About Kitstead Labs

The studio

Kitstead Labs is a small, independent software studio based in Taiwan. It builds practical tools for process and quality engineers: free browser calculators, engineering guides, and a few paid Excel workbooks. The name is deliberate. "Kits" is the feeling of having a pile of small tools and reference books within reach, and that is what the site is meant to be.

Who writes this

The site is written and maintained by Chen Bo You, a senior process development engineer with more than ten years in semiconductor manufacturing. The day job is electroplating process development and the evaluation of new materials, equipment and processes. Everything here is written in that engineer's own time and does not represent any employer.

How the guides are written

Each guide is written from working experience and from published books and journal papers, which are listed under Sources at the end of the article. Worked examples use fictional data chosen to illustrate the method; they are not measurements from any real production line. Paid standards such as SEMI, AIAG or ANSI/ASQ documents are referred to by name only. Their text, tables and figures are not reproduced, so readers who need the normative wording should consult the standard itself.

How the tools are checked

Every calculator states its formulas and the sources they come from. Before a tool goes live it is run against a validation set of worked cases computed independently, and the same checks run again on every change to the site. Tool pages do not send or store what you enter; a share link carries your inputs in the address only.

Products

PlatingMate is a browser tool for electroplating calculations. The studio also publishes paid Excel workbooks from time to time; whatever is currently on sale is listed on the homepage. The calculators and guides are free to use, need no account, and sit behind no paywall.

Corrections and contact

If you find an error in a guide or a tool, write to hello@kitsteadlabs.com with the page address and what you found. Confirmed corrections are made directly on the page. Product questions go to support@kitsteadlabs.com.