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Just a quick one.

It seems that for PCB manufacture, the industry-standard way to specify what you want is so-called “Gerber files”.

If you want PCB assembly as well (i.e., loading components onto the board), is there an industry-standard way to specify which component goes where? If so, what additional file(s) do you need to provide?

MathematicalOrchid
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2 Answers2

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There is unfortunately no standard for data exchange in the industry, but there are some best practices that I would like to point out:

General

  • Make sure to explicitly name your product and revision, such as "Demoboard Rev1.2" to avoid problems with different data sets.
  • Keep a change log with information on what changed to previous versions, this will be much appreciated by your EMS and lead to faster quotes.

Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

  • Provide Gerber data for the single PCB in RS-274X extended Gerber format.
  • All Gerber data should be exported with view from top (bottom side not mirrored.)
  • Provide a PCB specification e.g. FR4, 1.6mm, Ni/Au, 35µm, solder mask green, silk screen white. This can be a text file or an Excel template that you create for yourself to ensure you don't leave anything up to chance.

Bill of Materials (BOM)

  • Provide the bill of materials in Excel format.
  • Make sure the manufacturer and manufacturer part numbers are listed for all parts. Being explicit means you will get what you intend. Also consider adding alternative parts.
  • Non-populated component locations should be clearly marked as do not populate "DNP" in your BOM.

Pick-and-Place Files

  • Pick-and-place as a CSV file. It generally doesn't matter if you export in inch or mm, but consistency is key.
  • The pick-and-place file should include non-populated components (DNP.)

If in doubt, contact your EMS company and ask them for feedback on your data quality. Suppliers often times appreciate it when customers look to make their lives easier.

JRE
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Newmatik
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  • Newmatik - Hi, By continuing to include links to your site in new posts, you are still (understandably) triggering spam flags from site members. Although there is no stated rule about what is "too many" posts containing links, the fact that we are still getting spam flags means that the community believe the number of your posts with links is too high (and/or the linked material was not relevant enough to this question, leading to the impression that its purpose was primarily advertising). – SamGibson Nov 28 '23 at 14:32
  • (continued) We can either do nothing (and your posts may get auto-deleted as spam - which will harm your ability to post anything here) or you can reduce the number of links. I recommend you use your profile's "about me" to add relevant links to your site there. || While I have been typing this, I note that you have removed the link and its surrounding text from this answer - good decision, thanks. – SamGibson Nov 28 '23 at 14:33
  • SamGibson - thank you for your clarifications. I will keep links out of all posts to avoid an impression of the primary purpose of the answers being advertising. Thank you for the edits, I believe the current edit of the post is a useful answer to the question. Thank you for your patience and guidance. – Newmatik Nov 28 '23 at 14:55
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BOM and pick-and-place file.

  • BOM specifies which designators map to what component.

  • Pick-and-place specifies coordinates and rotation for each designator.

Different pick-and-place machines wants the inputs differently, so the outputs from your CAD via said files usually need some manual intervention to program the pick-and-place machine.

I’m not aware of any real standard. Ask your EMS what file structure fits their production system, metric or imperial, trailing zeroes, CSV or tab delimited and so on.

winny
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