New Products

BluePrint for PCBs Version 1.8 creates documentation that drives PCB fabrication, assembly and inspection. Delivers a new ODB++ based interface to Altium Designer. Extends the concept of “rolling releases”; customers are said to receive a continuous stream of improvements. Includes advanced visibility controls for components, pins, nets, drills, ref designators, part names and attributes; extended drill support; side view modifications; CAD style grid support; explode and side view modifications; usability enhancements, and software corrections.

DownStream, www.downstreamtech.com
PADS I/O Designer is for designers implementing complex field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) on PCBs. Is said to decrease design cycle time. Reportedly cuts high-end FPGA time-to-market, improves systems performance up to 50%, and reduces PCB layer counts.

Enables concurrent FPGA and PCB design. Defines FPGA-PCB interface with a variety of correct by construction, drag and drop PCB signal to FPGA pin assignment methods. Synchronizes the interface across the FPGA and PCB flows through Automatic DxDesigner and schematic generation, and automatic generation and maintenance of required FPGA vendor, HDL and synthesis constraint files.

Options include PADS layout physical design importing for FPGA vendor rules-driven pin swaps, and optimizing multiple FPGA interfaces simultaneously within a single PADS layout physical design.
Mentor Graphics, www.mentor.com/pads 
The M22XDL-350 desktop AOI machine is said to unite advanced  technology, cost efficiency, and powerful operator control on a reduced  footprint—the smallest in the company’s range of AOI systems. Supports comprehensive inspection of PCBs and introduces an innovative lighting concept, with three pulse wave modulated LED light sources and up to six different lighting combinations enhancing operator control for exceptional  inspection accuracy.

Marantz Business Electronics, www.marantz.com/bus/eu/
ATLANTAIntercept Technology, Inc., partnered with SiSoft to integrate Intercept’s PCB layout software, Pantheon, with SiSoft’s Quantum-SITM product family, allowing users to rapidly determine interface operating margins and achieve High-Speed Timing Closure. This integration will ultimately boost design integrity and time to market for all high-speed designs.
SHREWSBURY, U.K.Process  Automation (PAL) announces a new development in electroless copper process equipment. The new equipment is a continuous vertical desmear and electroless system. The system combines the quality and production advantages associated with horizontal continuous platers with the advantages of economy and increase uptime of vertical processing.
Rogers Corp. released an RO4500 laminate system, joining the Rogers RO4000 product family of high-performance antenna-grade materials. The new glass-reinforced hydrocarbon/ceramic laminates provide the controlled dielectric constant, low loss, and passive intermodulation response required by the wireless infrastructure market. Designed for high-volume commercial antenna applications, RO4500 laminates provide high thermal conductivity and uniform mechanical properties for improved power handling over a broad frequency range.

Rogers Corp. – www.rogerscorporation.com.  

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