Performing a full-system analysis in one design flow to reduce PCB development time by 40 percent

About the customer

Psicontrol, part of Picanol Group (a business unit of Tessenderlo Group), is an innovative high tech company focusing on the design, development, production and support of custom-made control systems. Headquartered in Ypres, Belgium, the company develops solutions for control applications such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), textile machinery, compressors and vending machines.

Specializing in advanced human interfaces, wireless communication technologies and embedded systems, Psicontrol strives to meet customers’ highest expectations. Focusing on customization, Psicontrol’s research and development (R&D) team leverages best-in-class hardware and software solutions to create unique products for their demanding clients for whom reliability and time-to-market are key.

Siemens solutions enabled Psicontrol to achieve their goal of producing a first-time right PCB prototype, helping them to cut development time almost in half.

Their challenge

Psicontrol offers a wide range of services, from the design of printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) to full product assembly and manufacturing of human-machine interfaces (HMIs). To meet the needs of their customers – who operate in an array of industries – Psicontrol’s engineers design complex electronic circuit boards as well as mechanical enclosures. To demonstrate their product development capabilities and accelerate time-to-market for their clients, Psicontrol developed a customization platform that showcases a multitude of functionalities combined within a single product. This customization platform, called the “4-inch concept,” is a combination of a graphical user interface (GUI), a PCB and a multipurpose control unit. The 4-inch concept allows individual control unit configurations for a wide range of machines and systems, such as construction machinery, vending machines, weaving machines, smart buildings, climate systems in a motor home and more.

PCB development is a long and complex process. It entails the schematic capture; layout drawing, which includes traces and physically connecting them on the board; component ordering, production and shipping from abroad; product assembly and prototype testing. As such, PCB development often takes up to 10 weeks. Developing a new PCB is also demanding because designers must consider many constraints early in the design process such as size, thermal issues, power efficiency, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and more. In addition to signal integrity and EMC, meeting manufacturing restrictions and customers’ individual certification requirements presents
additional hurdles.

To combine as much functionality as possible into the 4-inch concept customization platform, Psicontrol’s engineers must consider all the product variants. To reduce development time, they needed a tool that they could use to virtually test and validate numerous design variants before building prototypes. Delivering a first-time right
design was the ultimate goal.

Using Simcenter Feko, Psicontrol was able to predict EMC radiation, simulate antenna performance and placement, evaluate signal quality, and ensure signal integrity early in the development process.

Our solution

Psicontrol’s engineers worked with Siemens electronic design solutions to develop their 4-inch concept. They used Simcenter™ Feko™ software to predict EMC radiation, simulate antenna performance and placement, evaluate signal quality and deliver signal integrity early in the development process. Using Simcenter Feko allowed the team to study various antenna types, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. Using PollEx™ software, a PCB-level electronic design automation (EDA) software suite covering analysis, verifications and manufacturing assessment of physical, thermal and electrical attributes, Psicontrol performed physics-based analysis of their 4-inch concept early in the design process. Leveraging the PollEx integration with ECAD tools, their engineers could understand potential design issues right away and use simulation to resolve possible problems. Further parametrized optimization within Simcenter Hyperstudy™ software allowed the team to fine-tune selected geometry for the specific stackup.

Simcenter and PollEx are part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

Siemens solutions enabled Psicontrol to perform a full-system analysis, which integrated mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic and embedded code in one design flow. As a result, the entire PCB development process from first design to component assembly took Psicontrol just six weeks, rather than the typical 10.

“Speeding development and having confidence early in the design process is a key differentiator that helps our customers shorten time-to-market,” says Arne Pannecoucque, specialist R&D engineer, Psicontrol. “We’re proud to say that PollEx made our 4-inch concept a first-time-right success story.”

Leveraging PollEx’s integration with ECAD tools, the engineers could understand potential design issues right away and use simulation to resolve possible problems.

Results

Using Siemens solutions, Psicontrol reduced the development time of a complex HMI product by 40 percent, and achieved their goal of creating a first-timeright design for their customers. By delivering the flawless functionality of the control unit’s processor and memory, Siemens tools helped the company test and validate the new system before any prototype was built. With Simcenter Feko, Psicontrol can now test several antenna types and positions for a product early in the design cycle. This helps the company reduce costly, time-consuming prototype iterations by selecting the best design variant at the start of the project. With PollEx, Psicontrol can confidently and accurately design high-speed interfaces.

“Thanks to Siemens, we achieved our goal of producing a first-time right PCB prototype,” says Pannecoucque. “Siemens solutions helped us cut development time almost in half and gave us the tools to verify any custom-made design early in the design process.” “Plus, we can do all the required analyses in-house without needing to involve third parties, which is a major benefit to our customers.”