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Synchronizing Mechanical and Electrical Design
September 3, 2008 |Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The commercial integration of electrical and mechanical systems began with the invention of the Gramme dynamo in 1871. Since then, forcing electricity into wires has become a definitive aspect of twentieth century industrial innovation. More recently, miniaturization and logic integration have enabled a proliferation of these mechatronic systems into billions of devices. Products ranging from the Tickle Me Elmo doll to the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System's mechanical arm on the Space Shuttle exhibit this graceful synthesis of mechanical and electrical function. Even the "pure-virtual" world of Second Life depends on the near atomic precision of mechanical armatures in many thousands of hard drives around the world.
What a shame it is that engineering teams collaborating to design these small miracles endure outdated and inefficient design software created for the pre-Gramme days of purely mechanical systems.
Today, integrated mechanical and electronic design is design, but CAD technology vendors remain ensconced in their well protected towers of "vertical" markets. For a combination of good and bad reasons, discipline-specific CAD tools have become the norm. To design an armature, use an MCAD tool. To design the PCB that the armature is mounted to, use an EDA tool. To design the enclosure for the hard drive, use an ID tool. Form may lead or follow function, but only for the masters of the "Import" and "Export" menu items, and only where systems with intelligent information models are in play.
Many PCB designers are faced with the challenge of designing boards that have requirements and qualifications predetermined by the end-product's mechanical engineering team. The format in which mechanical engineers determine these requirements and the software in which PCB designers create their boards have traditionally not been compatible. PCB designers are often forced to refer to IDF files as they transfer existing information into a new format, creating an inefficient hiccup in the design process.
Designers of mechatronic systems working with "lines and arcs" or "flashes and draws" know the disadvantages they face. Without the "edit once, change everywhere" capability of a true electrical information model, these designers spend more time twiddling fine-grained geometry than contemplating function and performance. This simply isn't good enough anymore. Teams with experience in integrated toolsets have a substantial advantage. Fortunately, such toolsets are no longer reserved for the well bank-rolled.
With the advent of software development kits (SDK) and plug-ins, engineering teams are finding that today's free tools are robust enough to be used as a base platform from which to design and create applications that meet specific design needs. In addition, tools are increasingly speaking in terms that are meaningful to design - such as components, connections and behaviors - rather than focusing on obsolete process-oriented concepts.
Sunstone Circuits, a PCB fabricator with headquarters in Mulino, OR., is consistently developing and enhancing tools and systems that focus on easing the design process. The company builds technology that supports integration, gathering all project stakeholders together in a virtual open work environment; the objective is to bring manufacturing parameters further upstream in the design process with an eye toward improving efficiencies in manufacturing and assembly downstream.
PCB designers are constantly challenged to create boards based on requirements and qualifications predetermined by the end product's mechanical engineering team. Generally, the format in which the specifications are made is not compatible with PCB design software. PCB designers are thus forced to refer to intermediate data format (IDF) files as they transfer existing information into a new format, creating an inefficient hiccup in the design process. To alleviate this pain point, Sunstone is introducing a free IDF import/export plug-in built with the PCB123 SDK.
Sunstone's IDF import/export plug-in imports the outline definition of the PCB according to the parameters of the mechanical CAD tool, enabling the synchronization of the mechanical design work with the PCB development work. This added feature enhances the design process, facilitating the exchange of information by making it faster, easier, more convenient and less prone to error. Bridging the divide of mechanical and electrical design work, the IDF plug-in recognizes the needs of today's mechantronic designers for greater collaboration.
In an effort to level the playing field, Sunstone distributes its SDK for free and with no royalties, encouraging designers to develop and use the tools they need, as well as share them with other design teams to improve design flow. Rather than working in a constrained environment, designers have an opportunity to take greater ownership of the available tools and customize their capabilities to achieve optimal results.
Engineering design disciplines are becoming increasingly intertwined, and traditional design tools are no longer providing the efficiencies and functionality required for teams to maintain their competitive edge. Moreover, traditional tools and systems are not evolving fast enough to provide the collaborative and dynamic work environments that are critical to success.
It's time to move away from rigid design software to open environments that promote collaboration, integration and customization.
Nolan Johnson is EDA product marketing manager at Sunstone Circuits, and Lee Harding is engineering manager at Sunstone.