Hi John,

as an assembler, I prefer to get the panelized gerber, as this helps a lot
when ordering the stencils. Of course, the board house can do it very
easily, but very often it is hard to get the panelized version from them,
for assembly purposes.

As for the rails, you don't have to add them automatically. If your PCB has
a clearance of components around the edges of about 0.120", the PCB will
pass through the rails of most SMT machines, therefore no breakaways needed.
With small boards, a 0.500" gain per panel might reduce the price of the PCB
(more boards cut per regular 18"x24" laminate sheet).

Good luck,
Ioan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Foster [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 2:32 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      [TN] Question about panelization
>
> I have been doing a lot of layouts lately of very small boards. These
> boards
> require panelization. I was wondering if I could get a idea of whether
> fabricators
> prefer to get gerber that is already panelized or whether they prefer
> to just get the one up gerber with a drawing that shows the panelization.
>
>
> Also I was wondering at what board size does it become a pain for
> assembly.
> I always try to put .250 inch manufacturing rails on boards for the
> conveyors.
>
>
> I have been doing a lot of boards on the 1" x 2" size.
>
> Any input would be appreciated.
>
> Thank You
>
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