Documentation Top Tips For PCB Designers

When you finally finish your PCB design and it comes time to send it off for assembly, you are likely to be asked for some documentation. Without this documentation, the manufacturer isn’t going to be able to accurately bring the design to life and the entire project will be stalled.

If you aren’t experienced in generating PCB documentation, then don’t worry because we have put together some top tips. Keep reading to find out more about this special documentation.

Don’t Leave It Until The Last Minute

When you are on a strict deadline, it can be easy to leave the documentation stage until the end of the project. We strongly advise against this as you can easily forget about important parts of your project this way. Keeping on top of your documentation generation will ensure that you have everything kept up to date. This way, it won’t be a mad rush at the end of the project to make sure that the manufacturer has what they need.

Generating The Documentation

If you struggle to keep on top of your documentation then you should make sure that you are using the most advanced 3D circuit design software. The latest versions of these packages will allow you to generate the documents as you go and keep them up to date. You won’t need to worry about the BOM because companies like Altium will have already created this for you while you are working on your design within the program.

Include Everything

When you send your PCB design off for manufacture, the company will take a look at your documentation and get started. If you haven’t included everything in the documentation package, then you risk having your project delayed even more. You’ll need to make sure that you include everything from the assembly outputs to the documentation outputs and the report outputs including the Bill of Materials. Use a checklist to make sure that you have included everything in your documentation package.

Contact Them Before Sending It

Our final tip for those who want to make sure that they have the right documentation for their PCB design is to make sure that you are in contact with your manufacturer before you send everything off. If you can get a good idea of what they need from you to complete the project, then there won’t be any surprises. Make sure to get in contact early on to avoid any sort of delays in the process.

Final Verdict

If you are working on a PCB design and want to make sure that your project is completed on time, then you should make sure that you are keeping track of any sort of documentation. Think about what you need to include in the package and continue to generate these documents throughout the entire process. This should help you to have your PCB manufactured properly and in line with the scheduled product launch date.