Hello.
I am an Windows user. For my PCB design, I use fab layer for the assembly drawing. I wonder if there is any other good way to draw assembly layer in Kicad.
Thanks.
For what purpose? For assembly factory or for your manual assembly?
Hi eelik,
It is for manufacturer…SMT assembly and hand soldering
The fab layer is good for that, and many assembly factories want to have your silkscreen layer, too. Can you show a fab layer of yours?
Here is my fab layer.
That looks good enough, I believe anyone could follow those instructions. I would draw actual component outlines there (unlike your D2). Polarity/pin1 marks are of course important and they are readable in the picture.
Usually I use Edit->text etc. properties dialog and change the “font” to be the same for all parts, but that’s a matter of taste. I have also values beside the components, then it may be possible to assemble manually even without a BOM. I rotate the values to be read left-right but leave the reference designators inside the component outlines as they are.
You could always ask you assembler what they want.
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The polarity marks are not ipc compliant. Check with your manufacturer if they can use it this way. The official library tries to follow ipc so we have the important bits documented in the library convention. (Can be a source of information if you do not have access to the standard)
Thanks for your kindly reply.
I didnt know that there is ipc compliant. Like you said, I will try to follow ipc for better pcb design.
I use different sets of footprints.
In one of them I use Eco1.User layer for SMD components and Eco2.User for THT components. I duplicated the silkscreen layer on either Eco1 or Eco2.
Eco 1 and 2 might not be the best options as you limit yourself to a single side of the pcb (they are unspecified for the flip operation which is why they are not suggested for use within footprints).
Also what good is it to duplicate the silk layer. If you use the same info just display that layer.
My personal approach: I use the silk layer only for stuff that gets onto the board. I nearly never have it visible (only for making it pretty at the end of the design process.)
I normally only display the fab layer which has the ipc complaint outline, reference and value fields (but i hide the value fields via the items control, the reference is made such that it fully fits inside the body outline -> not in the way.)
Meaning i use the fab layer during the design process, for documentation and of course during assembly.
For manual assembly take a look at Interactive Html Bom Plugin for KiCad 5.0
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Have you tried flipping a footprint with segments on Eco1.User?
See the pictures, Eco1.User layer is blue and it flips perfectly. I agree I cannot know from the Eco layer itself on which side of the board the footprint is placed. But this is another question.
About duplicating the silkscreen, I didn’t give all the information: with this set of footprints we completely eliminate the silkscreen from the footprint. Then we make a full silkscreen with another tool such as inkscape.
Well is mirroring the same operation as flipping? The devs say it is not -> this is why they define it as unspecified behaviour. (This was the argument why they do not allow direct entering of stuff onto these layers from within the footprint editor.)
???
I can edit those layers in the fp editor.
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That would then be something that came with 5.1. (And there goes another argument used for defending not allowing the edge cuts layer.)
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