Mobile menu
Whitepapers
Resources Whitepapers PCB Panelization Using The Embedded Board Array

PCB Panelization Using The Embedded Board Array

Created: December 4, 2017
Updated: March 11, 2021
|  Open as PDF
PCB Panelization Using The Embedded Board Array

Every designer is concerned with producing the highest quality product as efficiently and effectively as possible. When you’re preparing your design for your PCB manufacturer, you need to ensure your board complies with DFM and is ready for maximum yield. The standard practice is to use PCB panelization to manufacture an array of PCBs in parallel. The complete set of DFM features and panelization tools in Altium Designer will help you prepare for your next PCB manufacturing run and source components for your design. Here’s how you can get the most out of the PCB panelization features in Altium Designer.

ALTIUM DESIGNER

PCB design software enabling all of your design, manufacturing, and assembly processes.

You’ve completed your design, built and tested your prototype, and now your PCB design is ready for manufacturing. For this design, you need to specify how your manufacturer will fabricate your board. To do this you will need to create your own panel for the PCB design. Printed circuit board designs are put into standard panel sizes for manufacturing. These panels allow the board or boards to be smoothly run through the manufacturing process, and afterwards the boards are separated from each panel.

A panel has specific design requirements to ensure efficient printing and removal during PCB manufacturing, and you’ll need the right set of CAD tools for panel creation. Altium Designer has all the tools you need for the panelization of your PCB designs. You’ll have the tools needed to check your design for DFM violations and create a panel for an array of circuit boards. Take your new circuit board from design to manufacturing with Altium Designer.

Panelizing PCBs: Methods and Challenges

Creating a panel requires more than just drawing a rectangle around your board outline. You don’t need to simply copy and paste components between different regions in your PCB layout. In addition, multiple boards with the same stackup can share the same panel, and each board might be stepped and repeated on the same panel.

The goal in PCB panelization is to fit as many copies of a circuit board as possible into an array on a panel. The panel size is predetermined by your materials supplier or PCB manufacturer, so you need to work with your manufacturer to create your panels. Some manufacturers will do this for you, but you can save yourself some time and expense if you have the right design tools for PCB panelization.

The Tools You Need for PCB Panelization

Your PCB layout needs to be imported into your PCB panelization features and placed in a board array. You need to be able to rotate and flip boards so that you can fit the maximum number of boards into your panel. Once you’ve placed all your boards in your panel, you’ll need to generate a Gerber file for your panel so that it can be used to create a stencil for manufacturing.

Screenshot of a PCB panel and circuit board array in Altium Designer

CAM data showing a circuit board array in a panel in Altium Designer.

Generating Your PCB Manufacturing Documentation

A PCB panel is an important piece of documentation, but you’ll need other documentation to get your PCB into production. Required documentation includes a list of parts and sourcing data in your bill of materials, which should also match the reference designators in your design files. PCB manufacturers could require design files, including panel drawings, in any number of formats. Your design software should be adaptable to accomodate any set of deliverables for PCB manufacturing.

File Formats for PCB Panelization and Documentation

Your design tools should give you everything you need to generate documentation in standard file formats. This includes files showing panel artwork, as well as universal design files and a bill of materials. You shouldn’t need an external set of design programs to generate this documentation; Altium Designer has everything you need for design, PCB panelization, documentation, and much more.

Screenshot of a PCB panel in Altium Designer

3D view of a PCB panel with the MCAD features in Altium Designer.

Get to PCB Manufacturing Quickly with Altium Designer

The goal of PCB design work is to create the best possible design for the least amount of money. This includes making the most cost effective component choices and designing your PCB to align with DFM guidelines. Altium Designer has all the functionality you need to create your PCB panel and reducing your overall PCB manufacturing costs. In addition, you’ll have access to a complete set of design and validation tools in Altium Designer’s integrated environment.

Design Your Circuit Board in Altium Designer’s Unified Environment

The rules-driven design engine in Altium Designer has all the design features you need to take your circuit board from idea to mass manufacturing and assembly. Everything you need to prepare a real circuit board, including PCB panelization, is included in Altium Designer. You won’t have to switch between different design applications to create your PCB assembly and fabrication drawings, everything you need is in one program.

Screenshot showing PCB panelization in Altium Designer

PCB panelization in Altium Designer

Increasing your yield and reducing cost is all about PCB panelization and proper DFM checks. Altium Designer gives you control over your DFM validation through its rules-driven design engine, and you’ll have the CAD tools you need to arrange a panel with copies of your circuit board. Finally, the deliverable generation tools give you everything needed to prepare for a full manufacturing run.

Altium Designer on Altium 365 delivers an unprecedented amount of integration to the electronics industry until now relegated to the world of software development, allowing designers to work from home and reach unprecedented levels of efficiency.

We have only scratched the surface of what is possible to do with Altium Designer on Altium 365. You can check the product page for a more in-depth feature description or one of the On-Demand Webinars.

 
Open as PDF

Related Resources

Top 10 DFM Problems That Affect Every Design Top 10 DFM Problems That Affect Every Design Learn how to prevent the top 10 Design for Manufacturability (DFM) issues in your next PCB design project with these strategies. As a PCB designer, you manage a variety of different requirements and expectations.There are electrical, functional, and mechanical aspects to consider. In addition, the PCB has to be produced in a timely manner, with the best possible quality, at the lowest possible cost. And through all of these requirements, you also Read Article
PCB Layout PCB Layout As electronics get smaller and more complex, so too must the boards (PCBs) that make them function. Because of this, your PCB layouts matter more than ever before. While a PCB with a poor layout may still function, a well-planned layout will go a long way to ensure efficiency, minimize risk, and even save you money in your production budget. The care you put into your PCB layout can give your product a strategic edge over competition through Read Article
Designing For Testability (DFT) Designing For Testability (DFT) The overall cost to produce a completed printed circuit board PCB can be broken down into several basic categories: The cost of manufacturing the blank PCB, the cost of components, the assembly costs, and the cost of test. That last one, the cost of testing the completed board, can comprise as much as 25% to 30% of the total cost of producing the product. SUMMARY Designing for testability in a PCB design (DFT) is a critical step in the design for Read Article
Implementing Complex Pad Shapes Implementing Complex Pad Shapes Component pads are not always simply round or rectangular shapes. Analog, high-power, or RF components often require geometrically complex or irregular shaped pads. This paper details an easy and efficient solution for when a user is confronted with having to quickly implement complex pad shapes that must meet the manufacturer’s layout requirements without resulting in DRC violations or manufacturing errors. INTRODUCTION Most component package Read Article
Enhancing Your Design Efficiency with Project Templates Enhancing Your Design Efficiency with Project Templates HIERARCHICAL SCHEMATIC DESIGN IN ALTIUM DESIGNER New Altium Designer users may not fully understand the benefits of organizing schematic sheets into a hierarchical top-down or bottom-up perspective. As a result, users often proceed with simple (flat) schematic designs without giving a second thought to project organization. In this paper, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the sheet symbols and how they’re used to synchronize the parts of a larger Read Article
5 Tips for Specifying PCB Hole Size Tolerance 5 Tips for Specifying PCB Hole Size Tolerance Learn how to quickly add and clearly communicate hole size tolerance specifications to your fabricator to ensure your PCB design is manufactured properly. One of the more forgotten topics in PCB design are the holes through which components are mounted. Specifying the tolerance of hole dimensions in PCB fabrication ensures proper fit of plated-through-hole (PTH) components. Just as important, those dimensions must be clearly communicated to the Read Article
3D Measuring in Altium Designer 3D Measuring in Altium Designer The Altium Designer PCB editor gives designers the ability to display their board in glorious 3D measuring. With the help of Microsoft DirectX, the PCB editor allows the complete visualization of printed circuit boards, completely loaded with all of their components. You can then view the loaded board, zoom in, rotate it, and thoroughly examine it in full, three-dimensional detail. You can view it from any angle or position that you choose, or Read Article
Area Sensitive Part Of The Board Area Sensitive Part Of The Board It’s that phase of the project when you’re about to hand over a development released product to production. From the development perspective, everything, from designs, parts, models, BOMs, and documentation, are all in their release state. It’s a time that calls for a true celebration after weeks of sleepless nights to finish the design on time and within budget. Then you get the flash back with few what-if questions; did sourcing get the new Read Article
Confidently Capture All Design Details in the Design Document Confidently Capture All Design Details in PCB Design Documentation The design document must capture all aspects of the design of a system. This includes the specification, design intent, design process and traceability back to the specification. Only then can the designer be confident that all relevant design information has been captured in one place. This paper is meant to be a guideline to prompt you to consider how to capture design details beyond the fabrication and assembly drawings. INTRODUCTION One of Read Article
Reverse Engineering Project Libraries Reverse Engineering Project Libraries Outsourcing has become the de-facto solution for companies seeking to cut costs and increase their profit margins. Rather than consuming their own resources on a particular task, companies farm it out to other firms that specializes in that particular area, leaving them to focus on what they do best. New product design often gets contracted out to separate design firms. If that’s you — your company outsources PCB design or your company is a PCB Read Article
Back to Home

Table of Contents

TOPICS IN THIS SOLUTION

Panelizing PCBs: Methods and Challenges

Generating Your PCB Manufacturing Documentation

Get to PCB Manufacturing Quickly with Altium Designer

Altium Designer Logo

Take advantage of the world's
most trusted PCB design system.

One interface. One data
model. Endless possibilities.

Effortlessly collaborate with
mechanical designers.

The world's most trusted
PCB design platform

Best in class interactive
routing

View License Options
Try Altium Designer
Which best describes you?
Step 1 of 2
Try Altium Designer
Which best describes you?
I’m a Professional
I’m a Student University Email Required
I’m a Startup
Thank you, you are now subscribed to updates.