Hi all, i’m a newbie in the industry, designing and manufacturing wave soldering pallets for large PCB manufacturers. I’m looking for an easy and cost-effective way to obtain a 3D model of the PCB and its components, in order to simulate the PCB interface with my pallet design.
My customer is able to provide me with an ODB++ file of the PCB, and i need a software that will be able to accurately convert this file into a 3D model.
Also, do ODB++ files have enough information in itself to recreate the 3D model of the PCB? (i.e the dimensions and coordinates of the mounted components) Or would it require an up-to-date component library to accomplish this task?
Clearly not. There are optional elements in ODB++, e.g. for component height, but they are unused by most PCB tools. Did you display the ODB++ content with a viewer?
Most PCB design tools can generate mechanical data, e.g. in *.stp or *.idf format. Depending on the package library, they don't necessarily model components in detail, e.g. use cuboids for arbitrary shapes.
Clearly not. There are optional elements in ODB++, e.g. for component height, but they are unused by most PCB tools. Did you display the ODB++ content with a viewer?
Most PCB design tools can generate mechanical data, e.g. in *.stp or *.idf format. Depending on the package library, they don't necessarily model components in detail, e.g. use cuboids for arbitrary shapes.
You should check which layers are in ODB++. May be you can supplement an assembly drawing with component height information from datasheet, making a simplified 3D model.
If your customer is technically illiterate, how did they create PCB in first place? If they designed the PCB, it is only few clicks to produce 3D model, I guess.