Impact of the Altium-Ansys Partnership on PCB Design

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

There’s a saying in electronics hardware design: “There are two types of electronics designers: those who have signal integrity problems and those who will.” This adage emphasizes the inevitability of encountering and the need to address signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) issues.

It has often been used as a clever yet prophetic sales and marketing tactic by software vendors at a time when electronic products were rapidly evolving, becoming higher-performing and increasingly complex, integrating a multitude of functions into ever-smaller form factors. This inevitably contributed to a significant increase in signal quality and power problems.

It was also a time when design organizations and their engineering teams were working to overcome numerous challenges, evolving and adapting their design methodologies and processes to overcome the increase in signal- and power-related problems.

• Complexity in electronic designs: Circuit and systems complexities made it challenging to ensure that designs meet the required specifications for performance, reliability, and new regulatory compliances without extensive testing and revisions.
• Cross-domain design and simulation silos: The printed circuit board (PCB) simulation EMI, EMC, thermal, and signal behavior had to be performed independently from the layout designer by simulation specialists using specialized tools. This separation was inefficient and error-prone, as ad-hoc processes and manual transfer of data between tools contributed to inaccuracies, miscommunication, and a lack of coherence in the design process.
• Iterative design and simulation cycles: The lack of integration between design and simulation tools resulted in an iterative and lengthy process of design, testing, and redesign, often late in the design cycle. This not only slowed down the development process but also increased costs associated with additional prototyping and testing.
• Performance and reliability issues: Without the ability to accurately simulate the real-world behavior of electronic components and systems during the design phase, there were higher risks of encountering performance issues or failures in the final product. This often led to increased warranty claims, product recalls, or field repairs.
• Time-to-market pressures: Reducing the time to market for new electronics products was crucial. The disconnect between the design and analysis phases led to longer development cycles, as potential issues only become apparent late in the design process, requiring costly and time-consuming revisions.

If those challenges and issues sound all too familiar, they should. They are just as relevant today as they ever were, and they’re being further exacerbated by the inevitability-turned-certainty of signal integrity and power integrity-related issues inherent in modern electronics hardware.

Continue reading this entire article in the August 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine.