What Data Do I Provide?
For the most part, this is the easiest thing for a customer to decide. Just give us everything.
That’s what most of our customers do and we have enough experience to sort what we’re provided with. Also, since we are ITAR certified you can be assured that your data is secure and will be handled responsibly.
However, even with high speed data transmission or use of compression software some files can become large and require significant data transfer times. To reduce file size you can send us only the specific data we require to manufacture your stencil.
Gerber data is the only acceptable data we use. While we are sometimes provided with other types of data like AutoCAD we still need to convert it to Gerber for it to be of any use to us.
This list identifies Gerber that we request be provided for stencil fabrication:
Gerber Layer |
Common Names |
Description |
Solder Paste |
Tpaste.gbr, Bpaste.gbr, *.tsp, *.bsp, tpm.gbr, bpm.gbr | Layer specifically made for creating stencils, It will probably be missing fiducials and may not be 1:1 with the PCB lands |
Silkscreen |
Tsilk.gbr, Bsilk.gbr, *.tss, *.bss, tsk.gbr, bsk.gbr | Shows screened reference designators and Component outlines. Ensures Correct squeegee side and component identification. |
Outer Layers |
Comp.gbr, Sold.gbr, *.cmp, *.sld, top.gbr, bottom.gbr | The actual layers used to create the copper lands and signals. It aids in verifying that the paste layers are accurate and complete. |
Soldermask |
Tmask.gbr, Bmask.gbr, *.tsm, *.bsm, topmask.gbr, botmask.gbr | Insulation layer used to protect signal lines and areas not to be soldered. Identifies exposed areas including test points and vias. |
Fab Drawing |
Fab.gbr, *.fab, Fabdrawing.gbr | Drawing showing drill locations and sizes. Often identifies breakaways and panelization. Helpful for identifying fiducials and PTH locations |
Frequently Asked Question's.
Can i provide only the paste layer?
Yes, but as stated in the table above, the paste layer is often missing the fiducial information and if your screen printer has vision? We will not be able to provided these marks. Most machines can recognize a PTH, via, or test point in place of these marks, but without the other Gerber layers we cannot acquire them. Although rare, paste layers generated by some CAD systems have been modified in advance and those adjustments may not reflect what is desired for the assembly.
What if I don’t have Gerber?
Below is a list of other types of data we accept.
Format |
Description |
ODB++ |
A proprietary database format created by Valor which is widely used by our industry. Through we are able to read this format and get the data we need, file size is often significant. |
.dxf / .dwg |
AutoCAD data. To use this data we must translate it to gerber. Our ability to do this is limited and there's no guarantee of accuracy. For best results provide lower version .dxf files with dimensions. |
.brd |
Databse files from specific design software like Cadence. We cannot open these types of files at this time. |
