Hello all, I’ve designed some PCBs for a project I’ve been working on. I’m not ready to order them from a manufacturer yet, I’m just seeking advice on what to do before I get to that point. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to (re)design the 3D Printed case for the components, so there’s no big time crunch right now.
The designs aren’t necessarily finalized yet, but the exported 3D Models certainly are handy for my 3D Design process for the case (Export STEP from KiCad, Import STEP to FreeCAD, Export STL from FreeCAD, import STL to Blender). As they are now, however, my designs are likely close enough to their “final” form that it might be worth it to get them looked at. Perhaps bring the KiCad files to Electronics Office Hours next Tuesday? Learning KiCad has been fun, but this is my first project, so I’ll take whatever advice I can get.
Later on down the road, when I actually get ready to 3D Print the case and order the PCBs, I’ll need to double check that my designs fit within the manufacturer’s design rules, double check that the gerber files uploaded correctly, etc. I’ll also need to look into panelization, whether or not the manufacturer has a self panelization fee, etc…