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Why is it, different CM's and different Board Houses, want different things in their Gerber Packages?

And why do some of board design packages provide certain parts, and others provide other parts, but they don't provide a common set of parts?

Discussion started by Mike Burr , on 10 November 07:55 AM

Replies

Mike Burr, 2010-01-29 07:38:16

When you're working with a design program and you export fabrication packages. Some houses will be able to pull up the dimension and cutout information from the gerbers, and some need to have the dimension and cutout information provided as a second .DXF. Just one of those interesting things with working around different board houses.

Simon Farnell, 2010-01-13 06:44:27

If you're submitting a design, then if you can give them in the gerbers not only the board design but on a relevant layer (I personally use a different layer to give all fabrication and dimensioning info, but many use the top silk) a full breakdown of the boards fabrication information, like number of layers, layer stack up, copper thicknesses etc, etc..

Additionally, I find it's useful for both you and the fabricator to dimension any special or unusual board features.

Plus give them a drill table that should be it, plus as jack said a netlist... Shouldn't need much else.

What are you having problems with?

Simon

Jack Olson, 2009-12-07 10:32:14

Like what "different things"?

The standard Gerber file for each layer, fab drawing, and drill files are pretty much minimum requirement, throw in a netlist to show you care, and what else is there?

(unless you are talking about one of the all-in-one data formats like ODB++, which have been trying to take off for a few decades now, but just haven't proven useful enough)

Once you start talking about libraries, all bets are off... you would think we would have evolved to a common universal free library by now, that EVERY package would take advantage of. The closest we have come is the PCBMatrix Viewer/Calculator recently bought by Valor and now owned by Mentor, but supported by IPC and used by nearly every lazy designer I know because it is so cool and easy and well-supported (and no, this is not an ad and I have no financial interest in ANY company)

Jack (aka "the new guy")