![]() Some components may require additional silkscreen, such as polarity indicators. To complete all the silkscreen you'll need for a component, you'll need to draw the component outline, pin-1 indicator (for integrated circuits), and reference designators. If you know how to layout a PCB and use the standard drawing tools in the PCB component editor, you'll use the same tools to place silkscreen in a PCB footprint. When creating a new PCB footprint for a component, you can manually place silkscreen using the standard CAD tools in the component editor. How to Make Readable Silkscreen for Components in Altium Designer This tool will automatically place silkscreen on the top overlay layer. Learn more about creating silkscreen for custom components.Ĭreating IPC-compliant component footprints in Altium Designer. When creating models for proprietary components, the right design software will allow you to quickly add silkscreen information to your model, saving you time during layout.Learn more about preventing manufacturing errors with proper silkscreen placement. Proper silkscreen placement in your PCB helps ensure that your manufacturer places your components in the correct locations and that important pads and test points are clearly indicated on your board.Learn more about creating manufacturing documentation. You’ll need to prepare a complete documentation package for your manufacturer, including overlay layers. Silkscreen is included on the top overlay layer in your ODB++ files or Gerbers.This prevents unnecessary errors during assembly and makes your board easier to test and troubleshoot. These reference designators must match your silkscreen in order to ensure that components are placed in the correct locations. Fabrication and Assembly InstructionsĪside from silkscreen and assembly instructions, your manufacturer will need a bill of materials that lists components that include reference designators. Make sure to specify this if it should be kept away from specific areas. One common mistake is to neglect to tell your manufacturer where these markings should be placed on your board. Manufacturers generally place these marks away from critical areas, such as on the back side of a board or near the edge away from critical components. ![]() This allows a board to be traced throughout the supply chain in the event of a recall. IPC standards require PCB manufacturers to place a manufacturer’s mark and a lot number using silkscreen. Missing polarity or pin-1 indicator the polarity and orientation, and first pin on an IC package should be clearly marked.Ambiguous symbols, odd fonts, and small text it's understandable that high density designs need smaller silkscreen, but it should be easy to read and understand.Overlapping silkscreen for different components this often happens when a design has a dense set of components on.Placing silkscreen too close to a pad if the silkscreen is printed directly on or near a pad, it can interfere with soldering.Placing silkscreen too close to a trace variance can cause the silkscreen to print directly on a copper element.Some of the common silkscreen mistakes include: Silkscreen is placed on the top and bottom overlay layers in order to distinguish it from copper layers or mechanical layers. Zach Peterson dives deep into silkscreens, how to read them, and the best practices for cleaning up the messy ones. This is one of the final cleanup steps before planning for manufacturing. Once you send the board in for manufacturing, they will need silkscreen layers for the top and bottom sides of the board. With the right CAD tools in your PCB editor, you can easily modify the location of silkscreen in your PCB layout without directly changing the component data. If you’re designing a printed circuit board, your PCB design software will place important silkscreen information for you as long as your component data includes silkscreen information. Silkscreen communicates a significant amount of information required to properly assemble your board, and you should make sure this information appears in your component data so that it will be included in the PCB layout. ![]() Silkscreen can also be useful for testing as a designer can put important safety notes, polarity indicators, or other information needed to quickly understand how a PCB operates. Silkscreen includes each reference designator for your components, identifiers, company logos, switch settings, test points, part numbers, and any other information that an assembler needs to ensure they place the correct components in the correct locations. Silkscreen refers to a set of labels that are printed on the surface layers of a circuit board. A unified PCB design package with the best CAD tools for PCB layout and silkscreen placement.
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