SOLIDWORKS PCB

Learn printed circuit board design from logic schematics through to component placement and routing of traces

Training Course Contents

The SOLIDWORKS PCB course covers the essential tools required for developing a PCB design from logic schematics through to component placement and routing of traces on the board.

Creating and managing harnesses.
Creating and building Printed Circuit Boards.
Managing data in SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
Importing legacy data.
Importing manufacturer parts data.
ERP linking.
Import and Export to Excel.
Report query creation.

Course Info at a glance

In-class 3 day course (6 hours/day)

Or Online 4 days (5 hours/day)

Basic/Intermediate Level

Requirements & Benefits

Requirements

Electrical design experience

Completed SOLIDWORKS Essentials

SOLIDWORKS PCB software (if online training delivery is chosen)

Features Targeted

PCB shape & layers

Working with PCB library

Linking with SOLIDWORKS

Skills you will acquire

Able to create PCB layouts

Able to create libraries of components

Able to connect to ERP database

SOLIDWORKS PCB Lessons

The following lessons are included in the course

Lesson 1: SOLIDWORKS PCB

Recommended system requirements
Minimum system requirements
Application collaboration

Lesson 2: User interface

SOLIDWORKS PCB environment
Ribbon menu system
Quick access bar
Start page
Interface elements
- Document windows
- Panels
- Finding help
- Shortcuts
- System preferences
Exercise 1: Create a project
Create a new project
Installing a library

Lesson 3: Schematics explained

Creating good schematics
Rules of good schematics
- Schematics should read left to right, top to bottom
- Ensure appropriate documents labeling
- Relate nets and signal group with distinct names
- Avoid 4-way ties
- Make use of design hierarchy
- Make liberal use of color and graphical annotations
- Use annotations and directives to stipulate design intent and constraints
- Use si units and measurements
- Use informative reference designators
- Be aware of special rules concerning power signals
- Decoupling capacitors placement
Exercise 2: Schematic editor
- Symbol placement
  - Schematic template
  - Component placement
  - Ports
Exercise 3: Schematic connections
- Wiring the schematic
- Busses
- Nets and net labels
Exercise 4: Annotation
- Annotate schematics
Exercise 5: Compiling
- Project Compile and errors

Lesson 4: Collaboration

SOLIDWORKS PCB/SOLIDWORKS interaction
- Starting in SOLIDWORKS PCB
- Starting in SOLIDWORKS
Exercise 6: Create a board shape in SOLIDWORKS
- Create board assembly
- Create an assembly
- Create board outline
- Commit changes

Lesson 5: The Printed Circuit Board PCB

The Anatomy of a PCB
- Single-sided PCB
- Double-sided PCB
- Plated through holes (pth)
- Top and bottom solder masks
- Silkscreen layers
- Boards with more than two layers
- Blind and buried vias
The PCB Manufacturing Process
Visualizing the manufacturing process
- Double-sided PCBs
- Multi-layer PCBs
- 4-layer PCBs
- 6-layers and more
PCB glossary of terms

Lesson 6: PCB editor

Layers
Physical layers and the layer stack manager
Exercise 7: Stack configuration

Lesson 7: Board shape

Board shape commands
Exercise 8: Adding board shape cutouts
Exercise 9: Origin and grids
- Origin
- Grid editing
- Cartesian grid settings
- Polar grid settings
Exercise 10: Transfer logic design to PCB
- Eco generation options
- update PCB document from schematic editor
- update PCB document from PCB editor
Exercise 11: Place footprints
- Placing components
- Component placement in 3D
- Position remaining components
Exercise 12: Design rules
- Design rule for all clearance
- Design rule for component clearance
- Design rule for routing via style
- Design rule for routing width
- Creating a new width rule
- Priority setting
Exercise 13: Routing
- Interactive routing preferences
- Interactive routing nets
- Quick routing for simple nets
- Adding vias
- Multi-trace routing
- Autorouter
- Theory – adjusting tracks

Lesson 8: Polygons

Polygon overview
- Placing a polygon pour
- Defining polygon pour properties
- Properties
- Net options
- Mode-specific settings (solid)
- Mode-specific settings (hatched and outlines only)
- Defining the shape of the polygon
- Editing a polygon pour
- Changing properties
- Changing size and location
- Reshaping a polygon pour
- Pouring a polygon pour with a larger clearance
- Polygon pour cutouts
- Manual repouring
- Deleting a polygon pour
- The polygon pour manager
Exercise 14: Design rule check
- Batch design rule check
Exercise 15: Commit from SOLIDWORKS PCB
- Place mounting holes
Exercise 16: Commit from SOLIDWORKS
- Update/import changes
- Modify mounting holes
Exercise 17: Cutout
- Create board cutout in SOLIDWORKS
- Commit changes
- Creating a keepout from the board shape
Exercise 18: Global editing
- Find similar objects
- PCB Inspector

Lesson 9: Working with the PCB panel

Navigate using the PCB panel
Browse mode selection list
Browsing nets and net classes
- Browsing 3D models

Lesson 10: Outputs

Manufacturing outputs
- Available output types
- Assembly outputs
- Documentation outputs
- Fabrication outputs
- Report outputs
- Individual outputs or managed output generation
- Configuring the gerber files
- Configuring the bill of materials
Exercise 19: Export
- Export Parasolid

Lesson 11: Libraries

Integrated libraries
Including a 3D model in a footprint
Exercise 20: Schematic symbol creation
- Create the schematic symbol for a crystal
  - Creating a schematic library
  - Naming the symbol
  - Defining the pins
  - Adding symbol body
- Using the symbol
  - Installing the library
  - Adding symbol to schematic
- Revising the symbol
  - Making a change to the symbol
  - Updating the schematic
Exercise 21: PCB footprint creation
- 2D Crystal footprint
  - Creating a PCB library
  - Setting the grid
  - Adding pads
  - Setting component origin
  - Adding top overlay outline
  - Add pin 1 marker
- 3D Crystal body
- Use the footprint
  - Installing the footprint library
  - Adding crystal footprint to PCB document

Training Methods

Choose from three different training methods available to you

Group/Public Training

Receive SOLIDWORKS training as a group in a traditional classroom environment.

Classes can be taken in one of our 12 training locations across Canada using SOLIDWORKS approved training content and methodologies.

Advantages

Cost effective training method.
Leave the office to concentrate on learning.
Learn more through group questions and feedback.

Live Online Training

With our online training you will experience an interactive learning environment where you can give feedback, gain access to the SOLIDWORKS training files and get time to work on training exercises.

Advantages

Online courses are typically half day sessions.
More effective than video based training, with recorded videos learners are often not as focused on the training and skip exercises.

Onsite at your location

Receive training at your place of work. This style of flexible training is perfect for teams or individuals who are faced with a specific challenge and require personalized courses with on-the-job coaching.

Advantages

Use our state-of-the-art mobile classroom at your facility.
Bring your team up to a consistent level of knowledge by having them take the same training at the same time.
Benefit from flexible scheduling options.

Get Custom Training

Improve Productivity

Upcoming Classes

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