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Current IssueProper Floor Planning
Floor planning decisions can make or break performance, manufacturability, and timelines. This month’s contributors weigh in with their best practices for proper floor planning and specific strategies to get it right.
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A strong design constraint strategy carefully balances a wide range of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we explore the key requirements, common challenges, and best practices behind building an effective constraint strategy.
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Most designers favor manual routing, but today's interactive autorouters may be changing designers' minds by allowing users more direct control. In this issue, our expert contributors discuss a variety of manual and autorouting strategies.
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Freedom CAD Celebrates 15th Anniversary
May 15, 2018 | Freedom CADEstimated reading time: 1 minute
May 16, 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of Freedom CAD Services. Freedom CAD was founded on this day by Lou and Lauren Primmer, pioneers in the PCB CAD industry. They launched Freedom CAD when Plexus decided to divest the Nashua, NH design center in 2003.
The Primmers formed Freedom CAD with 11 other ex-Plexus employees to service a number of long time regional customers. Since then, Freedom CAD has grown to become one of the largest independent design services companies in North America.
Over the past 15 years they have more than tripled their staff of topnotch designers and now have designers working across the US. In addition to supporting Cadence Allegro, Mentor’s Xpedition and PADS and Altium PCB CAD tools, Freedom CAD also provides PCB electrical and mechanical engineering services, signal and power integrity analysis and prototype fulfillment services.
“In 2003, we had a vision to create the highest quality independent printed circuit board design service company in the country,” said Lou Primmer. “We believed we could leverage our ‘structured, large corporation’ experience and create a nimble, privately held company. I’m pleased to say that we were successful at accomplishing this and the fact that we are ITAR-registered and ISO9001-certified, both of which require structure and process control, are indicators of this accomplishment. And during this time we have leveraged this structure and nimbleness to expand our customer base from regional to national and include many of the Fortune 100 Electronics OEMs. I’m proud to see the vision become a reality and look forward to the next 15 years!”
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Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Global PCB Connections: Understanding the General Fabrication Process—A Designer’s Hidden Advantage
08/14/2025 | Markus Voeltz -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsDesigners don’t need to become fabricators, but understanding the basics of PCB fabrication can save you time, money, and frustration. The more you understand what’s happening on the shop floor, the better you’ll be able to prevent downstream issues. As you move into more advanced designs like HDI, flex circuits, stacked vias, and embedded components, this foundational knowledge becomes even more critical. Remember: the fabricator is your partner.
The Art and Science of PCB Floor Planning: A Comprehensive Guide
08/14/2025 | Cory Grunwald and Jeff Reinhold, Monsoon SolutionsPCB design is an intricate and crucial part of developing electronic products. One of the foundational stages of PCB design is floor planning, a phase where the placement of components and the flow of signals are meticulously mapped out. A good floor plan ensures that the PCB performs well, is easy to manufacture, and meets all mechanical and electrical requirements. We’ll explore the essential aspects of floor planning, from its objectives and process to the challenges that designers face.
EnSilica Establishes New EU Mixed-Signal Design Centre in Budapest, Hungary
08/12/2025 | EnSilicaThe facility strengthens EnSilica’s presence in the European Union and taps into Budapest’s deep technology ecosystem, which hosts numerous leading automotive and industrial multinationals. This expansion will increase the Group’s global headcount to around 210 employees.
Happy’s Tech Talk #41: Sustainability and Circularity for Electronics Manufacturing
08/13/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkI attended INEMI’s June 12 online seminar, “Sustainable Electronics Tech Topic Series: PCBs and Sustainability.” Dr. Maarten Cauwe of imec spoke on “Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Models for Assessing and Improving the Environmental Impact of PCB Assemblies,” and Jack Herring of Jiva Materials Ltd. spoke on “Transforming Electronics with Recyclable PCB Technology.” This column will review information and provide analysis from both presentations.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
08/13/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonIn November 2022, I wrote a column called "Is Your Bathroom in the Kitchen?" This piece related a bizarre real estate listing that emerged out of St. Louis that had architects scratching their heads and interior designers cringing. Nestled in the historic Central West End sat a 200-square-foot apartment that completely defied logic. It wasn't the size that raised eyebrows, it was the layout. Here's the kicker: While that's rare in real estate, it's shockingly common in PCB design.