Defining the Board ShapeĪs mentioned above, the panel needs to have the correct size before we start placing PCBs in the panel. With that out of the way, keep reading for a PCB panelization tutorial in Altium Designer. If the boards are going through pick-and-place and wave solder assembly, you need to add sufficient support to prevent accidental breakout.Don't forget about internal board spacing, which could be as small as 0.1 in., depending on breakout method.edge clearance for double-sided boards and a 1 in. Watch for clearances to the board edge the board edge clearances you used in your PCB layout might be too shallow to allow for handling.Read this project article to see how you can add route profiles to your PCB before panelization. You'll need to design these features into the panel. Take note of how the boards will be removed from a panel (tab routing, V-groove).Remember, finished circuit boards are being cut out of the panel, so your panel needs to have the exact same stackup as your boards.Be sure to check with your fabricator on their panel sizes. The simplest guideline that is often overlooked is setting the standard panel size.
If you do plan to create your own panels and send them into fabrication, or you're a manufacturer and you'll need to do this in a new PCB design software package, then there are some basic points to note for panel design. Instead, I just pass on a flat fee to the customer and everyone is happy. The other advantage is reduced time for the designer you just don't need to worry about building panels unless the board is larger than standard panel sizes. It also affects my pricing if I need to manage manufacturing for a client I don't have to bring up my price for hourly NRE charges just to create panels or other fab drawings that the fabricator might not need.
The result is reduced liability for the designer the fabricator takes full responsibility if the panel is incorrect. Therefore, fabricators may just bring that service in-house and build the cost into their NRE charge (regardless of whether you're using a turnkey solution). Their customers don't always get panels correct, even after being given a template or basic guidelines, and the fabricator ends up having to remake the panels anyways. If I've done that and my design passes a review, only then is it ready for panelization.Īll the other points involved in transitioning a new design into fabrication can be performed by the fabricator. As a designer, I only need to worry about getting the design correct and ensuring that any output files from my design are error-free. The manufacturer I most enjoy working with does not accept customer-created PCB panels they do all panelization in-house. The first point to note here is that not everyone will need to do panelization. We'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of panelizing on your own as a PCB designer, and how you can create your own panels before fabrication. If you plan to create your own panels and other output files before fabrication, take a look at our panelization tutorial in Altium Designer. You can then prepare Gerber files for your PCB panel and other standard deliverables. However, today's PCB design software lets you easily prepare panels for a new design in much the same way as you would a single PCB.
In earlier days of PCB design, you would need additional software, hours of clunky engineering, and maybe even feasibility meetings with manufacturing teams for PCB panelization. Whether you have a slew of PCBs to mass produce for your customers or a handful of project boards you wish to prototype all in one simple swoop, panelization is an effective way to bring high throughput and efficiency to PCB production.