The Seeed Fusion PCB order platform has several features to speed up the order process and catch some common PCB mistakes. When you upload the PCB manufacturing files, the platform will try to extract the following information from the files:
- PCB dimensions
- Number of circuit layers
- PCB Outline
- Drill file
More features will be added soon.
The most common PCB problems we see are missing drill files and missing board outlines, followed by entering the incorrect number of layers or incorrect dimensions, which are often easily fixed. Instead of waiting for the CAM engineers to review the files and provide feedback, the platform can catch these errors early on or enter these parameters for you, saving you time and effort.
However, with so many different CAD software and export methods, no Gerber tool is 100% accurate. It is your responsibility to confirm that the extracted information is correct.
As always, please also remember to check the manufacturing files, not just the design files, carefully using the Gerber Viewer or third-party Gerber Viewer for other errors.
The platform can extract and fill in the dimensions of your boards from the board outline. There are features that may cause this value to be incorrect. So be sure to double-check the extracted dimensions before placing the order to avoid delays and additional fees.
The platform can extract the number of layers of your boards by counting the number of circuit layers. There should only be one set of Gerber files per upload, so if there are multiple sets in the upload, the platform may count all the circuit layers and give an inaccurate layer count.
The platform can detect the board outline and Excellon format drill files, and will return errors if either cannot be detected. Almost all PCB orders require the board outline and a drill file and it can be easy to forget these. Get help with the outline or drill file error.
We hope these smart features will make the ordering process more user-friendly and convenient for users, and reduce the frequency of problems encountered later on. However, it is still important to use the built-in Gerber Viewer, or a third-party Gerber file viewer to carefully check the production files for design mistakes or export errors.
Other features cannot be extracted from the Gerber files, such as the solder mask color, board thickness, number of different designs, etc. so please be sure to check these are per your requirements.
Ensure that the uploaded archive file contains Gerber files. We can make PCBs from Gerber files in RS-274x (X1) format and the drill file in Excellon format. RS-274D and X2 format Gerber files are not recommended as they are likely to incur errors. PDF files are not accepted. See if we have a guide on how to export Gerber files from your ECAD software here.
Date Modified 2021/12/15