Hey all, I have developed a free open-source tool to make life easier from exporting Pick-and-Place / BOM files to getting them fabricated. Here's an excerpt from the documentation:
PnPPP - Pick & Place Pre-Processor
PnPPP is a tool for automatically converting PCB assembly files to the format required by your fab or machine, automatically rotate parts to the correct orientation and duplicate pick-and-place data with new positions for the purpose of panelization. All required meta data can be maintained directly within the CAD project.
The tool was developed to process output files from Altium CircuitStudio for use with JLCPCB's self-service PCBA interface, but it can be configured flexibly and potentially be used with other CAD programs and different fabs.
Features
- Parse and re-generate BOM (bill of materials) and PNP (pick and place) files in CSV format
- Continuously scan sub directories of a given file path for changes and automatically process changed files
- Auto-rotation: further rotate parts in pick-and-place file based on per-component setting in the BOM file
- Panelization: duplicate pick-and-place information with adjusted coordinates to generate PCB panels from a single board
- Rename, re-order and delete columns in BOM and PNP files
- Remove extra lines not conforming with the CSV format (what were you thinking, Altium?)
- Move output files to alternate destination path
- All meta data (for auto-rotation, panelization etc.) can be managed from within the CAD project
- Input and output format customizable through a JSON config file (needed only once, not per project)
Check it out and let me know what you think ---> https://github.com/pastaclub/PnPPP