For example, the pitch between landing pads may not be compatible with standard trace widths, and you’ll need to modify this setting in your design software if you intend to use these non-compliant components. Thankfully, the best PCB design software packages have the CAD tools that allow you to work with these components, so long as you apply some simple design strategies. Not all components are designed with IPC compliant footprints. Creating a Component With an IPC Compliant Footprint This guide will look at how to use the footprint generator for a for a custom CQFP package. This generator tool automatically performs all the mathematics required to create a footprint that is compliant with IPC standards. To help speed up the footprint creation process, Altium Designer now includes a footprint generator that is compliant with IPC standards. In addition, unless you have the general footprint requirements memorized, you're probably reading dimensions off a datasheet for each component when creating a footprint. Footprints used in IPC-compliant component packaging need to have a significant amount of information and it can be time consuming to place all of this into a library for every component.

The IPC 7350 series of standards (specifically, IPC 7351B) specifies generic physical design parameters of land patterns for surface-mount components. It’s all about increasing productivity and ensuring your devices will work as you intended. Standards are important because they tell desingers and manufacturers what to expect from certain component packages, and they give designers assurance that the components they select can be reused across their designs. Industry standards have been a boon for designers and the electronics industry.

Altium designer footprint