Let’s look at some of the biggest benefits of using high-quality PCB layout software for your designs.

Reduce the Complications of Design

As mentioned, designing a printed circuit board is not easy. There are many elements that need to be considered during the construction of the board and it gets complex rather quickly. Using quality PCB layout software helps to strip away those complications. Everything is digital and can be changed, updated, and manipulated quickly and easily. It becomes easier to keep track of everything you are doing during the design process. Many find that using PCB layout software helps them to work faster because they know that they can change things so easily if needed.

Find and Fix Errors Early

When you are using PCB software, you will likely find that you are making fewer errors. This is because it is easier to keep track of what you are doing, and software can look for compatibility problems and errors. It can point out those errors and, in some cases, even offer fixes. By finding these issues early and fixing them, it means that you will be able to move on to production faster than you would have otherwise. It also means that you are not going to be spending money making prototypes, or a run of thousands of PCBs, that have errors.

Save Time and Money

Because you are working in a digital space, it also means that you are saving money on your own materials. You can create the board virtually, test it in the virtual space and have it double-checked, and then order a prototype to use. Because the software helps to reduce complications, it means you are not spending as much time with back and forth on the design process. You can fix the errors faster, which means you can move ahead with an order to create the products you need. You are saving time and money by using PCB layout software.

Try New Ideas

Working with PCB layout software also means you are capable of thinking outside of the box with your design ideas without any risk. You can create a design and test it virtually to see whether it will work or not. This gives designers more freedom than they might have had otherwise.

What Should You Look for When Choosing PCB Layout Software?

• Cost: Today, there are many options on the market for this type of software, but you need to be sure you are choosing an option that will provide you with the results you need. One of the first things that you are likely to think about when it comes to choosing software will be the cost. This is natural. Whether you are a solo hobbyist creating your own PCBs or you are a large company that is in need of PCBs for new devices you are making, price is important.

The truth of the matter is that the prices for software can vary. There are some options that are quite expensive, and most people do not want to spend $1,000 or more on software. Fortunately, there are free options, as well, such as PCB Artist. Keep in mind that cost does not mean quality. An expensive piece of CAD software will not have the capabilities of free software that was designed specifically for PCBs.

• Features: Regardless of which type of software you opt for, you will want to be sure that you are choosing an option that has all of the features you need. Compare the software you are considering to the other choices on the market to see that it has what you require. Does it offer Gerber format files? Does the software provide design rule checks and support? Does it offer integrated schematics? Will it have a library manager? How large is the library? Can you create the types of PCBs that you need with the software or not?

• Ease of Use: Additionally, you will want to have software that is easy to use. Some software will have a steeper learning curve than others, but it should not be so complicated that you have to spend weeks trying to figure out how to use it correctly. The software should offer a guide to help you get started. If the company offers video tutorials, it is even better.

Once you have the software, you will want to familiarize yourself with it by using the guide or the tutorials previously mentioned. Do this before diving in and trying to create an important PCB design. This ensures that you will have a good understanding of how to use the software and where to find various features when you start using it for PCB design.

Make PCB Artist Your PCB Layout Software Choice

There are many options on the market for CAD software that could be used for PCB design, and there are some specifically made PCB layout software choices available. With all of those options, why should you choose PCB Artist from Advanced Circuits? One of the major reasons is the fact that the software will not cost you a thing. We offer free software, so you can easily design quality PCBs that will work well once they are manufactured.

Take the time to check out the features of our free PCB software including more than half a million parts in the library and the free technical support we offer. Whether you are new to the field or you have been creating printed circuit board designs for years, this will soon become the first piece of software you consider when you are designing a new PCB.

Gerber Files and PCB Design Software

Gerber or IX274X files (they are the same) are the end products from the most commonly used PCB design software options. They are what can be called “step one” in the production or manufacturing process; they are the digital or physical blueprints for the completed printed circuit board. In the past, experts generated layers of transparent film overlays that used color coding to delineate the different areas of the board, and offer some help with identifying design flaws.

The advent of advanced PCB design software, however, has allowed manufacturers or design teams to cut down on the steps and use the software to display and adjust the layers. The initial designs generated from the PCB design software focus on the design and maybe the process used for assembly. They do not highlight any areas of concern or error.

This means that even a blueprint generated by the finest PCB design software, and used by a skilled expert, may contain errors in the Gerber (or other file types) that lead to a batch of useless boards. This is especially true in our modern age of outsourcing and production-only services.

Consider that one undetected problem in the Gerber file for a printed circuit board may pass unnoticed through the hands of the subcontractor. They are likely to be overseas or what is deemed a “no touch” producer that just uses the files and makes the boards, and this means that an entire batch of PCBs can be made, and create a financial, production, or scheduling nightmare.

That is why it is imperative for any companies using printed circuit boards to identify the best PCB design software and resources intended to avoid those issues. It is also important for any team to understand where flaws in Gerber files might prove their downfall, and how to overcome such risks. While it is putting the cart before the horse to offer the solutions before itemizing the problems, it is helpful to understand that there are options for PCB design software and evaluation tools that can eliminate all the risks present.

Free PCB Design Software and Analytics

Advanced Circuits rates as one of the most trusted and popular domestic producers of PCBs and prototypes. Offering full design to shipping services, and assembly, we also help our clients  avoid the costly errors just itemized above through the use of free design tools. Whether using Gerber files or another design program, the Advanced Circuit site has an option for exporting design files into the site’s free PCB file check software, known as FreeDFM, and getting a comprehensive analysis on the design. By uploading the files, entering contact information, and sending it into the analysis engine, a client gets a full analysis of the design. The software quickly evaluates and repairs problematic issues in the printed circuit board design files, and also generates a report of any questionable issues left uncorrected. Labeling them as potential showstoppers, it ensures that a customer does not waste time or money on flawed or entirely useless production jobs. And even more exciting is that those who run the Gerber files before submission enjoy a discount from Advanced Circuits on the project.

In addition to the troubleshooting software, Advanced Circuits also makes industry-best design software available entirely free for clients to use. The free PCB Layout Software known as PCB Artist is provided in an unrestricted format (along with a library of more than 500k common parts and components) and can be used to design PCBs of up to 28 layers. With such functions as controlled auto routing design tools, digital schematics, and much more, it also cuts down on the risks of a flawed design. Files generated through this program can also be run through the file check to ensure the best outcomes and a discount on the work.

And just what sorts of problems will these tools help erase from Gerber files? The most common include:

• Flawed file names– It is not at all unusual for Gerber files to be created via a flawed naming protocol. This causes confusion within the process, and can only be detected by file checking or troubleshooting ahead of the game.
• Empty files – In addition to flawed names are empty files. Designers frequently move, erase, or negate data and this inserts zero data files into the process, and which runs the risk of causing issues in the design and fabrication process.
• Missing data – While an empty file is one thing, a file with incomplete data is another. Our free PCB design software and checking services show when details don’t line up with specifications or when there is mismatched information. Gerber files must not be void of key data, so any opportunity to eliminate such a glitch will save a lot of time, money and headaches.
• Conflicting layers – Gerber files feature design specifications at every layer. The designer has to ensure that the specs function synchronously, or there will be errors at every subsequent layer.

Correctly Designed & Manufactured Printed Circuit Boards

There is no real reason for any glitches to occur in the design process, but there are many reasons that they can and do. Using free resources like those from Advanced Circuits cuts down on any potential risks plus helps a company keep design, fabrication and manufacturing moving smoothly.

Upload PCB design files to FreeDFM here.

You can innovate and use your design resources to make that happen, and it is likely that at the bottom of it all, though, are those Gerber files. They are the digital blueprints of the PCB and explain every layer and outline the fabrication process to follow. This is why some firms want the Gerber files even when they are handling assembly-only processes – to understand all physical attributes of the PCBs.

A single error in the Gerber files, can lead to a financial, scheduling, and production disaster. This is particularly true in the current era when “no-touch” and even “no review” processes are put to use by manufacturers or fabricators. Your job becomes designing the PCB to your needs, running tests, and hoping that there are not inaccurate, incomplete or otherwise flawed files sent to the manufacturer.

Common Issues with Gerber Files

As odd as it might seem at this point in time, there are some common issues with Gerber files, and it can help to be aware of them wherever you stand in terms of PCB design expertise:

• Empty files – There are many instances when a designer may inadvertently delete or somehow negate file contents, leaving a 0-byte file that provides no useful data to the production or fabrication team.
• Flawed file naming protocols – One of the more common glitches when Gerber files are put to use is that the design team fails to use an effective naming protocol, leading to confusion for others involved in the process, and complicating file checking or troubleshooting.
• Incomplete or missing data – Empty files are one thing, but there are also instances when details or information may be lacking or mismatched against the specifications delivered to a manufacturer. Though it can be a very time-consuming process, it is essential that Gerber files are accessible and where they belong.
• Conflict between layers – Often, software generates multiple Gerber files with layer design specs at each layer. If the layers are not combined in a synchronous way, it can lead to composite layer design errors outside of individual layer design specs.
• Aperture lists – A single aperture list is ideal when Gerber files are in use. It should have any details the fabricator or manufacturer will need and details about tools necessary for each stage. With more than a single list, confusion can ensue and errors increase. The format of the lists should be in sync with the Gerber file format, too.

And while such mistakes are often deemed inexcusable, they occur frequently enough to doom many projects to destructive costs, lengthy production delays, and more. To avoid them means attention to detail, using high definition CAD programs, adhering closely to the best quality assurance practices from start to finish, and putting a Gerber file viewer to use.

Of course, issues created by even a single problem with the files has led to some of the best PCB manufacturers and fabricators providing resources to work around the issues. There are a host of troubleshooting or even trouble-avoidance solutions, but not all companies offer them to clients, and few do so for free.

Let Advanced Circuits Help You Avoid Problems with Gerber Files

At Advanced Circuits, we rank as one of the top companies in the PCB and prototype assembly industries. Able to tackle both PCB manufacturing (fabrication) and assembly, we also offer clients exclusive services that support, facilitate and improve any project while cutting down on risks for problems with Gerber files.

How? We make an array of free resources available through our site, and we can serve as a start to finish solution.

For those who have proprietary Gerber files on hand, they need only export them through the Advance Circuit website’s free PCB file check software. The FreeDFM program quickly and clearly evaluates printed circuit board design files, and then the online software reviews them and has the ability to automatically correct issues. It then sends a report itemizing any “Potential Showstoppers,” as well as providing accurate details of the issues that the software both identified and then fixed.

The clients who opt to use it will also receive a discount when they run the designs in advance of submitting them to the team.

This troubleshooting system requires exporting files from the Gerber program and then uploading online. The software is supplied for free but must be run through the site. Once an email is registered (this is for results to be sent instantly), it takes moments for the review, quote, and a discount offer to appear along with a link to the PDF file outlining the issues and repairs done.

Anyone involved in PCB design and manufacturing over the years knows that changes to the industry have made it impossible for most clients to tour a facility and meet with the fabricators to discuss any avoidable or common errors. This was once a strong troubleshooting tactic, but with companies in all corners of the globe making PCBs, that face to face interaction is no longer viable.

We recognize the hazards in this system and make a long list of resources available to our clients in order to help them prevent the creation of a batch of unusable PCBs or other products. We want to help clients avoid the enormous financial impact to their businesses this might cause.

The design phase of a project is a most crucial time, and so we offer free Gerber file reviews, corrections, and reporting. We also provide clients with free use of our unique and exclusive PCB Artist software. This offers a long list of features, including unrestricted design capabilities with a 28 layer limit, a controlled auto-router function, multi-page schematics, and more. It helps clients to avoid unnecessary design flaws, and though it is not the same as the Gerber options, it comes with a full array of free tutorials that teach even inexperienced designers how to make flawless files for production.

Enjoy Error-Free Design with Advanced Circuits

The high-quality design resources available on our website prove our commitment to client satisfaction and success, but we also deliver such benefits as never subbing out our work, skipping unnecessary tooling fees on orders adhering to standard specs, 24-hour tech support as well as customer support (meaning a CAM engineer is always available), no minimum orders and the BEST ON-TIME SHIPPING RECORD in the industry. Currently, we are shipping 50% of orders early! In fact, we ship Standard Spec orders on time or they’re FREE!

Don’t worry that Gerber files might cause costly errors – use the free resources available from Advanced Circuits!

Learn More from Experts at Advanced Circuits

Pulsonix was designed on the principles of being easy to use, designed for both casual and professional users and being compatible with design and library data from key EDA products. To learn more about the software, contact the experts at Advanced Circuits. You will be able to download a free trial demo and talk to a sales person to understand the benefits you can expect.

Using PCB design software to create the perfect printed circuit boards is vital for getting the perfect PCBs. When you use free PCB Artist software from Advanced Circuits you will be able to get your Gerber files checked for any design or manufacturability issues before placing an order so you can avoid CAM holds. PCB Artist has the industry’s largest component parts library to work with and provides you with integrated schematics, manufacturing checks, single-side autorouting and more. Currently, PCB Artist runs on Windows systems and is recommended for XP or Vista.

Five Easy Steps for Using PCB Artist by Advanced Circuits

Using the free PCB design software by Advanced Circuits, PCB Artist®, makes designing and ordering your printed circuit boards extremely simple. Once you design the circuit you can define and layout your PCB. After you check your PCB design files, you can submit your order and file data to Advanced Circuits to be manufactured. Contact an expert today for more information.