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76 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2021 Meeting the Challenge With Design Reuse Feature Article by Stephen V. Chavez, CID+ ROCKWELL COLLINS As project schedules get shorter and budgets get squeezed, project managers and small busi- ness owners must constantly look at ways to maximize limited funding and resources. But reusable PCB design IP allows us to investigate ways to potentially shorten design cycle time. Typically, engineering teams are looking for ways to design PCBs faster, better, and cheaper, all with fewer resources. Within those engineering teams, today's circuit engi- neers must meet three competing perspec- tives for success (Figure 1): layout solvability (DFS), performance (DFP), and manufactur- ing (DFM) requirements with the targeted end-result of maximum placement and routing density, optimum performance, and efficient defect-free manufacturing. I refer to this as the Designer's Triangle. A Variety of Challenges Some of the biggest recurring problems in today's PCB designs are challenges regard- ing DFM, constraints, board layout planning, and routing; in general, schematics capture, and documentation for both fabrication and Figure 1: The three competing perspectives for success in printed circuit engineering.