Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1441485
JANUARY 2022 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 85 release the design to their supply partners. Aer all, wouldn't you, as a designer, want to know about potential quality and cost issues as early as possible so that you can make the deci- sion about how to resolve it? By running DFM concurrently with the design process, you can release your designs knowing they can be easily manufactured by your suppliers, at the lowest possible cost. With concurrent DFM, your designs are optimized for manufacturing during the initial release. Closing the Seams Whenever I am asked how to go about changing the status quo in our industry, I rec- ommend that the OEMs approach their fabri- cation and assembly suppliers with one ques- tion, "What can we do together to make your job easier?" Quite oen the answer is: 1. Use an intelligent data exchange format. 2. Perform DFM during the design process. Anything less and your seams are showing. DESIGN007 Pat McGoff is the market development manager of Valor NPI, Siemens EDA. To read past columns or contact McGoff, click here significant cost and quality benefits. e promise of digital transformation is a seamless process where the digi- tal twin model of the design passes from step to step without any rework or ambiguity, ensuring design intent is maintained and the new product introduction process is accelerated. From a manufacturing suppli- er's perspective, this encompasses the manufacturing data formats they need to support. Today there are intelligent data formats such as ODB++ that hold all the neces- sary manufacturing instructions in a single, unified, validated container. ere are over 80 soware tool companies that support the ODB++ format, from CAD ven- dors to test soware. You can see the full list here. It is important to have all the tool suppli- ers within the ecosystem support a single for- mat to achieve a truly seamless hand-off. Building in Extra Costs e second cause for technical queries involves aspects of the design that make it dif- ficult or costly to manufacture. is is where design for manufacturing (DFM) comes in. For more than 25 years, PCB manufacturers have been using DFM soware to identify issues that will likely cause challenges in their man- ufacturing process. ey flag these issues in a DFM report and send them back to the OEM before beginning production. is results in delaying the finished product. Fabricators and contract manufacturers can build just about anything you send them. e question is, "At what cost?" For every addi- tional process step needed there is a cost. If the projected yield is going to be lower than nor- mal, they will build in overage to assure a suf- ficient quantity will be shipped in time. at overage is extra cost to the OEM. However, it is now common practice for the OEMs to run DFM soware themselves to identify potential issues before they even Figure 2: Designers benefit from identifying solderability issues using Xpedition DFM with the Valor Parts Library.