John,

Boy,   have I been round and round with this one before.

First of all, Gerber files are by definition nonrasterized files
,i.e."VECTOR".  Anyone who is out putting raster files instead of the
industry standard 274-X needs to "get with the program".
One way or another, this type of ignorance will end up adding non
value added cost for someone to the end product.

The industry trend does seem to be toward more imbedded ground
planes, and less layers.  This positive data drawn ground plane has
always been the culprit when I have encountered MONSTER FILES,i.e.
polygons filled with 2 mil diagonal lines and 2 mil overlap.
In almost all cases we have convinced the designer to output the
files as. 1. composite, i.e. Positive data signals over Negative data
grounds.

2. If drawn grounds must be used, then convert the Polygon fill
method to raster instead of vector.

Either of these methods can result in as much as a 1000/1 reduction
in file size.
Yes I said ONE THOUSAND /ONE along with all the time
saved all down the line....CAM....Plotting....AOI down
load......ElectricalTest and probably some more.

We are also spending a substantial amount to upgrade our plotter
front end to be able to handle these types of files when they do get
in unexpected and HOT without throwing a monkey wrench into
production.

We  have not had an aperture problem with a customer supplied X file
In five+ years.  The Gerber Format Guide part # 414-100-002 is a
very good little book that explains everything you always wanted to
know about gerber data but were afraid to ask and can be purchased
from Gerber for $35.00 : phone (203) 648-8156.
Robert E. Welch
Process Specialist
Email: [log in to unmask]
Modem: 804-239-9120
Fax:   804-237-3048

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