The following content has been imported from Legacy Help systems and is in the process of being checked for accuracy.
Parent process: CAMtastic:ToolsPanelize
Applied parameters: None
Summary
This command is used to panelize the PCB board in the current document.
Details
After launching the command, the cursor will change to a small square and you will be prompted to select objects that you wish to include in the panelization. Simply position the cursor over individual objects and click to add them to the selection, or use one of the many selection tools available. After all objects that you wish to include have been selected, right-click.
The
Step _Repeat dialog that appears, initially contains information that is calculated based on the extents of the board that you are panelizing (defined by the objects selected). Use the dialog to define the size of the panel and the number and spacing of the board images thereon.
Clicking the
Show Preview button will open a preview window within the dialog, from where you can view how the panels will appear on the sheet. Changes to the panel spacing will be updated in the preview window, enabling you to obtain the spacing you require before proceeding.
After all options have been defined as required, clicking
OK will effect the panelization and the array of panels will appear in the main design window. The array starts with the original selected objects and is placed upwards and to the left.
Notes
Use the What's This Help
? to gain detailed information about each of the individual options available in the dialog.
You can precisely define the spacing for the array of panels, using one of two methods:
Offset or
Gap.
The
Offset method allows you to specify the spacing between rows and columns, in relation to the size of the image (i.e. the selection of objects). When you specify a value in an
Offset field, you need to add the required spacing to the value in the
Image Size field and enter this combined value as the offset. For example, if the image size is 0.5 in and you require a 200 mil spacing, you would need to enter 0.7 in the corresponding
Offset field.
The
Gap method allows you to specify the direct spacing between rows and columns and therefore not dependent on the image size. For example, if you require a 200 mil spacing, you would need to enter 0.2 in the corresponding
Gap field.
Use the
Calculate option to determine the optimal part count based on specified
Panel Size and
Spacing.
Enabling the
Use Step & Repeat option will allow the use of embedded Step and Repeat codes to reduce the size of files that contain the same information multiple times. When used, only the original panel will be fully displayed in the Design window, all other projected copies appear as blank frames.
Whenever you use the panelize command, a new layer will be added to the layers list in the
CAMtastic panel. This is the
Vent_Border layer and is assigned the type
Temporary in the
Layers Table dialog. This border should be kept if you wish to quickly add venting to the panel at a later stage.