Check before PCB Production

As a PCB manufacturer, we often find various production issues in the Gerber files sent to us by customers. Most of these problems are not complex and are usually due to oversight. Multiple rounds of confirmation often waste a lot of unnecessary time. Therefore, to make the entire process smoother and save customers' time, we strongly recommend that customers perform the following checks before sending the Gerber files to us.

The checks roughly include eight points:

• First, perform copper pouring on the PCB.
• Use the built-in Electrical Rule Check (ERC) to inspect PCB routing, including checking for shorts and ensuring trace width and spacing are correct.
• Check the board outline to ensure that its dimensions and shape conform to design specifications and that the outline cut is correct.
• Inspect the routing to ensure there are no broken traces (dangling lines).
• Confirm that all components have silkscreen markings (designators) and that the markings will not covered by components.
• Check the solder mask layer to ensure that all components have solder mask openings.
• Check the solder paste layer to ensure that all components have a solder paste layer.
• Inspect the drills, including hole sizes and positions.

When checking, make sure to preview each layer in the Gerber files, using the PCB as a reference. And then generate the Gerber files after ensuring there are no issues with the above checks.

By performing these checks, the pass rate of the Gerber files can be significantly increased, which also helps improve the quality of the PCB and avoid issues during subsequent production.