Designing Multi-Layer Artworks
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Plan now gives you the complete freedom to build multilayer print jobs and dispense multi-material stackup layers.
A stack-up layer refers to a physical plane that serves a specific purpose and can contain multiple materials. In the Plan workflow, however, each material (with its own design file) is treated as a separate layer, even if it contributes to the same physical stack-up layer along with other materials.
While there is no limit to the number of layers Plan can support, the print quality will be limited by the number of stack-up layers, substrate and ink selection, artwork design, and printing and curing.
We have successfully validated results with four layers, but designs with more than four layers are considered experimental.
These are some helpful tips that you should use when designing a multilayer file for plan.
Printing a multilayer design takes a little more planning and time spent on your design than a single layer print. You will need a design file that is specific for each layer and each of those layers has a few requirements.
Fiducial markers are commonly used tools that increase the ease and accuracy of design alignment. They act as visual reference points on each layer, allowing you to quickly locate and align your design to the substrate or previously printed layers. While fiducials do not need to be a specific shape or size, we recommend using one of the simple shapes below:
For multilayer printing, using fiducials is highly recommended to ensure that each layer of your design is perfectly aligned. The fiducial marker should be located in the same position on each layer. We also suggest placing your fiducials in opposing corners. This will help align both the position and rotation of your design.
Base Layer: For your base layer, this is much like printing a single layer file. The main thing to focus on when designing this layer is that there are good references for alignment for the rest of the layers. You can accomplish this by adding fiducials.
Additionally, think about leaving ample space for the crossover sections of your design and enough trace space for the top conductive layers to reconnect to the base layer.
Dielectric Layer: Again, the focus here is making sure that this layer is easy to align to the base layer. The other key is to make sure that any dielectric layer has full coverage over the parts of your design that require isolation.
Top Conductive (Crossover) Layer: The key to this layer is that there is enough overlap between the traces of this layer and the conductive layer below it to make a strong connection. This extra overlap should also help with alignment.
Each layer of your design in Plan must be contained in a separate file, whether your are using Gerber or SVG format.
It’s recommended to use a clear naming convention to easily distinguish layers. For example, start file names with "L1", "L2", "L3", or simply "1", "2", "3" for easy identification in the Plan workflow.
Plan does not support single multilayer Gerber or SVG files. These files will be imported as a single layer. To ensure proper import, each layer must be saved and imported as a separate file.
These are the suggested ways that you can design a multilayer artwork for each file type:
When creating your Gerber file in your preferred PCB design software, assign each layer of your multilayer design to a separate layer within the software. Use the available layers in the PCB design tool for this purpose.
For trace routing and traditional PCB design, add copper layers in the board setup menu, dedicating each to a different layer of your multilayer design.
Alternatively, you can create custom user-defined layers, where you can design each layer using polygons and lines.
When exporting Gerber files, ensure all layers are selected to generate individual Gerber files for each layer of your design.
It's crucial to ensure that the materials you plan to use for each layer are compatible with one another. Not all conductive and dielectric inks work well together, and there may be unwanted reactions, such as one layer dissolving the other. Always refer to the material datasheets to verify compatibility.
Additionally, remember that you’ll need to cure each layer after printing to ensure it's properly set before probing and printing the next layer. Make sure all materials and substrates are compatible with the curing requirements. Again, the material datasheet is your best resource for confirming this.
