Ultiboard and LPKF Protomat E44 Configuration

JC Luna
Electrical Engineering Technology
Hagerstown Community College

Step 1
Ultiboard Configuration. Select [Options] >> [Global Options], and then select the General Settings tab.
Make sure it matches below settings.
Step 2

Select PCB Design tab and make sure you choose Narrow traces during routing and Add teardrop on
trace placement. Click OK to close the dialog box.
Step 3

Select [Options] >> [PCB Properties], and then go to Copper Layers tab. Change Board thickness to
_60___ mil. *Refer to LPKF’s PCB board.
TH parts - drilling hole specifications

28-35 mil most resistors,

capacitors, etc
40 mil headers
47-51 mil power diodes,
transistors

5 to 15 mil oversize

Minimum annular ring: 4 mils

The annular ring is the amount of copper left on the pad after drilling the hole on the pcb.

How to calculate annular ring? (60% of the drill hole radius)

32 mil drill hole radius: 16 mil annular ring: 0.60*16mil = 9.6mil

Step 4

Next, go to the Pad/Vias tab, and modify the settings as shown.

Step 5

Go to Design Rules tab, and the “Use multiple clearances” checkbox must be selected. Otherwise, only
clearance to traces will be operational.

Set

“Trace width” parameter to 20.00000 mils;

“Clearance to Traces” parameter to 40.000000 mils;

“Clearance to Pads”, “Clearances to Vias” and “Clearance to Copper Areas” parameters to 32.000000
mils.

Click OK to close dialog box.

Step 6
Select [Autoroute]>> [ Start/Resume Autoroute]

Step 7
Power and Ground Planes. Select [Place] >> [Powerplane]. Select net 0 for Copper Bottom Layer. Click
[OK] to close the dialog box. The bottom layer fills in red color plane.
Step 8
Select [View] >> [3D preview]
Using Protomat E44

1. Exporting from Ultiboard

Select [File] >> [export]
Transfer
Copper Top
Copper Bottom
Board Outline
Drill
Coordinate Format: 2,5
Select Tab: Output Configuration

Change Destination Folder

Press Export
Importing to Circuit Pro.

1) Open Circuit Pro and select the template Double Sided NoTHP.

2) Go to File >> Import and select the following files with their corresponding extensions

Ultiboard .grb extension file has to be modified accordingly.

 Example:

3) A warning like this

Means that we have to manually setup the technology production phase in the Layers view
for that layer.
4) Layer correction

Observe that the last layer has been assigned to its corresponding Technology and
Production phase.
5) Remove Corners and Fiducials marks imported from Ultiboard

6) Switch back CAM View and Machining View using

View >> CAM 2D
View >> Machining 2D

7) Follow the steps of the LPKF Manual “How to produce a PCB”