Technical Engineer Shares: Why PCB Design Needs 3D Capabilities?

Designing and building the next generation of electronic products is a complex process, especially in a highly competitive global industry like the electronics industry, where rapid and continuous technological changes have become a common occurrence and the rule of innovation. If designers cannot accept these changes, they will face the risk of being left behind by their competitors or even being unable to join the competition at all. This situation is particularly evident in the design of printed circuit boards (PCBs). In this market, consumers prefer smaller, lower-priced, faster and more functional electronic products, coupled with ever-shortening design cycles and geographically dispersed design teams, which are constantly advancing the complexity of designs and pushing the use of traditional design tools to their limits. The increase in the number of networks, stricter design constraints and routing density, and the gradual migration to high-speed, high-density projects have further exacerbated PCB complexity. This trend is affecting all areas of this industry, not just high-end consumer electronics.

Fortunately, PCB design tools have been steadily evolving in recent years to meet the challenges of this increasingly complex design landscape. One major change, the adoption of 3D capabilities, promises to enable designers to balance design innovation with competitiveness in the global marketplace.

Challenges of Designing in a 3D World

Traditionally, circuit board designers have relied on design prototypes to ensure the form, fit, and functionality of their designs before manufacturing. While viable, this approach has many drawbacks. First, designers cannot be sure that the board will fit before the actual prototype is manufactured. Second, this approach generally results in multiple prototypes being made during the design process. Furthermore, multiple prototypes are time-consuming, and the average cost of a prototype for a moderately complex design is $8,929. Any additional time or expense in the design process not only affects a company’s competitiveness, but also hinders our entry into new business, so it is not difficult to understand why this approach is unpopular.

Another drawback is that PCB designs are traditionally two-dimensional designs.

Basically, designs are created in 2D, annotated manually, and passed to mechanical design engineers. Mechanical engineers use mechanical CAD software to redraw the designs in 3D. This method is time-consuming and error-prone because it is a completely manual process. Therefore, it does not provide a competitive differentiation for designing the next generation of electronic products. It is now clear that board designers need to find better ways to view and analyze their increasingly complex designs.

The ultimate goal of PCB designers is to create products for the real world (with 3 dimensions), so the best solution is to use a design tool with advanced 3D capabilities. It allows designers to view the design in true 3D before production, eliminating the need for prototypes, saving time and money (Figure 1). Accurate 3D models can be easily generated and then used to layout the board in true 3D. In addition, a 3D model of the target enclosure can be imported into the PCB design to ensure that the designed board will fit perfectly into this shell. Finally, designers can submit their design files for production with confidence.

By visualizing a design in 3D, designers can examine every aspect of a design in 3D, both inside and out. 3D export capabilities provide designers with the ability to perform further analysis in other analysis tools, such as thermal analysis and electromagnetic simulation. This is critical for today’s wireless, compact, battery-powered devices, where heat dissipation is entirely dependent on the shape of the board.

Because of these capabilities, 3D capabilities in PCB design tools are absolutely essential for the rapid, accurate, and cost-effective design of next-generation electronic products. You and I Need: Full 3D Capabilities The value of adding 3D capabilities to PCB design is undeniable, so many companies are currently promoting the ability to provide this feature as a selling point. However, the 3D capabilities provided by these design tools vary greatly. To realize the full benefits of 3D, it is not enough to simply enable the viewing of true 3D images,

but to expand to full 3D capabilities, including: The ability to create 3D animations/videos of designs. This feature allows designers to easily share and showcase their product designs, and even use them as marketing materials. It also promotes better collaboration with other design teams or manufacturers. For example, a 3D video can show the manufacturer what the finished assembly will look like, and the video can also be used to illustrate the order in which components should be soldered to the board.

●The ability to import 3D models (including components) into the board design. Note that some design tools lack this capability, allowing designers to perform only basic visualization and component clearance checks in 2D. However, the ability to import enclosures and other mechanical objects can ensure that components are placed in the right place the first time.

●This is a very important feature because rules are real-time guides during the design process. A 3D design rule checker can tell the designer if there is interference in 3D space (on all axes) between two components, between a component and the enclosure, or between a component and the heat sink.

●The ability to model copper layers in the inner layer structure of the PCB. Despite using an ECAD package with 3D capabilities, problems may still occur during the manufacturing process. Finding problems at such a late stage in the design process can greatly increase costs. The ability to model copper layers in the inner layer structure of the PCB allows designers to easily view and verify the connection between the pins and the inner layer or thermal reliefs.

Benefits of designing in 3D

Designing in 3D can bring you many benefits. It can reduce the MCAD and ECAD iteration cycle to one cycle (zero in some cases), thereby shortening the design cycle, and minimize design errors, thereby greatly improving production efficiency. Moreover, by eliminating the uncertainty of the fit between the circuit board layout and the shell, designers can focus on the design of the product aesthetics with peace of mind.

Other benefits of 3D design are:

●Competitive advantage. By improving communication within an organization and between suppliers and customers, 3D design can speed up product design, make the manufacturing process more reasonable and efficient, and accelerate product promotion. Design costs are reduced, profit margins are increased, and the earlier time to market and improved product quality mean increased revenue.

●Improve global cooperation. A true 3D design image can improve the efficiency of communication with suppliers, customers and manufacturers. It even allows non-CAD personnel to participate in the process (for example, for customer questionnaires, clear instructions or product configuration). This is particularly important in the current situation where many companies tend to outsource production (in China or locally). Regardless of the design intent or the desired end product, global design and manufacturing are extremely prone to errors and misunderstandings. 3D design images provide a common, easy-to-understand platform that all team members can operate.

● More efficient design review and modification. The ability to create 3D renderings and animations simplifies the work of writing design plans and reviewing designs among design team members. It also allows designers to easily implement modifications and update the latest design changes. For example, once the changes or modifications are completed, a new 3D rendering or animation can be easily generated.

● More efficient manufacturing and assembly process. 3D models provide a common foundation that manufacturers can work with, while also being able to more accurately and clearly communicate design intent and related design details. Errors that were previously only discovered after production can be discovered early in the design process. Therefore, using 3D models to manufacture and assemble products will be more accurate and efficient.

● Promote sales and promote marketing. 3D models of products can be a valuable marketing tool, allowing customers to see the full picture of the product before it is manufactured, so the sales department can quickly make market assessment reports, which can help us bring in additional revenue.

Conclusion

For many years, real-time 3D graphics technology has completely changed the way society interacts with computers. Through 3D PCB design tools, this change has now come to the PCB design field. It is changing the way electronic products are designed and manufactured. However, as with any new technology or method, it is very important to find the best implementation and use. For PCB designers who want to benefit from 3D, this means choosing a software solution that provides full 3D capabilities. This solution provides the functions that circuit board designers need to help them create competitive next-generation electronic products in an increasingly complex design environment.