Verification of files at confirmation stage of stencil order
Typically, such verification is needed for PCAD 4.5/8.5, OrCAD, Protel DXP and some other CAD systems. It is related to a risk of units and aperture arrangement errors and partial apertures loss while exporting their files to GERBER format. To avoid such mistakes at the step of file preparation for production we send the GERBER and AutoCAD (DXF) files of the stencil that is to be made for verification and confirmation.
The described verification procedure will allow you to check the correctness of files preparation to production by key parameters also in other cases, then was needed intervention of our engineer and as a consequence confirmation of project from your side.
In any project at least the following parameters should be checked and confirmed:
- Correctness of aperture size after conversion to GERBER
- Presence of all apertures
- Presence of fiducials for the equipment (if required in project)
- Correctness of apertures arrangement on the stencil (orientation of aperture pattern inside outline of the stencil)
If you have no possibility to review GERBER files, you can use free viewer software. This is a simplest GERBER file viewer.
On the base of this viewer we will describe just the key features enough for stencil file preparation verification. Of course you can use other programs, working with GERBER or DXF Autocad formats.
Main menu of viewer
Fig.1 View of main menu GERBER viewer
Open received GERBER file in program. Start verification.
- Apertures view and arrangement (orientation) on the stencil
1) By zooming the image in/out you can check the stencil apertures view and their arranging against stencil outline.
2) Check fiducials arrangement and presence on the stencil (if they are needed in project)
3) Check the presence of all apertures on the stencil
- Apertures overlapping verification
Switching apertures fill on/off allows checking for overlapped stencil apertures.
Fig.2 View of stencil with on fill mode of apertures
Fig.3 View of stencil with off fill mode of apertures
- Distance measurement on the stencil
Check on a sample basis the sizes of several random selected apertures to ensure scale correctness of conversion to GERBER. It is more convenient for this to change to millimeters using main menu and switch on the measurement mode.
Fig.4 Control measurements in the stencil project
For measuring select start point, click left button on mouse and start to go to the second point of measurement. When you reach second point click left button once again (try do not move cursor of mouse). In the small window you will see measured distance between points.
We described only short routine of verification stencil project on correctness for production. For a more complete understanding right preparation initial files of project for order of stencil we recommend you to read our suggestions for preparation files for stencil production and see samples of projects, mentioned in them.