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Gerber drawings altered by fabricator, is this normal?
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alexg:
Hello, I do not have enough experience working with fabricators for production projects, I had a gerber files of single board and sent it to fabricator to order a of boards placed into panel 2x5 array with rails, fiducials, etc.
I have received a gerber files of the panel to approve before production and I noticed that all copper sizes were increased, for example traces that were 7mil are now 10mil, via pads that were 19mil are now 22mil, many circular via pads were swelled to the point that there is only little clearance between them, I am just not sure if this is normal practice, for example, see attached illustraton of row of pads on one of ICs, one picture is the original gerber as it comes out from PCB design software and then another picture is how it came back to approve. I am just trying to undersand if this is normal thing to do by fabricators.

Benta:
Normal no, but not unusual. Every PCB manufacturer has a Design Rule Check software, where the Gerber is sent through before manufacturing. This reflects the capabilities of the processes available.
The fact that the company sends back the Gerbers with modifications is a signal to you that there are potential problems with your design.
I've had many PCBs done, but as I mostly work with leaded parts, trace width and spacing have not been an issue, I've never had a Gerber come back, they took it as it is.
Regard it as a good service and be thankful they caught it. You can always insist on them using the original Gerbers, but this might bring a yield/price issue.

Edit: the PCB manufacturers I know list the minimum spacing/trace width up front, which you should adhere to. There are price differences depending on how fine etching you need.

Conrad Hoffman:
That doesn't look right. Are you sure it isn't for a mask?
alexg:

--- Quote from: Benta on January 16, 2019, 05:19:18 pm ---Normal no, but not unusual. Every PCB manufacturer has a Design Rule Check software, where the Gerber is sent through before manufacturing. This reflects the capabilities of the processes available.
The fact that the company sends back the Gerbers with modifications is a signal to you that there are potential problems with your design.
I've had many PCBs done, but as I mostly work with leaded parts, trace width and spacing have not been an issue, I've never had a Gerber come back, they took it as it is.
Regard it as a good service and be thankful they caught it. You can always insist on them using the original Gerbers, but this might bring a yield/price issue.

Edit: the PCB manufacturers I know list the minimum spacing/trace width up front, which you should adhere to. There are price differences depending on how fine etching you need.

--- End quote ---
Thank you for a reply, this board has been manufactured before few times before with different fabricator and is designed above manufacturer minimum specifications for sure, they sent me files for approval because I requested that to make sure I can double check it before it goes into production since it is a new fabricator. Waiting to hear from them directly of course, but also just curious whether I should let it go or request to stick to original layout.
alexg:

--- Quote from: Conrad Hoffman on January 16, 2019, 06:09:38 pm ---That doesn't look right. Are you sure it isn't for a mask?

--- End quote ---
Yes, I double checked. That was not the mask.
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