Z-zero collaborates with Mentor on the industry’s first ODB++Design data exchange for material-based stackups between designers and fabricators
Redmond, Washington, September 30, 2020 – Z-zero announces that it has collaborated with Mentor, a Siemens business, to develop the electronic manufacturing industry’s first comprehensive, bidirectional software solution that bridges the gap between designers and fabricators for the exchange of material-based stackups. Based on Siemens’ ODB++Design open data structure, the new solution helps customers transfer printed circuit board (PCB) and packaging designs into the fabrication, assembly and test phases of development.
Using accurate PCB material parameters is crucial during the design, signal-integrity simulation, and new-product introduction (NPI) process. “Z-planner Enterprise software combined with ODB++Design is a product-ready ‘shift-left’ solution that helps design teams speed time to market by tasking the stackup format to collect all proposed stackup solutions into the originating ODB++Design product model.” This solution enables users to more quickly and efficiently compare alternative stackup proposals, ensuring that each fabricator proposal satisfies design requirements.
Z-planner Enterprise helps right-shift the stackup design-level details from the OEM design team, and then left-shift the fabricator’s stackup proposal back using a consistent format and process. The Z-zero and Mentor partnership has created the electronics manufacturing industry’s best-in-class stackup-design application to assist not only in the definition of the format itself, but to support the exchange of stackups using ODB++Design, one of the world’s most popular data exchange formats with more than worldwide 63,000 users.
”The ODB++Design product model for PCB stackup design is the most comprehensive approach to stackup communication, generation and validation that I’ve seen,” said Bill Hargin, president and founder of Z-zero. “The new stackup container available in Siemens ODB++Design, combined with Z-planner Enterprise software provides the ability to support several stackup proposals from multiple suppliers for review, selection and comparison. The GERBER format is a cave wall by comparison.”
In addition to stackup, the ODB++Design product model can now carry the IPC via type definition and net-specific impedance needs including the required impedance, original trace width and spacing, as well as reference planes. The ODB++Design and Z-planner Enterprise solution manages the required communication in a collaborative manner to eliminate disparate and less-reliable forms of communicating stackup requirements and later definitions to and from both the design and manufacturer.
“Z-zero’s ODB++Design product model supports intelligent sharing of stackup information between designers and fabricators, which can reduce PCB production cycles by several days,” said Max Clark, business unit manager of Valor NPI and Valor Parts Library (VPL) for Mentor, a Siemens business. “In addition to the advantages this solution delivers today, it lends itself to future enhancements moving forward, including the potential of comprehensive digital twins of all PCB fabrication materials and processes. By merging the virtual and physical worlds, Siemens’ digital twins for PCB manufacturing enable customers to design and test new products in digital form before moving forward with manufacturing, and in the process fixing problems much earlier in the development cycle.”
Product Information and Availability
ODB++Design is an open data format and available for download at no cost. Visit the website: https://odbplusplus.com/design/. Z-planner Enterprise is available now and sold through Mentor, a Siemens business. More information can be found at: https://www.z-zero.com.
About ODB++Design
With over 75 partners to implement and develop the ODB++Design product model format as the de facto standard, it is supported by virtually every software company involved in the electronics industry. In the most recent global market survey Mentor conducted, 48.7% of all companies worldwide use ODB++Design as part of their review and release process. The ODB++Design website offers free software tools, specifications, documentation, and support for users. Additional information on the ODB++Design intelligent product model format can be found at: https://odbplusplus.com/design/.
About Z-zero
Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, Z-zero offers an all-in-one software solution to close the data gap between PCB design teams, including CAD designers, hardware engineers, SI specialists, NPI engineers, and their fabricators. Designed to look and operate like the spreadsheets that many hardware teams use to design and communicate stackups, Z-zero software enables hardware design teams to test, validate and automate PCB stackup design. For more information visit the company website: https://www.z-zero.com.