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PCBD-Sept2014

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September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 37 component placement information required for pick-and-place during assembly. ODB++ also includes the reference designators, along with x and y coordinates, rotations, and placement side. This removes the need for any separate assembly drawings, pick-and-place files, or as- sembly instructions as a way of con- veying the product model into process-preparation. The ODB++ product mod- el also contains the BOM that includes reference des- ignators, the manufacturer names, manufacturers' part numbers, and the quantities. In the case of an approved- vendor list, alternative manu- facturer names and part num- bers can be included if more than one manufacturer's part can be used. ODB++ is a working so- lution that has been used for millions of PCB designs across global supply-chains, and adoption is growing daily. New in ODB++ v8 The following is a summary of the new items in the latest version of ODB++, v8, as well as implementation recommendations. Changes to PCB Structure Information The PCB structure allows explicit modeling of flexible and flex-rigid PCB structures. By in- cluding an exact definition for entities such as covercoats, coverlays, stiffeners, bend radius, etc., DFM analysis functions can be automated to new levels for flex and flex-rigid designs. Fol- lowing DFM, the manufacturing process can be derived more automatically based on the em- bedded intelligence. Multilayer PCB build-up information is stored in the product model. Traditional stack- up drawings can be eliminated from the flow, thus avoiding the steps of producing the draw- ing, reading the drawing, and typing the data back into the CAM system at the manufactur- ing level. This is designed to save time and re- duce errors. It allows delivery of the multilayer build-up information directly into the fabrica- tor's material selection and stack-up validation processes. This version fully implements metric units, meaning that all aspects of the PCB product model, not just the feature coordinates, can be expressed in metric units. ODB++ now has equal value to engi- neering processes that use ei- ther the metric or imperial measurement systems. In ODB++ v8, DFM analy- sis can take into account the direction of drilling, which allows more accurate DFM analysis of buried and blind vias, back-drilled holes, and holes drilled with multiple diameters. A profile with holes can be created, which gives a more efficient definition of the PCB profile, requiring fewer layers of data for the complete definition. Feature-Level Improvements Attributes are now fully indepen- dent of any software application, and have been categorized according to their primary pur- pose—whether to support DFM analysis, to de- fine the product-model, or to define the intend- ed manufacturing process (split by fabrication, assembly, test, generic). This categorization sup- ports a wider use of the attributes-intelligence across the design/manufacturing flow, thus en- abling higher engineering automation overall. The new version has an expanded range of standard symbols, developed particularly for the purpose of designing solder-stencil open- ings. With the introduction of all standard sym- bols known to be needed by the solder-stencil process, ODB++ v8 enables fully automated solder-stencil design based on manufacturing process rules. Those who are using it no longer have to create and maintain their own libraries of custom symbols. The net name length has been enlarged (un- limited length). In all circumstances, net-names can be preserved across the design/manufac- Traditional stackup drawings can be eliminated from the flow, thus avoiding the steps of producing the drawing, reading the drawing, and typing the data back into the CAM system at the manufacturing level. " " feature WHAT'S NEW IN ODB++? continues

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