Countersink and Counterbore

Ergonomics and convenience are important issues when designing a printed circuit board and the device as a whole. A lot of Altium Designer tools are aimed at solving them. These include Countersink and Counterbore holes, which allow the use of various types of screws in the mounting holes of the board.

Quick Overview

In most cases, printed circuit boards require mounting holes. Holes with countersink and counterbore allow using different types of fixing screws. It is often useful when the space in the mechanical enclosure is limited.

Dimensions

COUNTERSINK

You must decide on the type of screws you are using.
The information required for countersink:

• Mounting hole diameter (D1);
• Countersink diameter (D2) or Depth;
• Countersink angle (82°, 90°, 120° etc).

 COUNTERBORE

You must decide on the type of screws you are using.
The information required for counterbore:

• Mounting hole diameter (D1);
• Counterbore diameter (D2);
• Depth the counterbore is to be drilled.

Pad properties

Additional features

PCB EDITOR

Counterholes are displayed as Layer Pairs in the Hole Size Editor mode of the PCB panel:

Counterholes are supported in the Fabrication Outputs (NC Drill Files, ODB++ Files, IPC-2581):

DRAFTSMAN

Support for Counter Holes in the Drill Table: