Trace can submit a reviewed design to supported manufacturing partners. “One-click” does not remove file review, manufacturer review, assembly choices, payment, or confirmation. Quotes and production dates are not guaranteed to be immediate.
Before You Start
Save the intended board and schematic, select the fitted variant, resolve required DRC/ERC findings, and inspect fabrication and assembly exports. Have the actual stackup, quantity, process requirements, and shipping details ready.
Do not submit merely because an automated review reports no findings. Confirm package/pin mapping, board geometry, BOM, positions, and manufacturer acceptance.
Two Ways to Order
Send to Manufacturer Dialog
Open Send to Manufacturer from the native PCB toolbar, or its available Full-interface action. Select the partner, review board facts and order choices, then use Generate Production Files. Inspect the files reported by that generation before Send.
AI-Driven Flow
Ask for a bounded task, such as “Prepare a PCBWay quote for this saved board; fabrication only. Show the parameters and files before submission.”
Review each actual request and confirmation. A chat description of an order or quote is not evidence that the partner accepted it, and a review request is not permission to submit or pay.
Supported Manufacturers
Compatible native controls include PCBWay and Pikkolo Assembly. Confirm the currently offered service, board size/layers, special processes, assembly sourcing, destination, and lead time with the selected partner. Do not infer a service commitment from a dropdown or preset.
The Send Flow
- Select the intended manufacturer and check the matching DRC preset.
- Run DRC and inspect required findings against the intended fabrication and assembly requirements.
- Open Send to Manufacturer and use Auto-Fill from Board where available.
- Verify measured board facts, quantity, finish/material choices, via process, shipping, and assembly scope.
- Click Generate Production Files and wait for its result. Read the log and open the generated Gerber/drill ZIP, position CSV, and BOM CSV/JSON as applicable. Check the actual files selected for submission, including fitted references, quantities, part numbers, positions, rotation, side, and origin. Regenerate and recheck after changing the design.
- Only after that file review, click Send and review the confirmation: PCBWay fabrication-only versus assembly, or Pikkolo assembly with any fabrication option. Cancel if the scope is wrong.
- Wait for an explicit submission outcome. Review the quote/freight and payment path separately, confirm payment/order acceptance, and retain the submitted files and quote.
AI-Assisted Order Autofill
Native autofill measures the live board first: dimensions, layer count, thickness, relevant minimum trace/hole features, and copper weight. Check those values against the saved board and intended stackup.
AI assistance can suggest order choices such as quantity, finish, material, mask, or extras; it should not replace measured dimensions, layers, or copper facts with guesses. If a measured field is wrong, correct the board/settings or investigate the measurement before sending.
Autofill is not a quote, manufacturer approval, or automatic purchase. Inspect its log and all applicable form fields.
Order Lifecycle
Submission, manufacturer review, quote, freight, payment, production, and shipping are separate stages. Partner-specific steps and delays vary; read the actual order state and last update.
Requesting cancellation is not completed cancellation. Treat the order as cancelled only after explicit success is confirmed. A failed or uncertain cancellation can leave an active partner order. After payment or production begins, contact the manufacturer/Trace support for available options rather than assuming self-service cancellation.
Update Files Before Payment
Use the supported file-update action on the existing Trace order when its current pre-payment state permits it. Review the replacement ZIP and include required supplementary/assembly files in the actual submission.
For PCBWay, this flow cancels the previous partner cart order and submits replacement files while retaining the same Trace order. If cancellation fails, the original can remain active. If cancellation succeeds but replacement submission fails, the previous cart order is cancelled and the replacement is not confirmed; resolve that failed update with support.
Do not create a second Trace order to work around an uncertain response. Check the original order and outcome first.
Viewing Your Orders
Use the available orders view or dashboard. Check the manufacturer, project, submitted files, quote/payment status, last update, and tracking where supplied. A stale or unavailable status is not proof that production stopped.
DRC Presets and Fab-Specific Rules
Manufacturer presets encode selected rules, not complete process acceptance. Save any custom rules before replacing them, check the active Rules Preset, and run DRC after selection.
Manufacturer DRC Presets
Compatible PCBWay selection depends on board layer count and copper weight; Pikkolo uses the available standard preset. Default (no manufacturer) returns to baseline board/net-class rules rather than retaining the prior manufacturer preset.
See DRC Import for import, custom rules, and failure handling.
Pikkolo-Specific Notes
The native Pikkolo flow is assembly-oriented. Review whether fabrication is included, how bare boards/parts are supplied, double-sided assembly, and the partner's current process/lead-time limits. Do not infer expedited delivery or special-process support from older documentation.
Uncertain Submissions
After an uncertain submission, payment, cancellation, or update, inspect the original order before retrying. Do not assume all partner operations deduplicate automatically or that a lost response means nothing happened.
Limitations
- Quoting, payment, cancellation, and file updates depend on the partner and current order state.
- Partner-account payment, if offered, requires the applicable account/agreement; use only a payment path you are entitled to use.
- A native order flow is not supported merely because a companion can export fabrication files.
- Retain submitted files and records locally; do not rely on an unverified storage-retention period.
- DRC and export success do not establish assembled-board function or manufacturing approval.
Related
For Manufacturers
For a manufacturing partnership inquiry, email hello@buildwithtrace.com.