Mentor Blogs

It might be old news, but its still true; the lowest cost comes from having the highest quality. Something I explored in my feature published in April US tech; “Moving from quality assurance to quality control”. Control to prevent errors is more productive than adding more stages of defect detection. Supporting ‘lean manufacturing’ and CAPA (Corrective And Preventative Action) … Read More

PCBA, Quality, Defects, lean manufacturing, CAPA, Manufacturing System Solution, Manufacturing costs, Manufacturing execution system

In my last few posts, I began discussing on what it takes to enable software quality and support.  This particular post will focus on the latter, support. Of course the goal of any descent software provider is to deliver software that is bug free, intuitive to use, and performs a valuable service.  While we strive for perfection, in reality these goals can never be fully achieved.  In the EDA world, … Read More

Mentor Graphics, Physical Verification, Calibre, Quality, Support

I love gadgets but I hate cables – they make things so untidy. As a result, anything that can go wireless in our house has – even our light switches are on remote control. I used to think this was just plain silly when we were going through the retrofit until I realized I could turn off the kitchen lights from the comfort of our sofa. I’ve only used this “power” once but I tell you knowing that I can … Read More

Physical Prototype, CFD, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Quality, EMI shielding, Medical, Design Engineer, Thermal, Electromagnetic Interference

In my last blog I discussed the importance of support and the value it provides in the physical verification space.  As indicated, one of the key components in providing support is having an infrastructure helps to assure quality software releases in the first place.  In this blog, I will provide more insight into the procedures in place within the Calibre organization that help to ensure the high standards … Read More

DRC, Mentor, Calibre, Quality, Physical Verificaiton, PV

Don’t worry… I’m not going Sci-Fi on you. I’m talking about reaction forces. What do I mean by reaction forces? Well, when there is a relative motion between a solid object and a surrounding fluid, a force will be placed on the solid due to the pressure variation over the surface of the solid. This force is caused by the change in speed and direction of the fluid. For example, we see reaction forces … Read More

Safety, Reaction Forces, Design Engineer, FloEFD, CFD, Quality, R&D, Physical Prototype

A lot in Electrical CAD and manufacturing quality hinges on data accuracy and completeness of the library data. From the carrion-crow-like perch of someone supporting design automation software, the immense and patient contribution of the ECAD librarians is often missed.   A couple of co-inciding recent events brought me to a renewed understanding of the significance of the work librarians do. Those … Read More

Library, Librarian, Quality, Capital Harness XC, Capital Library, Capital Harness, Electrical Design Systems, Extensibility, CHS, ECAD Library