Gerber Solder Paste Layer to Solder Stencil Converter

A Go tool to convert Gerber files (specifically solder paste layers) into 3D printable STL stencils.

Features

• Parses standard RS-274X Gerber files.
• Supports standard apertures (Circle, Rectangle, Obround).
• Supports Aperture Macros (AM) with rotation (e.g., rounded rectangles).
• Automatically crops the output to the PCB bounds.
• Generates a 3D STL mesh optimized for 3D printing.

Usage

Run the tool using go run:

go run main.go gerber.go [options] <path_to_gerber_file>

Options

• --height: Stencil height in mm (default: 0.2mm).
• --wall-height: Wall height mm (default: 2.0mm).
• --wall-thickness: Wall thickness in mm (default: 1mm).
• --keep-png: Save the intermediate PNG image used for mesh generation (useful for debugging).

Example

go run main.go gerber.go -height=0.25 -keep-png my_board_paste_top.gbr

This will generate my_board_paste_top.stl in the same directory.

How it Works

1. Parsing: The tool reads the Gerber file and interprets the drawing commands (flashes and draws).
2. Rendering: It renders the PCB layer into a high-resolution internal image.
3. Meshing: It converts the image into a 3D mesh using a run-length encoding approach to optimize the triangle count.
4. Export: The mesh is saved as a binary STL file.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.