingers needs its own removal explanation. Showing that the common bar below the longest fingers disappears is not enough if another temporary route remains inside the delivered outline.
The manufacturing engineer should decide how the proposed arrangement is produced. The product reviewer should confirm that its final result is consistent with the electrical and mechanical requirements.
Close the review on a finished sample
- Use the final profiling and beveling operations.
- Inspect the relevant edges and contact geometry.
- Verify the required finished electrical connections and isolation.
- Retain the approved temporary-conductor map for repeat production.
Do not release a production arrangement on the strength of a sample that was manually trimmed differently. The demonstration must represent the route that will actually remove the plating connections.
If panelization changes, repeat the removal review even when the product circuitry is unchanged. The temporary network may have changed with the frame, shared rail or order of separation.
The selective-finish drawing guide covers the surface boundary. The routed-edge guide supports inspection of the final physical edge.
Move from reading to a build-ready project
Use the fabrication and assembly checklists to prepare drawings, production files and test requirements.
Open the DFM checklist