Dan Beaulieu
Published by UP Media Group, 2003

This A5 booklet on printed board manufacture is now in its fourth edition and is a very useful reference to anyone with an interest in printed boards. It gives a basic overview of board types, materials and production processes in a simple format packed into 70 pages. It is well illustrated with drawings and photographs to outline the manufacturing flow.

The booklet is divided into seven chapters covering industry overview, specifications, design, manufacture and managing the business. Chapter 7 offers a glossary of terms included in the book and generally used throughout the industry. Selected images in the glossary held to illustrate the terms and definitions. My only suggestion to improve the booklet would be the inclusion of more examples. Close-up views of drilled holes, plated sections and some of the defects referred to in the text would be beneficial.

This type of guide takes a lot of time to produce and can be expensive to print and bind, but it is a very high quality offering from UP Media Group. The cost of $35 makes it ideal to include with any basic workshop on PCB manufacture, as there is no better simple guide.