ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Further automating the design process, specifically symbol creation, EMA Design Automation will offer Perception Software's SymXpert to customers.

Symbol creation has been an area of the design process that is fully manual, notes Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA. Large-pin-count components are used more often in PCB designs, requiring schematic-symbols creation for parts. Data for these pins must be entered into a schematic-capture program manually, checked for errors, and sectioned and formatted according to company standards. This step can be time-consuming and fraught with errors, says Marcano. In cases requiring multiple design revisions, these steps must be repeated several times.

SymXpert reportedly eliminates manual data entry and simplifies pin-data verification — automating this process. Other features include "intelligent content extraction" technology, which extracts pin information directly from suppliers' datasheets; data validation; rule-based graphics and pin arrangement, using SymXpert's advanced fill capability to set pin attributes such as whisker type and pin graphics in line with symbol-creation standards; and template-driven generation to ensure that symbols are created consistently.