Global PCB Connections: A Field Engineer’s Perspective on the Top 10 Trends to Watch
Target Condition: Designing vs. Inventing
Dana on Data: The Missing AI-NPI Link
RS Components Launches Professional Upgrade to Free PCB Design Tool in N.A.
October 31, 2019 | GlobeNewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In conjunction with the official launch of its DesignSpark online engineering and design community in North America, RS Components (RS), a global multi-channel provider of industrial and electronic products and solutions, is debuting DesignSpark PCB Pro, a professional-level upgrade to its already popular free online PCB design tool, DesignSpark PCB.
DesignSpark PCB is an award-winning, free-to-use electronic computer-assisted design (ECAD) rapid prototyping tool offering workflow integration; unlimited schematic size, sheets, nodes, pads and connections; part library integration; unrestricted Gerber and ODB++ file output; multi-format bill of material generation; and compatibility with all other DesignSpark CAD systems.
In addition to the features available in the free tool, DesignSpark PCB Pro is specifically designed to bridge the gap between existing complex, high-cost, PCB design software and low-end, unsupported open-source tools for professional design engineers. The software provides an upgraded design suite, along with a wealth of productivity features to accelerate and enhance the design process, including blind and buried vias, extensive copper pour rules, hierarchical blocks, net class-level spacing rules, and manufacturability checks. An upgraded autorouter optimizes the efficiency of the board layout, while enhanced library support allows import of the latest symbols, footprints and 3D models. DesignSpark PCB Pro is now available for users in North America for just $449 for a perpetual license.
"With the addition of DesignSpark PCB Pro, RS Components is excited to add yet another cost-effective, easy-to-use professional tool to the resources available through our 850,000 member-strong DesignSpark online engineering community," said Cameron Ward, senior vice president of RS Components. "We remain committed to finding new ways to enable and partner with electronics designers, engineers and buyers across the entire product lifecycle."
Both DesignSpark PCB and DesignSpark PCB Pro are part of the suite of tools and resources available through DesignSpark, RS Components' free online engineering community that joins together more than 100,000 active members in North America, and more than 850,000 globally to solve companies' toughest engineering design challenges. The fast-growing platform, which added almost 130,000 worldwide users in 2019, provides resources, connections, tools and online purchasing for engineers throughout the product lifecycle.
Find out how RS Components can help make your technology vision a reality by joining the DesignSpark community, and by connecting with them on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025:Tariffs and Supply Chains in US Electronics Manufacturing
04/01/2025 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOChris Mitchell, VP of Global Government Relations for IPC, discusses IPC's concerns about tariffs on copper and their impact on U.S. electronics manufacturing. He emphasizes the complexity of supply chains and the need for policymakers to understand their effects.
The Chemical Connection: Surface Finishes for PCBs
03/31/2025 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionWriting about surface finishes brings a feeling of nostalgia. You see, one of my first jobs in the industry was providing technical support for surface cleaning processes and finishes to enhance dry film adhesion to copper surfaces. I’d like to take this opportunity to revisit the basics, indulge in my nostalgia, and perhaps provide some insight into why we do things the way we do them in the here and now.
NUS Physicists Discover a Copper-free High-temperature Superconducting Oxide
03/28/2025 | PRNewswireProfessor Ariando and Dr Stephen Lin Er Chow from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Physics have designed and synthesised a groundbreaking new material—a copper-free superconducting oxide—capable of superconducting at approximately 40 Kelvin (K), or about minus 233 degrees Celsius (deg C), under ambient pressure.
AT&S Sets New Standards in the Recycling of Copper and Chemicals
03/25/2025 | AT&SAT&S has been working for years to reduce the ecological footprint of its production sites worldwide with a comprehensive sustainability strategy and considerable investments.
Empowering the Future of Advanced Computing and Connectivity: DuPont Unveils Innovative Advanced Circuit Materials in Shanghai
03/24/2025 | DuPontDuPont will showcase how we are shaping the next generation of electronics at the International Electronic Circuits (Shanghai) Exhibition 2025.