> Most FAB's I've come across would rather do the panellising themselves, > as they will no doubt have their own process rules about spacing, adding > routing between the boards etc.
Panellising (what is the correct spelling for that, as there doesn't seem to be one?) is best left done to the board house. I sent the same board to ten different places (the bosses idea, he didn't think any were cheap enough [Resume anyone?]), not one of the places panellized (spelling?) them the same way. However it is in your best interest to specify exactly how you want them routed, and/or scored, by known you Contract Assemblers needs. If you leave it to the board house you may find that you are cracking things like ceramic caps when separating the boards because they are to close to the edge route. Routing can also lead to secondary sanding operations if you don't leave enough space for the tab drill holes if you want tab-routed boards. It is always best to follow and cite the reliant IPC standard, IPC-7351A "Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard". Also in panellising (?) don't overlook specifying waste material around the parameter, and panel level fiducials so that your contractor can get them in their equipment. Each board in the panel should have at least three fiducials in a triangle pattern, two along the longest board length, the third directly opposite of one of the other fiducials (ok it is a lopsided triangle). Most importantly *Talk to your contractor/assembler*. The CM industry has a habit of not giving feedback. You want to talk to the person doing the work on the line, not the front office salesmen. -- http://www.wearablesmartsensors.com/ http://www.softwaresafety.net/ http://www.designer-iii.com/ http://www.unusualresearch.com/ _______________________________________________ geda-user mailing list geda-user@moria.seul.org http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user