PCB Blog - Computer Aided Manufacturing Processing PCB Board Technology

PCB board manufacturing technology, including computer-aided manufacturing processing technology, that is, CAD/CAM, as well as light-painting technology, the general process of light-painting process is: check file - determine process parameters - CAD file transfer Gerber file - CAM processing and output .

1.Computer-aided manufacturing processing technology
Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is to carry out various process processing according to the specified process. For the various process requirements mentioned above, necessary preparations must be made before light painting. For example, mirroring, solder mask expansion, process line, process frame, line width adjustment, center hole, outline and other issues must be completed in the CAM process. Special attention should be paid to the places where the spacing is too small in the user file, and corresponding treatment must be made. Because the process flow and technical level of each factory are different, in order to meet the final requirements of users, necessary adjustments must be made in the production process to meet the requirements of users in terms of precision and other aspects. Therefore, CAM processing is an essential process in modern printed circuit manufacturing.

2.The work done by CAM

1.1 Correction of pad size, combined D code.
1.2 Correction of line width, combined D code.
1.3 Inspection of spacing, between pads and pads, between pads and lines, and between lines and lines.
1.4 Inspection of aperture size, combined.
1.5 Check the line width.
1.6 Determine solder mask expansion parameters.
1.7 Mirroring. ,
1.8 Add various craft lines and craft boxes.
1.9 Perform line width correction to correct side erosion.

3.Organization of CAM process
Since there are dozens of popular CAD software on the market, the management of CAD process must first start from the organization, and a good organization will achieve multiplier effect with half the effort. Since the Gerber data format has become a standard in the light-painting industry, Gerber data should be used as the processing object in the entire light-painting process. If the CAD data is used as the object, the following problems will arise.
(1) There are too many types of CAD software. If various process requirements are to be completed in CAD software, each operator is required to be proficient in the operation of each CAD software. This will require a long training period to make the operator skilled enough to meet actual production requirements. This is not justified in terms of time and economy.
(2) Due to the variety of process requirements, some requirements cannot be realized for some CAD software. Because the CAD software is used for design, it does not take into account the special requirements in the process, so it cannot meet all the requirements. The CAM software is specially used for process processing, and it is good at doing these jobs.
(3) CAM software has powerful functions, but all of them operate on Getber files, but cannot operate on CAD files.
(4) If CAD is used for process processing, each operator is required to be equipped with all CAD software, and there are different process requirements for each CAD software. This will create unnecessary confusion for management.
To sum up, the CAM organization should have the following structure (especially for large and medium-sized enterprises).
a. All process processing is unified with Gerber data as the processing object.
b. Each operator must master the skills of converting CAD data into Gerber data.
c. Each operator must master one or several CAM software operation methods.
d. Formulate unified process specifications for Gerber data files.
e. The CAM process can be relatively centralized and handled by several operators for management.
A reasonable organization will greatly improve management efficiency, production efficiency, and effectively reduce the error rate, so as to achieve the effect of improving product quality on PCB board.