Transforming Your PCB Engineering Methods

Designing and engineering printed circuit boards is not only an art form but a booming and promising career opportunity in the world of electronics manufacturing. If you want to be the solution that companies and engineering communities around the world need in the arena of PCB design, it’s not enough just to learn the basics. You must yearn to learn and continuously improve your ever-growing skill set as a PCB designer. 

Upon completion, participants will: 

  • Understand library control and methodologies
  • Understand and optimize the board stack-up
  • Place components on a PCB the “engineering way” 
  • Develop and understand via structures and space minimization methods
  • Drive and develop a two- and three-dimensional electronic mechanical check process
  • Define constraints to tighten your routing control
  • Implement producibility in your design engineering process
     
Member Price
$625.00
Non-member Price
$835.00
Access
90 Days From Enrollment
Class Schedule

  • Course Level: Introductory

  • Training Time

    3 weeks (6 two-hour online instructor-led sessions)

  • Certificate of Completion

  • Seasonal Enrollment

    Access for 90 Days

Questions

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Download the syllabus.

All virtual class sessions are recorded for review. The instructional content of the course is design software independent. During the course's hands-on part, the instructor will use the Altium design tool to demonstrate concepts and methodologies. Students are free to use the software they choose to submit their work. For students who do not have access to a design software program, IPC will provide a 1-year subscription to Altium Designer.

WEEK 1 – SESSION #1: SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM AND MECHANICAL MODEL DESIGN BASELINE

  • Topics:
    • Introduction and sample design
    • Schematic diagram concepts
    • Be proactive with your library of schematic symbols and pad patterns
    • Engineering the schematic diagram to sync with the mechanical model
    • Understand and fine-tune the mechanical model
    • Unite the models
    • Develop producible concepts with model unification
    • Begin producible concepts for component placement
  • Assignment:
    • Review the sample design and today’s concepts.

WEEK 1 – SESSION #2: STACK-UP, COMPONENT PLACEMENT, AND ROUTING PREP

  • Topics:
    • Fifteen-minute roundtable discussion of Session #1
    • Import outline and mounting tactics
    • Review the stack-up and its power
    • Component placement methodologies
    • Via creation and development
    • Best-practice instructions
    • Unite the models
  • Assignment:
    • Review the sample design and today’s concepts.

WEEK 2 – SESSION #3: ROUTING PROCESS CONTROL, CONSTRAINTS, AND PRODUCIBILITY THOUGHTS

  • Topics:
    • Fifteen-minute roundtable discussion of Session #2
    • Routing methodologies
    • Producibility concepts: Routing
    • Constraint management
    • Grounding schemes
    • Step & repeat skills
  • Assignment:
    • Review the sample design and today’s concepts

WEEK 2 – SESSION #4: DFM/DFMA CONCEPTS AND PROCESS AND VENDOR MEETINGS

  • Topics:
    • Fifteen-minute roundtable discussion of Session #3
    • Understanding DFM and DFMA
    • Mid-route review tasks
    • Vendor review meetings
    • Define and work on our model-database
  • Assignment: 
    • Review the sample design and today’s concepts.

WEEK 3 – SESSION #5: OUR MODEL IN ACTION: PART ONE – LET’S WORK

  • Topics:
    • Fifteen-minute roundtable discussion of Session #4
    • Review our model and engineer it
    • Routing review, checks, and balances.
    • Review all flight footprints and via structures
    • i-Artwork check
    • Pre-final producibility and vendor check
    • A mechanical check reveals a problem
  • Assignment: 
    • Review the sample design and develop a way to solve the mechanical problem

WEEK 3 – SESSION #6: OUR MODEL IN ACTION: PART TWO – ROUNDTABLE

  • Topics:
    • Review and engineer our sample design
    • Final schematic review
    • Final mechanical review
    • Routing DRC review and DFM check
    • FixB4Flight checklist
    • Final thoughts
    • Roundtable

This course is ideal for engineers and technicians wanting to develop an understanding of the concepts and applications of PCB design engineering in three weeks.

IPC offers different instructional modalities to suit participants with different needs and preferences. This program is only available in the following modality:

Online-instructor-led: Participants go online to meet with an IPC-certified industry expert at a fixed time twice per week for the duration of the course. Class sessions are usually 1.5 to 2 hours. Participants can also access a video recording of each class session on their IPC EDGE course dashboard.

Instructor Fil Arzola

Fil Arzola headshot

I have been blessed to work in the Engineering Design world for over 30 years, having worked in small and large companies, designing all kinds of fun stuff from hydraulic power supplies to control systems to finally making a lifetime run at designing and engineering all types of PWB board designs with a focus on complex Mixed-Signal and RF Designs. I am a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a BSEE in Electrical and Computer Engineering. I take great pride in my work and my design passion is my greatest tool. I live in Southern California and plan to retire there as well as in Cakovec, Croatia. My second career will be writing novels and screenplays.

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