Using Virtual Prototyping versus Physical Prototyping

Using Virtual Prototyping versus Physical Prototyping

On our “Best-In_Class” web site, we talk about 6 practices that have enabled electronics companies to achieve their agressive business goals and obtain best-in-class status.  In my last blog, I talked about how they enable Concurrency in the design process.  By turning serial processes into parallel, this not only had the affect of reducing time to market but also could improve product quality and designer productivity.

The next of the 6 best practices is “Virtual Prototyping“.  Here we are replacing the need to build and test hardware (physical) prototypes with the extensive use of simulation and analysis during the design process.  Virtual has several advantages over physical.  First of all, building and testing a multiple pieces of hardware is a time consuming and expensive process.  Second, you do not get to try several design scenarios looking for the best product options for performance, integrity and reliability.  Third, the physical testing may not highlight all of the possible errors in the design.  For example, testing for vibration failures in a “shake and bake” chamber may take months and longer-term reliability problems not show up yet.

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Typical virtual prototyping software covers a variety of performance, reliability and manufacturability domains:

• Signal integrity and delay analysis
• Power distribution network integrity for both AC and DC
• Analog and mixed signal integrity
• Heat management at the PCB and full enclosure levels
• Vibration and shock simulation for reliabiltiy
• Design for manufacturability (failures and higher yields) and high reliability

Virtual prototyping may require a change in how your company develops a product.   It typically takes longer to get that first piece of product hardware in the lab.  The designer may spend a lot of time running various simulations and analyses throughout the design process and resist the temptation to gets something physical in hand.  But in the long run, the product will get to the market faster and usually with better performance and reliability.  Take a look at a few of the designer videos and quotes on the web site and see if what they say can relate to your situation as you design your next product.

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