Altium > Case Studies > Revolutionizing Product Design: Full Gauge Controls' Transition to Altium Designer

Revolutionizing Product Design: Full Gauge Controls' Transition to Altium Designer

Technology Category

Sensors - Environmental Sensors
Sensors - Haptic Sensors

Applicable Industries

Electronics
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Procurement
Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Rapid Prototyping
Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

Full Gauge Controls is a company that has been developing and producing digital instruments for control and indication of temperature, humidity, time, pressure, and voltage since 1985. The company is regarded as a center of excellence in technology for refrigeration, heating, air conditioning, and solar heating. Full Gauge is internationally renowned for its commitment to quality and client satisfaction. The company participates in many fairs around the world and has more than 80 products including thermometers, thermostats, pressure controllers, voltage monitors, and remote management software Sitrad. All its products comply with national and international guidelines, standards, and certifications such as UL and CE in addition to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

The Challenge

Full Gauge Controls, a company that develops and produces digital instruments for control and indication of temperature, humidity, time, pressure, and voltage, was facing challenges with its old development process. The process was heavily dependent on prototype-based design verification, which was putting pressure on the design schedule and the design team. The traditional process involved sending a completed PCB design to a prototype manufacturer, which took approximately seven days for preparation of purchase order, production, and shipping. This process was not only costly but also often required additional prototypes for further design cycles and tests. In 2007, the company attempted to speed up the process by acquiring a rapid prototyping machine. However, the prototype boards still had to be manually assembled, which was inefficient and prone to rework. Moreover, the company had to bear the cost of maintaining the machine, which included high prices and time delay of replacement parts shipped from outside the country.

The Solution

In search of a better solution, Full Gauge upgraded its electronics design environment from P-CAD to Altium Designer and integrated it with its SolidWorks mechanical design tool to minimize the need for prototyping. Electronic designer Maurício Hüsken now produces all designs and mechanical files using Altium Designer, while other personnel in the company use the Altium Designer Viewer to access and query design files and documentation. During data import, Full Gauge migrated 3D component information in its SolidWorks to the Altium Designer libraries. This allowed for accurate component footprint and compact design. The product designer draws up the initial design of the office products and exports a file for the PCB. This file is imported into Altium Designer and the components are positioned and verified in accordance with design criteria. The electronics designer then exports the complete file of the PCB in 3D to be positioned within the cabinet so all mechanical conflicts can be detected and resolved. Altium Designer has also automated the generation of Gerber manufacturing files, which saves time and minimizes manufacturing errors.

Operational Impact

The adoption of Altium Designer has revolutionized Full Gauge's product design process. The company has successfully adopted a fully integrated process for designing and verifying electronic and mechanical designs for each product, eliminating the need for physical prototypes to validate the product design. More accurate component information is driving down margin-of-error production and rework. The prototype now looks like a finished product, requiring only minor adjustments. The 3D simulation provides a better sense of space and physical design, allowing for the detection of possible problems that may go unnoticed in 2D views. With SolidWorks integration, the end product can be visualized during design, which can speed up client approval. The company can now explore new techniques to facilitate the fit between the plates of the product and eliminate the need for male and female connectors that were previously used. The company has also added approaches to simulation, automation, and revision control to further simplify project management. With the help of Altium Designer, Full Gauge has been able to reduce design time, improve the development cycle of electronic and mechanical designs, reduce rework, and explore more creative electronic designs.

Quantitative Benefit

Reduced the design cycle by as much as 86 percent
Hardware development time has dropped from 30 to 50 days to a maximum of seven days
Significant reduction in costs associated with prototype manufacturing and maintenance