Tom Hausherr Discusses PCB Libraries’ BOM Builder Service

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

Hausherr: In Library Expert Pro, the user has complete control over all the colors for the body, terminal lead and polarity marker color. For example, a BGA is constructed with different materials like FR-4 and then a mold compound cap. The FR-4 color is green and the cap is black. Then you have tin-lead balls. The user has complete control. You can even color pin 1 a different color from all the other pins. Again, these color preferences get automatically applied, and can be modified to rebuild entire libraries of not just footprints, but modified 3D models.

Dack: That is valuable in the manufacturing realm as we move to paperless systems or we move to manufacturing documentation data. Color adds another dimension for assembly and inspection purposes, right?

Hausherr: Yes. In Library Expert Pro, the default colors are stored in the preferences menu and the user has complete 100% control over all the colors at the individual component level. These custom color assignments are stored in the neutral FPX file. You can have 100 capacitors in your library and they could all be different colors.

Dack: Interesting. The next issue we were going to discuss was around LEAP. Why don't you explain that?

Hausherr: LEAP stands for Libraries Enhanced with Automated Preferences. The preferences are a software feature that I was speaking of earlier, where the user selects the specific pad shape they want for each component family. They can select an oblong pad shape for quad flat pack or a rectangle pad shape for SOIC. The preferences are when you take your component dimensions on one side, you push it through your preferences, and out pops your customized land pattern and 3D step model with your own personal colors and your own personal polarity markings. Some designers want legend outlines and some designers don't. Some designers want special rules like "I want silkscreen legend on my big parts, but I don't want it on my small parts." We can control everything through your preferences.

Dack: Your target audience is anyone involved in PCB design and engineering?

Hausherr: Yes, because engineers are the next generation of PCB designers and they don't like building library parts. Today, no one needs to take the time to learn how to build CAD library parts. PCB Libraries offers Parts on Demand, which is a free service. Library Expert Pro coupled with POD is an engineer’s dream for fast, accurate PCB library parts. The key words here are free and fast.

BOM fulfillment will soon include schematic symbols, unique footprint patterns and highly customized 3D STEP models. Users will be able to open all three library pieces in the same viewing screen and cross probe and validate accuracy.

Dack: Excellent. Has this product been released?

Hausherr: Yes, we’re taking in and processing BOMs every day. We're constantly tuning up the process, getting it ready to process hundreds of BOMs a day. I call it “Acceleration of Electronic Product Development.” The future looks very bright.

Dack: What’s the future of PCB Libraries?

Hausherr: I can see a day coming where companies no longer maintain a central CAD library. Once we have 50 million part numbers on Parts on Demand server, which is coming soon, Library Expert Pro users will compare their BOM against the master cloud database and pull down all the necessary component dimensions or mfr. recommended patterns for a specific PCB layout. Any new parts will be instantly created and added to the master database. Then the user will create a set of preference rules for that specific PCB design and automatically create a custom CAD library with 3D STEP models that is unique for that specific PCB layout. This entire process could be completed in minutes. The rule file will be archived with the finished design data for any future revisions that require new library parts to be created with the same rules.

Dack: I'm sure people will be able to look for more information on the PCB libraries website.

Hausherr: Anyone can go to www.pcblibraries.com and download Library Expert Lite for free and no registration is required. It supports 23 CAD tools and 144 standard component families. There are currently over 100,000 Library Expert Lite users with hundreds of new users every week. Library Expert Lite is the most popular CAD library tool in the global electronics industry and everyone gets free regular updates with new features and component families. There are 70 educational videos on the website, so everyone can watch and see the future technology today.

Dack: Very good. Thank you, Tom.

Hausherr: You’re welcome, Kelly.

• < Previous Page