Trying to create JLC PCBs

[TemporarilyOffline]

When I uploaded the centroid file, the positions seem to be off and several of the components are oriented wrong.

JLC gives me the error: "The system detects component that may be offset from PCB, does it try to automatically align it"

Any ideas on a fix? The parts from the BOM show up about 4 inches off the PCB and the auto-align isn't helping.

[slintak]

This is, in my experience, quite normal with JLCPCB and KiCad.

Placement position and rotation are corrected manually by the JLCPCB technician. When you submit the order, choose “Confirm production files.” Once a technician reviews the Gerbers, BOM, and centroid data and fixes any offsets or rotations manually, they will notify you and you can review the result and confirm that everything is correct. Only then will they proceed. If anything is unclear or incorrect, they will contact you with additional questions.

I’ve seen the online editor report components being offset (sometimes by several mm or even cm) or rotated incorrectly many times. Auto-align usually doesn’t help much, but the technician has always been able to fix it correctly. After their correction, the DFM view looks exactly as expected and the assembled boards come out fine.

So in short:

• Don’t panic about the online editor offsets
• Select “Confirm production files”
• Carefully review the placement after a technician processes it
• Approve only once everything looks right

That’s how I handle all my JLCPCB assembly orders.

Note: If anyone knows why JLCPCB sometimes shows KiCad-generated Gerber + POS data offset from the PCB origin (despite correct footprints and origins), I’d be very happy to understand the problem and fix it properly upstream.