UcamX v2016.06 software for printed circuit board manufacturing contains updates for certain features and fixes others. Enhancements include extending of autodrill options to prevent predrill holes from being output several times in an output sequence that contains multiple runs, automatic validating of arcs, and a configurable Smart Design Rule Check section. Fixes were made to Gerber 274X output of rotated asymmetric rounded BOX apertures, drag function, copper balance, the Symbol Drawing menu of Drill Tool Manager, test point generation, flashes with BLOck apertures, missing Eagle font file, ODB++ imports, and more.
Ucamco, ucamco.com
FastMaint CMMS v. 8.0 computerized maintenance management software, for equipment and facilities maintenance, schedules preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance work, sends work orders to maintenance staff on mobile phones, receives feedback from the maintenance workers, and tracks progress of all outstanding and completed jobs. Can be used for on-site maintenance or field service management. Has enterprise asset management features to track equipment and facilities, inventory management, and maintain supplier records for ordering spares and equipment. Automatically schedules maintenance activities based upon dates, meter readings, emergency conditions, or any criteria specified by maintenance planner. Creates work order templates for planned maintenance. Accepts inserted pictures, and links work orders to outside supporting documents. Supports creating and associating purchase orders with maintenance work orders, reports to compare work orders costs by maintenance tasks, enhanced find/ search, barcode support in the Web edition and more. Comes in four scalable editions.
SMGlobal, smglobal.com
CR-8000 2016 has powerful new multi-user functionality for quicker time-to-market, and a raft of native 3D design enhancements offer more efficient ECAD/MCAD task management and design reuse, plus functionality enabling early validation to reduce iterations and improve design quality. Features a 3-D product-centric design solution with architecture design, concurrent 3D multi-board support, and chip/package/board co-design.
Improved part swap capability reduces design effort. Superseded or highlighted parts can be viewed directly within the circuit data, and changed collectively, to avoid time-consuming manual checks for part swaps and enable designers to start at any point, swapping out parts as the design progresses without being concerned about missing an instance of a superseded part.
True 3D STEP models are now defined within the library at the component level. Once that component is selected the 3D model will automatically become part of the PCB design. Origin alignment is managed, ensuring a common reference point between the ECAD and MCAD libraries and alignment of the 3D shape to the component footprint. An accurate 3D component model for output to MCAD is supported, with export of whole or subset designs. With rigid-flex product visualization and design validation checks, the bend of the flex board can be modeled and collisions viewed to check design issues, with the product modeled to final state condition. This avoids design rework and iterations between mechanical and electrical design.
Designers have more power to utilize known-good circuits, with new search and re-use capabilities for modular block selection. Module attributes can be added to the block for characterization so faster and more efficient selection can be realized. Building on existing constraint re-use functionality, constraint arbitration allows users to view a section of the block and easily see conflicting constraints, as well as define which information to preserve within a design by constraint or object.
Zuken, zuken.com/cr-8000
CADStar desktop PCB design software v. 17 now incorporates Perfect Springback technology, for smooth and fast operation, restoring the previous pattern and position exactly. Is said to make routing faster and more responsive, and eliminate the need to review return positions when trying out and undoing routing options. This rubber band-like operation is seen when dragging tracks in Activ-45 mode for Activ-45 pushing. A similar operation can be found in the manual routing and lengthening tools. Is said to significantly reduce number of clicks needed to place and route, compared to traditional routing technology. Other productivity enhancements include improved routing patterns for differential pairs, and etch factor support. New ease-of-use features include: When interacting with a selection it is now possible to specify an origin used as a reference for operations such as movement and rotation; and dimensions may be added directly into PCB component.
Zuken, zuken.com/cadstar/whats-new
Nuvogo Fine dual table direct imager is designed for HDI, modified semi-additive process (mSAP) and flexible printed circuits (FPC) produced at high throughput on all types of resists. Reportedly is capable of line widths of 10μm and yields of up to 5500 panels per production line, per day. Enables precision stacking of microvias. Includes patented MultiWave Laser Technology and Large Scan Optics Technology for line quality and pattern uniformity. Provides depth-of-focus (DoF) using a single panel scan, sharp edge patterns, and uniform inline structure quality.
Orbotech, orbotech.com
MP2 all-in-one DPSS laser marking system is for applications requiring high resolution but not high-speed throughput. Diode pumped solid state (DPSS) provides pulse duration of 3ns, high peak power of 30kW and runs on 24 VDC (6A). The 1064nm infrared wavelength is suited for marking a range of materials – metals, plastics and some organics. Includes laser beam scanning optics (galvanometer), control electronics and marking software. Optional laser safe enclosure.
LNA Laser Technology, lnalaser.com/dpss-laser-marking-system