|
Novità ver. 13.0
New Instrinsic
Aperture Support
GerbTool now supports a wide array of intrinsic
apertures. This increased range of apertures allows you to focus
on the specific definition characteristics but without the need to
create “custom” apertures to support them. You can make quick work
out of creating some of today’s more common shapes like Rounded
Rectangles, Square Thermals, and more. You can now specify not
only outer and inner diameters of thermals, but you can also
define the number, angle, and width of the spokes quickly and
easily. Intelligent data transfer formats such as ODB++ and GenCAM
(yet to be supported) also benefit from the increase in intrinsic
apertures with fewer translations to customs and a more
streamlined approach to reading and writing for these formats.
GUI Driven Aperture
Conversion
As much as we would all like for 274D to just go away;
the fact remains that it is still in regular use today. Along with
it comes a myriad of “one-off” aperture table formats. These unique
aperture tables make for a cumbersome and time-consuming import
process within most CAM systems. Now with GerbTool version 13 you
can benefit from a full-featured, GUI driven aperture table
conversion that allows you to get your data in fast and accurately.
To read in an aperture table, you need only point-and-click on the
file. Once GerbTool has it, you can then click-and-drag the column
information and shape definitions into position just by looking at
the aperture file content. Once complete, GerbTool takes over and
automatically reads in the definitions – it is that simple…
Advanced Panelization
The panelization aspects of a given design are no
longer just a simple “step and repeat”; the process as evolved in to
that of a choreographed flow of complex, yet well defined,
information that enables the tool to complete as much of the
panelization, tooling, coupon placement, venting, and thieving as
possible. All that is left for you to do is simply update various
date codes, text, and nomenclature that would be unique to the job
being processed. To that end, GerbTool has leaped ahead with the
introduction of a robust Advanced Panelization; offering you the
ability to panelize not just one job but multiple jobs in a single
panel. Additionally, you also benefit from GerbTool’s unique
approach to handling tooling information, coupons, title blocks, and
any other feature that is needed within the panel-frame; this
approach allows for any .GTD database to be used within the panel. You
can place as many .GTD files are necessary in order to accommodate
your tooling requirements. Panel templates can be created so that
the initial placement of objects such as pinning holes, test coupons,
plating coupons, and title blocks need only be placed once. These
templates can then be used again and again as new “one-up” designs
come in for processing.
Flexibility is virtually unlimited through the GerbTool method of
panelization. Each .GTD data-set can have its own unique placement
characteristics; everything from placement origin, step information,
and rotation. Even the border layer can be set to process from the
centerline or the edge of the aperture that was used to draw it. No
other system in this price range can offer the same level of
flexibility and power that GerbTool has achieved with the release of
Advanced Panelization technology.
New Venting/Thieving
Technology
Working in conjunction with the new Advanced
Panelization are GerbTool’s new Venting/Thieving capabilities. Now you
will benefit from a single process step-up that allows groups of
layers to be defined; each group having their own unique venting/thieving
properties. Once the characteristics of the pattern information are
defined, GerbTool takes over and processes everything at once. No
manual merging, no building of separate venting/thieving layers, and
no headaches over positive and negative layer treatment.
GerbTool version 13 can handle not only solid and dot patterns; it
can also accommodate complex cross-hatches and star-burst patterns.
Each pattern can be generated in either a positive or negative
fashion, which allows for usage on both internal signal layers as
well as internal plane layers. Coupled along with the new venting/thieving
technology comes a fast and accurate robber bar generation as well. You
can define complete robber bar perimeters for your panel frames or you
can break things down to just individual bars along each edge of the
panel. Once again, not other system can offer this level of
flexibility and power within the GerbTool price range.
Automatic Solder Mask
Generation/Optimization
Accurate solder mask generation has plagued the printed
circuit design and fabrication industry for years. This is primarily
due to the CAD system’s failure to provide adequate functionality
and analysis in this area; leaving the job solely to the user
through interactive means. With this release of GerbTool, you
benefit from the ability to define the basic characteristics of
their solder mask and have GerbTool automatically generate a mask
that meets your requirements based upon a desired Oversize, Minimum
Oversize, Mask-to-Mask Spacing, and Mask-to-Trace Spacing. GerbTool
can quickly vary the openings, within the limits given, or can
maintain the desired size while shaving the necessary areas to
within the minimum oversize In addition, GerbTool also has a mode
for detecting and processing Fine-Pitch SMD pads; automatically
generating block openings for those areas to help prevent mask
contamination between pads.
Automatic Paste Mask
Generation/Optimization
Solder paste generation is much the same as solder mask,
in that there is little or no functionality and/or analysis provided
by the CAD system. Users are left to fend for themselves most of the
time, or they just leave the processing up to the Stencil House.
Both Designers and Stencil Houses benefit from GerbTool’s Automatic
Paste Mask Generation. Like the solder mask processing, you need
only provide the basic rules which define your mask – Desired
Undersize, Minimum Undersize, Rounded Corners, and Process
Fine-Pitch SMD pads with separate X and Y Undersize values. GerbTool
will then take over and generate a fully usable paste mask layer
quickly and accurately. Stencil Houses will find this feature most
useful as it will dramatically reduce the amount of time spent
processing incoming customer data. The faster a Stencil House can
process the data, the more stencils they can produce, which
ultimately results in more revenue generated.
New PADS ASCII Interface
(Import Only)
Streamlining the flow of information from Design to
Manufacturing is becoming more and more important to many users
today. GerbTool’s support of a PADS ASCII interface benefits the
PowerPCB user community by providing them with a new choice when it
comes to their intelligent CAM needs. Additional benefits can be
found through this interface; PowerPCB users can use GerbTool as
their means for getting to IPC-D-356 and ODB++ intelligently.
ODB++ Export
GerbTool version 13 now supports ODB++ Export. This
benefits those users that already have Valor product in house but
cannot afford to purchase any additional products from Valor. These
same shops are still seeing a rise in demand but are looking for
less expensive means to pre-processing the incoming data for CAM.
Additional benefits come in using this interface in conjunction with
the PADS ASCII interface, which in turn allows PADS users a new
means for getting ODB++ from PowerPCB data.
Enhanced DXF Support
DXF continues to be in great demand within the
fabrication market. This comes primarily from the Flex-Circuit, BGA,
and Chemical Etch Stencil customers. None of these customers have a
CAD product that is truly dedicated to their needs, so they are all
forced to use AutoCAD due to its versatile drawing capabilities. So
as to adequately support these users, this release brings as to the
AutoCAD 2000 level; with additional improvements in polygon handling
as well as end-cap processing.
Support of CAM350 7.X
Databases
GerbTool maintains is flexibility in the data inputs
that it is capable of supporting by stepping up the version level of
CAM350 DirectCAM. Previously GerbTool only support up to version
6.X; however with the addition of new intrinsic apertures and
advanced panelization GerbTool can now effectively support CAM350
7.X or higher with ease.
Enhanced IPC-D-356A
Support
IPC-D-356 data has become important for fabricators, as
they use it to accurately verify the connectivity of a customer job
as it comes off the line and is sent for bare-board testing.
GerbTool is committed to the continued support of this format, and
this release has significant increases in 356 capabilities. Version
13 now offers full support of the IPC-D-356A derivative (whereas
previous versions only had partial support). You benefit from a
consolidated Exporting module that is used by both the general
Export process as well as the Bare-Board Test process. Along with
this consolidation comes increased support of Trace Data, Polygon
Support, and Adjacency information. You can fully configure these
options to suit virtually any need. GerbTool version 13 also fully
supports IPC-D-356A imports as well, showing full trace data for
external and internal layers graphically on screen.
GT-dbV Database Viewer
We are introducing a new GerbTool bundle: GT-dbV. This
free GerbTool database viewer shares the same GUI and functions as
other GerbTool bundles. It allows you to easily share your GerbTool
.GTD databases with colleagues who need to view your data. There is
no licensing to fuss with GT-dbV.
Analysis Reporting
Analysis reports are back! After switching to the
Navigator method for viewing violation data, some users noticed that
while you could print your individual errors there was an absence of
a column-based report. WISE is pleased to announce that you can now
obtain column based ASCII text reports of the violations that might
exist within a given design. You benefit from these reports by being
able to document “hardcopy” as they process a design for
manufacturability, keeping a complete running history on file with
the rest of the design documentation. Of course all of this
information will remain in the .GTD database as well, but we
recognize that sometimes having a piece of paper in front of you can
suit your needs better.
New Compatibility Mode
With version 13 comes a new “compatibility mode” that
enables GerbTool to mimic the popular hotkeys of other products:
CAM350 and CAMMaster. The benefits are tremendous in that
compatibility mode will make it that much easier for users of other
tools to migrate to GerbTool.
Display Backside
A somewhat small but yet very important feature;
viewing a design from a “backside” perspective is very useful when
it comes to adding text, nomenclature, or any other piece of
information that needs to be placed on the solder side layer.
Additionally, more and more boards have both top and bottom side
components and the Display Backside function enables you to quickly
toggle your view for silkscreen readability. Like the Negative View
mode, Display Backside can be toggled with a simple hotkey.
OTHER ENHANCEMENTS IN PREVIOUS
RELEASES
GerbTool ver.
11.0
GerbTool ver.
12.0 |
