I simply want to place a drill hole and tech have explained that I have to reduce the width to the drill size. They also mentioned resist sizes may need adjusting.
Are there any other precautions/settings needed?
Do I need to start making new pads for all sizes used with new exceptions?
There is no such thing as a "hole", it is either a non-plated thru pad or a plated thru pad.
If it is plated thru, the manufacturer will require some "meat" (an annulus) around the hole. The more meat the less difficult the manufacturing process. If it isn't plated thru, then there is no requirement for the copper annulus. I suspect that you have specified plated thru holes!
It is difficult to give all the precautions and settings needed for any one specific design.
The "Gerbers" won't show whether the pads are filled or not!
The Plot Report file (and possibly separate drill files for plated and non-plated holes) will indicate what are plated thru holes or not depending on your plot setup.
Check the following- Pad Properties=>Is "Plated" ticked or not? Plotting & Printing => Drill Data (Through Hole) Plotting & Printing=>Drill Ident Drawing- Through Hole => Select Hole Types
Non plated thru holes add cost to the pcb as they involve an additional drill operation after the pcb has been manufactured, so the "norm" is to have only plated thru holes.
So would it be cheaper to make a plated hole but drill it out.
quote:Originally posted by edrees
The "Gerbers" won't show whether the pads are filled or not!
The Plot Report file (and possibly separate drill files for plated and non-plated holes) will indicate what are plated thru holes or not depending on your plot setup.
Check the following- Pad Properties=>Is "Plated" ticked or not? Plotting & Printing => Drill Data (Through Hole) Plotting & Printing=>Drill Ident Drawing- Through Hole => Select Hole Types
Non plated thru holes add cost to the pcb as they involve an additional drill operation after the pcb has been manufactured, so the "norm" is to have only plated thru holes.
Only if you drill it out yourself. But having said that the saving is negligible, perhaps a few pence per board and sometimes not even that !
In fact if you go to PCB Train, the number of holes be it plated or un-plated doesn't even come into the equation. Cost is simply based on board size and layers.
I do unplated holes all the time, for PCB mounting or alignment pins for connectors. They are just an unplated pad with a hole the size I want and a pad diameter of 0. I've never had a complaint from a PCB supplier or had boards show up with anything wrong with the holes.
The only annoyance is that they show in EPC as a very thin broken line until selected.
Simply holes
Posted - 31 May 2015 : 12:03:51
