Polar Instruments C-GEN V25: Streamlining PCB Quality Assurance & Test Coupon Design

Polar Instruments C-GEN V25 is a specialized software tool from Polar Instruments designed to automate the generation and management of PCB test coupons used for quality control and verification during fabrication. It works in tandem with impedance calculation tools (like Si9000e) and measurement systems (like the Polar CITS series) to close the loop between design intent, manufacturing instructions, and empirical verification, ensuring that fabricated PCBs meet specified electrical and quality standards.

Core Function: Bridging Design, Fabrication, and Test
The software's primary role is to create clear, standardized documentation for the fabrication shop (test coupon drawings) and to analyze measurement data from those coupons post-production. This provides a data-driven method to verify that controlled impedance traces and overall PCB construction meet the designer's specifications.

Key Workflow & Functional Capabilities:

1. Automated Test Coupon Generation

• Intelligent Coupon Layout: Automatically generates complete panel-level or array-level test coupon layouts based on the PCB's impedance requirements. Coupons contain the specific trace structures needed to validate impedance and other properties.

• Detailed Fabrication Drawings: Creates comprehensive manufacturing drawings for the test coupons, including all necessary dimensions, layer stackup details, impedance targets, and a unique coupon identification (like a barcode) for traceability.

2. Quality Data Management & Analysis

• Data Import from Test Systems: Directly imports measurement results from Polar and other compatible impedance test systems.

• Results Analysis & Reporting: Compares measured impedance values from the physical coupon against the design targets. Generates pass/fail reports and statistical analysis (e.g., mean, standard deviation, Cp/Cpk) to assess process capability and consistency.

• Database & Traceability: Manages a database of test results linked to specific coupon IDs, batches, and PCB designs, providing a complete audit trail for quality assurance.

3. Integration with Polar Ecosystem

• Seamless Workflow with Si9000e: Uses the same layer stackup and impedance target data defined in Polar Si9000e to generate appropriate coupon structures.

• Direct Link to Manufacturing: Outputs are used by PCB fabricators to build the coupons and by quality teams to validate production.