Mentor-Graphics-Expedition-Enterprise-Flow-v2007

Expedition Enterprise provides a complete solution for PCB and FPGA design, embedded in a global enterprise environment. Component selection in a centralized and configurable data management system permits part selection based on electrical characteristics and business criteria (e.g., product line, vendor, RoHS criteria, cost). The data are updated through process integration with PLM or MRP systems. Filters can be set to restrict use of component categories
Mentor Graphics Corp. has announced its new Expedition Enterprise flow for PCB systems design. This flow enables large electronics companies to leverage their multi-disciplined design team resources, and create and provide access to their intellectual property on a global basis. It also allows companies to integrate their design data with corporate PLM, and supply chain and manufacturing systems, as well as to communicate with outsourced design and manufacturing. Expedition Enterprise can improve competitiveness and performance by combining advanced PCB design technology with library and design data management, and a unified constraint editing system.

Expedition Enterprise addresses the challenges of the global enterprise, including intellectual property management, supply chain integration, and design team management across multiple sites. It integrates and manages the system design flow and enables seamless data transfer among design teams, improving designer productivity and design team collaboration, while facilitating communication with the corporate enterprise. This new solution offers improved library management which simplifies supply chain management, increases library quality, and reduces product costs. Expedition Enterprise also integrates FPGA and PCB design flows, allowing concurrent design that leverages the FPGA's I/O flexibility, and addresses routing and timing challenges, and facilitates common design constraint management. Expedition Enterprise is available on multiple hardware platforms to support existing hardware investments

"Expedition Enterprise is the culmination of recent technology acquisitions combined with significant engineering effort to deliver the next-generation PCB systems design solution," stated Henry Potts, vice president and general manager of Mentor Graphics' Systems Design Division.

Key Capabilities:
>Library creation. Creates all library elements in a single design environment, leveraging the supply chain for web-based components that minimize library development time and increase its quality
Design data management. Manages library and design data to ensure appropriate access to and integration with corporate product life-cycle management systems
Constraint editor system. Provides common rule definition and verification environment for physical and electrical constraints, from design capture through layout
Design definition. Utilizes powerful hierarchy to capture large designs quickly, reuse proven circuits and attributes, and manage hundreds of variant designs
Functional verification. Quickly simulates analog, digital and mixed-signal circuits within an integrated environment
PCB/FPGA co-design. Concurrently designs an integrated FPGA/PCB system for optimal system performance and reduced design cycle time
Signal integrity verification. Leverages an advanced multi-lingual device and interconnect modeling environment to verify the integrity of synchronous and asynchronous signals
Design layout. Utilizes AutoActive correct-by-construction methodology to place and route complex PCBs in a single design environment based on constraints for advanced interconnect and high-speed
Concurrent team layout. Optimizes design team resources and reduces design cycle time through simultaneous design on a common database
Design for fabrication. Runs fabrication checks and facilitates fixes in a single environment, reducing design cycle iterations and increasing design manufacturability
Manufacturing preparation. Easily creates and validates board panels, copper balancing, and product documentation within the common layout editor
Process customization. Automates and extends the design environment using industry-standard languages to achieve company-specific design process optimization