Apr 10, 2002
Valor Computerized Systems has forged an alliance with a startup company to deliver the first automated footprint generation solution, the companies said today.
Syncron Technologies, a self-styled design environment service provider, has a novel Web-based software platform, �UDN,� that permits multiple engineering disciplines at remote locations to communicate and collaborate on design, including part selection, ECO implementation, and design verification. The platform uses an open, secure environment, Syncron said.
Valor�s library is said to be the industry�s largest, most detailed source of physical-model data for component packages, with more than 25 million parts modeled for support of all physical-design and manufacturing-related EDA processes. The two companies will provide automated CAD-footprint generation, producing footprints suitable for other vendors� PCB layout tools.
Julian Coates, VP of marketing at Valor, said the combined package offers �a substantial improvement in quality and speed� of CAD library management. As standard footprints take up more board real-estate than necessary, the companies think their Web-delivered package-library is the answer. Valor�s strategy, then, is to deliver a data �backbone� for all aspects of the PCB product development process-flow, from component engineering to PCB layout to manufacturing. The partnership marks the first application of VPL upstream of PCB layout.
