Gerber Analysis

Video transcript

00:04 — Extraction from the Gerber package

A fabricator receives Gerbers and drill files, not a CAD project. So this is the package as it arrives — copper, mask, silkscreen, edge cuts and the Excellon drills, zipped exactly as the customer sent it. Everything on this page is read out of those files. The board outline, the layer count, the finished size — none of it was typed in by the customer, so none of it can be wrong about their own board. And the drill schedule: 251 holes, 244 of them plated, 7 not, from 0.6 millimetres up to 4.3. Counted tool by tool out of the Excellon file — the number that sets drilling time, and the first number a fab checks.

00:52 — The design-rule verdict on the same package

The same zip, opened in the Implementation Workspace — where the board gets checked rather than described. One finding. And the panel underneath says why that is not good news. A Gerber package carries copper, but it carries no nets: 0 components, 0 nets. So 15 checks are named and skipped — clearance, diff-pair matching, unrouted net, ampacity — because nothing in these files says which copper belongs to which signal. No finding here is not evidence the design is right. It says that in those words, rather than reporting a clean board it never examined.

01:33 — The same board, with the evidence the checks need

So give it the format that carries them. The same board exported as ODB++ — nets, stackup and components, all machine-readable. Now the checks run. 65 findings, one of them critical, on a board that a moment ago looked clean. That is the difference between a verdict and a guess. The checking is ours. The price stays yours.

Analyze a board’s Gerbers into a fabrication spec and an indicative estimate.

Gerber Analysis

What it's for

Drop in a Gerber/PCB zip and AI extracts the full fabrication spec — base material, layers, board & dimensions, copper stackup, surface finish, drilling and special techniques — then produces an Indicative Estimate: a cost band with confidence, a Manufacturability score out of 100 with flagged issues, and a Basis grid. You can draft an RFQ to a supplier from it.

When to use it

Use Gerber Analysis when a PCB is ready to be analyzed for fabrication specifications, manufacturability, cost estimation, or supplier quoting.

How it works

Select a system, attach the Gerber files, and add analysis context. → Optionally select a system from the “System Hierarchy.” Attach the Gerber/PCB fabrication files, such as .gbr, .zip, .rar, and drill files, along with any reference documents such as datasheets or DFM notes. Optionally enter additional context for the analysis, such as the board purpose or special requirements, and click “Analyze Gerber Files” to begin the analysis.

▶ Initial state▼ Initial state
Attach the Gerber file and run the AI analysis. → Attach the Gerber/PCB fabrication file, such as the uploaded “smart_residential_door_lock_gerbers.zip,” and enter any additional analysis context if required. Click “Analyze Gerber Files” to run the AI analysis and generate the Gerber analysis results.

▶ Attach the Gerber file and run the AI analysis▼ Attach the Gerber file and run the AI analysis
Indicative Estimate. → “Indicative Estimate” section, which summarizes the estimated cost, cost range, confidence, board area, layer count, quantity, manufacturability score, material, finish, and board thickness. The estimate is indicative and not a fabrication quote.

▶ Indicative Estimate▼ Indicative Estimate
Base material and Board & Dimensions sections. → “Base material” section to see the selected material and available material options.“Board & Dimensions” section for the board specifications, including layers, board thickness, quantity, width, length, area, aspect ratio, board type, and outline tolerance.

▶ Base material and Board & Dimensions sections.▼ Base material and Board & Dimensions sections.
Stackup & Layers section. → “Stackup & Layers” section, including Outer copper, Inner copper, Glass transition temperature (Tg), PTH copper thickness, and Stackup type specifications.

▶ Stackup & Layers section.▼ Stackup & Layers section.
Materials section. → “Materials” section, including Peel-off strength, Thermal conductivity, and Withstand voltage specifications.

▶ Materials section.▼ Materials section.
Surface & Finish section. → “Surface & Finish” section, including Surface finish, Solder mask, Solder mask type, Silkscreen, ENIG thickness, Gold plating thickness, and Plating thickness specifications.

▶ Surface & Finish section.▼ Surface & Finish section.
Manufacturing / DFM section. → Review the “Manufacturing / DFM” section, including Min trace width, Min spacing, Min hole size, Via process, Castellated holes, Total hole count, Plated through holes, Non-plated holes, Smallest hole, Largest hole, Drilling method, Special techniques, and Quality standard specifications.

▶ Manufacturing / DFM section.▼ Manufacturing / DFM section.
Edit the Gerber analysis specifications. → In follow-on mode, click “Edit” for a specification to modify its value. The Edit controls are not available in the main prompt view.

▶ Edit the Gerber analysis specifications.▼ Edit the Gerber analysis specifications.
Export the Gerber analysis. → Click “Export” and select the required output format: “PDF” for a formatted PDF with a cover page and page numbers, “Word (.docx)” for an editable Word document, “CSV Spreadsheet” for Excel or Google Sheets, “Plain Text” for a simple text format, or “JSON Data” for structured data.

▶ Export the Gerber analysis.▼ Export the Gerber analysis.