Hvordan man bliver en PCB designingeniør

From dedicated hardware engineers to various technicians and support personnel, PCB design involves many different roles:

Hardware engineers: These engineers are responsible for circuit design. They usually do this by drawing circuit schematics on a CAD system designated for schematic capture, and they will usually do the physical layout of the PCB as well.

Layout Engineers: These engineers are specialized layout specialists who will arrange the physical layout of the electrical components on the board and connect all their electrical signals with metal wiring. Dette gøres også på et CAD -system dedikeret til det fysiske layout, som derefter opretter en bestemt fil, der skal sendes til PCB -producenten.

Mechanical Engineers: These engineers are responsible for designing the mechanical aspects of the circuit board, such as size and shape, in order to fit it into the designed device housing with other PCBS.

Software ingeniører: Disse ingeniører er skaberne af al software, der er nødvendig for, at kortet kan fungere efter hensigten.

Test and rework technicians: These specialists work with manufactured boards to debug and verify that they work properly, and make corrections or repairs for errors as needed.

In addition to these specific roles, there are manufacturing and assembly personnel who will be responsible for making the circuit boards and many others along the way.

Most of these positions require an engineering degree, whether it’s electrical, mechanical or software. However, many technical positions require only an associate’s degree to enable the personnel in those positions to learn and eventually grow into engineering positions. Med en høj grad af motivation og uddannelse er karrierefeltet for designingeniører virkelig meget lyst.

PCB design process

Considering the different types of design engineers involved in PCB design, there are many options when considering the career path to follow. To help you decide which way to go, here’s a brief overview of the PCB design process and how these different engineers fit into the workflow:

Koncept: Du skal designe, før du kan designe. Sometimes it is the product of a new invention, and sometimes it is part of a larger development process of the whole system. Typisk bestemmer marketingfolk de krav og funktioner, der er for et produkt, og videregiver derefter oplysningerne til designingeniørafdelingen.

Systemdesign: Design hele systemet her, og bestem, hvilke specifikke PCBS der er nødvendige, og hvordan du kombinerer dem alle til det komplette system.

Skematisk optagelse: Hardware- eller elingeniører kan nu designe kredsløb til et enkelt printkort. This will involve placing symbols on schematics and connecting wires to pins called networks for electrical connections. Et andet aspekt ved skematisk optagelse er simulering. Simulation tools allow design engineers to identify problems in the design of the actual PCB before working on its layout and manufacture.

Bibliotekudvikling: alle CAD -værktøjer har brug for biblioteksdele til brug. For skemaer vil der være symboler, for layout, der vil være fysiske overlejringsformer af komponenter, og for maskiner vil der være 3D -modeller af mekaniske funktioner. In some cases, these sections will be imported into the library from external sources, while others will be created by engineers.

Mekanisk design: Med udviklingen af ​​det mekaniske design af systemet bestemmes størrelsen og formen af ​​hvert printkort. The design will also include the placement of connectors, brackets, switches and displays, as well as interfaces between the system housing and the PCB.

PCB layout: After schematic and mechanical design is completed, this data will be forwarded to the PCB layout tool. Layoutingeniøren placerer de komponenter, der er angivet i skematikken, mens de overholder de fysiske begrænsninger, der er angivet i det mekaniske design. Once the components are in place, the grid on the schematic will be connected together using thin wires that will eventually become metal wiring on the board. Nogle PCBS kan have tusindvis af disse forbindelser, og routing af alle disse ledninger til at overholde godkendelses- og ydelsesbegrænsninger kan være en skræmmende opgave.

Softwareudvikling: Udvikling af software, mens alle andre aspekter af designprojektet gennemføres. Using functional specifications developed by the market and components and electrical specifications engineered by the hardware, the software team will create the code that makes the board work.

PCB -fremstilling: Når layoutdesignet er afsluttet, sendes det endelige dokument til fremstilling. The PCB manufacturer will create the bare board, while the PCB assembler will weld all the parts onto the board.

Testing and validation: Once the manufacturer confirms that the board works, the design team goes through a series of tests to debug the board. This process usually reveals areas of the board that need to be corrected and sent back for redesign. Once all tests are successfully completed, the board is ready for production and service.

Som du kan se, er der mange forskellige aspekter af printkortdesign, der involverer flere forskellige ekspertise. Når du først er begyndt at arbejde som designingeniør, kan du se på disse forskellige positioner og beslutte, hvilke områder du mest vil fokusere på.