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I have attached an earlier design where I successfully put 6 pcs. on a minimal size Panel (and six of those fit a Standard Production Panel) – as an example.

I have Imported the Design and prepared it, with Routing & Tabs etc. – then I save it both as a .job & a .wrk file.

If I open that PCB as a .job file in FAB3000 and Select the Panel – I can only fit 4 pcs. into the Panel as the Program insists on having space between the Routing (and Tabs) for each PCB …. => you get a piece / strip off PCB between the Routing, with noting on it.

But if I open the same PCB as a .wrk file in the Program – it will gladly ‘overlay’ the Routing + Tabs => Much smaller Panel / More PCB’s on the same Panel.

 Now, I can live with that ‘Inconsistency’ – if the program would accept that I loaded more than one .wrk file @ the same time – but I will not be surprised if it is another feature I haven’t got right so far. I have successfully got both PCB designs onto the same Panel (as .job) but with fewer numbers that should fit (have done the calc).

I can fit all the ones I know will fit, from .job files if there’s no Routing + Tabs done first – but then I have problems adding them later …

 The Design is supposed to be send to China ASAP and as there’s quite a bit of money to be saved if I get it right – so I hope that you can help me.

Thank you very much in advance and best wishes.

Thanks for sending the sample files and detailed explanation.

The Job file is actually meant to just be a 1UP of a single PCB - it wasn't intended to store an array of PCB's or Panel requirements (like dimensions, spacing, etc).  The workspace file contains everything - which explains why all Panel requirements are kept and you get the 6 PCB's fitting as expected.

Note:  We're actually considering renaming job files (*.job) to 1UP files (*.1up) to more clearly define the intention of the Job file.

Panel Swap PCB's example: If you want different PCB's (with the same dimensions) on a standard panel that you've already created; you can easily create a new job, import the PCB, and then just change the Job reference name. 

https://numericalsoftware-update.s3.amazonaws.com/tutorials/2022-08-11_10-10-03_substitute_pcbsinpanel.mp4

Best regards,

Simon