Temperature Aware PCB Design |
What is FLO/PCB?
FLO/PCB is a unique, new software program for streamlining
concept development of printed-circuit boards (PCBs),
whilst ensuring good thermal design and accelerating
the PCB design process. FLO/PCB facilitates collaboration
between product marketing, electronic engineers and
mechanical engineers on PCB design, particularly during
the conceptual phase of the design process. FLO/PCB
promotes a conceptual design process that is derived
from the functional block diagram. Changes made to
the functional block diagram are instantly reflected
in the physical layout and thermal representations.
This keeps all team members in sync and enables them
to contribute to concept development in real time.
The result is pre-optimized concepts in less time and
drastic reductions in late-cycle rework as product
marketing, mechanical, thermal and manufacturing issues
are solved before concept commit.
New Way
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Old Way
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| Functional, physical and thermal representation
of PCB’s are combined |
Hand sketches, hallway conversations and whiteboard
discussions are slow and unreliable |
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How
Does FLO/PCB Save My Company Money?
FLO/PCB saves your company money by addressing
major inefficiencies in the board design process.
On top of this, FLO/PCB minimizes the risk of board “re-spins” due
to thermal problems. In a recent survey, 60% of
mechanical engineers in electronics companies stated
that thermal issues had forced board layout changes
during the previous 12 months. Just one such re-spin
costs many times the FLO/PCB license fee.
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Who
Can Use FLO/PCB?
FLO/PCB is designed to be used by all those involved
in the conceptual design of PCBs, including Product
Marketing, Systems Architects, Hardware Designers,
and Mechanical/Thermal Engineers.
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Product Marketing:
Interact with all members of the design team rapidly
and effectively, viewing and commenting on design
concept changes in real time.
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Systems Architects:
Stay in control of the conceptual design process
with FLO/PCB. Create a functional block diagram rapidly,
using software menus developed specifically for this
task. Communicate instantly with product marketing,
hardware design and mechanical/ thermal engineers
through graphical outputs and automatically-generated
reports. One mouse click flips between functional
block diagram, physical layout, and thermal performance
views. If thermal questions arise, you can instantly
transfer models to your colleagues for more in-depth
analysis. Receive feedback more quickly and accurately
than ever before as your colleagues work alongside
you within the FLO/PCB design environment.
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Mechanical/Thermal Engineers:
With FLO/PCB, you finally have the software you
need to provide critical feedback on thermo-mechanical
issues in time to influence conceptual board design
and layout. You will receive design updates from
electrical engineering and product marketing in real
time. When concept design is complete, you already
have design information in a format that allows you
to instantly start your detailed mechanical design
in your MCAD software, and your thermal design in
FLOTHERM.
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Hardware Design Engineers:
With FLO/PCB, you can influence concept development
and find the right balance between concept and detailed
design and manufacturing. At “concept commit” stage,
you can export the final design information from
FLO/PCB directly into your mainstream EDA software.
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FLO/PCB – Key
Features
- Specialized menus for rapid creation of functional
block diagrams
- Derive physical layout directly from the functional
block diagram, maintaining full consistency between the
two representations as the design progresses
- Powerful 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver
predicts airflow and temperature, for both sides of the
board, in minutes
- Fully-integrated library capability supporting JEDEC
standards for component thermal models
- Export/import board design information to and from
EDA software via IDF file format, or benefit from a native
bi-directional interface with Allegro from Cadence Design
Systems Inc.
- Import/export board information to and from FLOTHERM
for enclosure-level airflow/thermal analysis
- Automatic report generation via HTML and/or Microsoft
Word
- www.SmartParts3D.com is
an online, searchable database of ready-to-run thermal
models for many common IC packages and other parts. These
models can be used directly in FLO/PCB
- www.flopack.com provides
rapid generation of “compact” and“ detailed” thermal
models for IC packages, which can also be used directly
in FLO/PCB
- Compatible with WindowsXP, WindowsNT, and Windows2000
operating systems
- Recommended minimum hardware requirements:
512MB RAM, 300MB disk space
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Product Configuration
FLO/PCB comes in three product version for easy adoption
into existing
design processes.
FLO/PCB: This version
of FLO/PCB includes
functional block diagramming, physical layout and viewing
of thermal
analysis results in addition to the standard features like
report
generation and import/export of IDF files.
FLO/PCB Simulator: This is
the complete version of FLO/PCB that includes the thermal
analysis
solver.
FLO/PCB for Allegro: The complete version of FLO/PCB,
including thermal analysis solutions and a native bi-directional
interface to Allegro.
Typical configurations of FLO/PCB includes:
- FLO/PCB versions for each electrical and product
marketing engineer
- One FLO/PCB Simulator version for a team of electrical
engineers
and
- One FLO/PCB Simulator version for the lead mechanical
engineer
Request
Free Trial
To download a free trial of FLO/PCB simply fill in the
User Support registration form. |
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Flomerics
customers in the electronics industry include every major
developer of workstations, all major telecom switching manufacturers,
the top five networking hardware vendors, and the world's
largest semiconductor producers.
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Communications
3 COM
ADC Telecommunications
Alcatel Business Systems
Alcatel CIT
Alcatel SEL
Alcatel Submarine
British Telecom
Cisco
Ericsson
Fujitsu
Intel
Huawei Technologies
Hughes Network Systems
Italtel
JDS Uniphase
Lucent Technologies
Marconi
Motorola
NEC
Nokia
Nortel
Philips PKI
QUALCOMM
Rockwell International
Samsung
Scientific Atlanta
Siemens ICN
Tellabs
Telrad
Thales Communications
Tyco Telecommunications
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Computers
Apple
Bull
Dell Computers
EMC
Fujitsu
Hewlett-Packard
IBM
ICL
Intel
Inventec
Mercury
Motorola
NEC
NCR
Samsung
Seiko-Epson
Siemens
Sony
Storage Technology
Stratus
Sun Microsystems
Toshiba
Unisys
Wistron
Xyratex |
Consumer
Blaupunkt-Werke
Bose
Hitachi
InFocus
Konica
LG Electronics
Linn Products
Pace Micro
Philips
Samsung
Sony
Aerospace & Defense
Airbus
Alenia Marconi
Allied Signal
BAE Systems
Ball Aerospace
Bechtel
Boeing
China Aviation
EADS
Elta
ESA
Galileo Avionica
General Dynamics
Harris
Lockheed Martin
Naval Surface Warfare Center
Raytheon
Rockwell International
Siemens
Smiths Industries
THALES
TRW Avionics
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Transportation
Airbus
Alstom Transport
Caterpillar
Chrysler Alcatel
Delphi-Delco
Delphi Packard
Ford Motor Company
Honda
Magneti Marelli
Motorola
Otis Elevator
PSA Peugot-Citroen
Robert Bosch
Seiko-Epson
Siemens Automotive
SNCF
VALEO
Power Electronics
Astec
Celestica
CPI
ELDEC Corp.
Legrand
Lucent Technologies
Marconi
Powerwave
Schneider Electric
Tectrol
Tyco
Ultra
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Instrumentation Control & Medical
Agilent
Analogic
General Electric
Hewlett-Packard
Hitachi
Johnson Controls
Mitsubishi
Siemens
Tektronix
Teradyne
Thales
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Semiconductors
3M
Agere
Agilent
AMD
Amkor
Fujitsu
IBM
IDC
Infineon
Intel
International Rectifier
Micron
Motorola
Philips Semiconductor
Rockwell Semiconductor
Samsung
Siemens
ST Microelectronics
Texas Instruments
Contract Design & Manufacturing
Celestica
Foxconn
Flextronics
Sanmina
Solectron |
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