Pick-and-Place Files: Check Origin, Side and Rotation

A pick-and-place file can contain a row for every component and still describe an incorrect assembly. Coordinates, board side and rotation must be interpreted consistently. Validate the export against a known drawing instead of assuming a spreadsheet with no missing cells is ready for production.

Establish the coordinate convention

Record the export units, origin and the meaning of the X and Y coordinates. Use the CAD tool's documented export workflow and identify the reference point on the board drawing. Check that the placement data corresponds to the same single board or panel as the fabrication package.

Choose two or three recognizable components far apart on the board. Overlay or compare their positions with the layout and verify that the spacing and direction agree. A common offset across all components suggests a different problem from one incorrectly positioned footprint.

Review top and bottom separately

Specify the side using an unambiguous field and a labeled assembly view. Do not manually mirror the bottom coordinates or add a blanket rotation correction without confirming the assembler's import convention. The transformation expected by one workflow may differ from another.

For a two-sided design, inspect at least one polarized device on each side and one mechanically distinctive connector. Match pin 1, polarity or orientation to the exact package drawing. A symmetric resistor is a poor test of whether the overall orientation convention is correct.

Treat rotation as a review item

Eurocircuits' placement-setup description explains that machine instructions are prepared from the assembly data and aligned to physical board references. The manufacturing setup still needs a clear intended component orientation. Add an assembly drawing and highlight parts whose package markings or footprint origins are easy to misunderstand.

• Reconcile reference designators with the populated BOM.
• Check units and the export origin.
• Verify board-side labels and polarized-component orientation.
• Identify excluded or manually assembled parts.
• Record the PCB and assembly variant revision.

Correct the source of the mismatch

If an orientation is wrong, determine whether the footprint, exported data or importer interpretation caused it. Avoid manually editing many spreadsheet rows without recording the reason; the next export may restore the error. Keep the accepted convention and any assembler-approved transformation with the release, then regenerate and review after footprint or panel changes.

Technical reference: Eurocircuits: pick-and-place setup. Supplier-specific process limits in the reference are not DIYIPCB manufacturing commitments.