Silkscreen Suppression on Microminiature Packages |
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caclark
Advanced User Joined: 24 Oct 2012 Location: Cincinnati, OH Status: Offline Points: 177 |
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Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 4:59am |
Now that 2014.06 and beyond has the capability to separate out very small chip components "D" < 1.0 (0402, 0201, 01005 ...). The next step in this process I think would be to allow silkscreen legend suppression on these very small components. I don't know about everyone else but due to the silkscreen legend length of these
devices our board houses by default (since we are 100% class 3) removes the silkscreen from them,
since the silk is almost a large as the device anyway, and naked eye visual inspection is next to impossible.
My understanding is that silkscreen has a higher priority than courtyard, so this then unnecessarily extends the courtyard further away from the sides of the device. And you generally go to these devices in the first place due to space considerations. |
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Tom H
Admin Group Joined: 05 Jan 2012 Location: San Diego, CA Status: Offline Points: 5716 |
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The program already has a 3-Tier library system that you could move up to. Since there are no 3-Tier solder joint goals for BGA, CGA, LGA and now ALL components smaller than 1.6 mm now have the same solder joint goals (1-Tier), the only difference from switching to Least, Nominal and Most environments is a Silkscreen Rules for Line Width and Pad to Silkscreen gap. I can give you a free webcast to show you how to set up your personal "DefaultPreferences.dat" file for a 3-Tier library system, but I think you want something different. You want to change the Silkscreen Rules at the "Terminal Preference" level. That would be a huge programming effort. Or perhaps you just want to adjust the silkscreen outlines for -
I'll discuss this with the programmers but they already have a product roadmap for V2014 -
I'll see what I can do, because I support your concept, but by looking at the roadmap, V2015.02 is the place where this new feature would fit in. In the meantime, I would create my parts less than 1.6 mm and in the Calculator Drafting tab I would change the silkscreen rules "on-the-fly" build the miniature footprint and be done with it. i.e.: build it once, build it right and never build it again. I would also create a new FPX file just for all parts less than 1.6 mm so if I had to batch create them, I have a "MiniPartUserPreference.dat" file that has the rules you want for that group of components. It's a workaround that would work well for you for now. |
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caclark
Advanced User Joined: 24 Oct 2012 Location: Cincinnati, OH Status: Offline Points: 177 |
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Thanks Tom,
I do currently have a separate "MiniPartUserPreference.dat" file that I do use today for these types of ultra small devices. My only issue is that when new functionality is added to your program, I have to then add the xml variables manually to each and every .dat file I maintain (that was how I found the bug I reported yesterday about the courtyards not functioning as expected for these new rectangular end cap categories). I currently only have a few of these, so it is not a huge deal. But I would rather not compound the issue any more than I already have in the future. All I was looking for was an on/off toggle for a given package range, but I guess size definition could be useful as well, as long as "0" in the field would mean off (just like the "Silkscreen Pin 1 Dot" & "Model Body Outline Width" work today in the Drafting tab). |
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