CircuiTree - August 2008 - (Page 30)

Creating Connections Between Electronics Design and Manufacturing While this seems simple enough, it relies on an ECAD system that includes STEP import/export capabilities, comprehensive 3D modelling data, and ﬁlter options to control the 3D content of exported ﬁles (see Figure 3). The Next Level When considering the size and application of STEP ﬁle exchange in MCAD-ECAD systems, it’s interesting to note the differences in content for each direction ﬂow—and what this implies. In a typical workﬂow, 3D data representing the product’s housing, a component, or a new board shape will be transferred from the MCAD to the ECAD space, while a model of the complete PCB assembly is usually transFigure 4 PCB Design Within a RealTime 3D Environment Opens the Opportunity for the Mechanical Fit Process to Be Performed More Efficiently in the ECAD Space Bringing a World of Information to You GET INTERCONNECTED DESIGN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS ELECTRONICS ASSEMBLY TM “IPC Midwest is a great place to get up to speed with the current state of the industry.” Jeff Pagor, electrical engineer, Perkin Elmer Keep up with global changes in technology, standards and customer expectations. If you need to see electronics assembly or PCB equipment, you need to be at this show! TEST Sunday–Thursday, September 21–25, 2008 Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center Schaumburg, Ill www.IPCMidwestShow.org ferred from the ECAD to MCAD domain for clearance checking purposes. In terms of data ﬂow and ﬁle complexity, the MCAD models passed to the ECAD domain are relatively simple (say, an enclosure) while those passed from ECAD to MCAD are usually complex (such as a complete PCB assembly, including components). Board assemblies are object-rich and create complex 3D data ﬁles that must be loaded then rendered in the MCAD space for clearance checking purposes. Any corrections for the board layout or shape are passed back to the ECAD space, where revisions are made and data exchange processes repeated. The point of note here is that checking and revising the board assembly to ﬁt the mechanical housing constraints is largely an ECAD problem, but much of the process occurs in the MCAD space using complex 3D board assembly data. When you consider the fundamental needs of that workﬂow, it becomes clear that, ideally, a signiﬁcant part of the mechanical ﬁt problem needs to be solved in the ECAD domain. To make ECAD clearance checking a possibility, real-time 3D capabilities within the PCB editor are needed, plus the ability to import MCAD assemblies into that space. Using the STEP format to bring, say, an enclosure model into the ECAD domain, practical interference checking would then be a reality in the 3D PCB design environment. If the system is then coupled to user-deﬁned clearance rules and 3D object transparency options, a large part of the mechanical ﬁt task can be resolved in real 30 August 2008 • circuitree.com 6/13/08 11:52:11 AM CT08084IPC.indd 1 http://www.IPCMidwestShow.org http://www.IPCMidwestShow.org http://circuitree.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CircuiTree - August 2008

CirciuTree - August 2008 Contents My Line Industry Review Tech Talk Flexible Thinking Creating Connections Between Electronics Design and Manufacturing Happy Thoughts View From the Middle Market Outlook Fein Lines IPCA Showcase Technical Product Spotlights Classified Ads Upcoming Events Ad Index Buyers Guide

CircuiTree - August 2008

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