Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1040234
14 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2018 or IPC-2581 data? Which is the preferred for- mat? I gathered information from many sup- pliers throughout the U.S. as well as globally. Shaughnessy: What did you find during your research? Chavez: It was amazing to find out that it was not consistent from one supplier to another, or even consistent within a global supplier that has many divisions throughout the world. One division of a large top-tier company preferred Gerber data along with an IPC-D-356 netlist, while another division of the same company on the other side of the world preferred ODB++ data. That particular division even provided discounts for sending ODB++ data over any other format. When I received the feedback, I thought, "You're all the same company, so why aren't you on the same page and prefer - ring the same data throughout all your divi- sions?" From my initial research, it appears that there more people accept ODB++ data over IPC-2581 at this time. However, my research also pointed out that Gerber data along with an IPC-D-356 netlist was still the leading data format that most suppliers prefer. Yes, both ODB++ and IPC-2581 data formats provide more intelligent content that you'd prefer to share instead of Gerber data. Those intelligent formats have everything you need for both fab- rication and assembly all in one dataset pack- age. That is what makes those formats better and more powerful to use, but not everybody is accepting these formats. Let's say you go digital with one of these intelligent data formats and send it out to your long-term supplier. What do you do when your supplier says, "I'm sorry, I can't use this data format. I don't have that capability. I'd prefer to have that Gerber data along with an IPC-D- 356 netlist you've been supplying me all these past years." Do you stop using that supplier and toss aside all the years of establishing rela- tionships and successfully working with them to find a new one? If you work for a large cor- poration—and believe me, I have experience at several of them—it's not that easy to jump from one supplier to another, especially if get- ting on a company's approved vendor's list (AVL) is already tough due to required restric- tions and certifications that those suppliers need to have in place. Thus, you end up going back to Gerber data along with an IPC-D-356 netlist until your suppliers update their capa- bilities as well. As I said, I was amazed at the feedback I received. Gerber data along with an IPC-D-356 netlist was still the leading data format pre- ferred in the industry when it comes to PWB fabrication. Shaughnessy: Right. You've probably seen the surveys showing that 95% of designs are still generated in Gerber. Chavez: Yes, I have. I was stunned at the response I received when I was onsite at one top-tier supplier and asked about what data format they prefer. They preferred Gerber data and an IPC-D-356 netlist because they take the supplied Gerber data and an IPC-D-356 netlist and generate an internal ODB++ file. I asked, "What if I eliminate that extra step in the pro- cess and provide you the ODB++ file directly from my Mentor software?" They responded, "No, we prefer to receive Gerber data and an IPC-D-356 netlist because we have a solid pro- cess in place that is effective and optimized to our internal processes." We still supply them with Gerber data along with an IPC-D-356 netlist. Shaughnessy: Even though it would be messy to change over, I'm surprised that the industry hasn't locked into one data format. That is what makes those formats better and more power- ful to use, but not everybody is accepting these formats.