The Panel Editor is part of the PCB Visualizer and allows you to view, create and modify panel layouts for your PCB’s whether it is a step & repeat of a single PCB layout or the nesting of multiple PCB layouts. There are tools for adding fiducials, tooling holes, text, spacers, rotating the PCB, frame and border elements. Using the Panel Editor allows you to check the panel on-screen and order with confidence. Please see our Panel Guidelines for more information about creating panels.
See separate sections for each topic. If you have any questions, use our online chat line to talk to one of our engineers.
Most Panel Editor options can be used before you upload your data. For this, PCB Visualizer uses a dummy PCBs of the size you enter.
There are three panel options.
For more information on these panel formats please see our Panel Guideline.
To select PCB’s delivered in a panel format select panel next to Delivery format. If you selecting eC-panel by Eurocircuits or Custom Panel by Eurocircuits this will automatically open the Panel menu.
Selecting the Delivery format as panel opens the Panel section – enter the values for the panel and a price will automatically displayed.
Specify the repeats you want in X and Y. Select the panel border, and the PCB spacing from the pull-down boxes.
All eC-panels are compatible with our eC-registration system and have all the necessary tooling holes to use with our eC-stencil-mate or eC-stencil-fix (eC-Stencil required).
As they also have our standard pattern tooling holes and fiducials and are 100% suitable for use with other registration systems.
See our Panel Guidelines – eC-Panel by Eurocircuits.
Click Panel editor to see the panel with the dummy PCB’s.
Click the Panel editor wizard and proceed as below to specify the step and repeat, border and separation distance required. Ignore the red warning message about the 0,0 panel size – this will be changed by the Panel editor. PCB Visualizer will display the default board size, so for an accurate price enter the correct circuit size, make any other size changes required and click Apply.
TIP – Don’t put in the border elements at this stage as they will be lost when you upload the real board data.
Use this panel option if you have already prepared data files with the complete panelisation for a special layout or for a multi-panel (panel with several different designs).
Your layout should meet our panelisation requirements (see our Panel Guideline) for panel border and distance between the circuits.
This option will not open Panel Editor as the files will be display as you have created them in PCB Visualizer.
TIP – All delivery panels require a border to hold them together during transport and handling. If you have not included a border or want to put additional features into the border, select Custom panel by Eurocircuits and specify a 1-up panel using the Panel Editor.
Sign-In to your Eurocircuits customer account and upload your data, click “Add to basket” and your data will be analysed. Alternatively, select the job from your customer account shopping basket.
If you have already specified the step and repeat, border size, PCB separation method and distance, click the Panel editor to see the panelised circuit.
The Panel Editor
NOTE – The router path is shown as a hatched area. Our engineers will place rout tabs in this area to ensure a stable panel.
TIP – If there are areas in which you do not want rout tabs to appear due to sensitive components etc., specify them in a mechanical drawing.
You can now change:
Click “Apply” at the bottom of the screen and the price in PCB Configurator will open and the price will be automatically updated.
Click the on the “Summary” tab at the top of the page, this will open the summary page and click on “Save changes” to save the changes.
Click on the “Summary” tab at the top and the the “Save changes” button to save the changes in the Hopping basket.
Click the “Panel Editor” button.
Ignore the red warning about the 0,0 panel size – the Panel Editor will complete the correct size.
Select your panel border and enter your preferred value
Enter the PCB Spacing and Separation setting
Choose the panel content type.
Select:
Set-up the number of PCB’s in X 7 Y and rotation of required.
You can also add a rotation to the PCB’s if required.
Additional options are available in the editor.
You will also see the Panel and PCB properties menu and the panel tools menu.
Birds-eye view of the panel where you can switch between the top and bottom view.
Swap top and bottom views by clicking on the bird’s eye menu, or using the tool menu icon.
Pan and zoom with your mouse or use the tool in the View port menu.
TIPS
Change the panel and PCB properties in this menu.
Use this menu to change:
Alternatively, add eC-registration compatible holes if you want to use a solder-paste stencil with our eC-stencil-mate or eC-stencil-fix.
TIP – If the board size is incorrect, PCB Visualizer will show a dummy panel. Correct the size in the menu (“Board size”).
Click within the existing stepped circuits to select the block. This opens the “Stepped PCB properties” menu. You can now change the repeat and the rotation of the PCB.
Change the step & repeat values
These allow you to customise your panel layout.
Panel Editor Tool Panel
TIPS
Create or reset panel definition.
Use this function to step and repeat PCB blocks or to add rotated PCB’s.
Click the tool “Add stepped PCB’s”.
Select the orange location box where you want to repeat the same circuit pattern.
Stepped PCB Pattern
This opens the “Stepped PCB properties” menu. Enter the repeat values you require and click the location boxes as required.
Stepped PCB Properties Menu
By default PCB Visualizer will retain the last repeat values used. If these are incorrect, simply change them and the screen image will correct automatically.
Add spacers as required to control the distance between the blocks. Click “Select the object to edit” to clear the location boxes and show the true distances.
Add spacers as required to control the distance between the blocks.
The spacers change the distance between the blocks of circuits, not the individual circuits. Change the distance between circuits in the “Panel and board properties” menu.
There are two ways to panelise with rotated and non-rotated circuits depending on your requirements. To build a panel with rotated circuit patterns, follow the procedures here. To put rotated and non-rotated in a set, see below.
To rotate a block enter the rotation required
Add a spacer to control the exact distance between the blocks.
Spacers to control the distance between the blocks.
Use this function to interlock (“nest”) L-shaped or T-shaped PCBs.
Select Edit Block to nest PCB’s
This opens the editing screen.
Editor for Nesting PCB’s
The offset will normally remain at X = 0, Y = 0 for the first circuit. For the demo job, change the rotation to 180°.
Block Editor Rotated PCB
To add a second circuit, click “Add a PCB”. To avoid a second circuit being placed directly over the first circuit, it is given a notional offset, roughly 20% of its X & Y dimensions.
Block Editor with second PCB added without offsets
Add the desired offsets for the finished set. Click “Apply” to return to the wizard.
Offset applied to second PCB
Click “Next>” to move to the “Define step values menu”. Enter your preferred repeat and click “Finish”.
Enter step & repeat values.
Panelised nested PCB’s
Use this function to increase the width of a single border or the space between blocks of circuits.
Add spacers to set the exact space between blocks.
Click on “Select the object to edit” or “Apply” to show the new image.
TIPS – Select the “Automatic” box if you have a fixed panel size which the circuits do not fill exactly and you want to maintain for example, the relationship between the circuits and the panel edge. The automatic spacer will push the circuits into the required position.
To see how these different options work together, see the illustration of an eC-panel above or the finished panel at the end of this section.
All border elements are dimensioned from 8 reference points. These are placed in the middle of the laminate border in the 4 corners and on the centre line of the panel. For each tool click the tool, select the (first) reference point, and the tool menu will open.
Border elements (except drill holes) can be placed on copper, soldermask or legend layers, and on top, bottom or both sides.
Adding reference points to the panel
Select the “Drill hole border element” tool and the reference point.
Enter the drill hole diameter plus the copper, soldermask and legend clearances and any offset required.
Add drilled hole value and clearances
Click to insert the hole. Select the next reference point – the values entered will carry over.
Example of a tooling hole (white) and and clearance (yellow).
Enter the required values for the frame properties.
Specify the width, the side and the layer required (copper, soldermask and/or legend). Unless an offset is specified this will appear in the centre of each border.
Copper and Legend Frame Clearance
Tooling holes, fiducials and text come with automatic clearances to your chosen values. Use the clearance function if you need to clear copper, soldermask or legend for any reason.
Input the required values for the clearance.
The cut-off allows the corner to be rounded.
Clearance feature (yellow).
Add the values for the copper pad.
For example as a fiducial. You can specify the pad size, the clearances from copper, soldermask and legend, and the offset from each reference point.
Copper pad (grey) with clearance (yellow).
Input the values for the text.
Add the cut-off value for the text.
Input the required clearance for the text.
Enter the text, dimensions, layer (copper, soldermask or legend), and the clearances required. The cut-off value gives a curved clearance.
The soldermask and legend clearances will default to the copper values but they can be changed if you prefer.
Copper text with clearance (yellow).
Input the values for the Hash fiducials.
You can set copper, soldermask and legend clearances for hash fiducials.
Hash fiducial with clearance (yellow).
Including eC-compatible tooling holes.
finished panel with fiducials and text.
PCB Visualizer has been developed as a Gerber file analyser to run Design Rule (DRC) and increasingly Design for Manufacturability (DFM) checks on single circuits.
There is at present no functionality to allow you to import and place interactively separate circuits into one delivery panel.
If you want to put several different circuits on one delivery panel, you have three options:
Prepare a single Gerber file for each layer including the circuits you require in the positions where you want them in the panel. Make sure that you provide a suitable border and distance between circuits.
More …
TIPS
Not sure about the panel you have created and need reassurance before your panel goes into production?
Use our pre-production approval check. More info in our blog on Pre-production approval.