Advanced PCB and IC technologies have to be matched with advanced design and analysis tools if companies are going to produce board designs that are right first time, on time.

Clive ‘Max’ Maxfield reviews how the evolution of board design is driving a tighter integration with production’s demands The good old days Board design has changed a lot since I started working in electronics. My first job in 1980 was on a team designing CPUs for mainframe computers. My employer fit the traditional OEM model [...]

The successful completion of complex PCB layouts requires a combination of highly skilled and experienced layout designers, a structured front-to-back design process, and advanced EDA toolsets. Success can be defined as meeting or exceeding all electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing requirements, and, where an external PCB design center is involved, satisfying the client in all interactions [...]

What do we mean by a ‘left shift’ in design for manufacturing (DFM) analysis? Think of it as moving the DFM analysis from a tool run by the manufacturer into an integrated solution within the printed circuit board (PCB) design system. It is a major advance in the design of PCBs, allowing users to ultimately [...]