The Shaughnessy Report: Breaking Down the Language Barrier
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Routing, Final Fab, and QC
Target Condition: ‘Boomer to Zoomer: Do You Copy?’
EDA Tools and the Designer of the Future
January 28, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
We’re seeing new, young technologists moving into the PCB design and design engineering segment, and it’s just in time; many veteran designers are headed to retirement.
At the same time, there have been various recent advances in EDA tools. What will the PCB designer’s job—and the designer’s software tools—look like in the next five years?
Bob Potock, vice president of marketing for Zuken USA, weighs in on the PCB designers of tomorrow, and the EDA tools that will take them into an evermore complex future.
Andy Shaughnessy: I imagine Zuken has a “profile” of its typical user. How do you see this their job and its requirements evolving over the next few years?
Bob Potock: At Zuken, we believe that the PCB design and layout market is evolving. Today’s tools are mature, powerful, and easy to use. However, what's changing in the design process is how the tools are used and by whom. The standard hand-off from the design engineer to the PCB layout designer is becoming a thing of the past. A board with average complexity is more commonly designed, placed, and routed by the same individual: the hardware engineer. The modern hardware engineer will be an electrical engineer who can learn how to do PCB layout on the job. Moderately complex board designs now and in the future will see the traditional PCB layout function moving to the hardware engineer.
The high-complexity PCB market is different. The tools are more powerful, and the designs have more critical requirements. IC packaging may become part of the PCB layout activity at this complexity level. The traditional design engineer hand-off to the PCB layout designer may still exist. However, this modern PCB layout designer is an electrical engineer with training in power integrity, signal integrity, manufacturing, and IC packaging.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
MicroCraft to Unveil Three New Models at IPC APEX EXPO 2025
03/12/2025 | MicroCraftMicroCraft, a global leader in PCB testing and precision inkjet printing solutions, is set to showcase three cutting-edge models at IPC APEX EXPO 2025 at the Anaheim Convention Center March 18-20 in booth #4105. Each model represents the latest advancements in speed, accuracy, and automation across MicroCraft’s three product lines.
Ventec International Group Announce Launch of VT-47LT IPC410/126 Prepreg for HDI
03/12/2025 | Ventec International GroupVentec International Group announce launch of VT-47LT IPC4101 / 126 Prepreg. Are Microvia Failures Plaguing Your HDI Any Layer Designs? High-density interconnect (HDI) designs are pushing the envelope - higher layer count HDI relies on complex microvia designs: skip vias, staggered microvias, and stacked microvias in sequential laminations.
TCT Circuit Supply and Electra Polymers Announce New Strategic Partnership
03/12/2025 | Electra Polymers LtdTCT Circuit Supply (TCS) is excited to announce a new strategic partnership with Electra Polymers, a global leader in advanced specialty polymer products
INEMI Sessions at IPC APEX EXPO Focus is on Board Assembly and PCB & Laminates
03/12/2025 | iNEMIIf you plan to attend the upcoming IPC APEX EXPO in Anaheim, California, be sure to add the INEMI sessions to your calendar. We will have two forward-looking sessions — one on PCB and Laminates and the other on Board Assembly.
Global Sourcing Spotlight: How Global Sourcing Drives Innovation
03/12/2025 | Bob Duke -- Column: Global Sourcing SpotlightSomeone once told me the more you meet and work with people, the more you’ll learn and, most importantly, the more it will spur more innovation. Innovation is, of course, the lifeblood of success. Companies constantly seek ways to stay ahead, remain competitive, and deliver value to their customers.