Hi there Steve, I'm sure that you've seen me say this before but this is exactly what I "insist" upon before board are made. I sent the manufacturers the single image data with all the layers that I want step & repeating included and they then have to send me back the step & repeated file with all the borders, fiducials, border text and direction of flow arrows etc that I require on my panels. once I get & have checked/approved the file I then authorise them to manufacture the boards. As is the case, there are often occasions where the requested panelisation has been misinterpreted and I do not get the panel that I wanted (to suit my manufacturing processes). Using this method of checking does mean that there is a slight delay in the boards getting done, but no more than a day or so. From this panelised file I get solder paste stencil, testpoint jig & now P&P centroid information. Also, if the PCB manufacturers was ever to go south, or fall out with me then I have the data to enable exact replicas of the panel to be made. Also everything gets sent by email now, no more messing with my own plots or modems etc. If any PCB manufacturer cannot (or does not want to) work to this procedure then its simple, they do not get my business. However I find that they all want the business so are happy enough to comply. This may not be "normal" for the PCB manufacturers, but then as far as we (the customers) are concerned are we ever thought of as being normal? You're the customer, tell them what "you" expect from them. Tia - Matthew Lamkin Printed Circuitboard Draughtsman Protec Fire Detection PLC. Protec Hse, Churchill way, Nelson, Lancashire. England UK. Email [log in to unmask] <SNIP> > >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... ><SNIP> ############################################################## TechNet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ############################################################## To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TECHNET <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TECHNET ############################################################## Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information. If you need assistance - contact Gayatri Sardeshpande at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5365 ##############################################################