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58 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 are part of the design process instead of forc- ing designers to run separate tools. Analysis is run automatically, and users are immediately presented with issues to investigate and fix if needed. This means basic errors are caught and fixed before they have a chance to propagate and cause other problems, making the whole design process more effective and predictable. The shift-left solution integrates a broad range of analysis and verification tools during the schematic and layout phases of the proj- ect. These tools are aimed at non-specialist PCB design engineers and layout designers, enabling them to work within their familiar authoring environments to identify problems early in the design cycle. 6. Create a Tool Flow That Supports Early Collaboration Between Design Disciplines There are numerous design challenges in electromechanical systems that can cause issues that affect both the electrical and mechanical domains. A PCB design flow that supports electromechanical collaboration ensures that both domains are synchronized to enable consistent, iterative communication between design disciplines. This is essential to productivity, product success, eliminating electromechanical respins, and reducing prod- uct costs. A design flow that allows design engineers or teams of engineers to simultaneously work together to create an electrical design from schematic through to PCB is exponentially faster than if each step is done by one person at a time. Similarly, a mechanical engineer or team can collaboratively utilize electronic data transfer information to simplify the start of a PCB design and make traditionally time-con- suming engineering changes in just a matter of minutes. In modern electromechanical designs, tight synchronization between the electrical and mechanical flows is required to ensure that both design domains are correctly aligned for fabrication, which ultimately decreases the design effort and accelerates product time-to- market. Today, many companies still utilize the traditional Intermediate Data Format (IDF) to transfer information between electrical and mechanical systems, versus a more advanced MCAD collaboration. 7. Make Sure Your PCB Design Solution Is Scalable From the earliest stages of an electronic product's definition and functional specifica- tion, careful consideration of all of the prod- uct's hardware design requirements and com- plexities must be fully understood early on. Thoughtful consideration for a product's evo- lution helps in determining a PCB tool design flow or environment that not only accom- plishes your design needs for today but tomor- row as well. Regardless of the size of your tech company, the number of designers/engineers working on a project, or the complexity of a design, you need a PCB design tool flow that provides the appropriate capabilities as they become necessary. This kind of scalability is needed not only to move designs from conception to manufacturing but also to transition and support designs when a maker requires a desktop tool, when a start-up company grows from a small to a mid-sized business, or when a small or mid-sized company becomes the next Fortune 100 company and requires a fully integrated enterprise design environ- ment. Conclusion Clearly, price is only one factor to consider when making a PCB tool purchase decision. Hopefully, these seven tips will help you choose the right tools for your design environ- ments and product markets. DESIGN007 John McMillan is a technical marketing engineering manager at Mentor, a Siemens Business. He has over 30 years of experience in the EDA industry. Visit I-007eBooks.com to download related books from Mentor, a Siemens Business.