I have a little proposal to improve the KiCAD library. Kicad Library Convention (KLC) specifies, that the pin one orientation must be on the top [1]. However, looking for standard parts, like SOT-323 in the manufacturing information [2] indicates that the components are feed in rotated by 180degree. Wouldn’t it be nice, to have the default zero orientation like the pick and place machine gets the part? This would reduce manufacturing preparation time significantly.
Some other parts that do not match orientation: SOT-.23-6 (180), QFN(90)
The KLC follows industry standards in this regard. There are two zero orientations specified. We use type A which specifies pin 1 at the top left corner.
The zero orientation typically has nothing to do with how a part is placed in the reel. You will always need a mapping from the design document zero orientation to the pic and place zero orientation. This mapping depends on the machine you use, the slot you use for this part inside the machine (some machines have feeds on multiple sides) And on the exact part you use.