How do I create a panel after finishing layout ? (cadstar)

[victorjay]

Dear all,

I finish the PCB layout for the board and now I want to fabricate this layout as 3 boards on one panel via Cadstar.

How Do I go about with it ?

I tried to duplicate the board with its placements but I get this msg "Exceeded product limits for Board outlines."

Please advise. Thanks.

 

[cyberrat]

I think I'll leave this one to Mattylad to explain. (I just rang him about something else).

 

[Mattylad]

Re: How do I create a panel after finishing layout ? (cadsta

OK, here goes....

There are some principles that you need to understand first when doing this.

1) You can only have 1 board outline in CADSTAR.
2) You can only have 1 instance of each component name I E. 1 x R1, 1x R2 etc.
3) If you are getting a PCB manufacturer to make this then they prefer to do the panellisation and it will be better than yours as they know their manufacturing requirements better.
-------------------
#1)
To start, with your finished board - in order to copy it all you would need to select the board outline, choose "duplicate shape" and make a copy of the board as a figure - perhaps onto a documentation layer of its own.

Then when you select the design to copy, turn off the board in colours and select & copy the new figure in its place with the rest of the design.
t is best to have ALL layers & items turned on & copyable when you do this.

#2) HOWEVER! all the legend component names will automatically increment to unused numbers. You would need to add text for the original name/number on the legend layer & move the changed component names to an unused layer.

For a large board this can take a bit of time to do, however if you are making the panel in house then this is the only way within CADSTAR of doing it.

#3) Creating Gerbers and using something like CAM350 or GC-Place is IMO a much better way of doing it as changing hundreds of names can take a long time, especially if you later change the design & need to redo it.

Any problems, just ask....