KiCAD Plugins: KiKit Automation for KiCAD (Panelization, Board Presentation, Stencil, etc)

KiKit is a Python library, KiCAD plugin, and command-line tool for automating various tasks in a standard KiCAD workflow, such as:

• paneling of both regular and irregularly shaped board
• Exporting manufacturing data automatically based on manufacturer presets
• multi-board project in KiCAD
• presentation pages for building boards

 

Why Should I Use It?

Everything that KiKit does can also be done in KiCAD using Pcbnew. You must, however, do it manually. Panel creation is one of the most common scenarios. The majority of tutorials on the internet instruct you to use Pcbnew's "append board" functionality. However, this method is time-consuming, error-prone, and must be repeated every time the board is changed.

If you have a simple layout (e.g., a grid), you can just call a CLI command or write a few Python instructions like "place board here", "add bridge here", "separate boards via mouse bites/v-cuts" and you're done. The process is repeatable and much easier than drawing the panels by hand. KiKit also makes it simple to export all of the Gerbers in a single step.

Then you can create a Makefile and run make to get all of your manufacturing data and board presentation pages.

 

How To Use It?

Read the panelize documentation as well as the CLI documentation. Don't forget to look at the examples. There is also a short tutorial on how to use the panelization action plugin. See the Stencil documentation if you want to create solder paste stencils.

 

Download

v1.3.0 release (27-02-2023)

This release brings:

• compatibility with KiCAD 7,
• new documentation pages,
• several new features and
• bug fixes.

To download KiCAD Plugins: KiKit - Automation tool for KiCAD follow the below:

KiKit - Automation tool for KiCAD