News & Updates
Blog
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How to Make PCB Gerber Files in Altium Designer Step-by-Step
Once you've got your PCB layout finished and you're ready to start preparing for manufacturing, one of the critical steps is to create PCB Gerber files. When you're ready to create your Gerber files, you need the right set of CAM processor tools that can take data from your PCB layout. In this article, we'll guide you through this process of how to make PCB Gerber files and show some example tasks you might need to perform to generate them.
On-Demand Webinar
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Help Ensure The Best Designs With Component Management
There are many aspects to designing a PCB. One of the larger aspects has to do with managing your components. We all need components for our designs, but are those components in our library and designs up-to-date or even purchasable? These questions need to be answered before we can safely use them. Altium Designer® has several tools to help you manage the components in your libraries and designs.
Blog
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Should You Place Teardrops on Differential Pairs?
One of the major factors impacting reliability of a PCBA is the use of teardrops on traces in the PCB. Like many aspects of reliability, the considerations also span into the signal integrity domain, particularly as more high-reliability products require greater data handling capabilities and run at higher speeds. In this article, I’ll break down the issues present in teardrop usage on differential pairs and how these may affect impedance.
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The High-Reliability PCBA Design and Test Challenge
High-reliability electronics must go through multiple rounds of testing and qualification to ensure they can withstand their intended operating environment. Designing to performance standards, whether the baseline IPC standards or more stringent industry standards, is the first step in ensuring a reliable circuit board. In this e-book, readers will gain a thorough look into PCB testing and analysis, starting from basic tests performed on bare boards and completed assemblies.
Blog
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AC Coupling Capacitors in PCIe Routing
Coupling capacitors find plenty of uses in analog applications and on differential protocols, acting essentially as high pass filters that remove DC bias carried seen on a signal. In the case of PCIe, there are a few reasons to place AC coupling capacitors on differential pairs beyond the fact that AC coupling capacitors are listed in the standard. In this article, we’ll look briefly at where to place coupling capacitors on PCIe links, as well as the reasons these are placed on PCIe links.
Blog
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Altium Designer 22.7 Update
We are happy to announce that the Altium Designer 22.7 update is now available. Altium Designer 22.7 continues to focus on improving the user experience, as well as performance and stability of the software, based on feedback from our users. Check out the key new features in the What's New section on the left side of this window!
Blog
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The Positive Impact of Supply Chain Visibility on Design to Cost
Design to cost is a lofty idea that is only perfectly executed when supply and demand for components are in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, the current landscape for component sourcing makes design to cost more of a balancing act rather than an exercise in price reduction. To help designers in their efforts to balance cost, capabilities, and procurement, we created this ebook to help users understand how modern supply chain tools can help in these complex design problems.
On-Demand Webinar
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Getting Started With File Comparison
One major benefit of using a version control system is the ability to compare PCB design revisions against one another. If you are comparing PCB designs, you need a version control system that is electrically intelligent. It’s important to know who made a change, and when they made it. Altium Designer® and Altium 365® make file comparison easy.
Blog
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A Brief Study of Stubs on a PCIe Connector
Stubs are an important topic in high-speed PCB design, and there is a longstanding guideline that stubs should always be removed from all vias on high-speed digital interconnects. While stubs are bad for high-speed lines, they do not always need to be removed. What is more important is to predict the loss profile and frequencies, and to floorplan appropriately to try and prevent such losses.
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PCB Layout Cleanup Before Manufacturing
Once you finish your placement and routing in your PCB layout, it can be tempting to wrap up the layout and send everything in directly to manufacturing. The reality is that the board may still need some work before it is considered finished. The cleanup you perform at the final stage of PCB layout will help you catch any outstanding errors that can't be programmed into your DRC engine, and it gives you a chance to add any outstanding details to the surface layers.
Blog
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Insulated Metal Substrates: Building an LED Panel
In this project we’ll be building a moderate sized LED panel on insulated metal substrate (IMS). This light panel has three different white balance High CRI LED types on it, warm, neutral and cool. By changing the brightness of the different white balances, the light from the panel can be adjusted to match other lighting, making it perfect for film use - but also creating perfect lighting for electronics work. As with all my projects, this LED panel is open source, you can find the Altium project files over on my GitHub released under the permissive MIT License.
Blog
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Requirements Portal Introductory Tutorials
This series of guided demos shows how the Altium Requirements Portal transforms scattered requirement spreadsheets and emails into traceable, version-controlled data that stays aligned with your PCB design efforts.
Blog
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Bridging the Gap: When to Use Rigid-Flex Instead of Flex & Connector
Discover when a rigid-flex PCB is a better choice than a separate flex circuit and connector, especially for designs requiring compact packaging, repeated motion or high reliability. The article emphasizes that although rigid-flex needs more upfront planning and fabrication collaboration, it often pays off in simpler assemblies and improved performance.
Blog
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Bridging Mechanical and Electrical Teams for Smarter Automotive Design
As vehicles evolve into advanced electronic systems, the separation between electrical and mechanical design teams becomes a critical bottleneck. This article explores how synchronized ECAD–MCAD workflows help automotive projects move faster, reduce rework and maintain design integrity.
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Via Structures: Designing for Reliability, Not Just Density
We all want to pack more into our PCB designs, but the smallest via isn’t always the smartest one. Dive in to learn how picking the right structure can save you headaches down the line.
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How Structural Electronics Enables 3D, Flexible, and Wearable Integration
Structural electronics integrates electronic functionality directly into the physical structure of a product, eliminating the need for traditional circuit boards. This article examines how advances in materials, additive manufacturing, and flexible substrates are enabling compact, 3D, and wearable systems with enhanced performance and design freedom.
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Beyond Traces: Why Soldermask May Be the Critical Factor in Ultra HDI
In ultra-HDI designs, soldermask is no longer a passive coating but a pivotal element that can determine manufacturability. This article explores why mask registration, resolution, and feature tolerances become critical as line spacings shrink below 50 µm.
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How ECAD-MCAD Co-Design Supports Aerospace Reliability and Compliance
When the margin for error is nearly zero, aerospace engineering demands a design process that’s seamless across all domains. Here, we explore how ECAD-MCAD co-design delivers an integrated workflow that supports first-pass success and compliance with strict aerospace standards.
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Most Common Causes of PCB Assembly Rework and Scrap
Many PCB assemblies fail not because of exotic faults, but due to basic issues like incorrect BOM entries or footprint mismatches that force rework or scrap. This article dives into the most common causes and how to prevent costly defects in your design-to-manufacturing process.
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Behind the Scenes with AI Embedded Development
Forget one-shot AI hacks Ari Mahpour shows the thoughtful, sustainable way to integrate AI into embedded firmware development. Learn the core principles (planning gate, HAL abstraction, observability, timeout design) that can help you push your efficiency 5-10 times in real hardware projects.
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We're heading to PCB West 2025!
Join Altium at PCB West 2025 in Santa Clara, CA, on October 1! Stop by Booth 300 for the official launch of the new Altium platform, built on the foundation of Altium Designer and Altium 365. Be sure to check out our live demos of Altium Develop and Altium Agile.
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Peak Electrical Performance in Multi-Board Designs With Advanced Simulation and Compliance Tools
Moving from single-board to multi-board systems is a leap in complexity. You must manage not just routing, but power, signal integrity, mechanical fit, and regulatory requirements across boards. In this article, you’ll discover how Altium’s advanced simulation and compliance tools help engineering teams overcome these challenges and deliver reliable multi-board solutions.
Blog
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How to Catch Enclosure and Connector Misalignment Before the First Prototype
As electronics continue to miniaturize and functionality increases, even minor misalignments between enclosures and connectors can derail a project. This article explores how early integration of ECAD and MCAD workflows helps detect and eliminate those costly issues before the first prototype is built.
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Executive Insights Into Electronic Product Development Gaps You Need To Close
Electronics hardware development is falling behind broader product development disciplines due to fragmented workflows, poor collaboration, and limited compliance visibility. This gap introduces risk, delays, and missed opportunities but executives see real business value in modernizing electronics development through better integration, traceability, and lifecycle visibility.
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Sourcing For High-Mix Low-Volume Electronics Manufacturing
High-mix, low-volume (HMLV) electronics manufacturing requires agile sourcing strategies to handle shifting BOMs, erratic lead times, and component volatility. All while controlling costs and ensuring compliance. Cloud-based tools like Altium provide real-time component visibility, BOM collaboration, and supplier integrations to help navigate HMLV complexities.
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How to Solve Fit, Form, and Function Challenges in Robotics with ECAD-MCAD Collaboration
As robotics systems become increasingly miniaturized and intricate, ensuring perfect fit, form, and function across electrical and mechanical domains is critical to avoid design setbacks. Real-time ECAD-MCAD integration with two-way sync empowers teams to streamline workflows, reduce PCB rework, and deliver more reliable designs faster.
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One Vision, Three Powerful Solutions: Introducing Altium Discover, Altium Develop, and Altium Agile
We are excited to announce the launch of three new platform-based solutions that will transform the way electronic products are designed, built, and delivered: Altium Discover, Altium Develop, and Altium Agile. These solutions are designed to simplify processes, accelerate innovation, and make collaboration seamless across the entire electronics lifecycle. Together, they realize the purpose of Altium and Renesas: To Make Our Lives Easier.
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