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Need Board House That Can Work From Films

J

J.B. Hall

Jan 1, 1970
0
I am trying to reproduce an old design that was done before we had
CAD. I have the old films but all the board houses I have talked to
need to scan them to gerber before they can make boards. That is
somewhat costly and I will probably never make these boards again so I
would prefer to skip that step. Does anyone know of a board house that
can work directly from my films? The boards are double sided with
solder mask but no silk screen. Thanks.
JBH
 
C

Check It Out

Jan 1, 1970
0
Scan them in yourself, use an image to gerber converter then.
 
L

Leon Heller

Jan 1, 1970
0
J.B. Hall said:
I am trying to reproduce an old design that was done before we had
CAD. I have the old films but all the board houses I have talked to
need to scan them to gerber before they can make boards. That is
somewhat costly and I will probably never make these boards again so I
would prefer to skip that step. Does anyone know of a board house that
can work directly from my films? The boards are double sided with
solder mask but no silk screen. Thanks.
JBH

A UK co. that can work from films: Agar Printed Circuits in Belfast.

Leon
 
R

Robert Baer

Jan 1, 1970
0
J.B. Hall said:
I am trying to reproduce an old design that was done before we had
CAD. I have the old films but all the board houses I have talked to
need to scan them to gerber before they can make boards. That is
somewhat costly and I will probably never make these boards again so I
would prefer to skip that step. Does anyone know of a board house that
can work directly from my films? The boards are double sided with
solder mask but no silk screen. Thanks.
JBH

Or...DIY. I have made many double sided PCBs at home in my younger
daze xxxxxx days, and it is fairly easy.
The only part i steered away from is the plating for plated thru
holes.
Now maybe you can pre-drill, take to board shop for plating, then do
your own etching?
A small board shop or one that would allow off-hours work might be
ameanable to you (or they) doing the resist application, exposure,
developing in your manner.
Gives them a little extra income which they may keep "off the books"
for pocket change....
 
R

R.Legg

Jan 1, 1970
0
I am trying to reproduce an old design that was done before we had
CAD. I have the old films but all the board houses I have talked to
need to scan them to gerber before they can make boards. That is
somewhat costly and I will probably never make these boards again so I
would prefer to skip that step. Does anyone know of a board house that
can work directly from my films? The boards are double sided with
solder mask but no silk screen. Thanks.
JBH

The layer image gerbers are, after all, converted to photo-plots prior
to fabrication. Converting the images to gerbers is something quite a
few imaging, PDF and CAD programs are capable of doing pretty simply.

I think that their major concern is drill and routing information for
CNC work.

A gerber drill file is text editable, with a pretty easily interpreted
format. Your drafting department should be able to cobble one up,
given the time. This is the added cost your board fab house is
identifying - though they probably have access to digitizing tools
that allow them to convert a scaled drill art drawing much more
quickly.

RL
 
S

Spehro Pefhany

Jan 1, 1970
0
A gerber drill file is text editable, with a pretty easily interpreted
format. Your drafting department should be able to cobble one up,
given the time.

That's a scary thought.. a hand created Excellon drill file. Once
you have the hole coordinates sorted by tool size, it might not be
that hard. Maybe use a spreadsheet. Over a few hundred holes, it
might get a bit tedious.
This is the added cost your board fab house is
identifying - though they probably have access to digitizing tools
that allow them to convert a scaled drill art drawing much more
quickly.

They used to anyway. Maybe they have not used the equipment in a few
years and it might or might not work, were they to haul it out of
storage and plug it in. That was my impression last time I saw said
equipment in a PCB supplier.

If they are willing to do it for a couple of hundred dollars or less
US setup per board design, I think it might be worth just paying for
it, then you're not dealing with some unknown (to you) desperate
(probably) supplier who still works directly with film.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
 
A

Aubrey McIntosh

Jan 1, 1970
0
I am trying to reproduce an old design that was done before we had
CAD. I have the old films but all the board houses I have talked to
need to scan them to gerber before they can make boards. That is
somewhat costly and I will probably never make these boards again so I
would prefer to skip that step. Does anyone know of a board house that
can work directly from my films? The boards are double sided with
solder mask but no silk screen. Thanks.
JBH


You might ask Olimex.
 
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