# S7E2 WEBINAR: Your Manufacturer is Stupid: Why Your Circuit Board Design Is Making Their Job Harder with Chris Denney

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2026-01-09
- Length: 1h 02m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making

## Summary

Chris Denney, CTO of Worthington Assembly and Circuit Hub, explains how PCB design choices directly impact manufacturing efficiency and cost. He details five critical areas for mechanical and electrical engineers: ensuring component polarity is clear on the silk layer, using standardized 'cozy' 1mm text, avoiding panelization conflicts with overhanging parts, maintaining component size consistency to simplify stencil stepping, and preferring green solder mask over black for better optical inspection. Denney emphasizes that manufacturers are not Apple and must work with standard processes, urging designers to provide clear visual cues and collaborate early to avoid expensive rework and delays during new product introduction.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=0) Introduction: Pipeline Media Lab and Chris Denney
- [5:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=304) Component Polarity and Silk Screen Clarity
- [26:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=1590) Silk Screen Legibility and Font Standards
- [39:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=2367) Panelization and Overhanging Components
- [43:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=2606) Component Size Consistency and Stencil Design
- [43:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making#t=2606) Solder Mask Color and Optical Inspection

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Worthington Assembly (company)
- Circuit Hub (company)
- Protolabs (company)
- PCBWay (company)
- JLC (company)
- KiCad (tool)
- Fritzing (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [PCB Assembly Mistakes Designers Keep Making: PCB West 2026 Preview](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2026-09-09-pcb-assembly-mistakes-designers-keep-making-pcb-west-2026-preview) (OnTrack)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2015-02-11-the-spark-gap-episode-26) (The Spark Gap)
- [I've bitten myself](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-05-21-ive-bitten-myself) (The Amp Hour)
- [An Interview with Chris Denney](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-10-15-an-interview-with-chris-denney) (The Amp Hour)
- [Signal Integrity, Thermal & DFM: PCB West Preview with Keven](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2025-08-05-signal-integrity-thermal-dfm-pcb-west-preview-with-keven) (OnTrack)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2026-01-09-s7e2-webinar-your-manufacturer-is-stupid-why-your-circuit-board-design-is-making. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.