吃瓜tv

KiCad Gerber export is more than pressing Plot

A reliable KiCad Gerber export combines the intended layer images, matching drill data and a clear release record. Prepare the board, generate the fabrication outputs and inspect those exact files in a viewer before sending them. The PCB Editor display is the source representation; manufacturing uses the exported representation, which needs its own check.

Documentation scope: this guide references KiCad 10.0 documentation, whose PCB Editor manual identifies version 10.0.6 and revision d350b28a at review. The release process below includes independent engineering checks. Confirm dialog controls in your installed build; this guide uses documented labels rather than a captured screen sequence. The illustrations are conceptual workflows, not software screenshots.

Use the to confirm plotting and drill options. Record the actual version used for your project. A tutorial written for an older major version may describe a control that has moved or a behavior now configured elsewhere.

Before exporting, confirm the approved revision using the PCB design release workflow. If the source layout still has open issues, use the placement and routing review before freezing the output set.

Prepare the board and define the release scope

Save the intended board revision and identify the source project. Review DRC findings and document accepted exceptions. Inspect the finished boundary and internal cutouts. Update zone fills and check the resulting copper geometry before exporting. A drawing that looks correct with stale fills or hidden layers is not sufficient evidence of the final manufacturing image.

Decide whether you are sending a single board or an approved customer panel. State dimensions and quantities accordingly. If panelization is left to the fabricator, make that clear rather than adding undocumented repeated outlines to the artwork. Clarify whether paste data is required for a stencil or assembly order; bare-board fabrication and assembly preparation are related but distinct scopes.

Plot the intended manufacturing layers

The documented workflow uses the PCB Editor's plotting controls for Gerber output, with a separate drill-generation step. Select the copper layers used by the actual board, required mask and legend layers, and the intended profile information. Review Edge.Cuts as the physical board boundary. Paste layers serve stencil or assembly preparation and should be included according to the ordered scope.

Do not select layers merely because they contain visible graphics. Fabrication and assembly layers can contain dimensions, references or component outlines that are useful as documentation but are not copper artwork. Review each selected output by function. If an extra drawing is supplied, identify it as explanatory so the receiving team does not interpret it as a second manufacturing boundary.

For filenames, the documented Protel-extension option and descriptive GBR naming represent different conventions. The Gerber extension guide helps interpret those names, but neither option removes the need for a layer manifest. Similarly, X2 and netlist-attribute options concern information in the export, not whether the chosen copper layers are the correct ones.

Choose options for the receiving task

Use the receiving manufacturer's documented requirements when configuring coordinate representation and supported format features. Do not copy a screenshot from an unrelated project and assume every checkbox is appropriate. The correct choice must preserve the intended image and its interpretation throughout the receiving workflow.

A Gerber job file can carry associated job information, but it is not a substitute for the actual layer images or drill data. Maintain the relationship between metadata and the files it describes. If you regenerate artwork after a change, do not retain metadata from an earlier release without checking consistency. The authoritative package must represent one coherent design.

Avoid using compatibility options as unexplained fixes. If an older reader has a problem, identify the unsupported feature, agree a controlled fallback and compare the resulting geometry. The Gerber versus X2 guide outlines a focused comparison that separates image rendering from semantic information.

Generate drill outputs with matching references

Generate the drill data after confirming the board and plotting settings. Identify the intended hole populations, including plated and non-plated holes and any relevant layer spans. Where slots or routed features are present, inspect their representation and explain their finished requirements. A picture of a slot on a drawing does not always provide the receiving system with the corresponding machine-readable geometry.

Keep artwork and drilling aligned to the same intended origin. Matching units is only part of the task; reference position and coordinate interpretation matter too. Measure a known dimension and compare holes with their pads at several points across the exported board. If the overlay is displaced, return to the export settings rather than manually dragging files until they appear to line up.

For zero conventions or coordinate-scale uncertainty, use the NC drill file guide. It explains why the same digits can decode to different positions when the decimal convention changes. The guide's decoder is a teaching and review tool, not a parser for an entire drilling program.

Build your KiCad fabrication checklist

Record the installed version and release reference, then mark seven checks: board and DRC, zone fills, layer selection, origin, drill populations, viewer review and manifest. The worksheet counts self-reported checks and preserves open items. It does not open a KiCad project, refill copper, run DRC or export any files.

Use the illustrative example to understand the interface, then clear it before documenting a project. A 鈥渃hecked鈥� response describes your review, not an independent finding by the website. If an item is not applicable, explain why. The tool always leaves the final release decision with the responsible engineer.

The brief downloads as text and can accompany a manufacturing enquiry. Inputs are not automatically attached to Contact or sent to analytics by this module. An email action opens a draft that you can review. Any input change invalidates the old result and download, preventing a previous checklist from being mistaken for the current state.

Inspect the actual generated files

Open the exported images and drill data together in a suitable viewer. KiCad includes Gerber viewing facilities documented in the . Use the viewer to examine the released outputs; do not treat a three-dimensional PCB Editor image as proof that the manufacturing data contains the same geometry.

Start with the profile and a known dimension. Add copper and drilling, checking widely separated features. Then inspect mask openings, legend and any special details that matter to the project. Confirm the expected number and order of physical copper layers, rather than counting all files in the archive. Reports, job metadata, paste and drawings are not additional copper layers.

A valid overlay still leaves design and manufacturing questions. Review impedance, material, copper weight, hole tolerances and acceptance requirements with the drawing. If the data is readable but the construction needs advice, continue with PCB DFM review and identify the specific feature or requirement.

Example: correct outline, incomplete inner-layer export

Consider an illustrative four-layer design exported using a selection previously used for a two-layer board. The outer layers and Edge.Cuts appear correct, and the drill overlay is aligned. The inner copper files are missing. Nothing about the attractive top-view image proves the package represents all four physical layers.

The release owner compares the manifest with the stackup, identifies the missing images and regenerates the complete set. The new files are viewed together, and the old archive is retained separately as superseded. This check catches a scope error that a unit-conversion calculation would never find. Layer selection, coordinate interpretation and design correctness need separate attention.

A related failure occurs when an old output folder contains an obsolete inner layer alongside a new export. The folder then has enough files but still lacks a clear release. Build the archive from the intended output set and describe its contents. Do not make a receiving engineer choose between similarly named candidates using timestamps.

Package a useful manufacturing enquiry

Include a compact manifest, the construction drawing and unresolved questions with the exported data. State the board revision, requested quantity and whether the delivered artwork represents a single board or panel. Use the PCB file-format guide to check the complete fabrication handoff without repeating every requirement inside the plot settings.

If the order includes populated boards, prepare the required assembly files. A purchasing BOM and placement information answer questions that copper images cannot. Ensure those files describe the same board revision and assembly variant, and record any do-not-populate or substitution requirements separately.

KiCad Gerber export questions