CAMCAD

CAMCAD is a class of computer-aided manufacturing software tools designed to prepare manufacturing data from CAD designs, with particular emphasis on printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication. The CAMCAD family comprises standalone programs and suites marketed by multiple vendors, often under the CAMCAD brand, and serves as an intermediary between PCB design data and fabrication equipment.

Typical features include importing design data from Gerber RS-274X, Excellon drill files, DXF, IPC-2581, and ODB++, editing copper and soldermask layers; defining drill guides, routing paths, and milling settings; layer mapping; and exporting to fabrication formats such as Excellon drill files, Gerber, NC mill, or IPC-2581. CAMCAD tools may also offer data validation, design-for-manufacturing checks, plotting, component placement verification, and post-processing for machine tools.

In PCB manufacturing workflow CAMCAD tools are used after the design creation and before fabrication to verify data integrity and generate machine-ready files for photo-plotters, drilling, and milling equipment. The CAMCAD concept emerged in the late 20th century; various vendors have released CAMCAD products, and over time these tools have integrated industry standards such as IPC-2581 and ODB++ to facilitate data exchange.

See also: CAM, PCB fabrication, CAM software.