Designing Printed Circuit Boards
If you’re a PCB designer, it’s important to use design software that makes the process as efficient as possible. This means using a software that lets you collaborate with cross-functional teams and eliminates the need for physical prototypes, reducing costs and iterations. It also means reducing time spent on manual tasks, and making it easier to create and edit schematic diagrams. Fortunately, there are plenty of software options for designing your next circuit board.
The best printed circuit board assembly design software offers powerful features that make it easy to spot mistakes before production and saves you time. One of the most useful is the ability to see a 3D model of your circuit board so you can see how components fit inside their case. This allows you to avoid wasting money on costly prototypes and reduces the risk of manufacturing errors.
Another feature is the ability to automatically generate industry standard CAM output files for professional manufacturing. This includes Gerber and NC Drill files along with IPC test point reports and more. This eliminates the need for hand-crafted Gerber files that can be error-prone and takes less time to deliver a high-quality printed circuit board.
What Design Software is Best for Designing Printed Circuit Boards?
One of the most popular PCB design software options is Altium Designer, a top-rated solution with a user-friendly interface, robust libraries, and powerful features. This heavyweight software is used by professionals and large companies and offers seamless integration with 3D CAD and mechanical design. While it can be expensive, the robust features and high performance make it well worth the investment.
Another PCB design software option is Sprint-Layout, which is a top choice among electronics engineers for its excellent ergonomics and capacities. It is designed to handle the simplest to complex multilayer designs and supports all types of copper. Its CAD tools are based on advanced mathematic algorithms, allowing for accurate and fast routing of differential pairs and traces. This helps ensure that all signals on your printed circuit board are properly routed. It also has a robust component library and provides advanced search functions for the most common symbols.
Other popular options include NI Allegro and OrCAD, which offer a variety of features that allow you to quickly and efficiently create and edit your circuit board. These programs can be used by a range of skill levels and have a wide selection of symbol libraries. They can also be used to import and convert existing designs into new formats. However, they may require a bit more training than some of the other options on this list.
The open-source software KiCad is another great option for PCB designers who want to work on a budget. It works on both Windows and macOS and has a free, unlimited number of layers for your project. Its graphical editor has a very intuitive interface and is extremely customizable. For instance, it has a handy auto-increment feature that increments and names resistors, capacitors, and other components when you copy them, which saves time. It also has a push-and-shove routing router and a 3D viewer and modeler.
