Global PCB Connections: Understanding the General Fabrication Process—A Designer’s Hidden Advantage
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
The Shaughnessy Report: A Plan for Floor Planning
Altium to Launch Update of Flagship Design Tool at PCB West
September 16, 2015 | PRWEBEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Altium Limited is announcing the next major update to their flagship PCB design tool, Altium Designer, at PCB West, an annual PCB design conference in Santa Clara, California. Attendees at PCB West 2015 will get an exclusive first look at all of the new features coming to Altium Designer 16 before its scheduled release in the fall. This update will allow engineers to get their designs done even faster and error-free with the addition of new automation and productivity tools.
"The increasing complexity of today's electronic designs requires the most productive design environment for engineers to remain competitive," said Christopher Donato, VP Americas at Altium. "Our focus for this release is to provide PCB designers with the most productive and efficient PCB design platform available to meet the demands of every engineering challenge."
Pushing Productivity Further
As a longtime sponsor of PCB West, this year Altium will be unveiling all of the new features available in Altium Designer 16 to attendees. Visitors to Altium at booth 311 will have the opportunity to demo all of the new productivity and automation features in this major update, including:
- A new alternative part choice system allows designers to fully control their component selection process with backup part choices for manufacturing.
- Visual clearance boundaries allow designers to understand the impact of their routing decisions in real-time with visual clearance boundaries between objects on a board.
- A new component placement system allows designers to create the most organized and efficient board layouts with new component placement options.
"The new features we've developed in Altium Designer 16 reflect our commitment to the on-going value and growth of the Altium Designer platform," said Sergey Kostinsky, VP of Engineering at Altium. "This release furthers our goal of creating the best design tool for mainstream PCB designers who need to meet increasingly tight deadlines and budget."
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
Global PCB Connections: Understanding the General Fabrication Process—A Designer’s Hidden Advantage
08/14/2025 | Markus Voeltz -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsDesigners don’t need to become fabricators, but understanding the basics of PCB fabrication can save you time, money, and frustration. The more you understand what’s happening on the shop floor, the better you’ll be able to prevent downstream issues. As you move into more advanced designs like HDI, flex circuits, stacked vias, and embedded components, this foundational knowledge becomes even more critical. Remember: the fabricator is your partner.
The Art and Science of PCB Floor Planning: A Comprehensive Guide
08/14/2025 | Cory Grunwald and Jeff Reinhold, Monsoon SolutionsPCB design is an intricate and crucial part of developing electronic products. One of the foundational stages of PCB design is floor planning, a phase where the placement of components and the flow of signals are meticulously mapped out. A good floor plan ensures that the PCB performs well, is easy to manufacture, and meets all mechanical and electrical requirements. We’ll explore the essential aspects of floor planning, from its objectives and process to the challenges that designers face.
EnSilica Establishes New EU Mixed-Signal Design Centre in Budapest, Hungary
08/12/2025 | EnSilicaThe facility strengthens EnSilica’s presence in the European Union and taps into Budapest’s deep technology ecosystem, which hosts numerous leading automotive and industrial multinationals. This expansion will increase the Group’s global headcount to around 210 employees.
Happy’s Tech Talk #41: Sustainability and Circularity for Electronics Manufacturing
08/13/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkI attended INEMI’s June 12 online seminar, “Sustainable Electronics Tech Topic Series: PCBs and Sustainability.” Dr. Maarten Cauwe of imec spoke on “Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Models for Assessing and Improving the Environmental Impact of PCB Assemblies,” and Jack Herring of Jiva Materials Ltd. spoke on “Transforming Electronics with Recyclable PCB Technology.” This column will review information and provide analysis from both presentations.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: Why Your PCB Looks Like a Studio Apartment
08/13/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonIn November 2022, I wrote a column called "Is Your Bathroom in the Kitchen?" This piece related a bizarre real estate listing that emerged out of St. Louis that had architects scratching their heads and interior designers cringing. Nestled in the historic Central West End sat a 200-square-foot apartment that completely defied logic. It wasn't the size that raised eyebrows, it was the layout. Here's the kicker: While that's rare in real estate, it's shockingly common in PCB design.