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Tool | Description |
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Delete Digitized Component  | Deletes the highlighted (selected) digitized object. |
Automatically Scan for Identical Components  | Scans for and identifies identical components in a Gerber file. When identified, the components are placed in a buffer so that they can also be digitized. |
Gerber Preferences  | Displays a dialog where you can specify preferences for handling Gerber files:
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Digitize Board Frame  | Allows you to digitize the PCB board frame. |
Image Frame  | Used in conjunction with the Digitize Board Frame button. When the frame is digitized, it will be set as the Image (circuit) Frame. |
Panel Frame  | Used in conjunction with the Digitize Board Frame button. When the frame is digitized, it will be set as the Panel Frame. |
Clear Selection  | Clears all information in the buffer. |
Show Gerber Information  | When selected, information on the Gerber component’s pads (D-Code, Location, and so on) is displayed. |
Import Aperture List  | Displays a dialog where you can locate and select an aperture file to import. |
Show Hidden Graphics  | When selected, all objects that were previously hidden (but not deleted) are displayed. |
Link Gerber Files to Layers  | Allows you to link/assign Gerber files to the different layers of a PCB.
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Delete All Hidden Data  | When selected, all objects that were previously hidden are deleted permanently. |
Import Centroid File  | Displays a dialog allowing you to locate and import a Centroid file so you can assign reference designators during digitization.
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Use the Confirmations tools
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Double-click ECAD in the Process tree to check out the Gerber file for digitizing.
Select the Digitize button on the Gerber toolbar.
Drag a rectangle around all of the features that make up a single component.
The selected component is highlighted along with any other component on the PCB that share the same footprint in a slightly darker color.Select the Accept Component button on the toolbar to open the Commit Gerber Data dialog. FactoryLogix will zoom in to the first part selected and prompt you to enter the reference designator for the highlighted part.
Enter the reference designator, then select the Accept button (check mark) to accept this component and advance to the next component in the Digitization Reference Queue. If an X/Y Centroid file was loaded earlier, FactoryLogix will automatically suggest the reference designator for the next component in the queue.
If the reference designator is correct, select the Accept Component button again to advance to the next part.
Continue accepting parts.
When you have accepted all parts in the digitization queue, FactoryLogix will return to the Gerber view and you can select a new component. Accepted components will change to a yellow highlight to indicate they are digitized.Repeat the steps to select and digitize components.
Since an X/Y Centroid file was loaded, you can speed up the digitization process by selecting a new footprint, then selecting the Select All Components button to accept all components in the digitization queue and assign reference designators from the X/Y Centroid File. As components are accepted, you can view the results on the PCB tab of the window.
To digitize the board frame for documentation purposes, select the Gerber tab, then select the Digitize Board Frame button. Hover over the Layers tab on the right side of the window to display the Gerber layers loaded in this assembly.
Set the Digitizable check box on the layer containing the board outline (usually an assembly drawing or silk screen layer). Select the board outline on the Gerber tab to highlight it.
To accept the selected outline as the board frame, select the Accept Board Frame button.
Select the padlock icon next to ECAD in the Process tree to save and check in your ECAD file changes.
When you are satisfied with the digitization, select the PCB tab to view the results.
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Tool | Description | ||
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Assign Origin | Defines the datum (0,0 point) of the board.
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Align Photoplots | Lines up any associated Gerber layers with the ECAD. | ||
Rotate PCB | Adjusts the overall orientation of the board.
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Assign Pin 1 | Defines which pin of a component is Pin 1. | ||
Show Polarity | Toggles the display of the red Pin 1 for each polarized component on/off. | ||
Crop Extended Pins | Crops all extended pins on the board.
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Export GENCAD File  | Exports the selected data as a GENCAD file. |
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The Fiducials tools on the PCB tab of the NPI Process Definition window control every aspect of PCB fiducials. You can create and edit fiducials, hide or display, convert fiducials to components, and create fiducials from leads.
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Tip  |
Tool | Description |
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Create Fiducial | Adds fiducials to the board for machine programming purposes.
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Edit Fiducial | Used to edit an existing fiducial.
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Convert to Component | Converts a selected fiducial to a component. |
From Lead | Creates a fiducial from a selected existing component lead.
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Show All Fiducials | Displays a table of all fiducials on the board.
Select a fiducial from the table to see it in a zoomed-in view. |
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The two Components tool sets on the PCB tab of the NPI Process Definition window control every aspect of PCB components.
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Tip |
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Panel layout tab editing tools
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Tool | Description |
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Modify footprints
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Create Matrix | Defines the layout of the panelized assembly you want to create from a single-up PCB ECAD file.
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Rotate | On a panelized layout, rotates selected board images a specified number of degrees. Use Rotate Free Form to rotate selected boards on the panelized layout using an angle you specify. |
Flip Circuit Side | Flips the circuit on selected board images. |
Step and Repeat | Creates a secondary matrix from one of the circuits already created with the Create Matrix option. For example, you would select this option if you needed to create a panel layout consisting of the original circuit, a circuit to the right in the X plane, and a circuit below on the Y plane (a 2x2 matrix without the diagonal circuit). In the dialog, you can set up the spacing and offset measurements. When you select the Create Panel button, the panelization is completed using the parameters you specify.
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Duplicate | Duplicates selected circuits. |
Delete | Deletes one or more selected circuits on a panelized layout. (You cannot delete the root circuit.) |
Reset Panelization | Restores a panelized layout to a one-up board image. |
Circuit Color | Changes the color of the circuit. |
Line Weight | Modifies the line weight of the circuit. |
Order Circuits | Specifies the order of the circuits on a panelized assembly. Click a number to reset Circuit 1.  |
Alignment Tools | Aligns or distributes selected circuits on a panelized layout for optimal fit:
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Show Components | Shows or hides all components on a panelized assembly. |
Calculator | Provides a calculator to use when working on panelized layouts.
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Modify footprints
The Footprints tab in the Process Definition window allows you to modify the graphical rendering of each component on the board. There are four aspects of each footprint that you can modify:
Artwork - Typically the overall outline or shape of the component footprint
Pads - Modifies the leads that make up the component, including reordering
Highlight - Modifies the area of the component used for color coding in Active Work Instructions
Origin - Changes the 0,0 (origin) point of a part
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Modify electricals
There are currently three CAD file formats from which FactoryLogix can import Netlist and Trace information: GENCAD, PADS PowerPCB, and ODB++. You can use the Electricals tab in the Process Definition window to display these graphical traces.
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