Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1408619
78 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2021 Output to the Manufacturer Still in use by many companies today for submitting designs to the manufacturers are Gerber files, or "Gerbers." e Gerber file only describes part of the process. It must be aug- mented with a combination of data files and drawings with notes. Oen, these files and drawings are generated with different soware applications and frequently contain conflicting information. Transmitting clear and under- standable product models to the manufacturer enhances the likelihood that the product will be produced correctly on the first pass. In real- ity, about 80% of the flex documentation pack- ages received by manufacturers require some sort of clarification—more wasted time that could have been avoided. Rather than providing manufacturers with multiple files of different formats along with their ancillary files, all the information manu- facturing needs can be communicated with a single data format. Not only does that signifi- cantly increase efficiency, it also reduces the potential for errors, misunderstandings, and callbacks. e most widely used intelligent and comprehensive data format is ODB++. With ODB++, you can compile a manufactur- ing product model that mitigates the need for drawings, documentation, and other files nec- essary when using Gerbers, as illustrated in Figure 7. All the relevant information to manu- facture your board is contained in data fields to be used by the fabricator and assembler. Flex and rigid-flex circuit designs are increasingly popular with the miniaturiza- tion of technology and the explosion of wear- able devices. PCBs involving flexible circuitry require unique manufacturing processes. To ensure and optimize flex and rigid-flex circuits for manufacturing, a dedicated DFM solution combined with an intelligent, comprehensive manufacturing product model are the best Figure 6: Interface region issues include trace width changes, via proximity and trace angle changes.