Advanced Design Rule Checks
DFM Center - ADM
In the design and production of electronic products, manufacturability checks are difficult to perform manually and are often made after the design process is complete. However, the increasing costs and design/production delays caused by higher signal speeds, ecological problems and increasing global design collaboration, make this approach unsustainable.
Zuken's ADM system checks that designs have been produced in accordance with component mounting and manufacturing specifications early in the design process, and concurrently as the work progresses. The system facilitates the sharing of personal expertise using your company Intranet network, and it efficiently manages the growing number of design rule checks needed to ensure manufacturability. ADM will help you to maintain all parameters needed for checking, and when changes are made to manufacturing specifications and mounting processes, rules can be easily changed and checks modified to take account of the changes. The whole process therefore becomes front-end driven, sharing data in real time across all departments, divisions, and companies involved in the design and development of an electronic product.
Manufacturing Checks using the ADM System
Complex checking of PCB manufacturability early in the design process can be carried out using the ADM system. This facilitates checking that the design has been carried out in conformance with both manufacturing and component mounting specifications. The system enables the sharing of personal expertise across the enterprise. It efficiently manages the growing number of checking tasks and maintains all the parameters needed for checking. When changes are made in manufacturing specifications and mounting processes, rules can be easily changed and checks can be executed accordingly.
A Rule Manager enables real-time sharing of specifications, including manufacturing requirements, across design teams, locations and companies. This is supplied in the form of a web application running in industry-standard browsers. Design standards documents can also be used as an electronic data format across an Intranet.
Data Builder enables highly segmented and detailed rules to be defined, based on manufacturing and mounting specifications. It uses systematic checks and if CAD properties are insufficient, these are automatically added to.
Real-time data-to-data confirmation is carried out using an XDF Viewer, replacing the more costly and less accurate paper or PDF files.
Benefits
Design iterations are reduced because checks are run as the design work progresses and problems are identified early in the design cycle. Design time and costs are reduced through faster design reviews, fully documented checks and the ability to set up checks and rules that are specific to the manufacturing processes and equipment in use. Product quality is improved through consistency checks that minimize the risk of human error.
Rules are comprehensive and customizable, and the knowledge gained with each design is accumulated into knowledge database that benefits all future designs.
Products are manufactured right-first-time cutting timeto- market and time-to-volume.
Resources are saved as company experts in manufacturability are not required.
ADM Check Engine
The ADM check engine can handle more than 900 individual checks in 88 groups. These cover both bare board manufacturability and component mount checks. The check items are set up in collaboration with customers to meet their specifications and it is even possible to automate the visual check process. Once implemented, there are substantial time and resource savings in the checking and verification process and the results are both highly accurate and much less dependent upon the individual skills of operators. Design checks are carried out simultaneously with the design process without affecting the speed or efficiency of design work.
ADM Rule Manager
The Rule Manager at the heart of the ADM system contains more than 900 rules, and is accessible via a standard web browser. Design and manufacturing parameters, held in an XML database, are downloaded via this familiar interface. The user can add information to the rules.
Because the data is held in a common, central database, updatable in real time, constraints are always based on the latest available information for the 
XDF Viewer
The XDF Viewer is a web browser tool that allows departments to view current design data and associated errors. The results can be reflected onto the CR-5000 ADM system. Check result information can be transferred back and forth in real time, and on a data to data basis. Division managers can check data and approve, other divisions can see data and ask for advice. Comments can be added onto the design allowing designers to correct the design as directed. PCB Manufacturers can refer to the check results and add modification requests where necessary.
