# PCB Fabrication with Automated DRC/ERC Checks — MakeIRL

Today: bring your own KiCad project — hand-drawn, or vibecoded through Claude Code or Cursor. Our release gate runs ERC, DRC, schematic-parity, and BOM-stock checks before a real factory builds and ships the board. Natural-language generation is next.

## How it works

1. **Bring or vibecode your design**

   Drop in a .kicad_pcb / .kicad_sch project — hand-drawn in KiCad, or generated through Claude Code or Cursor over MCP. The gate doesn't care how it was made.

2. **The release gate checks it**

   ERC, DRC, schematic-parity, and live BOM-stock checks run deterministically. Every finding shows its receipts: the tool, the version, the exact location on the board.

3. **A real factory builds it**

   Pass the gate, place one order, and a real contract manufacturer builds and ships the physical board to your door.

## What we check

- Electrical rule violations (ERC)
- Manufacturing clearances (DRC)
- Schematic ↔ PCB parity
- BOM line availability against live stock
- Footprint / package sanity

## What we can't check

- Whether your design does what you meant it to do
- Firmware or embedded code correctness
- RF, EMC, or thermal performance
- Mechanical fit inside an enclosure
- High-speed signal-integrity margins

## Respins are expensive. Catching them early isn’t.

PCB designs average 2.9 respins from insufficient analysis. Each respin costs an average of $28,482 and takes 16 days — getting the board right the first time saves an average of 36 days and $82,600.

Source: [Siemens Digital Industries Software, citing Aberdeen Group research](https://static.sw.cdn.siemens.com/siemens-disw-assets/public/5V3InNkiMCna9E0vhddCdu/en-US/Siemens%20SW%20Perfecting%20Your%20PCB%20with%20DFM%20EB%2083010%20C1.pdf), 2020

> “Find the errors early and they’re cheaper to fix.”

Source: Nolan Johnson, Sunstone Circuits — [IPC APEX EXPO technical paper, Printed Circuit Design & Fabrication](https://www.electronics.org/system/files/technical_resource/E9%26S11_01.pdf), 2007

Updated July 2026