Optimizing Cross-Functional Collaboration with Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner

I’m excited to share some of our positive experiences with Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner, which we use extensively for designing all of the custom printed circuit board solutions in Ribbot. Get ready to learn why Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner is so important for our success as a team and why we wouldn’t choose any other tool for our custom printed circuit board designs. 

The Traditional Printed Circuit Board Design Process

For most folks working on designing printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) in the industry, the following workflow will be quite familiar. Based on the requirements imposed by a customer or system specification, the mechanical engineer creates a board outline in their native CAD tool. Keepout and place regions will be used to identify height restrictions and any limitations in component placement areas on the primary and secondary sides of the board. Connectors and mounting holes can be added for MCAD-controlled components. 

At this point, the mechanical engineer will generate an intermediate data format (IDF) file in order to transmit this information to the native printed circuit board design software. The mechanical engineer then gets to sit back, relax, and wait for the ECAD engineer to export an IDF file of the completed board, ready for importing back into the MCAD domain. The printed circuit board imports perfectly and everything fits the first time. Because, of course, it always happens like this, right?

Why IDF File Export Can Create a Bottleneck in Design

Unfortunately, it isn’t always this easy. Often, the IDF export process involves a lengthy checklist of tasks that need to be completed perfectly in order for the IDF file to be generated correctly. Even when the MCAD engineer performs all of the steps correctly, the export tool can have certain quirks that require manual intervention. When the IDF file is imported back into the MCAD domain, these issues can rear their head once more. The process of exporting and importing IDF files can be a massive time suck for both the MCAD and ECAD designers. 

Eliminate IDF File Transfer Challenges

With the introduction of Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner, MCAD and ECAD designers no longer need to worry about IDF files; data is transferred automatically through the native CAD tool plugin. Simply add a comment and press push. It’s really that easy! No more export process, no more previewing the board before file generation, and no more frustration. Instead of spending hours troubleshooting why reference designators don’t match, you can spend that time addressing real, important aspects of the design.

Revolutionize Your Design Workflow with Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner

As always, cost and schedule are the major drivers that determine who wins business and who misses out on design opportunities. Companies need to balance risk and reward to take on new design challenges.

If you feel like your current workflow for designing PCBAs is old, slow, and antiquated, it very well might be. Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner has optimized the ECAD-MCAD workflow and is a fantastic solution to short-circuit design times. 

We love building robots, and it is a fun, fulfilling hobby. We don’t have time to waste on passing files back and forth and troubleshooting issues. Altium 365 MCAD CoDesigner moves at the same pace that we do, and we wouldn’t choose any other tool for printed circuit board design. Interested? You can try it yourself.