Gerber file generation in PCB Design - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a PCB design engineer at an electronics manufacturing company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to prepare the Gerber files for the latest PCB design so the manufacturing team can start production.

📊 Data: You have the PCB layout data including layers for copper, solder mask, silkscreen, drill holes, and board outline.

🎯 Deliverable: A complete set of Gerber files for each PCB layer and a drill file, organized and named correctly for manufacturing.

Sample Data

Layer	Description	File Format	Example File Name
Top Copper	Top copper traces and pads	.gbr	board_top_copper.gbr
Bottom Copper	Bottom copper traces and pads	.gbr	board_bottom_copper.gbr
Top Solder Mask	Top solder mask openings	.gbr	board_top_soldermask.gbr
Bottom Solder Mask	Bottom solder mask openings	.gbr	board_bottom_soldermask.gbr
Top Silkscreen	Top layer text and markings	.gbr	board_top_silkscreen.gbr
Bottom Silkscreen	Bottom layer text and markings	.gbr	board_bottom_silkscreen.gbr
Drill File	Drill hole locations and sizes	.drl	board_drill.drl
Board Outline	PCB edge profile	.gbr	board_outline.gbr

1

Step 1: Open your PCB design software and load the latest PCB project file.

No formula needed; just open the project file.

Expected Result

The PCB layout with all layers is visible and ready for export.

2

Step 2: Go to the export or fabrication output section and select Gerber file generation.

Select layers: Top Copper, Bottom Copper, Top Solder Mask, Bottom Solder Mask, Top Silkscreen, Bottom Silkscreen, Board Outline.

Expected Result

All required layers are selected for Gerber export.

3

Step 3: Configure the Gerber file settings: set units to millimeters, format to 2:5 (2 digits before decimal, 5 after), and enable RS-274X format.

Units=mm; Format=2:5; Gerber format=RS-274X.

Expected Result

Gerber files will be generated with correct precision and format.

4

Step 4: Generate the drill file with the correct drill sizes and positions in Excellon format.

Select drill file export; format=Excellon; units=mm.

Expected Result

A drill file (.drl) is created with all hole data.

5

Step 5: Name each Gerber file clearly according to the layer and project name, for example, board_top_copper.gbr.

File naming convention: [projectname]_[layer].gbr or .drl for drill file.

Expected Result

Files are named correctly for easy identification by manufacturing.

6

Step 6: Package all Gerber files and the drill file into a single compressed folder (zip).

Select all generated files and compress into board_gerbers.zip.

Expected Result

A single zip file containing all necessary files is ready to send.

7

Step 7: Review the Gerber files using a Gerber viewer to verify all layers are correct and aligned.

Open the zip in a Gerber viewer and check each layer visually.

Expected Result

No missing layers or misalignments; files are ready for manufacturing.

Final Result

Gerber Files Package
---------------------
| board_top_copper.gbr    |
| board_bottom_copper.gbr |
| board_top_soldermask.gbr|
| board_bottom_soldermask.gbr|
| board_top_silkscreen.gbr|
| board_bottom_silkscreen.gbr|
| board_outline.gbr       |
| board_drill.drl         |
---------------------
All files zipped as board_gerbers.zip

✓All necessary PCB layers are exported as Gerber files.

✓Drill file is included in Excellon format.

✓Files are named clearly for manufacturing.

✓Gerber files verified with viewer to ensure accuracy.

Bonus Challenge

Create a simple automated script or batch process to export Gerber files and drill files with correct settings and naming from your PCB design software.

Show Hint

Check if your PCB software supports scripting or command line export options to automate the Gerber generation process.