Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1417991
22 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2021 Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team To many, ODB++ still seems like a new for- mat, but it has been around in one form or another for decades. ODB++ is gaining users every year, and has clinched a strong second place behind Gerber—first among intelligent formats. To learn more about ODB++, we spoke with Pat McGoff and Max Clark of Siemens Digital Industries Soware, two developers who have been working on the format for years. In this interview, they explain how ODB++ works, why they believe designers and manufacturers should switch to this format, and what's next for ODB++. Andy Shaughnessy: Pat, would you give us a brief background about ODB++ and how it got to this point? Pat McGoff: ODB++ originated in 1995, so the industry has been using it for 26 years. I think that is noteworthy. It's not the new kid on the block; it's not unproven. It absolutely is proven. e important thing is that the indus- try has determined its value over the course of 26 years. e customers decide what tools and formats are best for them. Nothing can be dictated or pushed on them, and they'll decide over time if this is going to serve them best. en, it's like water flowing downhill. ODB++ today is not the same as what you thought of ODB++ in the past. Before, ODB++ was a singular format; today, it's part of a fam- ily of formats. A year ago, we announced the family of ODB++. We've broken it down into ODB++ Design, ODB++ Process, and ODB++ Manufacturing. Just to give you a simple expla- nation, ODB++ Design was formerly known as just ODB++. at's the format that used to communicate the full manufacturing product model from design to manufacturing. ODB++ Process is a format to provide com- mon communications for driving PCB assem- bly equipment, to take data from a CAM sys- tem and drive the SMT equipment directly. e third one is ODB++ Manufacturing, and that's the protocol for the collection of data The Case for ODB++: Interview with Pat McGoff and Max Clark