Beyond Design: AI-driven Inverse Stackup Optimization
Global PCB Connections: Following DFM Rules Leads to Better Boards
Elementary Mr. Watson: How to Reinvent Your Professional Journey
PCB Design, Digital Twin, and Digital Transformation
August 31, 2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
There’s been a lot of talk lately about digital twin and its use in PCB fabrication and assembly. Manufacturers have been quick to get onboard the digital twin train.
But what about PCB designers and design engineers? Can the front-end folks benefit from digital twin? We asked David Wiens, Xpedition product manager for Siemens Digital Industries Software, to weigh in on this topic. He’s been involved with digital twin for years, and he explained what digital twin can potentially offer to PCB design, and why he believes designers have been using digital twin for decades, whether they realize it or not.
Andy Shaughnessy: David, let’s start by sharing your thoughts on PCB designers and digital twin. What exactly is a digital twin?
David Wiens: Designers have always been working with twins of what is manufactured. You know, even designers working with mylar tape had a twin; it was just a physical twin. Since then, we've moved to digital twins and steadily increased the fidelity of that twin. Originally, it was just digitizing, and there was no intelligence. I came all the way from Intergraph, and we started with a mechanical design system. We were digitizing artwork in a mechanical environment, and it didn't have much electrical intelligence. Now, there is a lot of intelligence that comes along with the digital twin, and that enables the engineering team to make much smarter decisions. We wrote a series of columns on digital transformation for Design007 Magazine that ended December of last year.
If you think of a digital twin at the highest level, it's the entire system. A digital twin of an airplane represents the entire airplane, but it also represents all the bits inside, including the electronics, the cabling, and everything else that connects it. A digital twin of a system represents a hierarchy of smaller digital twins. If you want to build a real digital twin, you have to build a digital twin of the environment for that aircraft as well.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the August 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
SP Manufacturing Expands with New Malaysia Plant, Acquires Ideal Jacobs
12/26/2024 | PRNewswireSP Manufacturing (SPM), a leader in Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS), is strengthening its global presence with two major moves: opening a new manufacturing facility in Senai, Malaysia, and successfully acquiring Ideal Jacobs Corporation.
Robosys, ACUA Ocean + OREC Secure Funding For Collaborative Autonomy Project
12/25/2024 | RobosysAdvanced maritime autonomy developer, Robosys Automation, supported by USV manufacturer, ACUA Ocean, and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (OREC), have jointly secured grant funding through Innovate UK.
IPC Announces New Training Course: PCB Design for Military & Aerospace Applications
12/23/2024 | IPCIPC announced the launch of a new training course: PCB Design for Military & Aerospace Applications.
Effects of Advanced Packaging and Stackup Design
12/26/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamKris Moyer teaches several PCB design classes for IPC and Sacramento State, including advanced PCB design. His advanced design classes take on some really interesting topics, including the impact of a designer’s choice of advanced packaging upon the design of the layer stackup. Kris shares his thoughts on the relationship between packaging and stackup, what PCB designers need to know, and why he believes, “The rules we used to live by are no longer valid.”
Beyond Design: AI-driven Inverse Stackup Optimization
12/26/2024 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignArtificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we conceptualize and design everything from satellites to PCBs. Traditionally, stackup planning is a manual process that can be multifaceted and relies heavily on the designer's expertise. Despite having best practices and various field solvers to optimize parameters, stackup planning remains challenging for complex designs with advanced packaging, several layers, multiple power pours, and controlled impedance requirements.