PCB Tech - PCB design software and assembly

The layout and requirements of the design prototype are just the first step in PCB development. Once the design is complete and you want to use PCB layout/design software tools for analysis, the next step is to assemble the prototype board. Many engineers turn to third-party suppliers to manufacture printed circuit boards and assemble-even a very small number of prototypes.

Why is outsourcing becoming more common in PCB assembly? PCB boards are rapidly developing in the technical application of assembly and mass production of final products. Requirements such as multilayer manufacturing, high-density interconnect (HDI), laser direct imaging (LDI), and manufacturing using flexible or flexible rigid materials make in-house manufacturing an expensive proposition even for prototypes.

Most PCB designers do not deal with such manufacturing capabilities immediately, but turn to assembly and manufacturing experts to convert their prototype PCB designs into working boards.

What does the PCB prototype assembler need?

Before the PCB assembler turns the prototype design into a work product, most people need all the information related to the project:

Gerberfiles numbered bill of materials (BOM) records a complete list of required materials. Any special manufacturing requirements (surface mount) required prototypes (usually multiple prototypes for various test cases) technology, through-hole, single-sided or double-sided The timetable required for the turnaround of a faceted, multi-layered, lead-free butt project

With this information, future PCB assemblers can generate quotes for their services and can also determine whether the time requirements can be met.

Choose PCB Prototype Assembler

Choosing the right prototype manufacturing resources is a process that requires several factors to review prospective suppliers:

Does the supplier have technical experience related to the design? (Handling specific materials, multilayer structures, HDI and other requirements will require specialized equipment and expertise) Will the manufacturer perform all assembly in-house, or will all or part of the structure be subcontracted? Sending work outside may cause delays or lack of control in the final results. Are the components required in the design available to the manufacturer? Ensure that the supplier can deliver to the project timeline. In many cases, falling behind schedule due to assembly delays may be unacceptable.

What is an excellent PCB design software?

Advanced Circuits provides the best free PCB design software, PCB Artist™. Since its release in 2007, free software has become very popular among electronic design enthusiasts and professional engineers because of its easy-to-learn and easy-to-use interface for simple layouts, and it also has powerful functions for more advanced PCB design . PCB Artist™ quickly became the most active PCB design software on Downloads.com, with more than 265,000 downloads.

The latest update of PCB Artist™ design software

Free PCB design software always has impressive comprehensive tools and advanced features, as well as a large component library. Today, the latest version of PCB Artist™ 3.2 has a large library of over 500,000 parts-free to use, and there are many hard-to-find parts. The latest version also includes an upgrade to the component library manager, which improves the way users search and identify components from the extended library.

Another new option that PCB manufacturers have recently added to the design software is called "Get Components". "On the schematic and PCB context menus, components can be placed at the user's current cursor position faster with just a few clicks. The "Color by Net" function in the latest version 3.2 has also been upgraded to include the "Color by Net Class" function in the schematic and PCB drawing modes, making it easier for users to sort and visualize networks and network classes. They Circuit board design.