The Shaughnessy Report: Back to the Future
Designers Notebook: Addressing Future Challenges for Designers
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Surface Finish
PCB Designers of the Future—and Their Software Tools
February 14, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The PCB designers of tomorrow have their work cut out for them. They’ll be dealing with the continuing drive for “faster, smaller, cheaper,” while electronics become more complex. But EDA companies have improved their software tools’ capabilities over the past few years, incorporating functionalities such as AI and increasing productivity.
I asked David Wiens, product marketing manager at Siemens, to share his thoughts on the continuing evolution of PCB design and PCB designers, and how EDA software companies can help designers meet the technological requirements of tomorrow.
Andy Shaughnessy: At Siemens, I imagine you have a “profile” of your typical user. How do you see this user’s job and job requirements evolving over the next few years?
David Wiens: There is no single user persona. The larger the company, the greater the diversity of specializations/personas (e.g., design engineer, layout designer, SI specialist, manufacturing specialist, system architect, librarian, etc.). The smaller the company, the more those specializations merge (engineers in smaller teams become generalists). This stratification by engineering team size has always been there. What’s evolved over time is the roles these specialists perform.
Design engineers have had to learn about signal integrity and associated simulation tools; they’re participating more in the layout process to implement tighter performance requirements; they’ve had to learn about stack-up design; and they must consider supply chain risks when selecting components. Layout designers have had to learn about manufacturability and constraints for signal/power/thermal performance. They’ve also had to collaborate much more closely with their mechanical counterparts to achieve shrinking form factors. This evolution has meant that engineers and designers have had to work across multiple tools to get their jobs done efficiently, rather than spending all day, every day in the same tool.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the January 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Delivering on a Promise: Mid-America Taping and Reeling Outpacing the Competition
02/10/2025 | Linda Stepanich, IPCA motto on the conference wall at Mid-America Taping and Reeling, “Promise only what you can deliver and then deliver more than you promised,” has led Barbara Pauls from the has led from starting her business in her parent's basement to a thriving company with locations in Illinois and Florida and 75 employees.
Building on DesignCon’s 30th Anniversary Momentum
02/04/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007With three decades of technological advancements, DesignCon has established itself as a premier conference for electronics design. Susan Deffree, the group event coordinator, reflects on the event's rich history and the exciting developments for its 30th anniversary.
Fueling the Workforce Pipeline: January PCB007 Magazine
01/22/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamWorkforce is a topic of conversation in manufacturing businesses that occurs nearly as often today as discussing quality and reliability. In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we look at fueling the workforce pipeline, specifically at the early introduction of manufacturing to young people. It’s a unique, somewhat unconventional, and long-term perspective aimed at filling the skilled labor gap.
The Right Approach: ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Harley-style)
12/23/2024 | Steve Williams -- Column: The Right ApproachAs we are in the middle of the holiday season with Christmas fast approaching, I thought it an appropriate time for a break from the typical technical topics and perhaps give everyone a chuckle. I wrote this a number of years back before Nancy and I sold our Harleys, but we never really left the lifestyle. Once a biker, always a biker.
American Made Advocacy: Success in Washington Requires Patience, Persistence, and Sustained Focus
12/17/2024 | Shane Whiteside -- Column: American Made AdvocacyThis was a great year for the ongoing advocacy efforts for the PCB industry. Our numbers tell the story. PCBAA membership topped 65, we have more than 5,000 followers on social media, generated 450 social media posts, had more than 50 Capitol Hill meetings with members and staff, influenced PCB legislation, held our largest annual meeting to date, placed 12 opinion editorials in major publications across the country, and participated in four industry trade shows.