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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.
Suggested Items
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.
Trouble in Your Tank: Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper
05/09/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the business of printed circuit fabrication, yield-reducing and costly defects can easily catch even the most seasoned engineers and production personnel off guard. In this month’s column, I’ll investigate copper plating voids with their genesis in the pre-plating process steps.
Elephantech: For a Greener Tomorrow
04/16/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineNobuhiko Okamoto is the global sales and marketing manager for Elephantech Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make electronics more sustainable. The company is developing a metal inkjet technology that can print directly on the substrate and then give it a copper thickness by plating. In this interview, he discusses this novel technology's environmental advantages, as well as its potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging segments.
Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
04/15/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankThere are numerous factors at play in the science of electroplating or, as most often called, electrolytic plating. One critical element is the use of organic addition agents and their role in copper plating. The function and use of these chemical compounds will be explored in more detail.
IDTechEx Highlights Recyclable Materials for PCBs
04/10/2025 | IDTechExConventional printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing is wasteful, harmful to the environment and energy intensive. This can be mitigated by the implementation of new recyclable materials and technologies, which have the potential to revolutionize electronics manufacturing.