If you work as an electronics engineer, you are aware of the importance of having excellent Circuit board design software. The greatest software for PCB designing available is Fusion 360 and Altium Designer, both of which offer all the features required to produce PCBs of the highest caliber.
What Does Altium Designer Offer?
A Circuit board as well as software for electronic design program called Altium Designer was created by Altium Ltd, which is an Australian company. It is an all-encompassing tool that enables the design, simulation, and production of electronic goods. Engineers can develop top-quality products more quickly by finishing their entire design process present in that same straightforward environment and gaining access to the entire design tools all in one location.
Altium achieves universal acclaim as the greatest PCB design software in this way. The latest PCB tools inside Altium Designer allow MCAD integration, modeling in 3D CAD, as well as quick and flexible design. When applying this technology in interactive contexts, you can examine the PCB’s clearances.
It’s simpler to use thanks to all its new capabilities, including quick documentation of the PCB layout, accurate simulation, as well as other sophisticated features. Altium supports businesses as well as design communities with their efforts to develop, work together, and produce innovative products through a variety of technologies.
Features of Altium
There are several reasons why Altium Designer can be regarded as the most effective software for PCB design. Let’s see ways in which Altium outperforms other tools for PCB design.
Platform is Cloud-Based
Users may work from anywhere with its cloud-based design as well as development application Altium Designer. For this, anyone with access to the internet can use it. Using the internet, team members of the project can now remotely create and amend their projects.
MCAD/ECAD Cooperation
This collaboration is offered by Altium. With additional CAD systems like SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Inventor, or Fusion 360, sync is now possible. It’s among the factors which assisted Altium rise to the top of the current list of PCB design programs.
Work Together with Anyone
Engineers value their time as a valuable resource. You could save time using online collaboration by conducting design reviews using input from stakeholders from any device or browser.
Comments are context-driven
Users can tag people to resolve issues without leaving their design environment by marking problematic areas of a document directly inside the design and adding comments.
Effective Management of the Supply Chain
Create a BOM for the project with ease. It clears up any ambiguity regarding the maker. You can easily and quickly access the whole of the manufacturing records because they are all congregated in one place. You can create a successful product using this. Due to this feature, the user will experience flawless tracking.
Pros and Cons of Altium Designer
Pros
- PCB design of high quality
- Quick results
- Platform is user friendly
- Mechanism for error checking is easy
- Users have easy access
- Storing of data of each element in just one focal point is possible. Therefore you don’t have to include a specific storage system for every element
- The design is compact
- It is very efficient
- Conversion of files from different other platforms easily is possible
Cons
- The goal of the platform would be to assist PCB manufacturers and other companies or individuals who make a lot of boards. Due to this, t he price seems to be excessive for regular users.
- Only works with Windows.
What Does Fusion 360 Offer?
Autodesk’s Fusion 360 can be described as a cloud-enabled and collaborative 3D CAD, CAE, CAM, and PCB program. Fusion 360 can also be described as a piece of software that combines CAM and CAD technologies. It comes with all the equipment required to move directly from design phase to the manufacture.
You can design and build prototypes from start, perfect models to finalized items, and generate prototypes using its simple CAD to the machining (CAM) procedures.
You may import data files easily and then gain access to many posts. This is because Fusion 360 provides a complete variety of data converters for 50 different types of files.
Furthermore, Fusion 360 is extremely cost-effective, and it provides three subscription licenses: These include
- Fusion 360 that serves commercial/professional use, which provides comprehensive functionality for the CAM, CAD, PCB, and CAE
- Extensions of Fusion 360, that can only be accessible when you purchase the professional license
- Fusion 360 that serves personal use, which has fewer features for the 3D manufacturing and modeling
- Fusion 360 strictly for education, which is intended for use in schools by both students and teachers.
Fusion fosters teamwork among distant product development teams and aids in the repetition and exploitation of the product concepts. It is a complete suite that may be used in manufacturing, modeling organic shapes, and mechanical designing.
Speaking about some of Fusion 360’s standout features, one of these is the optimization of shapes. With the aid of these tools, users may see where they can withdraw or add materials based on different load limitations and the set mass in both a fresh design as well as an older design.
What Benefits Does Fusion 360 Offer?
Fusion 360 can be regarded as a fantastic tool because it enables users to complete all tasks in one location. You can collaborate, design in 3D, manage data, make toolpaths, and test your designs using simulations with Fusion 360.
Experts in manufacturing, engineering, machining, as well as industrial design is also favored in Fusion 360. Leading commercial firms including Stewart-Haas Racing, Conturo Prototyping, VOLVE, as well as New Horizons Studio of the Hyundai Motor Group employ it to manufacture their products. For enthusiast users, Fusion 360 comes completely free. Fusion 360 meant for private use (formerly called Fusion 360 for the amateur users) is a free edition with modest features that can be renewed annually.
There is no such thing as CAD/CAM software that works for all. Even if your program meets all of your needs in some circumstances, there are instances where you might require more functionality in order to advance your ideas.
Furthermore, the extensions of Fusion 360 provide you access to the program’s additional features and workflows. This is possible because it allows for complex fabrication, nesting, generative design, additive manufacturing as well as machining capabilities.
Fusion 360 includes extensions that could be unlocked when you require more functionality or left sealed when you don’t. Also, you can only choose the extension you need if you only require one.
Fusion 360 offers three main subscription licenses and is reasonably priced. Complete functionality for CAM, CAD, PCB, and CAE is provided by Fusion 360 to ensure commercial and professional usage; Also, extensions of the Fusion 360 are only accessible if you purchase Fusion 360’s professional license.
Fusion 360 has excellent features that let you use CNC machines in making your object. It features native computer-aided production capabilities.
Altium vs Fusion 360: What’s the Difference?
Users can simulate the PCB design of three dimensions using Altium. You can utilize the latest tech to check that the Circuit board will fit in to the enclosure of the final product. This saves a ton of time and avoids expensive redesigns. Before sending all the circuit boards for the production, you can check your designs, and then make adjustments using 3D Circuit board views.
As a tool for cloud modeling, Fusion 360 enables you to securely share your project with anyone inside or outside of your organization. This simplifies the process for stakeholders to communicate and review the design as required.
This comprehensive, user-friendly package, Altium, integrates the BOM, constraints and rules, management of the supply chain, ECO processes, as well as other crucial tools for ECAD libraries. Fusion 360 provides metal sheet part fabrication, turning as well as mill-turning, interactive assembling, direct, parametric, surface, parametric, freeform and mesh modeling. Both history-based as well as modes that are not history modes permit direct modeling.
There are numerous built-in wizards as well as practical features in the software package – Altium Designer, which is easily scriptable as well as adaptable. Draftsman enables users to instantly produce PCB drawings including comments, is another great advantage.
One of Fusion 360’s most effective and well-liked features is the workspace. Underneath its Additive tab, it offers tools for turning, milling, as well as 3D printing. It is capable of 2D as well as 2.5D CNC operations such as engraving, face milling, and contouring. A G-code file can contain many operations and simulate the entire path of your operations.
Altium vs. Fusion 360: Applications & Use Cases
Due to its easy accessibility, Fusion 360 can be utilized for design for independent users, amateurs, as well as start-ups. Additionally, it’s included among the most well-liked CAM tools because of its comprehensiveness, user-friendly interface, and high-quality simulation.
It enables extensive customization of the project-related procedures needed, all at minimal cost. In addition, Fusion 360 favors cloud storage above hard drive storage. This makes it well-suited for the collaborative work.
Consider using a program such as Altium, which has sophisticated tools and ability to handle complicated structures, if the PCB task is more difficult and of high-tech. Independent users, amateurs, professionals, as well as students can all benefit greatly from using Altium Designer.
This Fusion 360 software can be utilized for motion animation, electrical circuit design, generative design, manufacturing, failure mode simulation, and 3D modeling.
More Comparison: Altium vs Fusion
There exists a streamlined Altium license mechanism that enables the program to be used in the most effective and efficient manner possible. By using this technique, licenses are distributed to the appropriate users. This system offers two different kinds of Altium licenses. Its web-based licensing mechanism is at the top. Customer accounts are integrated into it.
Users who have this license can use the software on just about any computer without having to verify it, and there is also no need of copying or extracting the license files in order to activate the product. Global floating is the name of this Altium license feature.
Fusion 360 has a completely free version for private use; however it only has the most essential features. You can renew ownership on an annual basis. The company offers two different license types for the Fusion 360. For personal as well as recreational usage, one is called fusion 360, while the other can be called the best value fusion 360. To access all Fusion 360 capabilities under either license, the user must sign in. The user sets the sign-in id.
Fusion 360’s user’s personal license only offers free CAD and CAM access for personal or recreational use, but the best value type covers integrated 3D CAM, CAD, CAE, PCB, data collaboration, as well as management. The greatest value license further gives users the ability to manage massive amounts of data and collaborate.
Comparing the Price: Altium vs Fusion
The starting pricing for Altium Designer is 295 euros. There are two different license types for this Circuit board software.
Perpetual License: This license can be purchased from a minimum of 2 685 euros and is good for all future updates.
Time-Based license with a subscription model; prices start at 295 euros.
Fusion 360’s licensing is based on a subscription model. Also, there are various plans available for you to make your choice
- $70 per month
- $545 every year (approximately $45 every month)
- $1555 triennially (approximately $43 monthly
- A free trial that lasts 30 days
Student version: Whether or not the academic institution includes a version, students have access to the entire program. Just sign into Autodesk and present your enrolment documentation. Educational licenses remain valid for a year, after which you have to renew your enrollment papers or obtain a new license.
Conclusion
A crucial phase of PCB production is PCB design. The software for PCB design is available in a variety of forms. In this post, Altium and Fusion 360, two of the greatest PCB design programs, are compared. After going through, you should be able to decide which of their features suits your PCB design needs.
