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What is PCB Virtual Manufacturing or

Digital Twin

A printed circuit board (PCB) is the base for almost every electronic device we

use today. PCBs provide the electrical connections and pathways between

components in a circuit using conductive copper traces etched from copper

sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate.

As PCBs become more complex with increasing component density and

decreasing feature sizes, manually optimizing the design and manufacturing

process becomes extremely difficult. This is where PCB virtual manufacturing

or PCB digital twin comes into play.

What is a Digital Twin?

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A digital twin is a virtual representation of a physical product or process that

accurately simulates its real-world counterpart. Digital twins allow designers

and engineers to mirror the lifecycle of a product from design through

operation to better understand, predict, and optimize its performance.

For PCBs specifically, a digital twin integrates design data with manufacturing

process models to create a detailed virtual representation of the PCB

fabrication process. This allows engineers to simulate different manufacturing

scenarios digitally before physical production.

Benefits of PCB Virtual Manufacturing

Adopting a PCB digital twin approach provides major benefits across the

manufacturing cycle:

 Faster design iteration: Rapidly test different design variants and parameters without
physical prototyping
 Process optimization: Identify process bottlenecks and fine tune fabrication steps
 Yield improvement: Pinpoint defects and tolerance issues for yield enhancement
 Cost reduction: Reduce physical prototyping expenses and material waste

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 Data continuity: Seamlessly transfer simulation data through production

With rising complexity in electronics, having a digital sandbox to optimize

designs and processes before manufacturing is extremely valuable. Next, we'll

explore how virtual manufacturing works in more detail.

How PCB Virtual Manufacturing Works

PCB digital twins integrate design, modeling, simulation, and data analytics

into one virtual environment. This allows designers to assess manufacturability

earlier and optimize fabrication processes before reaching the production floor.

There are a few key components that enable this digitization:

1. CAD Design Data

The starting point is having an intelligent CAD (computer-aided design) layout.

Most PCB designers use CAD software like Altium, Cadence, or Zuken to design

circuit schematics and board layouts.

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Critical design data including:

 Circuit schematics
 Board geometry
 Layer stackup
 Component footprints
 Trace routing
 Material properties

Gets passed into the digital twin environment. This provides the foundational

design template for simulation.

2. Process Modeling

The next step is modeling the key fabrication processes the PCB must go

through:

Imaging

Creating precise conductive traces from copper laminates involves an imaging

process like:

 Photolithography: Light-sensitive chemical etchant masks

 Direct imaging: Laser or e-beam etching

The imaging process must be accurately modeled to simulate trace tolerances.

Copper Plating

To build conductive traces, uncovered copper gets electroplated to desired

thickness. The plating distribution affects trace conductivity.

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Etching

The undesired copper is etched away, leaving only the plated traces behind.

Over/under-etching impacts tolerances.

Automated Optical Inspection (AOI)

AOI scanning helps detect defects in trace geometries early. Its resolution

thresholds must be accounted for.

By modeling these major steps digitally, we can simulate fabrication variability

with high fidelity.

3. Physics Simulation

With the CAD design & process models in place, we can leverage physics

simulation to create a digital twin and assess manufacturability.

Some key analyses include:

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Running simulations reveals how design layouts and process parameters

impact production yield and product performance.

4. Virtual Prototypes

An immense benefit of simulation is that we can automatically generate digital

prototypes covering different scenarios:

 Different design variants with component layout changes

 Variable process parameters for steps like plating thickness
 Introducing common defects like opens, shorts, underetching
 Environmental conditions like thermal stress or vibration

This allows us to screen designs earlier and spot potential fabrication issues

without costly physical prototyping.

5. Model Calibration

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To enhance simulation accuracy, virtual models are calibrated using data from

initial physical prototype builds. By cross-checking simulation predictions

against measured data, models can be tuned to match real process behavior.

With calibrated models, simulations become more predictive by incorporating

realities like equipment variability and process drift over time. This improves

optimization for volume production.

PCB Digital Twin Use Cases

PCB virtual manufacturing based on digital twins provides extensive use cases

through the electronic product lifecycle:

Design Evaluation

Rapid design-simulate-redesign iterations using digital prototypes

supplements physical prototypes for:

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 Design reviews
 Tolerance analysis
 Defect injection studies
 Design of experiments (DOE)

This accelerates PCB design finalization for tooling kickoff. Manufacturability

feedback starts right from conceptual stages.

Process Development

Earlier verification of manufacturability enables process developers to:

 Identify bottlenecks for yield improvement

 Assess impact of parameter changes
 Develop process control strategies
 Calculate process capability indices

This helps optimize fabrication recipes even before new PCB introductions

(NPI).

Supplier Assessment

Modeling and simulating supplier-specific tolerances and capabilities

facilitates:

 Supplier scoring based on virtual prototyping

 Comparing proposal estimates to digital benchmarks
 Auditing production-readiness

This enhances supplier selection and procurement decisions without on-site

footprint.

Manufacturing Prediction

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Integrating live production data into digital twins enables accurate forecasting

by modeling:

 Machine-to-machine variability
 Environmental adaptability
 Process drift
 Predictive maintenance

This drives data-backed decisions on optimal production scheduling to ensure

quality and continuity.

Inspection Planning

High-fidelity defect injection on digital prototypes is useful for:

 Developing targeted inspection plans

 Calculating projected escape rates
 Auditing inspection coverage
 Debugging escapes

This focuses quality efforts on critical defect detection for proactive yield

improvement.

As we can see PCB digital twins and virtual manufacturing provides immense

value across the entire electronics value chain, from design to delivery. Next

we'll learn about implementing digital twin solutions.

Implementing PCB Virtual Manufacturing

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While the benefits of PCB digital twins are appealing, execution requires

strategic planning and cross-functional engagement. Here is an outline for

implementing virtual manufacturing.

Internal Stakeholders

Successful digital transformation requires buy-in across multiple internal

teams:

 Engineering: Provide designs & requirements as simulation inputs. Assess virtual

prototypes.
 Manufacturing: Share fabrication details for process modeling. Analyze simulation
results.
 Quality: Contribute defect data for injection studies. Use virtual escapes for inspection
planning.
 Procurement: Utilize virtual assessments for supplier selection.
 IT: Support data platforms & infrastructure for digital continuity.

Cross-functional involvement ensures actual production needs are addressed

through virtual modeling.

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Solution Architecture

Robust technical architecture is crucial for smoothly connecting virtual

manufacturing modules:

Interoperability between platforms ensures end-to-end digital thread without

data loss from design through production.

Validation Scope

While modeling every possible product and process scenario is ideal, scope

must be structured strategically across:

 Product Families: Focus on high-volume products first.

 Processes: Prioritize modelling processes with most defects or variability like solder mask
registration.
 Defects: Inject defect types causing most fallout like opens, shorts, underetch.
 Parameters: Identify critical process parameters for each model.

Expanding scope over time in this fashion maximizes initial return on

investment.

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Supplier Collaboration

For electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers, partnering with

suppliers is necessary through:

 Model Access: Share simulation platforms for co-development.

 Data Syncing: Suppliers can integrate twin models with their internal systems.
 Digital Audits: Replicate supplier shop floor for virtual capability assessment and process
improvement initiatives.

Close collaboration between OEMs and EMS partners ensures the digital twin

mirrors realities on the supplier side as well.

Strategic roadmapping for digital twin implementation focused on clear ROI is

key for managing change management across the electronics ecosystem.

Role of Simulation Analytics

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An integral part of digital twins is the simulation analytics generating insights

from huge data sets across various scenarios. Analytics uncovers trends and

patterns leading to smarter decisions through techniques like:

Optimization

Multi-objective optimization balances trade-offs between metrics like cost,

quality, and lead time to determine “sweet spots” for maximizing yield and

performance. Recommended settings can auto-populate manufacturing

machines.

Predictive Analysis

By analyzing virtual prototype sensor data using machine learning, failures can

be predicted before occurring in real production for preemptive maintenance.

This avoids unplanned downtime.

Anomaly Detection

Deviations from baseline simulation behavior can indicate anomalous defects

or process drifts. This allows quick correction to avoid creation of actual

defects.

Immersive Analytics

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Interactive 3D visualization of simulation results fosters intuitive insights.

Design reviews and process debugging can be enhanced using virtual reality

environments for richer collaboration.

So simulation analytics enhances decision-making by extracting actionable

intelligence from high-fidelity virtual manufacturing environments.

Next we’ll highlight some leading solutions in the PCB digital twin space.

PCB Digital Twin Software Platforms

Many leading engineering software vendors provide solutions to enable PCB

virtual manufacturing. Here are some notable options:

Siemens NX Electronics Suite

Siemens offers an integrated electronics design and simulation platform

covering PCB, IC packaging, and electrical systems. Key capabilities include:

 Design data integration from multiple CAD tools

 Multi-physics simulation (thermal, vibration, CFD, fatigue)
 Tolerance analysis, DOE studies
 Automated optimization
 Data management and analytics

Cadence Allegro Digital Twin Solution

Cadence, a leading PCB design tool provider, offers a digital twin framework to

assess manufacturability directly within the Allegro tool:

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 Interactive 3D visualization
 Tolerance stack-up analysis
 Parameterized process variation studies
 Automated model calibration with feedback loops
 Customizable analytics and reporting

Zuken CR-8000 Design Force

Zuken, known for PCB layout and manufacturing optimization software,

provides the CR-8000 platform for digital twin integration:

 Connects electrical, mechanical, and thermal design data

 Houses centralized process design data
 Integrated tolerance analysis
 Model, simulation, and test data management
 Custom reporting and analytics

Evaluation of specific organizational requirements is recommended when

selecting a tailored solution. But the above examples illustrate the extensive

virtual manufacturing capabilities available.

Next we'll cover some frequently asked questions around PCB digital twins.

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FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions about PCB virtual manufacturing

using digital twins:

Q: How accurate are PCB digital twin simulations?

Accuracy depends on model fidelity and calibration. But advanced models can

predict key metrics like thermal profiles, mechanical integrity, and electrical

performance within 5% of measured values. Defect injections also mimic most

common escape types.

Q: Is specialized expertise required to develop digital twins?

It's advantageous to have simulation engineers or data scientists help

construct the models. But many software tools make creation of basic process

workflows accessible through drag-and-drop interfaces requiring only basic

training.

Q: What compute infrastructure is needed to run simulations?

The compute load depends on model complexity. But current cloud hardware

can comfortably run 1000s of virtual prototype simulations in parallel if desired.

On-premise HPC clusters provide similar scale.

Q: How long does it take to see ROI from PCB digital twins?

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One case study showed cost savings from reduced physical prototyping equal

to the digital twin investment within 9 months. Product quality improvement

also has significant financial impact over time.

Q: Can digital twins fully replace physical prototyping?

While virtual manufacturing greatly reduces prototyping needs, some level of

physical validation is still required before full production. The virtual vs.

physical mix depends on product requirements, risk tolerance etc. But shifts

towards more digital validation are clearly happening.

Conclusion

As PCBs and electronic assemblies grow exponentially complex, relying solely

on physical prototyping and troubleshooting becomes very inefficient.

Modeling fabrication processes digitally using simulations allows rapid design

iteration and process refinement before reaching production.

PCB virtual manufacturing based on high-fidelity digital twins mirrors

variability in real factory environments. This uncovers manufacturability issues

earlier, improving yield and reducing costs across the entire electronics value

chain.

With growing maturity in virtual modeling and simulation analytics, digital

continuity from design through production will greatly enhance the pace of

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innovation. Just as digital twins have helped revolutionize sectors like

aerospace, automotive, and energy, it is poised to help electronics advance to

the next level.

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