Defense Speak Interpreted: The Autonomous Plane Battle—Skyborg Vs. Loyal Wingman
American Made Advocacy: Congress Back from Break With Work To Do
Beyond the Board: What Companies Need to Know Before Entering the MilAero PCB Market
Setting Design Constraints Effectively
July 31, 2025 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAEstimated reading time: 1 minute
PCB design requires controlling energy within the medium of a PCB. The manner in which we control the chaos of energy is by implementing and utilizing physical and electrical rules, known as constraints, along with a specific structure and material(s) that make up what is known as the foundation of the design. These rules govern everything within the PCB structure and generally fall into two camps: performance and manufacturability. Setting this foundation correctly is extremely important and the key to success.
At times, especially with very complex designs, it’s no easy task to make sense of these rules while creating and implementing these design constraints. It can be daunting and time-consuming. How many times during the initial phase of the design process have we heard project management ask, “What is taking so long? Why haven’t you started placing components and routing? Why do you even need constraints?”
I’m sure many can relate to such questions. The goal for any PCB design is to be “correct by construction,” where you have the highest potential for first-pass success. This means that revision 1 works with no respins required, and there are no interruptions in the process of getting the product to market as fast as possible. This is accomplished by implementing and utilizing design constraints along with industry best practices, which are vital toward achieving PCB design success.
Design constraints are typically derived from customer requirements. Depending on the intended function of the end product, how it needs to function and under what conditions it needs to operate are the keys to deriving the specific details of the actual constraints to be implemented in your design. Make sure you work closely with your manufacturers (both fabrication and assembly) from the very beginning of the project and throughout the design process. I cannot stress enough that close collaboration with your manufacturers, also known as your external stakeholders, is key to downstream success.
To continue reading this article, which originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Si2 Names NVIDIA, Synopsys Technologists to Lead New LLM Benchmarking Coalition
10/10/2025 | BUSINESS WIREThe Silicon Integration Initiative today announced the chair and vice chair of the Si2 Large Language Model Benchmarking Coalition (LBC), a collaborative industry initiative and standards body advancing AI for silicon design and verification that will expedite the development of high-quality large language models for semiconductor design problems.
Quilter Secures $25M Series B to Eliminate Manual PCB Design with Physics-Driven AI
10/09/2025 | BUSINESS WIREQuilter, the first and only company to publicly demonstrate fully autonomous PCB layout through physics-driven AI, announced $25 million in Series B funding led by Index Ventures.
The Shaughnessy Report: Watt About Power Integrity?
10/08/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportYes, that headline is the equivalent of a dad joke, but editors can’t pass up a chance to inject a little humor into a headline, and I had to take my shot. Power integrity (PI) problems are no joke. Current power demands are increasing, especially with AI, 5G, and EV chips, which can lead to voltage drops that kill your performance.
Taking Control of PCB Verification One Step at a Time
10/09/2025 | Kirk Fabbri, Siemens EDAToday’s designs are as complex as ever, and engineers face tough decisions every day. Simulation and verification teams are confronted with a three-fold challenge: understanding the underlying theory, mastering the tools, and applying best practices.Engineers need to navigate a vast and ever-changing cast of design and simulation tools, often with overlapping functionality.
ICT Symposium Review: Sustainability and the Circular Economy
10/09/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007It was pleasant autumnal weather as we made our way once again to Meriden, the nominal centre of England, for the 2025 Annual Symposium of the Institute of Circuit Technology. Delegates were welcomed by technical director Emma Hudson who introduced and moderated a skilfully coordinated programme, focused on the highly relevant theme of sustainability.