Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/378511
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 39 through the Lean, integrated product- and pro- cess-NPI stages. Depending on the exact manu- facturing machinery to be used, the data output can be modified to suit. In the best-practice Lean NPI flow, the man- ufacturing-level product model in ODB++ for- mat includes a fully constructed and verified as- sembly panel in one structured data file. From this master product model file, combined with a defined manufacturing process definition, the manufacturing-process data can be automati- cally generated for fabrication, assembly, and test. This makes the NPI process much faster, while reducing the possibility for error and low- ering the risk. Anyone who would like to get involved with the ODB++ Solutions Alliance is welcome to join. Visit www.odb-sa.com. PCBDESIGN Julian Coates is the director of business development for Mentor Graphics valor division. Since joining Mentor Graphics valor division in 1994, Coates has fulfilled a number of roles in- cluding managing director of valor's european subsidiary, followed by product management, marketing and business development. by Real Time with... NEPCON South China Scientists have developed an X-ray imaging system that enables researchers to see "live" how effective treatments are for cystic fibrosis. Published in the American Journal of respi- ratory and Critical Care Medicine, the imaging method allows researchers to monitor the effec- tiveness of a treatment for the life-threatening genetic disorder. Dr. Kaye Morgan, lead researcher on the paper from Monash university, said the new X-ray imaging method allows researchers to look at soft tissue structures, for example the brain, airways and lungs, which are effec- tively invisible in conventional X-ray images. "At the moment we typically need to wait for a cystic fibrosis treatment to have an effect on lung health, measured by ei- ther a lung CT scan or breath measure- ment, to see how effective that treatment is," Dr. Morgan said. "However the new imaging method allows us for the first time to non-invasively see how the treatment is working 'live' on the airway surface." Dr. Morgan said this X-ray imaging meth- od would enable doctors and researchers to measure how effective treatments are, and progress new treatments to the clinic at a much quicker rate, a key goal of co-authors Dr. Martin Donnelley and Dr. David Parsons of the CF Gene Therapy group at the Women's and Children's Hospital and the university of Adelaide's robin- son research Institute. "Because we will be able to see how effective- ly treatments are working straight away, we'll be able to develop new treatments a lot more quickly, and help better treat people with cystic fibrosis," Dr. Morgan said. Dr. Morgan said the new imaging method, which was developed using a synchrotron X- ray source, may also open up possibilities in as- sessing how effective treatments were for other lung, heart and brain diseases. New X-ray Imaging Allows Monitoring of Treatment feature WHAT'S NEW IN ODB++? continues