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Rigid-Flex PCBs in Consumer Electronics

Rigid-flex PCBs help modern devices get smaller, lighter, and more compact by eliminating connectors and fitting into tight 3D spaces. This article explains how to design them properly to avoid common reliability issues.

NEW
Blog
From Design to First Assembly: Complete Your BOM & Plan Your Build

This webinar walks through the complete post-release workflow, from generating a managed BOM to sourcing components and assembling the first prototype. It demonstrates how integrated tools streamline data enrichment, supplier selection, and guided assembly to reduce delays and errors.

NEW
Blog
The Future of BOM Management: Trends and Innovations

BOM management is no longer just a checklist. It’s becoming a real-time engine for smarter decisions! Discover how AI, automation, and connected systems are transforming BOMs into powerful tools for navigating supply chain uncertainty.

NEW
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New in Altium's Software
Customize Your ODB++ Output for Each Partner

You can now precisely control what design data is included in your ODB++ outputs for different manufacturing recipients. Choose which signal layers to export, decide how the netlist is handled (included, disabled, or neutralized), and control whether component data is removed or shared without properties.

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Altium Stories
Proper Voltage Built a Universal Battery Platform with Altium

Watch our latest customer success story to see how Proper Voltage partnered with Altium to accelerate high-power battery development for next-generation robotics. With our software, they streamlined collaboration, sped up design reviews, improved sourcing visibility, and reduced risk.

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New in Altium's Software
Improve Readability with Custom Pin Spacing

You can now control the vertical spacing of a pin’s designator and name with a custom margin. This setting can be applied globally via Schematic Preferences or adjusted individually in the Pin properties.

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How-To's
Does Decoupling Capacitor Placement Actually Matter?

Our new video tackles common questions about capacitor placement on a PCB. Expert Zach Peterson explains why placement is often less critical on multilayer boards with well-designed power and ground planes and shares the key insights most application notes leave out.

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Altium Stories
Teaching Power to Think - How Proper Voltage Accelerates Innovation with Altium

Watch the video where you can find how Proper Voltage centralized communication, synchronized ECAD–MCAD development, and gained early insight into supply chain risks using Altium’s connected design platform.

Blog
Types of Simulation Tools For PCBs

PCB simulation isn’t one-size-fits-all and that’s where it gets interesting! Discover the wide range of tools available, from quick circuit checks to advanced multiphysics simulations, and how they help you design with confidence.

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New in Altium's Software
Detect Z-Axis Clearance Issues Earlier

The Z-axis clearance rule enables accurate verification of minimum interlayer copper spacing. It supports targeted constraints between net classes, differential pairs, and schematic parameter directives for advanced rule definition.

Blog
Wiring the Future: The Shift to Unified Electromechanical Design

This article explores the shift from PCB-centric design to complex, system-level development where wiring and harnesses play a critical role in product performance. It highlights how unified electromechanical workflows and bi-directional ECAD–MCAD integration improve accuracy, reduce delays, and ensure reliable, production-ready designs.

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How-To's
Fix Inconsistent Part Parameters in Your PCB Schematic

Watch our latest video to learn what parameterization really means, why getting the manufacturer name and part number right is essential, and how to quickly identify inconsistencies across your schematic components using Altium’s Parameter Manager tool.

Blog
Best Tools For PCB DFM Checks

Want to catch manufacturability issues before they turn into expensive delays? Discover the essential DFM tools from real-time checks to post-layout analysis that help you get your PCB right the first time.

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New in Altium's Software
Create IPC-Aligned Footprints with Less Effort

The default value for the Solder Mask Expansion rule has been updated to improve consistency across design environments. In both PCB documents and rule-driven solder mask expansion within PCB library documents, the default setting is now 0 mil, replacing the previous default of 4 mil.

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Blog
Getting Through PCB DFM

In this article, we’ll discuss the key design features to implement, and steps to take prior to fabrication that will help prevent some DFM process pain.

Altium Designer Getting Started User Guide
Blog
Level Up Your Design Skills - Altium Designer Getting Started User Guide Update
We are happy to announce the new update of our Altium Designer Getting Started User Guide. Whether you are new to Altium Designer or you want to brush up on some topics, the Altium Designer Getting Started User Guide will take you from a beginner to a master in PCB design.  This is only the beginning! This guide will be updated with new information based on user feedback. Let’s first go over the contents of the guide.
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Blog
Modeling Copper Foil Roughness in Altium Designer's Impedance Profiler

With the new layer stack manager in Altium Designer®, you can now include copper foil roughness factors directly in your impedance calculator. This is quite easy to do in the layer stack manager, but it begs the question: what exactly is the copper roughness factor? Which value should be used for your interconnects?

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Blog
High-Speed Signal Routing: The 5 Important Constraints

After you capture your schematic as an initial layout and create an initial component arrangement, it’s time to define your routing constraints. Doing this early will allow your DRC engine to spot rules violations before you finish your layout. Likewise, you’ll be able to modify the default rule set to meet your layout requirements. Here are the important routing constraints you’ll need to check before you start routing your board.

Blog
How to Create a PCB Manufacturing Cost Estimation

Some manufacturers have very convenient PCB manufacturing cost estimation calculators you can use, but the real costs depend on a number of factors. If you’re an entrepreneur and you’re producing your own boards, or you are managing manufacturing, testing, and delivery for a new project, it’s your job to help clients understand the primary cost drivers for new boards. Here’s how you can get an estimate of your fabrication costs, both for local and overseas manufacturers.

Blog
PCB Mountable Connectors: SMD vs. Through-hole

Selecting a connector is as much an art as it is a science. The artistic side is all about aesthetics and satisfying clearances, while the scientific side is all about signal integrity. For PCB mountable connectors, you’ll need to choose between surface-mounted or through-hole connectors, and you’ll need to consider how each type affects signal integrity in your application. Here’s what you need to think about beyond the standard connector specifications.

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Blog
PCB Via Current-Carrying Capacity: How Hot is Too Hot?

Trace and via current-carrying capacity are legitimate design points to focus on when designing a new board that will carry high current. The goal is to keep conductor temperatures below some appropriate limit, which then helps keep components on the board cool.

Blog
How to Maximize Copper in Your PCB Design: The Pros and Cons of Copper Pouring Versus Placing

There is a saying in copper pour PCB design, “Copper is free.” It means a PCB editor designer must think in reverse. A board starts off as solid copper, and the copper you don’t want is removed. It is faster to build, less consumptive, and less expensive to make a board that is mostly copper as compared to the same size board that is mostly bare. Picking the correct technique will make the difference between an effortless or frustrating experience.

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Blog May 14, 2020
How to Highlight Nets in Altium Designer to Simplify Schematic and PCB Designs

Highlighting nets will help you simplify your schematic and PCB design. In Altium , there are multiple options that enable you to leverage this capability to simplify the verification of connections and circuit paths and make sure that the design you send to your manufacturer accurately reflects the printed circuit board you need built.

Routed tracks
Blog May 5, 2020
Helpful Tips for Interactive Routing in Altium Designer

Before you jump into the software, you should know the types of things you’re going to want to look out for. Traces, connection lines, differential pair routing, and route paths can all affect the routing process of your board. Make sure that you’re equipped knowing, ultimately, what you want your board design to accomplish and furthermore, where you anticipate potential problem areas to be.

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Altium Training
Altium Training - Design Environment: Navigation with Schematic Workspace

Discover the most important navigation techniques for the schematic workspace using both mouse and keyboard controls. In this tutorial video, you’ll learn how to use the View menu commands for document fitting, area zooming, and object selection, along with advanced navigation shortcuts. Master mouse-based panning and zooming, explore Ctrl key combinations, and practice arrow key movements - all designed to simplify your workflow in the PCB design process.

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How-To's
Altium Training - Design Environment: The Altium Environment

Get familiar with the core workspace layout and navigation methods. In this video, you’ll see how to open schematic and PCB documents, work within the unified design environment, and move between multiple open files using document tabs and keyboard shortcuts.

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Altium Training
Altium Training - Design Environment: Opening a Project from a Local Drive

Get your PCB design workflow off to a smooth start. This Altium tutorial walks you through opening projects from your local directory - a core skill that keeps your process efficient and organized from day one.

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Altium Training
Altium Essentials: Design Environment

Take control of your PCB design workflow with Altium Essentials: Design Environment. This tutorial module guides you through the fundamentals of workspace management, from handling panels and documents to mastering menus, context commands, and time-saving shortcuts.

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How-To's
What Makes a Great PCB Design Review Submission?

Turn your PCB designs into professional-grade submissions. At Altium, we reveal the key practices that transform schematics, layouts, and documentation into review-ready work that stands out. Watch our brand-new tutorial and take your PCB design process to the next level.

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Altium Training
Altium Training - Workspace Folder Structure: Opening the Explorer Panel

Discover the key ways to access the Explorer panel in Altium Designer with this step-by-step tutorial. The video walks you through four different methods, giving you the freedom to choose the approach that best fits your workflow.

Embedded thumbnail for Altium Essentials: Workspace Folder Structure Overview
Altium Training
Altium Essentials: Workspace Folder Structure Overview

Altium Essentials: Workspace Folder Structure is a tutorial series designed for PCB designers who are learning the fundamentals of navigating an Altium workspace. This playlist walks through key Explorer panel skills, including multiple ways to open it (via keyboard shortcuts, menus, panel buttons, and workspaces), navigating projects, and understanding the panel’s six core information areas.

Embedded thumbnail for NFC Reader Project Part One: Schematics to PCB in Altium
How-To's
NFC Reader Project Part One: Schematics to PCB in Altium

Check out our new, in-depth NFC Reader Project tutorial! In this two-part video series, we design an ESP32-based NFC transceiver board from schematics to PCB layout. In Part 1, we dive into the TRF7970A NFC chip from Texas Instruments and guide you step-by-step through the complete design process in Altium.

Embedded thumbnail for HDI PCB Design Review: nRF52840 Via Sizing & Stack-Up Best Practices
How-To's
HDI PCB Design Review: nRF52840 Via Sizing & Stack-Up Best Practices

Explore key HDI design strategies, from calculating aspect ratios and optimizing pad diameters to managing drill tolerances and refining stack-ups for improved signal integrity. This comprehensive review highlights practical solutions to common HDI challenges, including via-in-pad layouts, clearance violations, and layer thickness adjustments for both mechanical and laser drilling processes.

Embedded thumbnail for 13 Common PCB Problems & How to Fix Them in Altium
How-To's
13 Common PCB Problems & How to Fix Them in Altium

Stop wasting time on manufacturing rework. This guide shows you how to set up Altium’s design rules to prevent the 13 PCB issues that most often derail production ensuring your boards are built right the first time.

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How-To's
What's Inside Your MCU Module?

Are you curious about what’s inside a microcontroller module? Join us as we take a closer look at the Texas Instruments CC3235 Wi-Fi module under the microscope. In this video, we’ll explore its key components, including the microcontroller, flash memory, and RF circuitry, and explain how they work together to power the module.

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How-To's
Arduino to Custom PCB: Professional Design Transformation

Discover how to upgrade your Arduino Nano-based PCB design into a professional, custom PCB. This tutorial walks through the process of replacing development boards with individual components to create a production-ready design, using a real drone project as the example.

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How-To's
PCB Library Management: One Library or Many?

This detailed guide walks you through the pros and cons of each approach and offers proven strategies for managing component data, whether you're an independent designer or overseeing libraries for an entire organization.

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New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Sawtooth Rounding Support for Length Tuning

Sawtooth Rounding for Length Tuning improves signal‑path accuracy by applying controlled corner‑rounding to sawtooth geometries during both Interactive Length Tuning and within‑pair matching in the Auto Tuning engine. Discover this capability and additional innovations on our Coming Soon page.

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New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Z-Axis Clearance Rule

The Z-Axis Clearance Rule checks the shortest distance between copper features on different layers in a PCB design. It is available in both the Constraint Manager and the legacy PCB Rules Editor. Discover more new features in Altium on our Coming Soon Page.

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New in Altium Designer 25
Coming Soon: Advanced Polygon Pour Engine

Now supports true arcs instead of approximated curves in copper pours. This enhanced engine marks a major advancement in the polygon pour process in Altium Designer, delivering smoother and more accurate copper shapes. Native arc rendering improves visual quality and helps ensure cleaner, more professional PCB designs.

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Integrating Requirements June 2025 Webinar
On-Demand Webinar May 28, 2025
Integrating Requirements into Your PCB Design Workflow
Join our webinar where you will learn about integrated requirements tools who can help you eliminate late-stage design changes, AI support through system requirements and integration of design requirements directly in PCB Design. Don't miss it, register now!
Streamlining Team Collaboration
On-Demand Webinar Apr 17, 2025
Streamlining Team Collaboration in Industrial PCB Projects
Join us for our upcoming webinar to discover how Altium Designer and Altium 365 can transform your team’s collaboration and take your PCB design projects to the next level. Attend for a chance to win free access to the Altium 365 Training Bundle.
PCB CoDesign Webinar
On-Demand Webinar Jan 24, 2024
Discover How Altium Designer 24 Revolutionizes Team Dynamics in PCB Design
Expand your collaboration skills and stay ahead of the curve with PCB CoDesign. Design teams often grapple with prolonged design cycles and coordination issues, leading to delays and inefficiencies. In the current landscape, design processes are hindered by fragmented collaboration, resulting in increased layout times and difficulties in synchronizing design updates.