Order PCBs: from a checked design to a PCBWay cart
Designing the board is most of the work, but the files still have to reach a board house. Cherry Blossom hands a checked board to PCBWay, which opens its own cart with the files already uploaded. You see PCBWay's quote and pay PCBWay.
Make a small soil moisture sensor board with an ATtiny85, a connector for a capacitive probe, a 3-pin header for power and data, and two mounting holes.
To order PCBs from Cherry Blossom, open Export, go to the Fabrication category and choose Order boards. Cherry Blossom builds the board's fabrication files on its server, uploads them to PCBWay with the board's size and layer count, and opens PCBWay's cart in a new tab. The quote, payment and order all happen on PCBWay. We take no payment for boards.
Before anything is sent, the order has to pass checks: the build must be current and the board must pass a design rule check (DRC). If either fails, the order is refused and you are told why.
It fits anyone who wants a checked board made without handling files by hand. If you prefer another board house, download the fabrication bundle instead and upload it wherever you like.
Where it fits
- You want a checked board made without handling files by hand.
- You want the files built from the current build, not an old export.
- You are happy to see PCBWay's quote and pay PCBWay directly.
- You want the BOM and pick-and-place sent along for assembly.
Where it doesn’t
- You want JLCPCB or a local fab. Download the bundle instead.
- You want your fab's own DRC rules run before ordering.
- You expect Cherry Blossom to take the payment. PCBWay does.
How it works
Finish the board
Describe it, let the agent build it, and fix anything the verification gate flags.
Choose Order boards
Open Export and pick Order boards in the Fabrication category. The build must be current and pass DRC, or you get a list of what to fix.
Review PCBWay's cart
A new tab opens on PCBWay with your files uploaded. If the upload fails, you can download the fabrication zip and upload it yourself.
Pay PCBWay
Check the options and the quote there, then order. The order and the payment are between you and PCBWay.
What does ordering a PCB involve?
A board house needs a set of files, not a design project. For the bare board that is the Gerbers, one file per copper, solder mask and silkscreen layer, plus a drill file. For assembly it also asks for a bill of materials (BOM) and a pick-and-place file that says where each part goes. You upload them, pick options such as quantity and thickness, and the fab quotes a price.
The risk is in the gap between the design and the files. Upload an old export, or a board with an unconnected pin, and you find out when the boards arrive. Cherry Blossom closes that gap by building the files from the current build and checking it first.
What files are sent, and what can you download?
Gerbers and drill file
In the PCBWay hand-offYes
Downloadable yourselfYes, alone or in the fabrication bundle
CSV BOM
In the PCBWay hand-offYes
Downloadable yourselfYes
Pick-and-place CSV
In the PCBWay hand-offYes
Downloadable yourselfYes
Board width, height and layer count
In the PCBWay hand-offSent with the upload so PCBWay can price it
Downloadable yourselfNot a file; it comes from the board outline
Editable KiCad project
In the PCBWay hand-offNo
Downloadable yourselfYes
| File | In the PCBWay hand-off | Downloadable yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Gerbers and drill file | Yes | Yes, alone or in the fabrication bundle |
| CSV BOM | Yes | Yes |
| Pick-and-place CSV | Yes | Yes |
| Board width, height and layer count | Sent with the upload so PCBWay can price it | Not a file; it comes from the board outline |
| Editable KiCad project | No | Yes |
The download keeps the Gerbers in a gerber/ folder, with the BOM and pick-and-place beside it. The copy sent to PCBWay has the same files without the folder, because that is the layout PCBWay's uploader reads.
When is another way to order better?
The hand-off goes to PCBWay only. If you want JLCPCB or a local fab, download the fabrication bundle and upload it to them; it holds the files board houses ask for. Our guide to AI PCB prototyping tools covers the ordering stage and the fabs in more detail.
If you want to run your fab's own DRC rules before ordering, export the KiCad project, load the fab's rules into KiCad's DRC, and plot the Gerbers there. See our design check page for what Cherry Blossom checks and what it leaves to you.
What does it cost?
Boards are priced and paid on PCBWay; Cherry Blossom takes no payment for them. The design side is the subscription. Pro is $20 a month with 4M AI credits and 600 AI actions a day. Ultra is $140 a month with 32M credits and the frontier models. Usage past the allowance is $5 per 1M credits, only if you turn it on. The AI is included, with no API key and no per-seat licence.
The honest limits. Cherry Blossom is an early beta. You change a board by asking the agent, not by dragging traces yourself, so fine manual layout happens after a KiCad export. It is not a circuit simulator, it has no real-time multi-user editing, and it is not built for high-speed or RF sign-off.
Questions
To order PCBs from an AI-generated design in Cherry Blossom, open Export, go to the Fabrication category and choose Order boards. Cherry Blossom first checks that the board has a current build and passes a design rule check. If it does, it builds the Gerbers, drill file, BOM and pick-and-place file on its server, uploads them to PCBWay with the board's size and layer count, and opens PCBWay's cart in a new tab. You see PCBWay's own quote there and pay PCBWay directly; Cherry Blossom takes no payment for boards. If a check fails, the order is refused and the problems are listed, so you can ask the agent to fix them. If the upload to PCBWay fails, you can download the same fabrication zip and upload it yourself, to PCBWay or to any other board house.
No. The quote and the payment are both on PCBWay. Cherry Blossom's subscription covers the design work and the AI.
Yes, by downloading the fabrication bundle and uploading it yourself. The one-click hand-off only goes to PCBWay.
Usually because the build is older than the board's current files, or the board failed DRC. The refusal says which, and lists the failed checks. Ask the agent to rebuild or fix them, then try again.
The upload includes the BOM and pick-and-place file that assembly needs. What PCBWay offers for assembly, and what it costs, is up to PCBWay, so check the options in their cart.
Other use cases
Describe your board. See what comes back.
Schematic, layout and a verification gate, in the browser. Exports to Gerbers and KiCad.
