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Computer Aided Design (CAD) for PCB Design

By Mark L. Casey | November 29, 2007

Computer-aided design (CAD) or electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) falls in a category known as electronic design automation (EDA). EDA is broader than circuit boards and includes semiconductor design as well. Our focus in this article is to get an overview of the world of PCB CAD tools and how they are used.

First, let’s review the process of PCB design. Printed circuit board design typically consists of two primary functions: Logical design and physical layout.

Logical Design

Logical design is the domain of the electrical engineer (EE) who designs a logical circuit to accomplish the task as defined by the engineering specification. The logical design will include a simple block diagram and progress to specific components, values, and component packages and footprints. The EE uses a specific set of tools to make this job easier. These tools are commonly referred to as schematic capture tools or a schematic editor. These tools are available in a wide range of prices and capabilities from very expensive to free open source software.

Physical Layout

While the logical design phase is the EE’s domain, physical layout typically belongs to a specialized designer who uses a CAD layout tool. Given the complexity of many designs, these tools have to be able to handle very small features, multiple layers, and advanced manufacturing techniques. The CAD database will ultimately produce the manufacturing files (known as Gerber files) used by the PCB manufacturer to produce the artwork required to fabricate the boards. Therefore, the physical layout of the board is critical to producing a product that will fulfill its original specifications. Designers adept at the most complex CAD tools and the most demanding designs are in much demand.

The following table lists some of the CAD schematic and layout tools commonly used and provides links to websites with more information. Many of the software tools are part of a family of integrated tools that allow a designer to go from schematic to board layout and even to simulation and manufacturing checks (CAM tools). Some of the packages below cost upwards of $100,000 USD per seat, while others are free, open source, or available for a minimal fee.

[Note: please let us know if there are other tools not listed so we can make this listing as complete as possible].

Topics: Design Tools | 1 Comment »

One Response to “Computer Aided Design (CAD) for PCB Design”

1. Mark Casey Says:
   December 13th, 2007 at 7:24 am

   It appears that Ansoft has a PCB design suite. Their website is http://www.ansoft.com/

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