Data Transfer
How to limit shared design data, protecting IP and securing the manufacturing handoff.
Last month’s column on intelligent data transfer discussed how PCB design data have evolved from unintelligent, fragmented formats like Gerber to an intelligent, integrated, single-file exchange through IPC-2581. We talked about what intelligent data means – design data that retains their full context, hierarchy and relationships throughout the product lifecycle – and why the industry needs to move away from legacy Gerber-based packages.
This month, we take a deeper look at how intellectual property (IP) is protected using IPC-2581 and how its function mode capability enables secure and efficient data sharing (Figure 1).
Stop guessing: Why it’s time to move from Gerber to IPC-2581.
Innovation in electronics continues at lightning speed, yet manufacturers still rely on PCB design data transfer methods from the 1980s. The industry default, the Gerber format, was designed for photoplotters. But while today’s design tools contain highly intelligent models rich with connectivity, stackup, component and netlist data, the handoff to manufacturing strips away that intelligence.
Press Releases
- Altus Partners with Sellectronics to Enhance Manufacturing Capabilities with PVA Delta 8 System
- ITW EAE Celebrates Major Milestone in Domestic Manufacturing Expansion
- Micro Technology Services Selects PBT Works CompaCLEAN III for Advanced PCB Cleaning Performance
- Indium Corp. is Electrifying the Future with Advanced Materials Solutions at Productronica