A Rogers 4350B PCB RFQ Worksheet for Engineering Teams
A useful Rogers 4350B PCB RFQ is a revision-controlled engineering package, not just a board size and quantity. Give each supplier the same construction, acceptance requirements and delivery scope. Ask them to identify exceptions explicitly. This worksheet helps engineering and purchasing teams separate fixed requirements from items the fabricator may propose.
The RFQ package overview lists the basic files. This article extends it with a field-by-field worksheet, a tolerance example and a quote-comparison process. It covers bare-board procurement; assembly adds BOM, placement, sourcing and functional-test requirements. It does not establish a supplier's capability or promise price or delivery.
Copy this worksheet into your quotation package
For every row, record the value, units, controlling document and revision, owner, and whether supplier alternatives are allowed. Use “not applicable” where appropriate. An empty cell should mean “unresolved,” not permission to substitute a default.
| Field | Information to provide | Supplier response requested |
|---|---|---|
| Identity and files | Part number; revision; Gerber or ODB++ dataset; drill data; fabrication drawing; file manifest. | Confirm the exact revision quoted and identify conflicting instructions. |
| Board and order | Finished outline in mm; thickness and tolerance; finished-board quantities; panel or individual delivery. | Quote each quantity separately; state panel assumptions and usable delivered units. |
| Material construction | Layer order; exact RO4350B core designation and dielectric thickness; foil selection; bonding layers; any hybrid materials. | Return a proposed stack drawing, availability assumptions and explicit substitutions for approval. |
| Copper and finish | Starting foil versus finished copper requirements; surface finish; mask openings; protected RF regions. | Confirm finished conditions and any geometry changes needed for impedance. |
| Features and tolerances | Minimum track/space; finished hole sizes; plated/non-plated holes; slots; critical outline, registration and thickness tolerances. | Identify exceptions by drawing feature, not only “standard tolerance.” |
| Electrical requirements | Net or feature identifier; layer; reference plane; impedance target and tolerance; relevant frequency band. | Propose coupon construction, test method, sampling and report format. |
| RF acceptance | Measured quantity; limits; reference planes; fixture; frequency sweep; environmental conditions. | Separate RF testing from continuity testing and impedance verification. |
| Quality and records | Applicable acceptance standard and revision if required; agreed inspection scope; material traceability and reports. | List included records, exclusions and any additional charges. |
| Delivery and commercial scope | Required arrival date; destination; packaging; currency; requested quantity breaks. | Separate setup, recurring fabrication, testing, freight and taxes; state quotation validity and schedule trigger. |
Resolve material ambiguity before comparing prices
The Rogers RO4350B product information identifies the laminate family. The RO4000 datasheet gives material properties with specified characterization conditions. Neither alone describes your finished multilayer PCB. Include the actual construction rather than writing only “Rogers material.”
Distinguish core dielectric thickness from finished board thickness. Likewise, a starting copper foil designation does not fully define finished plated outer-layer copper. If the fabricator can optimize a dimension, specify the performance constraint and require approval of the resulting stack. Do not silently combine fixed artwork with a different dielectric thickness.
Rogers' processing guidelines recommend material-lot tracking and direct fabricators to the selected adhesive system's bonding instructions. Ask for traceability and a reviewed bonding construction when those are project requirements. The worksheet is not a replacement for a qualified manufacturing process.
Make tolerances testable: an illustrative impedance entry
Suppose an engineering team specifies a nominal 50 Ω single-ended line with an agreed ±5% acceptance band. The numerical limits are 50 × 0.95 = 47.5 Ω and 50 × 1.05 = 52.5 Ω. These are hypothetical project requirements, not a published capability of any supplier or an automatic requirement for RO4350B.
The numbers are still incomplete without the feature identifier, layer, reference plane, test method, coupon, sampling and treatment of measurement uncertainty. A 50 Ω coupon result does not prove the return loss of the complete connector-and-route assembly. Put the acceptance method in the same document as the limit so that purchasing cannot accidentally buy a different test.
| Ambiguous note | Better RFQ entry |
|---|---|
| “50-ohm board” | Identify each controlled structure, target, tolerance, layer and test scope. |
| “Low insertion loss” | State frequency range, maximum loss, reference planes, specimen and calibration procedure. |
| “Fast delivery” | State required arrival date and ask when the quoted schedule starts. |
| “Material certificate included” | Specify required traceability records and ask what the supplier actually supplies. |
RF tests need their own quotation line
Keysight's TRL calibration documentation describes calibration standards and reference-impedance considerations. If your acceptance method uses TRL, specify the intended structures and applicable band with the test provider. Do not select a calibration label without checking whether its standards suit the fixture and frequency range.
The RF test planning guide provides a deeper reference-plane worksheet. Link that requirement into the RFQ rather than assuming a fabrication quote includes VNA measurements. Continuity, controlled impedance and RF insertion loss are different deliverables; list which are required and whether tests are per board, per panel or sampled by lot.
Compare quotations with an exceptions register
Create one comparison row per requirement and one column per supplier. Mark each cell “confirmed,” “exception,” “excluded,” or “awaiting clarification.” Record the proposed remedy and engineering approver next to every exception. A lower headline unit price is not directly comparable when one offer excludes tests or changes the foil or construction.
Before release, check that all files carry the same revision, the drawing and drill data agree, the approved stack is attached, and open questions have owners. Keep a dated copy of the quotation and accepted exceptions with the order. If artwork changes after quotation, ask which cost, test or schedule assumptions must be reviewed again.
Prepare your request
Collect Gerber or ODB++, drill data, fabrication drawing, stackup, quantity breaks, dimensions, tolerances, finish, impedance and test requirements, and requested delivery conditions. For assembly, add the BOM and placement data and define sourcing responsibility. Send only the information needed for the review through the supplier's agreed channel.
Use the quote preparation page to organize the package, then request a Rogers PCB quotation from PCBSync. Obtain confirmation of scope, feasibility, price and schedule before treating the offer as a production commitment. RO4350B should still be justified by the application's requirements; it is not the default material for every low-frequency or millimeter-wave product.