Comparison Report: FAB 3000 DFM vs. Free Gerber Viewers

World's Best Gerber DFM Solution


Comparison Report: FAB 3000 DFM vs. Free Gerber Viewers

While most PCB Layout tools are very good at performing DRC (Design rules check), they rarely capture many common DFM (design for manufacturing) problems that are hidden in the physical artwork (i.e. gerber, drill files). It's the artwork which is ultimately used to manufacture your boards (not the PCB Layout database) and any hidden problems in your artwork WILL AFFECT the manufacturability and yield of your boards. This is why using a Gerber Viewer has been so popular with PCB designers but unless you have eyes like a hawk, simply looking at gerber files (containing hundreds of signals & thru holes) inside a free viewer without DFM capabilities is just an invitation for mistakes.

FAB 3000 DFM is your protection against all common manufacturing problems and mistakes. We're confident after you have reviewed this comparison report, you will give FAB 3000 DFM a try, and place your Free Gerber Viewer into the Recycle Bin. To get your instant 30-day trial of FAB 3000 DFM, click the download button and fill out the form.

		Note: For more information about FAB 3000 Designer or Professional please visit the FAB 3000 product page.

	FAB 3000 DFM	Free Gerber Viewers
	Nice GUI with Object Hover FAB 3000 is very easy to use and provides the most elegant Gerber viewing environment available. Unique features such as "object hover" instantly highlight objects and provides all the detailed information you need with a simple movement of your mouse! PCB layouts can be placed into tabbed windows for easy organization and design comparison. Runs on Windows and Linux.	NO

	Quick DFM - Instantly create a PDF with all DFM violations With just a few clicks, you instantly know if your gerber files are ready! If there are any manufacturing problems detected, an elegant PDF is created. Here's a Sample Quick DFM PDF file With Quick DFM, there's no need to first upload your proprietary designs to a board shop and wait for their response. Get your complete DFM report NOW, detailing ALL DFM violations with X,Y locations. Watch how Easy it is to use Quick DFM >	NO

	Save and Re-Open Workspace Nothing is more frustrating than having to start over. With FAB 3000 DFM you can easily save and re-open your workspace, and share with colleagues. Never waste time again.	NO

	RedLine Markup Increase Productivity! Communicate change requests, comments, observations, and instructions effectively and efficiently using FAB 3000.	NO

	ODB++ Viewing Environment (with Hierarchy) Preview ODB++ data the way it was meant to be. FAB 3000 loads all jobs simultaneously (not just one), completely supports all aspects of ODB++ including nesting of job hierarchy (i.e. insert a job within another job), nets, components, and much more. Most Gerber viewers were never really built to handle ODB++ data and thus flatten (i.e. explodes) the data which leads to huge & erroneous databases which is not a true ODB++ viewing environment. This is why most Gerber viewers choke when loading medium to large ODB++ files, or require you to load one job at a time.	NO

	Graphically Compare Designs View changes between design versions, verify the integrity of your gerbers and share these results with others. The differences are color coded in the comparison window so that you can quickly and clearly see exactly what has changed.	NO

	Import Matrix - See Blog for more infomation The FAB 3000 Import Matrix File permits external tools (like PCB Design software) to predefine layers and jobs for intelligent loading into FAB 3000 for instant Gerber Viewing & Verification. This prevents the monotonous steps of loading Gerber & Drill files, assigning layer colors, assigning layer types, defining layer stack ups, defining blind/buried drill layers (if required), etc.; allowing pcb designers to easily use Gerber/CAM software for its primary purpose... to quickly verify their gerbers & drills are correct and ready for manufacturing.	NO

	New! - Copper Area Calculation Easily & quickly calculate the copper area of any PCB layer. Copper Area calcuation is extremely useful for many applications in the PCB industry. This is a feature generally only available on CAM tools costing thousands of dollars.	NO

	Measure Object to Object, Measure Net to Net Get Pin-Point Accuracy. Determine minimum distances between any two points, objects, or nets.	NO

	AutoLoad Wizard Import files in a Snap! AutoLoad Wizard will automatically import all supported EDA files found within a selected folder. This simplifies importing of multiple files, and eliminates the time needed to load each file separately.	NO

	Print to PDF The Next Generation of Printing is here! Easily create professional PDF files from FAB 3000 up to 'E' size, for Printing or Sharing with your Design Team or customers. Excellent for creating "check-Plots", before committing to plot.	NO

Finally, while many Gerber Viewers are free the price for FAB 3000 DFM is only $195. Think for a moment, how many potential problems you can avoid and how many working hours you will save with all the features of FAB 3000 DFM? Register now and get your design done faster and smarter! For more information about FAB 3000 Designer or Professional please visit the FAB 3000 product page.