Hello, Technet! A question for the fabrication planning/engineering/CAM folks: Over the years we've all seen the proliferation of drill sizes as products become more complex. To this day, we in design have attempted to optimize the number of drill sizes. I am wondering if this step is still appropriate or appreciated? There are cases where Library management would become noticably simpler, and our throughput could improve, if we could be blind (sorry) to the quantity of drill sizes. The step of reconciling drills on a complex PWB can take appreciable time, with the assoc- iated thermal relief/anti-pad/drc steps added in. Similarly, what's preferable when one has a tight-tolerance (ie press- fit) hole size, with other componentry using the same size. We normally isolate these cases as seperate callouts, for limiting potential acceptance problems. Is there a quantity threshold to this question? I have heard this level of concern called "redundant", as the fab- rication setup will combine as needed to suit each individual case. Is this automated in CAM equipment, and therefore the effective home for this task? What's the design world giving you these days? Is this one of the areas where "minimalist design" shaves a corner that the end-user doesn't see? (are we being too anal for our own efficiency?) TIA, hope I'm not opening too large a can for my apetite! Best Regards, Jeff Seeger Applied CAD Knowledge Inc Chief Technical Officer Tyngsboro, MA 01879 [log in to unmask] 508 649 9800 *************************************************************************** * TechNet mail list is provided as a service by IPC using SmartList v3.05 * *************************************************************************** * To unsubscribe from this list at any time, send a message to: * * [log in to unmask] with <subject: unsubscribe> and no text. * ***************************************************************************