{"id":14757,"date":"2022-06-02T12:01:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T19:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=14757"},"modified":"2023-06-12T10:13:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T17:13:21","slug":"3-reasons-why-every-electronics-designer-needs-ecad-mcad-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/3-reasons-why-every-electronics-designer-needs-ecad-mcad-software\/","title":{"rendered":"ECAD\/MCAD Collaboration: 3 Reasons Why Every Electronics Designer Needs MCAD Software"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ECAD\/MCAD integration is a necessity in today’s world. See how Fusion 360 can make electronics to mechanical workflows easy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"woman-electrical-engineer-ecad-mcad\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The product development process has changed. Gone are the days of designing in our separate boxes, passing PCBs and enclosures<\/a> down the line. These days, if you\u2019re developing in ECAD, you\u2019ll likely need MCAD as well<\/a> \u2014 whether it\u2019s to throw together an enclosure, verify fit, or run a simulation<\/a>. We\u2019re not just PCB designers anymore; we\u2019re product developers<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When was the last time you designed just<\/em> a PCB?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s rare to find an electronics designer making only PCB designs<\/a> these days. Electronics are the unseen intelligence in our world, and they always need a physical counterpart to connect with humans. It’s human nature to love touching buttons, switches, and boxes.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there’s still this myth that we can exist as engineers in only our ECAD software in an age of smart, connected devices<\/a>. How does this hold up, though? There are currently over 46 billion connected devices around the world. There will continue to be devices that require smaller package sizes and integration between the electrical and mechanical domains, unlike anything we\u2019ve ever seen before. How are you going to design all of that with one tool?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just the start of our problems, though. <\/span>Since the beginning of the Industrial Engineering Era, <\/span>we have been <\/span>relying on file formats<\/span><\/a> as our sole method of collaborating and sharing design data<\/span>. You know them by name – STEP<\/a>, IDF, BRD. The dance is always the same: pack your data up, email it back and forth, and hope for the best.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"industrial-era-ecad-mcad\"
Who needs to collaborate when you can just pass your design down the line? Source: adamfarrah.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why ECAD\/MCAD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As product development changes, electronics design needs to follow. We need to start seeing our PCB designs<\/a> from a broader perspective, in a 3D world, as part of a complete product development workflow. There are three main reasons why every electronics designer needs to have comprehensive ECAD\/MCAD tools <\/a>in their toolbox to prepare for the coming change:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Collaboration is now a necessity<\/b>. Today’s design process is anything but linear. Component availability changes<\/span> and board layouts need to shift to fit enclosures last minute. Not having a way to understand how your product affect your PCB design process is handicapping your capabilities.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. File formats are a burden<\/b>. Putting your design in a box as a file format naturally lends itself to errors in translation. When was the last time your STEP file fully communicated your design intent? Probably never. I think it’s safe to say we\u2019re all tired of pouring hours into documentation just to supplement what your design should already communicate.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The future is blending disciplines<\/b>. Engineers are expected to do it all; documentation, emails, design, sourcing \u2014 you name it. Mechanical design is now<\/span> on this list as our need for smart devices deepens. And have you seen <\/span>molded interconnect devices (MIDs)<\/span><\/a>? You won’t be designing those boards only in 2D.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"mid-electronics-design-ecad-mcad\"
    Designing MIDs will require a new way of thinking about electronics design. Source: Festo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    You need answers<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Product development might have changed, but some tools aren\u2019t keeping up. As electronic designers, we\u2019re still looking at an industry of disconnected toolsets. Are you working in Altium Designer? Prepare to spend thousands on SolidWorks. That\u2019s just one classic example where neither of these tools communicate outside of file exchanges.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is why we created Autodesk Fusion 360.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Autodesk Fusion 360 can answer so many of the problems electronic designers face now and in the future. You might know it by name, but what exactly is Fusion 360? I<\/span>t’s cloud 3D CAD, CAM<\/a>, CAE, and PCB, all in one tool. We see design teams all over the world using Fusion 360 to: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n