Live Webinar: Innovative PCB Documentation - BluePrint

PCB Documentation - The Problem and Solution

Our standalone products work with your internal solutions to ease the downstream processes. DownStream solutions specialize in tasks that cannot be addressed by your PCB Layout investment alone. We ease the burden of transitioning your designs into actual boards and ultimately successful products..

What is needed is a new approach to PCB documentation – a tool, developed in the style of Microsoft Office, which quickly creates electronic drawings to drive the PCB fabrication and assembly processes; a tool that “knows” it is creating a PCB document and leverages the PCB CAD data to automatically create and intelligently link PCB Views, details, document notes, external documents, URLs and multi-media content.

The result should be an electronic document which better articulates the instructions for PCB manufacturing, which can be changed instantly, and will lead to faster product launches.

How Does BluePrint Compare to Traditional PCB Documentation Tools?

• BluePrint provides access to all the electrical intelligence contained in the PCB CAD database to create detailed documentation in the least amount of time.
• BluePrint uses a drawing and sheet based approach to create actual PCB documents (drill drawing, assembly drawing, parts list, etc) and stores them in an electronic release package.
• BluePrint uses the CAD data to automatically create unlimited views, details, and charts of the PCB and can revise the documentation to reflect new PCB changes in seconds.
• BluePrint provides a robust set of drafting and dimension tools that rivals mechanical CAD for PCB documentation. However, mechanical CAD requires numerous translations of data from the PCB CAD system to the mechanical system requiring excessive time for translation and resulting in drastic loss of data that can be used to automatically create PCB drawings.
• BluePrint requires one single load of the entire PCB CAD database to start the documentation process and uses all the CAD intelligence to help create the documentation. ECO changes are easily incorporated by “refreshing” the source CAD data. BluePrint “ripples” the new PCB data throughout the documentation package, updating every instance of a PCB View, detail, and chart.

What are the Benefits of BluePrint-PCB?

BluePrint creates documentation in 60%-80% (more with ECOs) less time than current methods, allows the creation of more detailed documentation and frees PCB designers up earlier to move onto the next PCB design project. BluePrint creates better instructions for faster product assimilation into manufacturing with fewer questions, manufacturing change orders, and product deviations approvals.

How is BluePrint Unique?

BluePrint allows for far easier navigation of documentation through the use of “active” documents. BluePrint creates live, interactive documentation that can also use multi-media (audio, video, and digital images), and hyperlinks to better articulate how a PCB is to be built and delivers information instantaneously to the document user. BluePrint documents can be viewed without a BluePrint application, or via the web. A stand-alone viewer is also available.

Why is PCB Documentation Important?

Because it matters how we build our products! It is simply not sufficient for long term success to be “first to market” anymore. The high technology industry is rich with examples of companies that were first to market with a new idea, but then lost to competitors because they could not build it quickly or properly. The goal should include TIME TO QUALITY AND VOLUME PRODUCTION! PCB Documentation – the very instructions that tell us how to manufacture and assemble the PCB – is a key component to achieving this goal. Companies spend too much time producing inadequate documentation. And the fault lies with the tools available!

Who Should Attend?

• Anyone who has responsibility for, or whom is involved in, documenting PCB designs.
• Project Engineers responsible for the finished product
• Engineering and CAD managers who are evaluating ways to improve their process to meet time-to-volume and quality production goals
• Anyone who wants to learn about new developments in design automation tools aimed at the manufacturing and fabrication phases of new product development.

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