VUTRAX Application: Bureaux

So who needs a bureau?

PCB design bureaux have an established role in the electronics industry, but there are many points which both bureau and client should consider to ensure a successful relationship. These points become more important as today's boards increase in complexity, using up to 24 layers and high density connections, with three thou track width and spacing.

It is only after using a bureau, that many companies realise they have more to offer than simply extra help at peak times. Even for OEMs running a full suite of VUTRAX PCB design software modules, there are still situations which make it cost effective to use a bureau.

For example, during development it is difficult (at the best of times) to keep costs within budget, but this can be critical to a new product's success. Use of a bureau on a fixed price contract is one answer and this can also help guarantee production schedules. However, where tight control is needed with certain developments, in-house design may be more appropriate.

Occasional developers can benefit from the wealth of experience which bureaux build up and it may well be worthwhile to bring in a design bureau in the very earliest stages of a development, to optimise this database of experience. The bureau's experience could extend beyond PCB design and software, to cover many types of application in different industries.

Design needs differ when boards move from development into production and a bureau should also have advice to offer at this stage. The first batch of boards to pass through a workshop can often show areas where a design change could make production easier. Later, cost reduction exercises can mean a further redesign of PCBs to reduce material costs and production time while making testing and maintenance easier.

Once boards are in production, there is generally less time pressure on redesigns and less tight control needed than in development. It then becomes effective to use a bureau while the in-house facility concentrates on new developments. Successful relationships between bureau and manufacturer can produce some of the best designs, but this requires two-way traffic. Bureaux must be prepared to help clients develop their own design capability. This could be perceived by a bureau as working its way out of a job: but firstly, the exercise should be a source of extra revenue and secondly, a progressive manufacturer will still have need of bureau services. That may not happen immediately and such exercises may have to be regarded as long term investment; but if the manufacturer is going to upgrade, it is better to assist than be left out.

Blackburn Circuits

One such design bureau using VUTRAX is Blackburn Circuits. It mainly serves the north of England and also has prestigious clients (such as Siemens Measurement, ICL, BAe and VSEL). Siemens Measurement designs and manufactures electricity and gas meters using solid state electronics. Gas meters use piezo-electric transducers to measure gas flow, with a microprocessor to calculate charges. Meters have to be approved by utilities and the DTI to ensure high accuracy of measurement over a wide temperature and environmental range. Siemens electricity meters are exported worldwide.

Privatisation is driving developments to make meter reading more efficient and less costly. Remote reading systems save door-to-door visits, while encoded signals transmitted via radio can change tariffs in meters automatically. For house visits, an optical reader fixed to the meter can transmit the reading to a hand held data collector. This saves hand writing and enables automatic download to a billing computer. The meter reader may not have to return to the office to download data, but could use a home telephone and modem.

Meter reading appears to be a growth area and the use of electronics could provide plenty of work for PCB designers. Steven Day (Project Leader for introducing new models into production) says Siemens generally develops boards in-house, when tight control is needed, but Blackburn Circuits help design boards for production.

ND Design

Milton Keynes based ND Design has been providing a PCB design bureau service to customers in both the industrial and commercial markets since 1990. Neil Stephenson (the founder and proprietor) has over a decade of experience working with VUTRAX. He had previously worked at Computamation and it is this level of expertise, coupled with the bureau's commitment to customer service and satisfaction, that has enabled ND Design to grow steadily since its inception.

Many ND Design clients use VUTRAX for their in-house PCB design and look to the bureau when they are under pressure of work or face problems in meeting time constraints. However, it is not just in its ability to handle overflow problems that ND Design excels: much of the bureau's work is gained through its capacity to design boards more effectively and efficiently than its clients could achieve ...especially when designs are complex or constrained by mechanical factors.

Satellite communications company Signal Processors Limited (SPL) have used VUTRAX as their design platform for a number of years, but they turn to ND Design for much of their RF layout work. Their requirement to design complex RF/digital circuitry (often with inductors and capacitors printed directly on to the PCB for improved circuit stability) is efficiently handled by VUTRAX and SPL have relied upon the experience of ND Design for many projects.

As soon as ND Design has completed the RF part of a design, SPL can start designing the machined metal RF screening can that is fixed to the PCB. This screening has many compartments and needs to align exactly with the design of the PCB ...a complex procedure that is simplified because of the ease with which VUTRAX exchanges data with SPL's mechanical design system.

ND Design's expertise is also the reason that Peek Traffic use the bureau. As the leading manufacturer of traffic control systems, roadside sensors and electronic road signs, Peek Traffic require designs for a wide range of PCBs. The Peek Traffic family of Automatic Data Recorders (ADR) are used at the roadside to count and classify traffic levels, together with speed and weight measurements. These units need to be portable and rugged while being cost-conscious. So the challenge for ND Design was in producing an efficient and effective PCB design using the minimum number of layers.

The challenge of designing a 12-layer PCB (with a 70% packing density on both sides of the board) was handled by the bureau when it was asked to lay out a PCB for a manufacturer of racing car electronics. The resulting design was part of a twelve cylinder engine management system: an area in which ND Design's client is a world leader.

Abra Cad Limited

Chris Day (Managing Director of Abra Cad Limited in Reading) believes that VUTRAX provides his bureau with the flexibility required to fully meet the vast range of layouts handled for their global customer base. As many Abra Cad clients use VUTRAX themselves, compatibility is ensured.

Abra Cad employs ten people and began business in 1987. Two VUTRAX stations are in use in the bureau and the scope of the designs they handle is extensive. These range from multi-layer flexi-rigid boards with chip-on-board components, for high speed fibre optic applications (for Hewlett Packard), to boards for LSI Logic using 12-layer ball grid array (bga) components with upto 503 balls and with 25, 50 and 75 ohm impedence matching.

Abra Cad emphasises both the speed and the quality of its design service. A fast turn-round in the PCB design cycle is instrumental in reducing development time and increasing the speed to market for its client's products. Conformance with internationally recognised quality procedures ensures customer confidence.

The bureau is a BSI registered firm and complies with BS EN ISO9001 quality assurance procedures. It's work has been recognised with the Thames Valley Business Award for Quality, as well as the granting of a Design Council Award to one of it's customers (for the manufacturability of the Abra Cad-designed PCBs). In conjunction with adherence to the CECC 200012 Process Assessment Schedule for the PCB design process, Abra Cad creates a unique interface between customer and bureau.

In addition to PCB design, Abra Cad provides manufacturing and assembly services for prototype production runs, backed by ISO9001 procedures. This concept of offering a complete package (with measurable quality) is popular and the bureau handles not only overflow work for its customers, but provides the specialist expertise in areas where they may lack knowledge. These advantages, particularly when married with the vast experience of the Abra Cad design staff, will ensure their services are continually in demand.

To be successful, a bureau needs a full set of design software modules in the latest version. This means a programme of capital investment by the bureau, but it can be used as a selling point where manufacturers do not regularly update their own software. The bureau may be able to design certain boards more quickly and more efficiently and this could become more important as boards increase in complexity. Bureaux also need to understand a client's special needs. These may not necessarily be technically based, but quirks which the client feels supports the company image, for example.

VUTRAX is run by a number of bureaux throughout the country, but the key requirement from all bureau users is speed and quality ...in response to a request for help and when producing the design. This means the bureau needs first class administration and an open-mindedness to meet such demands, which may include the bureau placing one of its staff with the client for a time. It demands a flexibility of outlook, but this should be second nature to the PCB design bureau in its key role as a provider of service.

A list of Vutrax bureau service providers can be found at Vutrax Bureaux.