2014 trends in PCB design

It’s no longer enough to continue providing the same functionality and expect customers to fit around it. Part of this is in how design teams often work within their own area of expertise, so the tools need to let teams work on separate parts of a single design. One approach is to let designers organise large schematic designs into small functional blocks, which can be assigned to team members. For complex designs, this split of work is essential as is the ability to bring the disparate areas back together.

We also need to consider and utilise the capabilities of customers - taking advantage of multicore processing to speed up the process. This can allow designers to run several routing variants simultaneously, defining multiple parameters and having them processed for comparison.

The growth of the development kit has also changed how people are approaching PCB design and getting products to market. Engineers are working on development kits and then using available CAD files to match part or the entire layout. This makes the testing stage more straightforward and minimises the risk - key in helping get products to market.  

An essential part of moving from the design to production stage is an awareness of other considerations and challenges, from overall cost through to physical design. PCB design can add value in this area by providing a 3D image of the finished board and ensuring that the space required fits with what’s available. The model can also be used to evaluate airflow around devices, and the accessibility of test and mounting points.

In 2014 we’ve seen new developments and changes that can really help customers get products to market quicker. It’s this consideration that we need to take forward into 2015 and one that we’re excited to be at the forefront of.