Glossary

A

annotations Allow the electrical and mechanical designers to communicate additional information about the design. They are not intended to be used for manufacturing purpose.

B

board A pad with technological properties
BOTTOM The technological property of a board face which makes it the copper plated face

C

component An electronic part defined in the electronic schematic and stored in the ECAD component library
component status Describes the position of a component on a board:
unplaced: there is no constraint between the component and the board
placed: there is a surface contact between the component and the board
fixed: there is a fixity constraint between the component and the board
Dedicated geometrical constraints are also associated with components and determine whether you can move them.
constraint area A space reservation used for different purposes such as allowing/forbidding the routing or placing of components etc.
When importing an IDF file, each constraint area belongs to a separate body under the PartBody. The separate body is renamed with the constraint area type (ex: PLACE_KEEPOUT).
This feature is available on both the board and the manufacturing panel.
cutout A hole or a pocket on a board

D

drilled hole A hole used to mount a board in its case

E

 

ECAD Electrical Computer Aided Design

F

fixed See component status

I

IDF Intermediate Data Format

M

MCAD Mechanical Computer Aided Design
multi-domain
(constraint area)
A multi-domain constraint area is a space reservation made up of several elements in the same body. Each multi-domain constraint area belongs to a separate body under the PartBody.
This feature is available on both the board and manufacturing panel.

N

 

NPTH Non plated: technological property of a hole which is not conductive (mounting hole)

O

offset Represents the mounting constraint of a component onto the board. It can also be found between the board and the panel.
other outline Other area type defined by an outline, cutouts and a thickness

P

panel Optional file added to IDF 3.0 standard to allow manufacturing information exchange. It contains the manufacturing panel physical description as well as the boards and components location on the panel.
placed See component status
place keepout A mechanical space reservation where the component height is limited
place outline An area where component placing is allowed
place region An area where placing is limited to component of certain types
PTH Plated: technological property of a hole which is conductive

R

route keepout An area where routing electrical connections is forbidden
route outline An area where routing electrical connections is allowed

S

status See component status

T

TOP The technological property of a board face which means it is not the copper plated face

U

unplaced See component status

V

via keepout An area where placing via is forbidden