Reviewing Teardrops After They Are Added to PCB Copper

Teardrops add copper where a trace meets a pad, via, or another trace. They can support a manufacturing objective, but they also change the physical layout. A global teardrop command should therefore be followed by a review of the resulting geometry rather than treated as a harmless final formatting step.

Define the purpose and scope

Altium’s CAM tool documentation describes adding teardrops at selected pads to address drill-breakout concerns. The resulting geometry depends on the chosen method and settings. A teardrop is not a substitute for meeting the agreed hole, land, and registration requirements.

Identify which feature types need the treatment and any regions where it should be excluded or reviewed specially. Record the selected shape parameters and whether the copper is generated in the PCB source or edited later in CAM. That location matters for keeping future revisions consistent.

Inspect limiting geometries

• Check close pad-to-track and via-to-track clearances.
• Review fine-pitch escapes and dense differential routing.
• Inspect acute junctions and traces entering pads at unusual angles.
• Check nearby copper zones and their updated fill.
• Review solder-mask interaction where added copper approaches an opening.

For example, a taper that fits comfortably on an open area can approach an adjacent net in a dense escape pattern. The global operation may need a different local result or an exclusion. Do not accept the feature merely because most instances look satisfactory.

Keep the source and outputs aligned

Run the relevant clearance checks after the geometry is added. Refill affected zones and inspect the exported copper. If a fabricator proposes adding teardrops in CAM, review annotated changes and establish how they will be preserved or repeated for later orders.

A subsequent trace edit can leave an old generated shape inconsistent with the intended connection, depending on the CAD workflow. Confirm the tool’s update behavior and regenerate or inspect affected features after routing changes.

Release the approved scope, parameters, and manufacturing images with the board revision. Keep supplier-specific edits documented rather than allowing an unrecorded difference between the design archive and the boards being produced.

The useful outcome is added copper that serves its intended manufacturing purpose while preserving electrical clearances and the reviewed routing structure. It does not justify reducing other fabrication margins or bypassing normal DRC. Treat teardrops as part of the copper design, with the same need for controlled changes and output verification as any other shape on the board.

Retain a few representative dense-area views in the release review so future parameter changes can be compared quickly.