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Beyond the Rulebook
What happens when the rule book is no longer useful, or worse, was never written in the first place? In today’s fast-moving electronics landscape, we’re increasingly asked to design and build what has no precedent, no proven path, and no tidy checklist to follow. This is where “Design for Invention” begins.
March Madness
From the growing role of AI in design tools to the challenge of managing cumulative tolerances, these articles in this issue examine the technical details, design choices, and manufacturing considerations that determine whether a board works as intended.
Looking Forward to APEX EXPO 2026
I-Connect007 Magazine previews APEX EXPO 2026, covering everything from the show floor to the technical conference. For PCB designers, we move past the dreaded auto-router and spotlight AI design tools that actually matter.
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Altium to Release Integrated Documentation Solution for Altium Designer
March 31, 2016 | PRWEBEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Altium is scheduled to release a new documentation workflow available exclusively in their flagship PCB design platform, Altium Designer 16.1. Draftsman™ provides PCB designers with a unified documentation solution with customizable drawing views, documentation templates, and a fully complete design to documentation workflow in Altium Designer 16.1.
“Engineers have long relied on tools for documentation that are cumbersome and limited in functionality,” said Alexey Sabunin, Altium Designer Product Manager. “Draftsman™ eliminates the tedium of having to import and export design files to 3rd party tools and integrates the PCB design and documentation workflows in the Altium Designer interface. That’s one less interface for engineers to have to navigate and one centralized location for all PCB design and documentation data.”
Streamlining Documentation Workflows
Documentation is a critical element of every post-design process, and designers frequently struggle with limited, 3rd-party documentation tools that lack a connection to their original design. Draftsman™ links directly to a designer’s PCB data, making it easy to create and update assembly documentation directly within a design workspace without ever having to import or export files between third party solutions. With Draftsman™, PCB designers can:
- Avoid third-party tools - Create and update assembly documentation without having to waste time importing and exporting design files among multiple tools.
- Communicate better - Quickly communicate design intent to manufacturing with easy-to-use design markup and drawing object tools.
- Define their details - Provide detailed perspectives on design intent with flexible board views with expressive call-outs.
All of these features and more are available directly within a PCB designer’s workspace in the unified environment of Altium Designer 16.1. With a fully unified solution for both design and documentation, engineers can stay efficient without having to add another software package and interface to their existing electronics design workflow.
Availability Details
Draftsman is one of the several new features in Altium Designer 16.1, a major update to the company’s flagship PCB design tool. Altium Designer 16.1 is scheduled to be released on May 2, and designers can register now for a free webinar and learn more about Draftsman by clicking here. Altium will also be in attendance at the annual Embedded Systems Conference in Boston at booth 865 to show off all the new improvements being added to Altium Designer 16.1.
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Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
I-Connect007 Releases The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication
05/12/2026 | I-Connect007As PCB complexity continues to accelerate, fabricators and OEMs are reevaluating long-standing manufacturing processes to meet the demands of AI, HDI, advanced packaging, and next-generation electronics. To address these evolving challenges, I-Connect007 is proud to announce the release of The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Direct Metallization: A Guide to Complex PCB Fabrication, authored by MacDermid Alpha Solution’s Carmichael Gugliotti.
Macnica ATD Europe Acquires Indesmatech to Deepen Engineering Presence Across Northern Europe
05/11/2026 | BUSINESS WIREMacnica ATD Europe announced the acquisition of Indesmatech, a pan-European technology and advisory company specializing in advanced semiconductor representation, design-in support and consulting, as well as point click buying services.
Dragonfly Energy Secures Additional Nevada Tech Hub Funding
05/07/2026 | Globe NewswireDragonfly Energy Holdings Corp., an industry leader in energy storage and maker of Battle Born Batteries®, announced it has been selected for a second consecutive round of funding through the Nevada Tech Hub.
Designing Without a Rulebook: When Engineering Becomes Innovation
05/05/2026 | Stephen V. Chavez, Siemens EDAWhat if the very rules that made you successful as a PCB designer are the ones now holding you back? This reminds me of walking the floor and attending sessions at both PCB West 2025 and APEX EXPO 2026, where one common theme stood out: More designs with traditional PCB “best practices” simply don’t apply. It’s not because they’re wrong, but because the problems we’re solving have fundamentally changed. In some cases, those best practices can actually limit performance. This is where PCB design moves beyond optimization and into something far more challenging: designing without a rulebook.
Custom LIDAR Optics Support Mission-Critical Performance
05/05/2026 | PRNewswireMeller Optics, Inc. has introduced custom fabricated LIDAR optics that can be engineered for specific UV to IR transmission requirements featured in airborne, ground, and maritime defense systems.