# What are the methods of PCB designing?

**URL:** <https://forumautomation.com/t/what-are-the-methods-of-pcb-designing/12289>\
**Category:** Electrical\
**Tags:** software-design\
**Created:** [July 16, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://forumautomation.com/t/what-are-the-methods-of-pcb-designing/12289 "2024-07-16T17:38:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rabert](https://forumautomation.com/user_avatar/forumautomation.com/rabert/32/6784_2.png) [@Rabert](https://forumautomation.com/u/Rabert)\
**Post date:** [July 16, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://forumautomation.com/t/what-are-the-methods-of-pcb-designing/12289/1 "2024-07-16T17:38:22Z")

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Below are the different techniques that can be used in the production of Printed Circuit Board or PCBs; Here are the main approaches:

- Manual Design
- Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
- Schematic Capture
- Auto-routing:
- Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- 3D PCB Design
- Modular Design

## Manual Design

- Hand-drawn schematics and layouts
- Most suitable for basic designs of products or even when creating mock-ups.

## Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

- Most common method
- Incorporates state of the art PCB design tools

## Schematic Capture

- Creating circuit diagrams digitally
- Technical premise for usage of PCB layout in CAD software

## Auto-Routing

- The ability of a program to automatically determine trace routes
- Useful in the cases when the designs are intricate, but often the code must be optimized by hand.

## Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

- The strategy of improving product design to match the production processes.
- Takes into account such aspects as the position of the components and the width of the tracks.

## 3D PCB Design

 ![image](https://cdn.forumautomation.com/original/2X/e/e5ebefc4160377004dd2af5a3843c7a96a84f216.jpeg)

- Performs the generation of 3D models for PCB
- Aids in creating an overview of the final product while searching for interference.

## Modular Design

- Subdividing complex circuits into functional blocks
- Improves organization and reusability