subject: Electro-mechanical design tools: a meeting of two common grounds [print this page] Electro-mechanical design tools: a meeting of two common grounds
The modern trend in technology is forever more complex designs in ever smaller packages. Mechanical designs utilizing ergonomics, aesthetics and usability pack powerful electronics which must meet modern environmental compliance guidelines whilst retaining full functionality. All in a compact unit which must reach the market in the fastest time possible.
The complexity of modern engineering design means it is no longer a one-team task, but one with several parallel pathways. In a world of ever-shortening product lifecycles, where newly-engineered products are quickly usurped by the "next best thing", engineering companies need to have lock-tight strategies to enable effective communication across the domains of electronic and mechanical engineering. Put in a nutshell, a new concept automobile would be unlikely to get off the ground if the mechanical design of the engine and gearbox were completely isolated from the electronic sensors.
The modern business model for engineering electronic technology revolves around co-ordination, not compartmentalization, of design elements. However, current CAD packages don't allow for this. They are divided between ECAD (electronic design) software, which defines the PCB design, and MCAD (mechanical design) software, which covers the external housing. As both areas become ever more complex and specialized, so the division has widened.
To enable ECAD and MCAD systems to perform at the highest level of efficiency, unwanted elements i.e. those relating to the other domain - have been removed. In other words, ECAD designware does not cover mechanical assembly, and mechanical design tools do not cover electrical functions. However, PCB design engineers must still be careful components don't cause unwanted mechanical interference during assembly, so there's a mechanical element in there. Applied clearance tools to check for electrical isolation and electrical interference are available, but not compatible with each other. This and other communication problems between electronic and mechanical design areas, translate to production and marketing problems and even product recalls. As companies become increasingly globalized, with FPGA designs and external housings often remotely assembled, the problems escalate.
In engineering, the most common way to iron out design problems is by face-to-face meeting. If, say, there were concerns over PCB overheating problems in a prototype games console, the PCB and mechanical design engineers could work together in cross-domain fashion, usually at the CAD drawing board. Having two separate CAD systems (one for the consul design, one for the PCB design) works fine where both teams are in the same building, but where distance separates them, this creates real problems in terms of cost and time. Modern communication and teleconferencing methods only work so well. Red-lining files and documents back and forth over the internet cause inconsistencies, delays and assumptions about what modifications have been carried out.
Obviously, CAD design software common to both domains is the answer, but this requires interdisciplinary expertise and training. However, ECAD-MCAD collaboration extension tools are now available which enable users to see the effect of proposed mechanical design changes on PCB performance (and vice versa).
We at Enventure Technologies have decades of experience in all areas of electronic and mechanical design. We offer a full range of CAD and PCB design services to maximize the cross-domain potential of your project.
