I wasn’t sure where to tag this - maybe it should be in manufacturing?
Anyway, I’ve been reading some threads about making strange-shaped plated holes and am none-the-wiser, other than understanding that this isn’t a standard thing and is going to need input from the fab-house, which is fine. In advance of that, so I have something sensible to go to them with, can anyone help me make a start on a plated routed hole that’s this shape?:
So far I’ve create the shape in the silk-screen layer, and then edited the KiCAD file in a text editor to change the layer of that shape to the edge-cuts layer, and then placed a circular pad over the top of the routed area to provide the exposed copper pad around the edges, but I now realise that this won’t give me the plating on the hole that I need.
I think you have to negotiate with your manufacturer. They have to know that they must first route this hole and after that plate the hole. I guess it happens so that they drill the other holes and route this and then plate everything. Later they route and drill the non-plated holes and edges. Most probably you have to put this in an extra gerber file.
What dimension is that ‘hole’ ?
When handling router-path cuts, I prefer to draw a real line == router cutter size.
That way the gerber path is the tool path, and you can see the cutter radius effects.
Plating means they do that router path, before plating, and it likely means they need a new/sharp router to get the polished edges that plate better.
As mentioned above, put that info into a separate gerber layer.
The fab may grumble about a fully cutout router path too, as that means the cut-piece is loose when done, just waiting to grab the tool, and snap it… they may prefer you remove all inner material via your router path polygon.
