IPC-2581

We do not support IPC-2581. Send your PCB data as a Gerber and drill set. This page explains what IPC-2581 is, and why we still ask for Gerber and drill.

What it is

IPC-2581 is an open standard for PCB production data, published by the IPC, the trade association of the electronics industry. It is also known as DPMX, Digital Product Model Exchange. The idea is one file for the whole board. A single XML file holds the copper layers, the drill data, the stackup, the netlist, the component placements and the bill of materials. Nothing has to be matched by file name, and the stackup and the netlist travel with the design instead of in a separate drawing. Unlike ODB++, which is owned by Siemens, IPC-2581 belongs to no vendor. The specification is open, and a consortium of CAD vendors and manufacturers stands behind it.

Which CAD tools export it

Many current CAD tools can write an IPC-2581 file, among them Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro and OrCAD, and KiCad. So you may well find it in your export menu, right next to Gerber.

Why we ask for Gerber and drill

Industry support is still best for Gerber and drill. Every CAD tool writes it and every PCB manufacturer reads it. IPC-2581 is not there yet: most PCB manufacturers do not work from it. We have your bare board made by one of our PCB manufacturers in Europe or Asia. A Gerber and drill set gives us the most freedom in picking one, so that is the format we ask for.

What to send instead

A Gerber and drill set for the board, a BOM for the parts and a centroid for the placements. Does your CAD tool also export ODB++? Add the archive, and you can leave the centroid out.

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