Worcester, MA---PCB East Conference--Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq:MENT) and Valor Computerized Systems announced a partnership to develop the first bi-directional interface between PCB design tools and manufacturing analysis software. This interface will provide design engineers with insight into manufacturing problems early in the design cycle, making the overall process more efficient and cost effective.

The integration is enabled through Valor's ODB++ interface, which not only supports output of manufacturing data from the PCB tool, but also allows Valor's design for manufacturing (DFM) software to post manufacturing rules and analysis results. The feedback capability provides the means for designers to see and understand the analysis results and make the necessary adjustments directly in the PCB tool so the output of manufacturing data is correct-by-construction. This is an improvement over current CAD/DFM data exchange processes in which data is manipulated downstream from the design tool to meet manufacturing requirements, resulting in a mismatch between design and manufacturing data.

"Effective design data management has become essential to increasing productivity throughout the entire design flow," said Henry Potts, vice president and general manager, Systems Design Division, Mentor GraphicsR. "Providing designers with direct feedback of DFM analysis results eliminates the inevitable problems that occur when design and manufacturing data are modified separately."

Historically, PCB design software outputs multiple data file formats for plotting, drilling, assembly and other manufacturing processes. The ODB++ interface allows all manufacturing outputs to be combined into one format that is used to drive the entire manufacturing process. Mentor Graphics will provide ODB++ output data from the Board StationR and ExpeditionT PCB layout tools that will be read by Valor's Enterprise 3000 software for DFM analysis. After the analysis, the ODB++ interface will be used to post back rules, warnings, and errors into the Mentor PCB tools for evaluation by the designer. The error tracking system that is used in the AutoActiveR technology for Mentor PCB tools will read the analysis data, then display the potential DFM problems to the designer using special colors and display modes.

"By creating a bi-directional ODB++ interface, we can help customers avoid back-end design problems much earlier in the design cycle," said Schmil Dolberg, CEO of Valor Computerized Systems Ltd. "When analyzing the entire design and manufacturing process, eliminating iterations in this manner is the best way to reduce costs."

Mentor Graphics will begin delivering the Expedition PCB and Board Station ODB++ output software over the web in Q4 2000. The ODB++ feedback capability is expected to be delivered in the first half of 2001.