Finalizing the PCB design data for release-to-manufacturing is a critical and often fragile step within the new product introduction (NPI) process. DFMStream offers full verification of design and manufacturing rules on PCB design databases, Gerber, intelligent manufacturing files, and NC data to ensure the data complies with the original design files and intent. DFMStream also contains functionality that eases communication between you and your vendors.
Design Analyzer
The sophisticated Design Analyzer facilitates matching features within a PCB design, such as min trace width/spacing, number of layers, board size, and drill/via technologies, to a specific PCB vendor. This guarantees designs submitted to a vendor can be fabricated without any hidden costs or unexpected delays. The Design Analyzer also generates a report containing all information required by a board vendor to estimate the cost and delivery of the fabricated PCB. Working collaboratively with the report in hand, PCB fabricators can make recommendations for design changes that result in significant cost and time savings while maintaining design intent.
The Design Analyzer bridges the gap between engineer and PCB fabricator by extracting key information about the PCB and presenting it in an easy to read report. This report is compared against the vendor’s capabilities to ensure the vendor can fabricate the PCB.
“Streams” Driven Analysis
DFMStream uses a “Stream” file to queue a series of DFM analysis checks for a design. Users can define the order or “Stream” of checks combining netlist or layer comparison, design rule verification, fabrication and assembly verification on the entire design with a single click of a button. This dramatically reduces set up and execution of the analysis. DFMStream offers the ability to save and recall different Streams based on technology, vendor capabilities, or unique design requirements.
Hierarchical Analysis
In many cases different parts of a PCB require different rules and subsequently different analysis. DFMStream’s unique rule hierarchy allows you to tailor the verification and rule sets according to bare board construction, board density, and component technology. DFMStream analysis will locate errors that violate a set parameter such as incorrect spacing, and potential errors such as silk screen ink over plated through holes that will arise during fabrication or assembly.
Design Rule Compliance
Gerber, drill, IPC-2581, and ODB++ data can be analyzed to ensure the data was correctly generated from the CAD design. Design rule verification compares the PCB features against PCB vendor design requirements to ascertain how well a board meets the manufacturer’s requirements even before submitting the PCB for fabrication.
Bare Board Analysis for Fabrication
DFMStream’s analysis will detect specific topology issues that have an adverse effect on PCB fabrication such as outer vs. inner layers and plane layers, plating vs. non plating drill hole checking, and copper to board edge clearances.
Mask and Screen Analysis for Assembly
DFMStream’s analysis will detect PCB topologies that could have an adverse effect on PCB assembly such as potential solder mask bridging where solder mask openings expose adjacent PCB features. DFMStream’s analysis will analyze silkscreen ink for potential pad contamination thereby eliminating PCB scrap or rework and delays in product shipment.
DFMStream’s analysis will detect missing, extra, and improperly sized paste masks reducing the incidence of cold solder joints or component tombstoning.
PCB Assembly Analysis
DFMStream’s analysis will detect improper part spacing, allowing the user to set up numerous spacing requirements between different part types that reflect the assembly line insertion flow.
Design Delta Analysis
Use DFMStream’s Design Delta analysis to compare PCB design data from independent sources to identify differences. For example, compare a Netlist extracted from Gerber and NC data against a standard IPC-D-356 netlist generated from the PCB CAD design to ensure Gerber, NC, and ODB++ data were extracted correctly and without loss of design intent. DFMStream’s Design Delta analysis will perform comparisons such as: layer to layer; Gerber to design graphics; Gerber to drill; design revision to design revision and many other combinations.
Error Charting
Large scale analysis can often result in a large number of reported failures. Viewing the results of large scale analysis in chart form allows you to get to the root of the failure and quickly ascertain a remedy. Charting allows you to review the specifics of the failures to identify trends or unexpected results. DFMStream’s charting feature reports the exact value of the error and the PCB features involved in that error. The charting function groups common errors so they can be quickly identified and resolved in DFMStream or the host CAD system.
PCB CAD Cross Probing
DFMStream’s cross probing allows engineers to quickly visualize DFM analysis results with the source PCB CAD file. DFMStream supports hot-linking between both intelligent design data, such as ODB++, or Gerber information. Errors selected within DFMStream or its report window are immediately identified in the host CAD system. This allows you to correct the error in the source CAD design so later design iterations do not replicate known and resolved problems. DFMStream cross probes to the leading EDA CAD tools such as PADS, Expedition, OrCAD, and Allegro.
Gerber and NC Editing and Optimization
DFMStream’s editing environment allows you to make changes in Gerber or NC data when time constraints are critical. DFMStream offers a wide array of tools to add or modify Gerber flashes and draws, create custom apertures, modify apertures or drill parameters and so on. Making modifications to Gerber and NC data in DFMStream expedites the transition from design to manufacturing. DFMStream provides flexibility to meet the design to manufacturing flow that correlates to the design situation.
Fast Assembly Panel Creation
While focused primary on analysis, DFMStream also offers multi-image PCB panel design to quickly step and repeat an array of PCBs to drive pick and place assembly.