DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING & NPI

Z-Planner Enterprise

Design PCB stackups using DFM, DFSI, and field solvers to account for Df, Dk and material choices.

Z-planner Enterprise™ is the solution for today and into the future. Z-planner Enterprise is field-solver-based PCB stackup planning and materials selection software that’s optimized for both PCB stackup design and stackup management — all as part of your PCB design flow.

Respins of PCB designs…everyone hates them. But did you know that one of the chief causes leading to a PCB redesign is stackup problems? As circuits unceasingly continue to get faster, the stackup becomes increasingly a source for issues. Poor choices of laminates, prepreg, and copper weights can lead to signal integrity problems that must be solved before the product can be mass-produced.

Z-planner Enterprise allows you to make direct Dk and Df measurements from laminates from 1-20 GHz, perform stackup DFM and design for signal integrity (DFSI), execute cross-section analysis, account for material choices, and even includes a wizard to make learning and use quick and efficient. The Dielectric Materials Library gives you the power of an onboard storehouse of specifications on more than 150 laminates from industry-leading manufacturers.

Z-planner Enterprise includes:

Everything necessary for automated design and management of PCB stackups and laminate selection, including a stackup wizard
Interfaces to common PCB layout and signal-integrity design flows
DFM and DFSI design-rule management and checking
Unlimited stackup-layer support—including automated calculation of width/spacing for target impedances
HyperLynx field solver — simulating dielectric and copper losses
Z-solver — detailed cross-section analysis, including S-parameter export
Glass awareness and Glass-Weave Skew mitigation
Stackup manager for design reuse
Detailed manufacturing properties and notes
Import/export from SI software

Hardware-Design Teams

Hardware-design teams can design a stackup using impedance analysis and loss planning with actual laminates, including frequency-dependent dielectric constants and loss tangents, as well as copper roughness from the dielectric library.

NPI Teams

NPI teams can use Z-planner Enterprise for automated comparisons between stackup specifications, including impedance require–ments, board thickness, trace widths and pitch, including differential pitch.

Detailed DFM and DFSI (Design for Signal Integrity) checks can also be applied to multiple fabricator stackups, ensuring consistent quality and design margins.

Benefits for the Entire Design Team

Z-planner provides benefits for the entire team.

Key Benefits

Automated supplier stackup-design qualification ensures that all fabricator stackups comply with design and manufacturing requirements
Consistent repository and methodology for stackup-design reuse saves time and reinforces best practices company-wide
Select the best laminate system for your design with comprehensive CCL material decision support
Maximize profitability with cost management and value engineering (VE)
Send accurate stackup data to signal integrity simulators early in the design process to ensure valid simulations
Built-in Wizard for rapid setup and learning

Z-planner Enterprise

Z-planner Enterprise is tightly integrated into your PCB design flow—from pre-layout signal integrity exploration to post-layout verification across multiple PCB fabricators. Z-planner manages the entire process, including revision control and interoperability with your PCB layout and signal-integrity software.

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