KiCad Plugins to streamline your PCB Design Workflow

KiCad, the popular open-source PCB design tool, continues to grow with the support of its vibrant community and innovative contributors. Among these contributors is NextPCB, a Platinum KiCad Sponsor who has also developed two powerful plugins to enhance the KiCad experience: the NextPCB Instaquote plugin and the HQDFM plugin. These tools are designed to enhance your design-to-production workflow by integrating smart quoting and DFM analysis capabilities directly within KiCad.

What are KiCad Plugins?

KiCad plugins are extensions and tools for KiCad developed by third parties to expand KiCad's capabilities or tailor them for a specific purpose. KiCad's official plugin repository contains tools, scripts and modules for exporting interactive BOMs, custom PDFs, 3D data, tools for panelizing boards, drawing rounded traces, drawing coil traces, data management, and fabrication plugins tailored to a specific manufacturer. Plugins enhance KiCad's capabilities by filling in gaps in the software's native features, streamlining workflows, and automating tedious tasks.

The beauty of KiCad is its open-source nature. Anyone can create their own custom KiCad plugin for their own needs or application. These can be shared with the community and, with enough demand, may eventually be officially integrated into the main KiCad build itself.

NextPCB Instaquote and Ordering Plugin

The NextPCB Instaquote plugin is useful for anyone who wants to get a comprehensive cost estimate on their designs, including assembly and parts. The plugin can also export the production files directly and upload them to the NextPCB website.

Once you’ve completed the design, the Add to Cart function will export the Gerber and assembly data for you and upload them straight onto the NextPCB platform, where you can proceed with the order of your PCBs - no more fiddling with Gerber export configurations or worrying about compatibility issues.

Real-time PCB Quotations

Change the parameters of your PCB directly in the KiCad plugin and click Update Price to view the cost and lead time. Parameters such as layer count, board dimensions and smallest hole size are extracted from your PCB design directly.

Play around with your design and see how this affects the manufacturing cost.

One-Click Export and Order PCB

Click the Add to Cart button and the plugin will export your Gerber and NC drill files in a format compatible with NextPCB and upload them onto the NextPCB order platform. The extracted order parameters will also be filled in for you for seamless ordering.

Auto BOM Parts Matching

Hate picking parts? No problem. Use our database to assign part numbers to the entire BOM with just one click. You can also view parametric data and datasheets, or use the manual match function to search for parts. Then export the BOM in NextPCB-ready format.

HQDFM Mini Plugin

Design for Manufacturability (DFM) is a critical step in ensuring your PCB can be produced efficiently and without errors. The HQDFM Plugin brings DFM analysis directly into KiCad, powered by NextPCB's advanced DFM algorithms.

Analyze over 20 design risk issues, including open circuits, disconnected traces, line spacing, and width with just one click and zoom into the location of each instance.

The HQDFM KiCad plugin can analyze the following:

• Layer Count
• Dimensions
• Signal Integrity
• Smallest Trace Width
• Smallest Trace Spacing
• Pad size
• Pad Spacing
• Hatched Copper Pour
• Hole Diameter
• RingHole
• Drill Hole Spacing
• Drill to Copper
• Board Edge Clearance
• Special Drill Holes
• Holes on SMD Pads
• Missing SMask Openings
• Drill Hole Density
• Surface Finish Area
• Test Point Count

For more PCB tools and Design for Assembly (DFA) analysis capabilities, download the free HQDFM desktop suite here (Windows PC only).

How to install NextPCB's KiCad plugins?

1. 1. Open KiCad and open the Plugin and Content Manager
   
    
2. 2. For the NextPCB Instaquote plugin, click the Fabrication plugins tab and search for NextPCB
   
    
3. 3. For the HQDFM plugin, in the main Plugins tab, search HQDFM.
   
    
4. 4. Click Install and then Apply Pending Changes
    
5. 5. Wait for KiCad to install the plugin and then the plugin icons will appear in the PCB Editor. Click the icon to open and start using them.
   

By using these plugins, you'll not only optimize your design process but also ensure your PCBs are ready for high-quality manufacturing. Give them a try and take your workflow to the next level.

For any questions or feedback, be sure to contact us at support@nextpcb.com

About NextPCB

Founded in 2011, NextPCB is a leading industrial digital manufacturing platform for PCB manufacture, PCB assembly, components distribution, and electronics design verification tools (e.g. Online Gerber Viewer, HQ DFM). Their passion for reliable, fast and cost-effective electronics manufacturing services has transformed the industry, streamlining the entire production process and allowing production efficiency and cost-savings to reach record highs without compromising on reliability.

Serving national engineers for over 15 years, NextPCB has become a household name in providing full-feature multilayer PCBs and PCB assembly services engineers can trust. NextPCB brings these capabilities, speed, affordability and more to clients in over 160 countries.

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