Hello, i have an existing drawing(drawn by someone) which does not have the fabrication stack layer information. I need to find the fabrication details of the layered stack since manufacturing supplier is asking for it. is there a way to do it. i am sorry if its a basic question, i am new to pcb design and kicad.
Is this a multi layer pcb? >2 layers?
How larger and complex?
What version of Kicad?
In pcbnew, you can see the layers on right side. If you have Gerbers you use the viewer to see each layer.
If the pcb vendor is asking about the physical characteristics of the pcb (layer and copper thickness) that is not part of Kicad.
You should ask what standard processes they offer. The simplest is to select one of theirs. If you want or need something different it will likely cost much more.
There are lots of parameters that the pcb vendor should provide to you:
blind vias yes/no,
Certain minimum distances hole to edge, etc.
You should ensure that your design complies with their rules.
For high frequency signals you may want know the distance (height) of each layer to design a trace with a specific impedance.
Hope I did you some good.
Hi, Thank you for the reply. It is a multilayer board and i do have the gerber files of each layer however there are details of the layer thickness or any fabrication detail. Is there a way to measure them in gerber view? i can select the min hole size or track thickness from the manufacturer however i would want to know the order of stack up(dielectric and copper layers). IF it is possible to retrieve information from schematic, pcb footprint or gerber files, Please let me know.
Thanks
Shruthi
more than likely not with just GERBER on their own.
Information like copper weight, overall thickness, prepreg etc… is not stored in GERBER and is typically stored in some other supporting information document along side the artwork
so unless mentioned in any of the supporting files, there is no way to find them?
If the GERBERS are purely the board and there is no other information … no. You might be able to contact the previous fabricator house to see if they have any info.
You could take an educated guess at the stackup … type of circuits used can imply typical build information
I know it doesn’t help for now, but this is why I like adding information like this to the GERBER so just in case it becomes separate from the supporting documentation, there is at least the needed info to fabricate purely from the GERBER’s
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Hi, Shruthi
We do not know whether you have engineering expertise. In my opinion, your best bet is to rely on some reverse engineering. This might not need to be so intensive. Probably best would be a design engineer who can understand the circuit design and also a pcb designer. Posting the details on this forum (including the schematic diagram) might be a cheaper way out but you will obviously be broadcasting your design details.
Devices with tight pitch and geometry will favor (normal) thinner copper thickness while high current will favor thicker copper. If your board has four layers or less, there are some more default options for the stackup. But I think the tendency for defaults vanishes as you get into six or more layers.
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