For early altium designer, go into your pcb design and create the gerbers. Select the solder mask or paste mask document, click the edit button. Currently we have the small pads having dimensions of 0. Paste mask override paste mask expansion pcb inspector pad multi layer no net 60m a 4mil load ornil condition primitive type plating ownership hole type selection. Also i did get a yellow drcsaying solder mask to shape spacing was bad. For example, i might do this if there is a large exposed pad on a power ic and i want to make the paste stencil into a window pane shape to prevent scoop out of the solder paste. Jan 22, 20 this video shows how to use the list panel in altium deisgner to create an array of custom paste and solder mask openings for the heat sink pad of qfn or similar packages for improved solder ability and yield. In order to create electrical interconnections between the different metal layers, vias are. A simpler way to do what you want is to draw shapes on the layers you want. For pads defined with no copper layers referred to as aperture pads, the inherited clearance and ratio settings are no longer applied. Click the options button from the edit document window.
Introduction in the 1990s, with the advent of surface mounting of semiconductor packages, multilayer printed circuit boards and multilayer substrates for ball grid array packages were introduced. Pcb stencil, aperture size and gerber files avr freaks. An opening in the paste mask is automatically created by the software, the same shape as the pad. Oct 10, 2017 ahh, for your case it is not a simple expansion then. The shape is just a single round smd pad, somewhere between 0. How to make paste and mask shapes different sizes element14. There is a paste mask opening extension parameter somewhere when you select a pad. Seamlessly accessible from altium designer 19 and up, it provides the most connected experience with altium designer 20. The paste mask expansion can be defined for pads on an individual basis. As i run a very much later version of altium it makes no sense to make a screenshot as i know they massively changed the entire layout a couple of times.
While browsing properties for a selected pad through the properties panel, options are available to follow the expansion defined in the applicable design rule, or to override the rule and apply a specified expansion directly to the individual pad in question. Altium training using smart grid copy and paste when creating schematic library parts duration. Pcb rules and constraints editor can be used for defining and modifying solder mask expansion rules for the board pad and vias. For pads defined with copper layers, the solder mask and solder paste clearance calculations remain the same. I replicated the rule in my design but i still see the solder paste. Certain rules are monitored when using additional features of the software, for example routingbased rules when using the situs autorouter to route a design. In altium designer summer version, the 4 port serial interface design example shows a rule to prevent the solder paste from being included on the edge connector of that design. Silkscreenrelated analysis includes ink over pads, ink over mask exposures, and other checks. The paste is commonly used to connect surfacemount components to pads on a pcb during soldering, but it is can also work with throughhole pininpaste components by using a stencil, a. This opening can be larger a positive expansion value or smaller a negative expansion value than the pad itself, as defined by the paste mask expansion setting. They were able to make the adjustment before fabricating our top paste stencil, but have to rectify this in the native data. Feb 18, 2020 for example, i might do this if there is a large exposed pad on a power ic and i want to make the paste stencil into a window pane shape to prevent scoop out of the solder paste. Pcb rules and constraints editor online documentation for. Pcb software makes a gerber layer for solder mask stencil.
If a tenting option is enabled then the settings in the applicable solder mask expansion design rule will be overridden. The second step is to reduce the solder mask expansion. The pads on the surface mount components you use in your design will specify solder paste within the exposed copper region not covered by solder mask. Altium techdocs are online documentation for altium products, providing the basic information you need to get the most out of our tools. The pad does have a negative value expansion override. The value is the distance between the pad perimeter inward to where the solder mask stops.
What are the differences between solder mask and paste mask. If a tenting option is enabled then the settings in the applicable solder mask expansion design rule will be overridden, resulting. Most pcb design software packages allow you to set the distance between the solder mask and surface elements universally for the entire board or individually for elements. Pcb rules and constraints editor can be used for defining and modifying solder maskexpansion rules for the board pad and vias.
I have used the component wizard in altium to create edge connectors. Click on the mask section in the tree on the left of the dialog to show the current solder mask expansion rules, there should be one called soldermaskexpansion. From idea to manufacture driving a pcb design through. Choosing the right solder mask clearance for your pcb tempo. Aug 23, 2018 solder mask expansion can be defined for pads and vias on an individual basis in the associated properties dialog. Jan 01, 2015 altium designer 15 is now equipped with pad and via expansion settings by which we can have individual configurations for top and bottom layers. Typically paste mask openings are smaller than the pad, but. When importing footprints downloaded from snapeda into altium, the. The paste is commonly used to connect surfacemount components to pads on a pcb during soldering, but it is can also work with throughhole pinin paste components by using a stencil, a.
Negative solder mask expansion exists when the solder mask covers a portion of the pad. To increase the flexibility of how solder mask expansions can be applied in altium designer, a new solder mask from the hole edge option has been added to. For example, if you want to make a special paste mask such as for a windowed stencil pattern for an enhanced thermal pad, then set the paste mask expansion to a large negative value to close it up on the pad. Paste mask, on the other hand, is a material that is applied to the areas that have been left uncovered by the solder mask to assist in the soldering process. In altium this can be labelled as standard no bom, so it does not pollute the bom. For pads defined with no copper layers referred to as aperture pads, the inherited clearance and ratio settings are no longer applied and the. Solder mask the most comprehensive introduction is here. Solder mask expansion from hole online documentation for altium. You could be designing pcb after pcb without realizing what a solder paste mask is or paste the output. To use a solder paste pad, you have to set this paste mask expansion of the copper land to be negative.
In the section called suppress enter the reference designator prefixes or specific reference designators of the components you do not want pads displayed for. Aug 21, 2014 altium training using smart grid copy and paste when creating schematic library parts duration. The pads are exposed to allow you to solder parts to them. Aug 23, 2018 the paste mask expansion can be defined for pads on an individual basis in the associated properties dialog.
Now is that just warning me that i removed mask over a copper etch that the program thinks should be there. Paste mask expansion online documentation for altium products. Paste mask expansion can also be defined at the individual level for the following objects through their associated properties dialogs. Paste mask override paste mask expansion pcb inspector pad multi layer no net 60m a 4mil. Soldermaskshapes pcb design cadence technology forums. Jun 26, 2018 if youre an altium user, you can simply add these files to your pcb design software. It works fine, but i have noticed that the solder paste layer is included, so when the pcb is manufactured, the solder paste will be added to these pads and they will be covered with tin. Then when you drill through the mylar and the prepreg b stage to get down to your copper features, then you apply the paste, and the mylars your mask, and then you remove that just prior to lamination.
The new pad and via solder mask expansion settings are reflected in all the applicable definition points within altium designer, such as the. Solder mask expansion enhancements altium designer 15. Ahh, for your case it is not a simple expansion then. The shape that is created on the paste mask layer at each pad site is the pad shape, expanded or contracted radially by the amount specified. Release notes for the summer 09 release of altium designer. The software automatically makes holes in the mask that correspond to pads. The gerber file will guide component locations, which will be regarded as important reference data for smt or thruhole assembly. The gerber file is a connector and bridge between designers, engineers, and pcb manufacturers. But as a designer, it helps to understand why it is essential in your pcb assembly. Discover features you didnt know existed and get the most out of those you already know about. Question asked by red5 on sep 14, 2011 latest reply on sep 15, 2011 by jmatthews. Removing solder paste from 22 pin edge connector using. The pcad importer now imports pads with a top mask expansion that is uniform in the height and width dimensions to a correct solder mask expansion in altium designer, instead of a solder mask expansion of mil. To successfully complete a pcb design using pcbworkss pcb editor, the constraints of the design should be thought out and implemented as a wellhoned set of design rules.
Creating custom solder mask and paste mask openings for a large thermal pad on qfn. Options are available to follow the expansion defined in the applicable design rule or to override the rule and apply a specified expansion directly to the individual pad or via in question. Altium designer how to copy and paste pcb layout youtube. Less solder paste is required for nonsolder mask defined pad connections. What attracted us to this technology over some other paste interconnects because theres other processes where you would apply a paste of some sort and then make a connection with pressure in the zaxis but what interested us in the ormet material is. The paste layer opening feature is drawn as a fill on top paste and i do not lock it. Set the paste mask expansion to 2mil to 4mil and apply. If you are ready to have your design manufactured, try our quote tool to upload your cad and bom files. Lessthanminimal part spacing, pad spacing between adjacent. Click below button to enter our pcb price calculator, fill out your custom pcb spec, and rough pcb price will show up in the right column automatically shipping price. Paste pads disappear element14 altium circuitstudio. Usually, you dont need to do anything in your pcb software to enable the solder mask. To get a stencil file for an engraver, generate a dxf file.
The shape that is created on the solder mask layer at each pad and via site is the pad or via shape or hole, expanded or contracted radially by. Dec 14, 2017 short video about how to copy part of the layout and reuse in the same project or another project. Solder mask expansion online documentation for altium. Paste mask expansion online documentation for altium. That happens when youre working only on throughhole components where it is not needed, or your pcb software has automated the size of your solder paste mask.
In most cases, it would be ideal to have zero solder mask expansion, which provides the required solder dam and maximum board protection. We have a pmic that we are integrating on altium and we just want to make sure that our solder mask expansion sizes are sufficient. Normally you do not want paste mask expansion as it will impact solder quality. Electronic design automation using altium designer 15. See how the solder mask coats the entire board except for the pads. Sep 14, 2011 creating custom solder mask and paste mask openings for a large thermal pad on qfn.
Set the paste mask expansion fixed to 0mm, and the soldermask expansion approximately equal to the pad radius, so it becomes twice the diameter. The paste mask expansion can be defined for pads on an individual basis in the associated properties dialog. In this article we will introduce the differences between solder mask and paste mask, so that the beginners can understand better. Well no screen so what typically what you do is, you apply a 1 mm mylar mask to the b stage and you tack it simultaneously.
To get the board out i had to ignore that drc but like to understand what its looking for me to change. Options are available to follow the expansion defined in the applicable design rule or to override the rule and apply a specified expansion directly to the individual pad in question. This will require 2 rules, one targeting the transistors, the other targeting the capacitors. Options are available to follow the expansion defined in the applicable design rule, to override the rule and apply a specified expansion directly to the individual object in. Solder mask expansion paste mask expansion printerfriendly version. Removing excess solder mask and solder paste added. Solder mask is the solder mask layer, except the pad surface pads mount pads, plugin pads, vias on pcb boards, the other areas should be covered with solder. Enough so that the paste mask expansion of the pad results in a smaller solder paste opening than the. Zero expansion means the solder paste stencil opening is the same size as the copper pad. For a new design with fine pitch ics, and some pads at 0. If you want more information on choosing the right solder mask clearance for your pcb or incorporating that choice into your design, contact us.
Altium designer 15 is now equipped with pad and viaexpansion settings by which we can have individual configurations for top and bottom layers. Solder paste is a material used to assist in the soldering of surface mount components on a pcb. After performing an advanced library search, changing to simple search will now populate filter fields correctly. Solder mask expansion online documentation for altium products. Pcb rules and constraints editor online documentation. It needs to go through every manufacturing process, and the factory can clearly define the customers needs. Gerber file ultimate guidea beginners guide to gerber. I want to gold plate these pads, as is normally done with these type of connectors. Solder mask is the solder mask layer, except the pad surface pads mount pads, plugin pads, vias on pcb boards, the other areas should be covered with solder resist ink. Save often as the software lice ing server may occasionally disconnect. If i follow a 4 mil solder mask expansion guideline around pads i will have little less than 2 mil left between solder masks on neighboring pins.
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