Concurrent design allows simultaneous integration and collaboration throughout the design process.
With the complexity of today's electronics designs, the traditional linear approach to PCB design and development is outdated and lacking efficiency. The evolution of PCB design and development methodology has led us to the age of digital thread and the digital twin. Getting to market in the shortest amount of time, with highest quality of product, and at the lowest project cost is the goal for most. There is no room for errors throughout the entire design cycle, or costly project delays. This is where concurrent design can make a huge impact. Concurrent design is an approach that changes the way projects are conceived, developed and executed. It prioritizes multidomain collaboration, iterative processes, and cross-disciplinary communication.
Concurrent design, also known as simultaneous engineering or parallel design, is a methodology that aims to break down barriers between different stages and disciplines of project development. It involves multiple disciplines and multiple domains simultaneously integrating and collaborating throughout the entire design process from the very beginning. The days are long gone where multiple disciplines and domains working in silos was best practice – if it ever was. Unlike the traditional linear approach, where one phase is completed before moving on to the next, concurrent design encourages teams to work in parallel, sharing insights, ideas and expertise throughout the project lifecycle.
It's far past time to use the complete power of the tool to your advantage.
Design automation is one of my favorite topics. When I think of design automation, what first comes to mind are three words: optimization, efficiency and speed. Some design engineers and layout professionals are reluctant to learn new technology to design better, faster and more efficiently in the quest for delivering a quality product to market at the lowest engineering and manufacturing cost. Earlier in my career, I too was reluctant to give in to automation when it came to designing PCBs. I recall, about 20 years ago, I was under a typical project deadline in the project design cycle. You know what I'm talking about: "We need it done today! Oh, and by the way, we have more design changes for you to implement, but we still need it completed and released today!"
It was during that type of project for a specific aerospace customer where I made the decision to use automation to route signal traces. For the first time in my career, I used the autorouting feature in my tool. Talk about an uneasy feeling, like a stomach cramp. It was gut-wrenching to let go of my manual approach for designing PCBs, especially knowing I was under a very stressful and tight project time constraint. In the end, and to my surprise and amazement, I managed to successfully implement autorouting. By doing so, I managed to finish earlier than expected, which shocked the EE I was working with, along with everyone else on the project ... and I came in with several alternate versions of the same design for the EE to choose from. Success! What a feeling! One of the highlights of my career, for sure. I have never looked back. To this day, more than ever, I stress harnessing the horsepower of the CAD tools and using their capabilities to your advantage.
Read more: Take Design Automation Along for the Ride
In continuation of the PCB Design Best Practices series, this month we’ll dive a bit deeper into library and design data management. To be more specific, we’ll address controlling and managing company data and intellectual property.
In general, most companies function in the same manner when it comes to electronic systems design, at least from an outsider’s perspective, and PCB design is the same no matter what company you work for, what culture you belong to, what tool(s) you use, and what, if any, product lifecycle management (PLM) system you use. The difference from company to company is how people internally operate when it comes to library and design data management.
Today, we have engineering teams that work at the same location, interacting in person, and those that work remotely, sometimes spread across the globe. And of course there are combinations of these collaboration scenarios. Throughout my career I have worked in all of these environments. So, I’ve a good deal of experience when it comes to the different ways companies address library and design data management.
Clear communication with manufacturers can ease that queasy feeling.
You are finally finished with that very complex monster of a printed circuit board (PCB) design while enduring a very tight project schedule. Now it's time to get the design data to manufacturing for fabrication and assembly, but there is a lingering doubt in the back of your mind, an uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach as you hand off data to manufacturing. Why? I'll explain, based on my perspective gleaned from decades of designing PCBs.
Let me start with a question: Did you collaborate with your manufacturing suppliers up front? The answer for many is typically "No!" You may have simply designed a PCB without any manufacturer involvement whatsoever, generated output files and threw the data over the proverbial wall to the manufacturer in hopes that what you designed is buildable and will work as intended. Then, when a technical query (TQ) hits your inbox, you might get upset and wonder why you're being notified that the job is on hold because the design data contain issues or are missing information that needs to be addressed before fabrication can begin. In some cases, it's not just answering with a reply of "approved to modify as suggested," but rather it requires going back and redesigning! Sadly, this happens in our industry far too often, and in more instances than you would expect.
Concurrent design allows simultaneous integration and collaboration throughout the design process.
