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
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
IPC White Paper Emphasizes the Critical Importance of ‘Design for Excellence’ Throughout the Full Ecosystem of Electronics Design
June 27, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
A new white paper from IPC’s Chief Technologist (CTC) and Design Leadership (DLC) Councils, Better Electronics by Design: Next Generation Design Needs explores the elements of the “Design for Excellence” methodology, re-thinking how it needs to be further defined and applied in the full ecosystem of electronics design.
In addition, the whitepaper provides a high-level exploration of the full “silicon-to-systems” ecosystem, examines the justification and implications of an Authoritative Source of Truth (ASOT), discusses the need for synergy between building blocks of electronic systems, and takes a deep dive into the subject of design rules and “design for manufacturability.”
Key messages within the white paper include:
- Electronic systems are increasingly complex and heterogeneous.
- Facilitation of an Authoritative Source of Truth (ASOT) is mandatory to ensure consistency, efficiency, and traceability.
- The industry needs a more robust and interoperable toolset to support greater silicon-to-systems collaboration.
- Diverse electronic and mechanical CAD systems must gain interoperability by including proper model-based definitions (MBD) and collaborative software to cover both disciplines.
- A shift towards true digital collaboration and automation and an early consideration of manufacturing capabilities across the development process is essential to master increasing time-to-market and complexity challenges.
“Creating better electronics by design is a common, collective goal of the electronics industry,” said Peter Tranitz, IPC senior director, technology solutions, and leader of IPC’s design initiative “To achieve this, an ASOT should be established and protocols,
standardized. To leverage the associated benefits, a culture of real digital collaboration, transparency, and accountability needs to be established. Tools need to support bi-directional, incremental exchange of information. And, design rules need to be broken down to the relevant stages of the design workflow and checks need to be performed after every stage of the design process to drive the concept of ‘shift left.’ For effective Design for Manufacturability execution, manufacturers need to provide clear guidance on manufacturing capabilities and constraints to designers.”
Download the report: https://go.ipc.org/next-gen-design.
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.
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?
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
06/18/2025 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe traditional PCB design process is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Routing a complex PCB layout can consume up to 30% of a designer’s time, and addressing this issue is not straightforward. We have all encountered this scenario: You spend hours setting the constraints and finally hit the Go button, only to be surprised by the lack of visual appeal and the obvious flaws in the result.