Ivan, I use CAMtastic to panelize designs all the time. For an array of the same PCB, it's a snap. I have also used CAMtastic for panelizing different designs together on the same panel. Luckily, I only had 2 or 3 different PCB's. I can see where it would become a nightmare to panelize more than a few different designs together. I have to panelize my own designs, because I almost always provide the board material to the fabricator, and the material is almost always in non-standard panel size.
After working with CAMtastic for a while, I have to admit that I like using it. I also have CAM350 from Innoveda. It rarely gets used. It crashes and fails to load Gerber's that pose no problem for CAMtastic. I have noted that when I use BMPtoPCB to import a company logo, etc. to a PCB, then generate Gerber's, CAM350 crashes because of the number of draws in the Gerber files. CAMtastic does not seem to have that particular limitation. Has anyone else seen this problem with CAM350? Mark Richards Printed Circuit Design 1002 East Butler Drive Chandler, AZ 85225 Phone: 480.664-6170 Fax: 480.699.0140 Pager: 866.208.9913 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bagotronix Tech Support" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Protel EDA Forum" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 9:57 AM Subject: Re: [PEDA] Merging boards > Brad (and anyone else who wants to chime in): > > Does CAMtastic work OK when you panelize an array of the same PCB? I may > want to try this sometime soon. > > I have used CAMtastic for basic Gerber manipulation (adding targets, etc.). > It worked OK for that. > > Best regards, > Ivan Baggett > Bagotronix Inc. > website: www.bagotronix.com > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Brad Velander" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "'Protel EDA Forum'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 12:12 PM > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Merging boards > > > > Gareth, > > you obviously haven't used Camtastsic to try and panelize 20+ > > different boards into one panel. It is a joke. I have done it, it is a > > process of load gerbers, merge layers, delete layers, load gerbers, merge > > layers, delete layers. Then there is no absolute coordinate control system > > for location of the gerbers, no properly functioning snap feature, so on > and > > so on. It also won't correctly merge drill sizes into one common drill > tool > > file so you have to get creative through manual editing to combine similar > > drill sizes from differing PCBs into one common drill tool. > > Oh, almost forgot to mention the out of memory errors when you have > > 256MB RAM and over 700 MB of virtual memory, with over 700MB of virtual > > memory free and still some RAM remaining free. Camtastic is the only thing > > besides W2K system stuff running and it is only using 70MB according to > Task > > Manager. If Camtastic was actually being used by a board fabricator they > > would go bankrupt faster then you can shake a stick at them. > > > > Sincerely, > > Brad Velander. > > > > Lead PCB Designer > > Norsat International Inc. > > #300 - 4401 Still Creek Drive, > > Burnaby, B.C., Canada, V5C 6G9. > > Tel (604) 292-9089 (direct line) > > Fax (604) 292-9010 > > Website: www.norsat.com > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Gareth De Mar [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Monday, December 17, 2001 7:04 PM > > To: 'Protel EDA Forum' > > Subject: Re: [PEDA] Merging boards > > > > > > Protel 99SE is not well suited for the purpose of panelising boards. > > Better off generating Gerber files and panelising with > > Camtastic. > > > > Gareth de Mar. > > Compucat Research Pty Ltd. > > Ph: 02 62951331 > > Fax: 02 62951855 > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/proteledaforum@techservinc.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
