Eliminate costly electromechanical issues with ECAD-MCAD co-design

Having first-pass success means a product works as designed following fabrication and assembly without iteration. This is a difficult concept for electromechanical manufacturers, who are dealing with smaller, increasingly complex products that require densely packed components. With growing pressure to launch products expeditiously, reducing expensive design iterations is crucial.

Combining electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) with mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) effectively eliminates costly electromechanical difficulties during new product development and improves the probability of first-pass success.

The impact of electromechanical complexity on product development

Given the need to introduce new complex products affordably and without delay, the validation of ECAD and MCAD compatibility should happen early in the design process, long before fabrication begins. Waiting until fabrication, where ECAD and MCAD are combined, can have serious ongoing ramifications. Product rework is one, wasting valuable time, money, and materials.
Independent research shows that electromechanically complex products will require at least two design iterations to attain an operable result. However, if you want to reduce product development costs and ensure product launch is on time and successful, first-pass success matters.

How ECAD-MCAD co-design can eliminate costly design iterations

Mechanical engineers and PCB designers face numerous obstacles that prevent effective collaboration. They work with different tool sets and have different vocabularies that do not translate well, even when using Intermediate Data Format (IDF).

With the IDX format, designers can readily communicate, synchronize their data more effectively and cooperate more successfully across domains on crucial design elements, identifying possible issues early, and guaranteeing the design objective is correctly carried out. It also establishes a baseline of data, allows evaluation for any potential changes, and shares data for in-depth collaboration between electrical and mechanical teams and many other advantages.

The Siemens Digital Industries Software solution uses IDX to provide improved collaboration ability for rigid, rigid-flex, and flexible PCBs, leading to a rarely matched level of collaboration.

Benefits of using ECAD-MCAD co-design in product development

The benefits of using an ECAD-MCAD co-design strategy go beyond meeting deadlines and saving money. It will:

• Increase productivity
• Improve design robustness
• Enhance efficiency through collaboration
• Achieve first pass success

Read the eBook to learn more about implementing an ECAD-MCAD co-design strategy.