Steve,

As you have described it there should be no problem.  Maybe the
message is getting a little jumbled through the purchasing
department, or the fab shops sales department.  Another option for
you is to supply a single image solder paste file and have the fab
shop supply you with just the gerbers for the stepped paste file.

John Parsons
Circuit graphics Ltd.

> Hi ya'll!
>
> Gotta' question, I've been getting boards panelized here that have been
> single boards previously. My part is to specify what the maximum panel
> size should be, and ask that .5" rails be put on two parallel sides of the
> panel. The buyer then communicates this to our fab vendors and has them do
> the panelization. I ask that buyer tell the fab vendor to email me the
> panelized gerbers so I can get a stencil made for the panel. Sounds simple
> enough huh?
>
> But I found that a few of our vendors have told the buyer that this is not
> something they normally do...or the latest thing that I was told was that
> they do the panelization manually? I don't understand...
>
> I'm not educated enough about this, but I thought that a single image
> gerber is just stepped-and-repeated to give you the panel which is used to
> photoplot the artwork that the fab vendor has to have to build the fab.
> The file has to exist or the fab vendor wouldn't be able to make fab,
> right? So why am I getting such resistance when I ask for the panelized
> gerbers?
>
> What am I missing?
>
> I can still get a stencil made without the panelized gerbers, but I have
> to wait until the paneled fab actually gets here so I can send it to my
> stencil vendor with the single image gerber...my stencil vendor will take
> care of the step-and-repeat, but it's kind of a hassle. It would be so
> simple to do things by email...
>
> -Steve Gregory-
>

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