-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueLearning to Speak ‘Fab’
Our expert contributors clear up many of the miscommunication problems between PCB designers and their fab and assembly stakeholders. As you will see, a little extra planning early in the design cycle can go a long way toward maintaining open lines of communication with the fab and assembly folks.
Training New Designers
Where will we find the next generation of PCB designers and design engineers? Once we locate them, how will we train and educate them? What will PCB designers of the future need to master to deal with tomorrow’s technology?
The Designer of the Future
Our expert contributors peer into their crystal balls and offer their thoughts on the designers and design engineers of tomorrow, and what their jobs will look like.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Designers and Design Engineers: Two Sides of the Same Coin
June 1, 2016 | Andy Shaughnessy, PCBDesign007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Andy and Sue Critcher have been the lead designers at Total Board Solutions Limited, a UK-based design bureau, since its founding in 1998. I asked Andy to share his opinion about the friction between some PCB designers and their engineers, and what can be done to improve communications between these groups.
Andy Shaughnessy: Andy, tell us a little bit about your company and how you operate.
Andy Critcher: Total Board Solutions Limited (TBS) is a design services bureau based in the UK. We fit into our customer’s design process, providing whatever is not a core competency. This means that for some customers we perform just the layout portion of their design while for others we enter the schematic, libraries, create the layout and even get the boards fabricated and assembled—no two customers are exactly the same. When working with startups we provide the link between the concept, or idea, and product realization; providing knowledge of design process, fabricators capabilities and our experience when discussing the inevitable tradeoffs between the requirement and what is possible.
Shaughnessy: A recent survey of our PCB designer readers found that there’s often friction between PCB designers and engineers. Some designers say, only half-jokingly, that their EEs are their biggest challenge. Why do you think there’s such disconnect?
Critcher: Looking solely from the PCB side, I think that the disconnect mainly arises from the lack of understanding of what a PCB designer actually does, it is perceived as a simple task of dot joining and that anyone can do it. I know that this is a bit of a cliché but it does seem to hold true. As an example, in a number of the companies that I have worked with, PCB progress meetings are held and the PCB designer is never asked to attend; their input can be easily be determined by the engineering team/project manager.
This perception is backed up by the lack of formal qualification for PCB designers—for my generation, we generally started off as mechanical draughtsman in the traditional drawing office and then moved to the PCB section.
This perception means that the status of the PCB designer is quite low, so when they advise the engineer that something is not possible this can be met with a certain amount of derision. The engineer possibly thinks that the PCB designer is just being obstructive, while conversely, the PCB designer thinks that the engineer is very dismissive of his knowledge, capabilities, opinion, etc.
Let’s look at the issue from the engineer’s perspective. By providing design consultancy, we are fortunate enough to be a lot more involved in the engineer’s world, including some of the problems that they have to deal with as part of the overall product development. One engineer explained that the design part was relatively straightforward, but the need to meet cost, functionality, component sourcing, obsolescence, test plans, as well as reading through 150+ pages of documentation on a device’s timing “makes life interesting.” As PCB designers, we tend to have a lot of questions, especially about the newer technology, so we can bombard the engineer with a number of questions concerning unfamiliar topics expecting immediate answers, and normally at this point the pressure to get it finished is already building.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the April 2016 issue of The PCB Design Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Molex Releases New Report on Strategies for Advancing Rugged, Reliable Connectivity in Modern Aerospace and Defense Applications
04/01/2025 | MolexMolex, a global electronics leader and connectivity innovator, has released a new report from AirBorn, a Molex company, which explores the unrelenting demands for constant, continuous connectivity to support the rigors of modern aerospace, defense and space-industry applications.
Electronic Design Automation Market to Reach $17.47 Billion by 2030, Growing at a CAGR of 10.7%
03/31/2025 | PRNewswireThe growth of the EDA market is driven by the increasing complexity of integrated circuit (IC) designs, rising adoption of connected devices, and growing demand for EDA solutions in the aerospace and defense sectors. Additionally, the increasing integration of AI and machine learning in chip design is further boosting market expansion.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
03/28/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I’ve spent my week recovering from a busy and interesting week in Anaheim for the 25th IPC APEX EXPO. I think back to my first APEX EXPO, and the changes since then are too numerous to count. I first attended in 2004, also in Anaheim, back when there was almost no design content in the conference or expo portions of the show. It was just a few years after the downturn, and attendees and exhibitors alike were skittish, almost afraid to show confidence in our industry. A few unemployed design friends handed out copies of their resumes. Travel budgets were still down, and the aisles weren’t exactly packed with traffic.
It’s Only Common Sense: 7 Tips to Focus on What Works
03/31/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseIn business, there’s always the temptation to be all things to all people, whether it’s expanding product lines, chasing every lead, or trying to keep up with competitors. The fear of missing out can lead to spreading our time, resources, and energy too thin. However, success doesn’t come from doing everything; it comes from doing the right things well.
HARTING 3D-Circuits Leads 3D-MID Innovation: Transforming Consumer Electronics with Advanced Technology
03/27/2025 | PRNewswireThe consumer electronics industry is experiencing a remarkable transformation, propelled by rapid technological advancements and an increasing demand for compact, efficient, and multifunctional devices. Central to this evolution is 3D-MID (Three-Dimensional Mechatronic Integrated Devices) technology, which redefines design standards and drives innovation.