

These might include your schematics, netlist, mechanical layers photoplot files (e.g., Gerbers), or other reports with comments and back drill requirements. Miscellaneous files - There are some miscellaneous files that might be requested by certain manufacturers.Testpoint report - This file includes a set of nodes that are designated for electrical measurements, either for continuity testing or more specific in-circuit testing.STEP files and 3D prints - These two sets of files go together and they give an assembler the ability to clearly see the orientation of some components with non-standard packaging.Normally you would put this information in a quote form, but creating a fabrication drawing helps ensure fabricators anywhere will understand exactly how you want the board produced. Prints and drawings - Fabrication and assembly drawings are like the blueprints for your design and will contain a wealth of information.The paste mask file used for assembly will be generated with your fabrication files. Both are used to match up parts and placement during assembly. Assembly files - The two main files needed for assembly are the bill of materials (BOM) and pick-and-place file.NC drill files are used to program CNC drilling machines to place drill holes in the bare board. Fabrication files - File formats used to create stencils for bare-board production include Gerber RS-274-X/X2, IPC-2581, and ODB++.You might not need to generate everything on this list for every manufacturer, but it’s good practice to just create all of them so that you can ensure your device will be producible almost anywhere. List of PCB Design Output FilesĪ list of common PCB manufacturing files is shown below.


If you’re a new designer, take some time to read over the basic PCB manufacturing file extensions below. Fabricators and assemblers will use different sets of output files to produce your PCBA, and the design team will have to generate these before a product can be quoted and put into fabrication.īefore you send your design file off to a manufacturer in an email, make sure to get a list of their required fabrication and assembly files first. These are your PCB design output files, also known as manufacturing files, fabrication data, assembly files, and a host of other names. Before your board can be put into production and prepared for assembly, you have to generate a set of files that assist your manufacturer.
