During the process of PCBA manufacturing and assembly, hardware engineers may often encounter such problems: the PCB design is indeed problematic, the purchased components do not match the actual ones during PBCA processing, the product production cycle is long, and the quality cannot be guaranteed…
So how can we discover and solve these manufacturing risks before production? Friends who have learned about us may know that we have developed a manufacturable analysis software—Wonderfulpcb DFM Services.
Previously, we also introduced a lot of functions and usage methods of “Wonderfulpcb DFM Services,” which has also been used by more than 200,000 engineer friends. Thanks to the feedback and suggestions of the majority of engineers, this time, Wonderfulpcb DFM Services is available online with the new DFA function!
DFM and DFA
So, what are the new DFA functions of Wonderfulpcb DFM Services? Before understanding the functions, let’s talk about the old things and briefly introduce the difference between DFM and DFA, and what pain points can be solved for users!
“DFM” is the abbreviation of Design for manufacturability, which means design for manufacturing. Design for manufacturing means that product design needs to meet the process requirements of product manufacturing and have good manufacturability, so that the product can be manufactured at the lowest cost, shortest time, and highest quality.
“DFA” is the abbreviation of Design for assembly, which means design for assembly. Design for assembly means designing products in the product design stage so that the product has good assemblability, ensuring simple assembly process, high assembly efficiency, high assembly quality, low assembly defect rate, and low assembly cost.
Performing DFM and DFA analysis in the final stage of product development can solve many problems caused by the release of new products:
- Standardized design products are quickly put into production
- Reduce communication costs and disputes over issues
- Reduce the number of iterations in product development
- Reduce the time it takes for products to be put on the market
- Reduce defects in PCB manufacturing and assembly to increase production
- Concurrent engineering, intelligent product creation, making design and manufacturing simpler
- Increase the reliability of equipment and its calendar life
- Save the cost of the company’s product release
Why does Wonderfulpcb DFM Services want to make a new DFA function?
After the general sample design engineer completes the PCB drawing, he will use the DRC check in the EDA software and immediately send the board to the board factory for board making, leaving the manufacturability problem to the board factory. The design engineer did not deal with the concepts of manufacturability and assemblability in advance, which led to many drawbacks in the manufacturing process of the designed product, brought inconvenience to production, caused many quality problems, and even some problems were not found in the manufacturing process, resulting in the failure of the final product design.
The icon data comes from Wonderfulpcb Comprehensive Compilation
According to the analysis data in the above figure, 70% of engineers use DFM after the design is completed, and 30% of engineers do not use DFM for manufacturability analysis. Even fewer use DFA assembly analysis, only 10%, and almost none of them have used DFA assembly analysis. In terms of DFM and DFA, general engineers use DFM only for bare board analysis, and only a few engineers use assembly analysis.
According to the analysis results in the industry, some engineers who do not use DFM may not know that there is Wonderfulpcb DFM Services free software, and do not use the DFA assembly analysis function. It may be that engineers have never used it, because few software have assembly analysis functions before. At present, Wonderfulpcb DFM Services has developed an assembly analysis function. It is recommended that everyone try to use it and experience the value that Wonderfulpcb DFM Services brings to everyone. There will be surprises!
A comprehensive review of Wonderfulpcb DFA functions
The following specifically explains the new assembly analysis function of Wonderfulpcb DFM Services to see how this artefact helps design engineers solve problems and helps R&D companies reduce costs and increase efficiency.
1. BOM file comparison
The data in the BOM file includes component model, package, position number, specification value, and usage. In the process of sorting the BOM list, it is inevitable to make mistakes. The BOM file comparison function compares the BOM files before and after sorting to avoid the loss of purchasing the wrong components.
2. BOM error checking function
The BOM error-checking function compares the data in the BOM with the components used in the actual PCB board. When there is a difference between the BOM file and the component package used in the PCB, the BOM check prompts the reason for the difference. Avoid wasting the cost of purchasing too many components or purchasing the wrong components.
3. SMT pricing function
The SMT pricing function uses the BOM to match the component library to obtain the correct components to be used. The software calculates the actual price of the components used. SMT pricing and quotation allow procurement personnel to understand the market price and have a clearer understanding of the cost of components used in the product.
4. Simulation diagram viewing
Viewing the simulation diagram is a step that engineers must take after checking the designed product, because the simulation diagram can directly view the effect of the components after pasting, and can see the effect diagram of the finished board before production. Therefore, this function was developed according to user needs for user convenience.
5. Impedance calculation
When designing high-speed PCBs, there are often many high-speed traces that need to control impedance. Controlling impedance needs to be combined with the materials used by the board factory and the dielectric thickness of the materials. Then a simple and practical impedance calculation tool is particularly important. The wonderfulpcb DFM Services impedance calculation tool is simple and practical, and the stacking template contains various board materials that can meet all impedance calculation modes.
6. File comparison
Comparison files are very practical tools for design engineers because the designed products may not be successful at one time and may be frequently revised. Using the file comparison tool, you can accurately compare the location of the file modification. Avoid providing the wrong file to production.
7. Open and short circuit detection
Open and short circuits are the focus of design engineers. The open and short circuit of the designed product directly leads to the unusability of the product. The DFM software detects the open and short circuits during one-click analysis, and the design product has a red prompt for the open and short circuits. Avoid engineers designing wrong files into the production line, resulting in product design failure.
8. Imposition tool
For relatively small PCBs, there are certain size restrictions when attaching components on the SMT patch assembly line, so imposition is required. The convenience and practicality of the imposition tool are very important. A good imposition tool can improve work efficiency. The DFM imposition tool is practical for assembling boards of various shapes, and it is also very convenient to add stamp holes for bridge connection.
Wonderfulpcb DFM Services detection items
1. PCB bare board analysis
The software has 19 major functions and 52 detailed inspection rules, mainly covering modules such as drilling, circuits, solder mask, and characters. Three typical analysis items are open and short circuit analysis, wiring analysis, and hole line distance analysis.
2. PCB Assembly analysis
For this module, Wonderfulpcb DFM Services has about 10 major items and 234 detailed inspection rules. Assembly analysis mainly includes the following parts: first, the verification of the pins and pads of components; second, the analysis of device spacing; third, the inspection of welding performance; fourth, the design analysis of device pads.
