fiducial

Definition

A microscopic 'X marks the spot' etched onto circuit boards that screams at pick-and-place robots exactly where to snag and deposit components—because manufacturers discovered long ago that 'approximately somewhere in the vicinity' leads to crying CEOs and burning money.

Example Usage

The PCB designer added fiducial marks in the corners so the assembly machine could align components within 0.1mm without summoning the quality assurance demons.

Source: Electronics manufacturing standard terminology, IPC-A-600

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