Which Free PCB Design Program is the Best? Boards were once reserved for professionals and those who are comfortable with complicated lithography. Millions of people, both beginners and professionals, have created their own high-quality printed circuit boards (PCBs) using easy-to-use software. They can be made at home using simple 3D printing solutions or batch production services, turning finished products around in days. PCB design and manufacturing can open new doors for hobbyists and small-scale businesses. The many complex projects to get off a breadboard will find solutions in PCBs. They are more reliable, compact, and robust. For those who are more creative, the PCBs do not have to be limited to just rectangular shapes. You can make them any shape, color, transparent or flexible…
Using FR4 Materials in PCB Design and Fabrication
FR4 PCB Materials FR4 is a thin, woven, fiberglass reinforced laminated sheet of epoxy often used in PCB fabrication. FR4 is a composite structure made up of layers of fiberglass that provides the material with stability and rigidity. FR4 stands for flame retardant. The rating of the material is indicated by the number 4. These properties make FR4 a popular material for OEMs and PCB manufacturers. Excellent Electrical Properties The electrical properties of all PCB materials play an essential part in signal integrity and impedance considerations. These properties are critical for speeding up the signal that passes through the circuit board material. Flame Retardant Flame retardants are versatile and can be used in many manufacturing processes. Because of their excellent…
What Types of Companies Outsource PCB Design Services?
Many Companies Outsource PCB Design Services and PCB Manufacturing. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are crucial in today's industrial world. Although PCBs are readily available, designing and manufacturing suitable PCBs at a competitive price can be challenging. This consideration leads to companies outsourcing the PCB design and manufacturing processes while others do the entire engineering work in-house. This article will discuss which industries and companies outsource PCB design services and manufacturing, the benefits of outsourcing, and how to select the proper manufacturer for your specific needs. Small Businesses Compared to Big Businesses Many industries have well-established businesses focusing on providing more comprehensive services and products to their customers. These…
Top Five PCB Design Basics Every Designer Should Know
PCB Design Basics for Engineers Good design practices will ensure that your design can be produced at high volume and works at high speeds, regardless of whether you are designing a printed circuit board or moving at high speeds. This guide contains the most critical PCB design guidelines for modern circuit boards. While some specialty designs might need to adhere to additional layout guidelines, the PCB design guidelines presented here are an excellent place to start. These guidelines help you with routing, manufacturability, and basic signal integrity and assembly. Definition of design rules to ensure fabrication and assembly yield Component placement is where the goal of component placement is to ensure solvability as well as ease of routing To avoid routing all over the board,…
Altium 365 Unites PCB Design Sharing
Altium 365 is the platform that unites PCB design, MCAD, data management, and teamwork. Altium 365, a cloud-based infrastructure platform, connects all key stakeholders and disciplines for PCB design. This includes mechanical designers, engineers, PCB designers, parts procurement, fabrication, and assembly. Altium 365 is a cloud-based infrastructure platform that connects the manufacturing floor to electronics design. 911EDA utilizes the powerful Altium 365 platform in our Altium PCB design services so that our customers can benefit from all the tool's value. Transparent PCB design reviews and sharing will help you get better quality products to market quicker than your competition because you can share the current status of your projects with your team, manufacturers, customers, and…
Altium Education Offers Students Free PCB Design Courses
Altium Education helps college students learn the basics of PCB design services and then help them to design their first printed circuit boards. PCB design can be accomplished using several computer-based tools, such as Cadence Allegro, Siemens PADs, and Altium Designer. These tools can be overwhelming for novice PCB designers. Altium recently announced Altium Education, a new series of online learning modules targeted at students and newcomers to the field. Altium's Altium Educational offers a free library of university courses, software, and licenses that students can use to enable students to access online professional engineering education. PCB Design is a Multi-Stage Process Designing a printed circuit board (PCB) can be challenging as technologies become increasingly complex.…
Basics of Flexible Printed Circuit Board Design
Flexible PCBs have revolutionized many industries, especially the medical sector, in form-fitting monitoring and biometric patches. These devices are becoming increasingly vital. What is the technology behind them? Nearly every electronic device, including phones, TVs, and appliances, are equipped with a printed circuit board (PCB). These boards are made up of laminated conductive insulated layers. They serve two purposes: they house electronic components in designated locations on the outer layers and provide reliable electrical connections between component terminals. Electronic components, resistors, capacitors, microcontrollers, interfaces, etc., are electronically connected via traces, planes, and other features using a chemical etching process that deposits copper layers…
New PCB Design Curriculum for Electrical Engineers
College Level PCB Design Courses New college-level courses for electrical engineers are now available, focusing on PCB design. EMA Design Automation, Cadence, and Rochester Institute of Technology collaborated to develop online and in-person courses taught by experts. The aim is to provide engineers with skills, talent, and abilities to tackle the constantly evolving technology world. The team developed these courses based on the old book “Hitchhiker’s Guide to PCB Design.” The curriculum was designed to bridge the skills gap, focusing on critical topics such as design for manufacturability, an understanding of how to use multiple PCB design tools, and the fundamentals of both design and manufacturing. Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA, said, “EMA is committed to supporting the…
The State of Autorouting in PCB Design
Autorouting in PCB Design PCB design begins with a schematic. The schematic can be a simple paper drawing on simple boards or captured in a CAD program for more complex boards, such as Altium or OrCAD. The connections on the PCB should be identical to the schematic, but while the schematic is readable, the PCB design is arranged to be functional. As a result, there is rarely any visible correlation between the schematic and the layout. PCB design can be performed manually (using a CAD tool such as Altium Designer, PADs, or Allegro) or in combination with an Autorouter. The best results are always achieved using manual routing because the design engineer can exercise better judgment in arranging circuitry than an autorouter program. Many autorouted boards are often utterly illogical in…
7 Reasons Why You Should Pay Attention to Silkscreen in Your PCB Design
7 Reasons Why Silkscreen is Important in PCB Design A silkscreen layer is often deemed unimportant in the whole PCB assembly process because it has no direct impact on the electrical functionality of a PCB. As a result, little attention is usually given to the silkscreen compared to the tremendous value it brings and the importance it holds. Silkscreen serves as a means of providing information about a PCB. It is mainly used for PCB identification and labeling, with zero connection to the electrical functionality of the PCB. It is generally one of the last steps in PCB design. The silkscreen refers to the printed text on a PCB board containing information regarding the PCB assembly process, especially in the placement of components such as the references, identifiers, and the company…
