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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.

NEW
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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.

NEW
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.

NEW
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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.

Blog
Eliminate Your Design Friction with Agile Teams

Design friction from scattered data and disconnected tools slows down PCB development and leads to rework. This webinar shows how Agile Teams streamlines collaboration, aligns domains, and helps teams deliver faster with fewer errors.

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How-To's
Via Dispersion: Why Propagation Delay Changes with Frequency

Explore the concept of via dispersion and how it impacts propagation delay across frequencies. This tutorial walks through the math behind extracting delay from insertion loss and return loss S-parameters and explains why results can vary depending on your operating range.

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New in Altium's Software
Make Via Rule Configuration More Intuitive

Set precise control over your routing via styles with new rule settings in the Physical View. Define minimum, maximum, and preferred values for both diameter and hole size, and easily switch between constraint ranges or template-based definitions for faster, more flexible design.

Blog
What is the Best Cloud PCB Design Software?

Not all cloud PCB tools are created equal, especially when design complexity increases. This article breaks down key differences between cloud-native and hybrid solutions, helping engineers choose the right approach for performance and scalability.

Blog
From Rework to Revenue: Digital PCB DFMA

This article explores how traditional, manual DFMA workflows lead to costly rework, delays, and poor collaboration across engineering teams. It shows how a connected, digital approach enables better data integrity, faster design cycles, and improved manufacturing outcomes.

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How-To's
Coplanar Ground Done Right: PCB Design Best Practices

When is coplanar ground actually useful and when does it provide no benefit at all? If you’ve ever wondered about this, check out our brand-new video where we tackle one of the most common questions in PCB design.

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New in Altium's Software
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.

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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.

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.

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New in Altium's Software
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.

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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.

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Blog
The Future of PCB Design Starts Here

Altium Designer is constantly evolving, with powerful new features and updates on the way. Get an exclusive first look at what’s coming next—visit our Coming Soon page to stay up to date with the latest innovations.

Blog
Simplify Harness-to-System Connections for Better PCB Design Outcomes

Struggling to keep harness and system designs in sync? In our brand-new article we explore how integrating PCB and harness design workflows can eliminate errors, improve collaboration, and accelerate your development process. Discover a smarter approach to connecting your harness to the system.

Blog
Printed Electronics: The Future of Flexible and Cost-Effective Circuit Design

This article explores the rise of printed electronics as a lightweight, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to traditional PCB design. It highlights key benefits like reduced manufacturing costs, sustainability, and new design possibilities—especially in wearables, medical devices, and automotive applications. 

Blog
New Routing Possibilities with Ultra HDI

Explore how Ultra HDI technology is redefining PCB design. This article breaks down the benefits and manufacturing considerations of Ultra HDI, and how it enables next-level routing density and miniaturization in advanced electronics.

Blog
3D-MID in Focus: Principles, Processes, and Practical Use

This article introduces 3D-MID (Mechatronic Integrated Devices), a technology that integrates circuitry into 3D plastic structures to reduce size, weight, and complexity. It explains the production process, use cases, and benefits of 3D-MID in sectors like automotive, medical, and consumer electronics.

Blog
Eliminate EMI and Signal Integrity Issues in Multi-Board PCB Designs

Ensure signal integrity and minimize EMI in complex electronics. Our new article explains how to address electromagnetic interference and signal integrity challenges in multi-board PCB designs, offering practical strategies and layout considerations for reliable system performance.

Blog
Mastering Component Templates in Altium Designer 25

Our new article by Dario Fresu explains how Component Templates in Altium Designer 25 Pro improve design consistency, reduce errors, and streamline collaboration. It highlights practical benefits like standardized naming, faster component creation, and scalability across projects. Includes examples of using templates with Altium 365™ to simplify complex component setup.

Blog
Wire Harness Design Guide for Development and Manufacturing

Designing a wire harness goes far beyond just connecting components—it’s about ensuring manufacturability, reliability, and compliance. This article walks you through the entire process, from initial design to production, helping you streamline development and avoid common pitfalls.

Blog
Preparing for Medical Device Cybersecurity Assessments

Explore the key considerations and best practices for conducting cybersecurity assessments in medical device development. This article outlines how to identify potential threats, evaluate risks, and ensure compliance with evolving industry standards.

Blog
Harness Complexity, Design with Simplicity

Harness Design in Altium Designer simplifies managing PCB interconnections, ensuring reliable performance and streamlined manufacturing. With logical connectivity tools, harness layout drawing, and manufacturing-ready documentation, it keeps your designs efficient and organized—all within a unified design environment. Perfect for automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications.

Blog
Getting Started with NVMe and the Raspberry Pi 5

Our new article guides you through enhancing your Raspberry Pi 5's performance by setting up NVMe SSD storage using an expansion HAT. It covers the benefits over traditional MicroSD cards, including improved speed and reliability, and provides step-by-step instructions for installation and configuration.

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How-To's
Show the Net Connections Between Select Components

This video demonstrates how to show net-specific component connections. This is helpful when routing as you’re able to reduce clutter and focus on the connections on which you are working.

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How to Work with Draftsman
Draftsman Editor Settings

In this video we’ll go over the Draftsman editor settings and properties so you know how to set up the editor to be exactly what you need.

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How-To's
Assuring Your Board Is Large Enough to House All Components

This video covers how to make sure your board is big enough to house all your components.

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How-To's
How to Create an Interactive PDF of a Schematic Diagram

This video shows how to create an interactive PDF using the Smart PDF Wizard.

Embedded thumbnail for What is the Draftsman Document?
How to Work with Draftsman
What is the Draftsman Document?

Once your PCB layout is finished it’s time for review. This is where the Draftsman Document and Altium Designer’s Draftsman Editor comes in.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Integrating Requirements June 2025 Webinar
On-Demand Webinar Mag 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 Gen 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.