Target Condition: Are Autorouters Friend or Foe?
Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
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
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Connect the Dots: The Future of PCB Design and Manufacturing
07/02/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsFor some time, I have been discussing the increasing complexity of PCBs and how designers can address the constantly evolving design requirements associated with them. My book, "The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality," details best practices for creating manufacturable boards in a modern production environment.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?