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Embedded thumbnail for Import and Export with Modern Mechanical Models
How-To's
Import and Export with Modern Mechanical Models

We have expanded mechanical integration by adding support for SOLIDWORKS 2024 and SOLIDWORKS 2025 part models when importing 3D bodies into the design environment. This enhancement allows designers to work with the latest mechanical models created in SOLIDWORKS without the need for additional conversions or workarounds.

NEW
Blog
Introducing Octopart Discover: From Part Search to Solutions Discovery

Octopart has announced Octopart Discover, a new platform that shifts electronic component search toward system-level solution discovery. The tool connects design intent with relevant options, enabling engineers to evaluate tradeoffs and identify the best-fit solutions more efficiently.

NEW
Embedded thumbnail for How to Input Via Delay in Altium for DDR Routing
How-To's
How to Input Via Delay in Altium for DDR Routing

In this video, we tackle a real viewer question about DDR3 routing across multiple PCB layers and show how via delay can silently eat into your skew margin before you’ve even finished routing, using Altium’s default 10-layer stackup as a reference.

NEW
Blog
How to Choose the Right Components for Your BOM

A strong BOM can make the difference between smooth production and costly delays. Discover a practical approach to choosing components that stay available, meet compliance requirements, and keep your project on schedule.

Embedded thumbnail for Clearly Show Jumper Wires in Your Harness Designs
How-To's
Clearly Show Jumper Wires in Your Harness Designs

Support has been improved so that jumper wires connecting two cavities within the same connector are now properly shown in Layout Drawings, making the connector wiring easier to understand during documentation and review.

Blog
From Scattered Requirements to Confident Product Development

See how the Requirements Portal transforms disconnected requirements into a single, live source of truth that engineers can trust at every stage of a project! Real customer stories in the article prove it’s already helping teams cut down on rework and bring products to market faster.

Embedded thumbnail for Why Datasheet PCB Guidelines Are Often Wrong
How-To's
Why Datasheet PCB Guidelines Are Often Wrong

Watch our brand-new video where we tackle the persistent issue of outdated PCB design guidelines still found in datasheets and application notes from major semiconductor manufacturers. Drawing on viewer comments, real-world datasheet examples, and insights from industry experts, we examine why recommendations such as splitting analog and digital ground planes (an approach rooted in the 1980s) continue to circulate despite their potential to cause EMC failures, signal integrity problems, and costly redesigns.

Blog
What is the Best PCB Design Tool For Students?

Students need PCB software that’s intuitive, affordable, and useful for building real skills. This article compares the strengths and weaknesses of leading design tools, from hobbyist platforms to industry-standard software.

Embedded thumbnail for Keep Your Harness Designs in Sync with Library Updates
How-To's
Keep Your Harness Designs in Sync with Library Updates

The "Update From Libraries" feature has been enhanced to provide broader support for harness-related objects across both Wiring Diagrams and Layout Drawings. With this expansion, a wider range of harness components such as connectors, wires, splices, and associated attributes can now be synchronized directly with their corresponding library definitions.

Blog
What Is Collaborative Engineering?

Collaborative engineering is all about breaking down silos so electrical, mechanical, and sourcing teams can work as one with shared data and real-time updates. This article shows how that approach helps you spot issues early, reduce rework, and get products out the door with fewer surprises.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Set Up Flex PCB Materials in Altium
How-To's
How to Set Up Flex PCB Materials in Altium

Discover how to set up flex and rigid-flex PCB materials in Altium with the Layer Stack Manager. In this tutorial, you’ll follow the key steps for defining polyimide cores, adhesive layers, coverlay, and stiffeners helping you build accurate, production-ready rigid-flex PCB designs.

Blog
Bend Reliability: How Trace Geometry and Materials Impact Flex Lifespan

Focused on durability under repeated mechanical stress, this piece details how routing strategy, copper thickness, adhesive systems, and bend radius selection determine flex lifespan. Engineers will find actionable recommendations for reducing strain concentration and improving long-term performance in high-cycle applications.

Embedded thumbnail for How Benchmark Unifies Hardware Development with the Altium Platform
Altium Stories
How Benchmark Unifies Hardware Development with the Altium Platform

Discover our latest customer success story and see how Benchmark streamlined hardware development using the Altium Platform. By leveraging a unified environment with real-time data, synchronized ECAD-MCAD workflows, and built-in collaboration tools, their engineering teams eliminated manual handoffs, improved cross-domain visibility, and accelerated project delivery while staying perfectly aligned.

Blog
PCB Design Process: The EDA Design Approach

Dive into how a modern EDA workflow transforms PCB design by linking electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing requirements from idea to final release. With constraint‑driven integration, you can cut down on respins and bring better boards to market faster.

Embedded thumbnail for ESP32-S3 Design Deep Dive: Power, RF, and Layout Best Practices
How-To's
ESP32-S3 Design Deep Dive: Power, RF, and Layout Best Practices

Explore our detailed design review of a custom ESP32-S3 PCB. This four-layer board is built around the ESP32-S3 microcontroller chip (not the standard module) and includes an integrated LiPo charging circuit, USB-C with data line protection, NCP voltage regulators, and a ceramic chip antenna with a properly tuned impedance matching network.

Blog
Getting Started for Mechanical Engineers

Explore our collection of MCAD Collaboration walkthroughs, where you’ll discover how to synchronize mechanical constraints and keepouts, maintain traceability with advanced history and revision control, and streamline electromechanical connectivity through harness synchronization. These topics and many more are covered in this article.

Embedded thumbnail for Working as One for What Matters Most | How Benchmark Unifies Engineering Teams
Altium Stories
Working as One for What Matters Most | How Benchmark Unifies Engineering Teams

See how Benchmark Electronics uses Altium’s collaborative hardware development platform to unify its electrical, mechanical, and software engineering teams. By replacing manual processes, disconnected tools, and siloed workflows with a shared workspace, Benchmark unlocked a new way of working.

Blog
Are Your ECAD Tools Holding Back Engineers’ Productivity?

The article highlights that productivity issues often stem from tool limitations rather than engineer effort, especially as project complexity grows. ECAD tools that offer clear version control, cross-discipline integration, and workflow awareness are key to sustaining efficiency.

Embedded thumbnail for PCB Design Tips to Improve RF Power Amplifier Layout
How-To's
PCB Design Tips to Improve RF Power Amplifier Layout

Take a deeper look at RF power amplifier PCB design as we expand on our original 6 GHz RF signal generator tutorial with an in-depth design review. Discover essential layout optimization techniques such as switching regulator routing, feedback loop placement, stitching via implementation, and effective copper balancing.

Tag
Blog
Avoiding Costly Delays: Essential Tips for PCB Designers

Efficient PCB design is crucial for avoiding costly delays in product development. This article offers practical tips and best practices for PCB designers to streamline their workflows, minimize errors, and ensure timely project completion.

Blog
Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design: Component Placement for EMC

In the second article of the "Mastering EMI Control in PCB Design" series Dario Fresu explores how effective component placement can reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) in printed circuit boards. He highlights strategies such as board segregation and careful management of high-speed signals and their harmonics to ensure signal integrity and minimize emissions.

Blog
Signal Integrity Principles based on Altium Designer 24

Check out this article where Rafał Stępień dives into the essentials of maintaining signal integrity in high-speed digital systems. Discover key techniques like controlling signal reflections, reducing crosstalk, and designing differential pairs in Altium Designer 24 to ensure reliable and efficient PCB performance.

RSP Launch Cover
Blog
Launch of Requirements & Systems Portal in Altium 365

The Requirements & Systems Portal is now live in Altium 365! Engineers can write, manage, and verify requirements within the Altium 365 workspace. You can link your requirements directly to schematics and PCB designs to ensure all engineers are working with the latest data. Request access today!

Blog
Favorite Tools for BOM Review

Check out our article, where Lawrence Romine shares his top tools for conducting efficient Bill of Materials (BOM) reviews in PCB design. It highlights key features in Altium 365, Octopart, and ActiveBOM that help engineers avoid unsourceable components and streamline procurement.

Blog
Simple Strategies to Reach 10% PCB Cost Reduction

Our new article outlines strategies to achieve a 10% reduction in PCB costs by optimizing design and material choices, such as adjusting stack-up materials and hole sizes, using lower-cost parts, and considering single-sided assembly. These techniques help reduce expenses without sacrificing quality.

Blog
Say Goodbye to EDA Software Vendor Lock

Check how Altium 365 helps eliminate EDA software vendor lock by enabling multi-CAD support in the cloud. This allows users to work with different CAD file formats within a single platform, enhancing collaboration and reducing the need for additional licenses. This approach offers greater flexibility and is set to transform the industry.

Blog
The Ultimate Introduction to High-Speed Signal Integrity for PCB Designers

High-speed signal integrity is essential in PCB design to ensure data accuracy and system reliability. Key issues like impedance mismatches, crosstalk, and signal reflections need to be addressed through strategies such as controlled impedance traces, differential pairs, and suitable material choices. Check out our first article of the series about this topic.

Blog
Multi-Board PCB Signal Integrity: A Complete Guide

Our new article on signal integrity in multi-board PCBs covers essential aspects like connector pinouts, cable designs, and interconnect strategies. These factors ensure reliable performance in high-speed applications across industries such as military, aerospace, and AI.

Blog
Pi.MX8 Project - Board Layout Part 4

We invite you to explore a new chapter in the PiMX8 Project, focusing on the final stages of PCB layout design for the Pi.MX8 compute module. This installment covers critical topics such as routing power planes and signal delay tuning, essential for ensuring proper functionality and performance.

Tag
Embedded thumbnail for Adding Project Modules to a Multi-board Schematic
How to work with Multiboard
Adding Project Modules to a Multi-board Schematic

If you’re using multiple PCBs in your Multi-board design, Altium Designer allows you to add existing projects directly to your schematic with modules. We’ll show you how to quickly and efficiently add these projects to your Multi-board design.

Embedded thumbnail for Checking for Creepage in High Voltage Designs
How-To's
Checking for Creepage in High Voltage Designs

High voltage devices have leakage currents that propage over the surface of the board. In such devices, it's important to consider not only the standard gap between the two topological elements, but also the shortest possible path between them, taking into account cut-outs and holes. With Altium Designer 20, you can check for creepage using the new creepage distance rule.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating BGA Footprints with the Footprint Wizard
How to create a PCB Footprint
Creating BGA Footprints with the Footprint Wizard

Altium Designer makes it easy to create a BGA footprint using our IPC compliant footprint wizard. We'll show you how easily you can create and modify a BGA footprint using the footprint wizard.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Remove Unused Pad Shapes
How-To's
How to Remove Unused Pad Shapes

Unused pad shapes can cause distortion among other problems so it is best to exclude them from your designs. This video shows how to remove unused pad shapes.

Embedded thumbnail for Stackup Presets and Templates
How to work with Layer Stack Manager
Stackup Presets and Templates

In this video, we will learn how to apply predefined layer stacks to the board, as well as how to save the layer stack file as a template.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating a PCB Footprint Assembly Drawing
How to create a PCB Footprint
Creating a PCB Footprint Assembly Drawing

If you need to create an assembly drawing of your PCB Footprint for your outjob files we can show you how in Altium Designer. We’ll walk through all the different options for your assembly drawing in your Draftsman document, how to create your assembly drawing and assign it designators.

Embedded thumbnail for Using the ActiveBOM
How-To's
Using the ActiveBOM

Using the ActiveBOM: The Bill of Materials (BOM) contains a list of all the components with their designators, part numbers, values, and other parameters. An ActiveBOM manages the mapping from the design component (part) to the part that is purchased. This video describes how to use the ActiveBOM document to create an up-to-date list of components needed for your project.

Embedded thumbnail for Using Back Drills in your Stackup
How to work with Layer Stack Manager
Using Back Drills in your Stackup

In this video, we will learn about Back Drilling technology, how to set up back drilling using the layer stack manager, and how to set up the Stub Length sizes for back drilling by specifying applicable nets using the Design Rules Editor.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Customize The Properties Panel
How-To's
How to Customize The Properties Panel

How to Customize The Properties Panel: This video will go over how to customize the look and feel of the properties panel in Altium Designer. By being able to personalize your workspace you can greatly improve your efficiency

Embedded thumbnail for How to Create and Use Impedance Profiles
How to work with Layer Stack Manager
How to Create and Use Impedance Profiles

Using the Altium Designer Layer Stack Manager, we will show how to create impedance profiles for transmission lines and how to apply them to the circuit board using the PCB Rules and Constraints Editor.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating a PCB Footprint Courtyard
How to create a PCB Footprint
Creating a PCB Footprint Courtyard

The courtyard is an essential piece when you want to create a PCB Footprint in Altium Designer. We’ll talk about what a courtyard is, how to create a courtyard, and how to format a courtyard correctly for your PCB footprint.

Embedded thumbnail for How to Edit Existing Tracks in Altium Designer
How-To's
How to Edit Existing Tracks in Altium Designer

This new design rule flags a violation when the creepage distance across non-conductive surface and edge regions of the board, between the targeted signals, is equal to or less than the specified Creepage distance.

Embedded thumbnail for Creating a PCB Footprint Silkscreen Overlay
How to create a PCB Footprint
Creating a PCB Footprint Silkscreen Overlay

When creating a PCB footprint in Altium Designer creating a silkscreen overlay is an important requirement. We’ll go over the standards for creating a silkscreen overlay for a footprint and the steps to creating one, such as constructing lines and measuring distance of objects and primitives.

Tuning
What's New in 22.7
Ability to Change Tuning Object Layer Properties

Design of high-speed PCBs becomes easier with this latest release. Now, when you need to quickly move tuning elements to a different layer, you can do so from the Properties panel with a single click.

Tuning
What's New in 22.7
更改调节对象层属性功能

本次发布后,即可更加轻松地进行高速PCB设计。现在,当您需要将调节元件快速移动到其他层时,仅需单击一次即可从Properties面板中执行此操作。

Simulation models
What's New in 22.7
Auto-assign Simulation Models for Components without Models

This latest version of Altium Designer makes schematic simulation even easier. System intelligence automatically recognizes SPICE models and assigns them to components from available sources.

Tag
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.