Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/942744
70 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2018 files in different formats are still required to describe stack-up information, drill informa- tion, test data, net list, bill of materials, and assembly data, all of which are included in a single IPC-2581 file. The old Gerber-based approaches are error prone and require more designer effort to create these files (many of them) and make sure all the additional files that accompany the Gerber files are in sync. Guess who pays for the scrap if the files are not synchronized? The client. The fabrication partner that receives the files must also do some work to convert this unintelligent data into an intelligent set of instructions for the fabrication machines. This requires more work by the fabricator. Guess who pays for that extra work? You guessed it, the client. Why Use IPC-2581? IPC-2581 is the only open, global, neutral for- mat that is not controlled by any one company. With an open format, there are no licensing hassles and no contracts to sign. As a neutral format, IPC-2581 is not owned by a for-profit organization. No revenue is gained by use of the format, and the format is driven by IPC members worldwide across all PCB product domains. These members define the necessary requirements for specific functions (fabrication, assembly, test, etc.) throughout the standard development process and help implement these requirements into the specifi- cation. Non-IPC members can have a voice dur- ing the definition process by working directly with the IPC-2581 Technical Committee. IPC-2581 eliminates the risk of managing multiple files, as the single IPC-2581 file con- tains all the design data generated at the same time from the master design database. The fol- lowing data, typically defined in multiple files, is now contained in a single IPC-2581 file with more in-depth attributes: • Stack-up: Layer stack-up order, layer materials including all conductor, dielectric, mask, layer with thickness and other material characteristics Figure 1: Intelligent board data is converted into disparate sets of data. The design house is responsible for sending the right set of correlated data.