Originally published at: https://www.protoexpress.com/blog/what-is-traceability-in-pcb-manufacturing/
Traceability in PCB manufacturing is the ability to track and document every stage of production. This includes material sourcing, fabrication, assembly, inspection, and testing. These reports help fab houses meet regulatory requirements, prevent counterfeit components, and investigate failures. Board designers, hardware engineers, and quality teams should understand these specifications to ensure their products meet regulatory and customer expectations. In this article, you’ll learn about traceability in aerospace, defense, and medical board manufacturing and the relevant documentation that engineers request from their fabricator. Highlights: Medical PCBs rely on ISO 13485, device history records (DHR), IPC class 3 inspection benchmarks, and serialized…