Panelize 3 different RF PCBs in one single panel
Hi! I’m trying to panelize 3 different RF PCBs in KiCad 10 on macOS.
The three boards are evaluation boards for an RF switching system based on RF switches. I am currently evaluating two different switch models (A and B), and I designed three variants:
- PCB1: contains two type-A switches plus an additional standalone test section to characterize a single A switch independently.
- PCB2: contains two type-B switches plus an additional standalone test section to characterize a single B switch independently.
- PCB3: contains a combination of both switch types (A + B). This version does not include the standalone test section, but its mechanical outline was extended so all three boards share exactly the same dimensions.
All three PCBs:
- have the same dimensions
- use the same stackup/substrate
- have the same thickness
- use the same edge-mounted SMA connectors
- operate in the same RF frequency range
I already imported all three into a single .kicad_pcb using Append Board, aligned them vertically (1 column × 3 rows), and fixed duplicated net/reference conflicts.
My goal is to:
- manufacture the 3 boards as a single panel (or even 6 units if the manufacturer allows it)
- assemble them while still panelized
- manually depanelize them afterwards
My main question is what would be the recommended workflow in KiCad for this kind of setup.
For example:
- Should I keep the original Edge.Cuts of each PCB separated?
- Should I use KiKit even if the boards are all different?
- What would be the best strategy for panelizing RF boards with edge-mounted SMA connectors?
Also, is there any good tutorial, documentation, example project, or recommended workflow for panelizing multiple different PCBs in KiCad? Most tutorials I find only explain how to replicate the same PCB multiple times.
Thanks in advance!
EDIT (adding images):
