DfR Solutions announced the new V2.4 release of its Automated Design Analysis™ software, Sherlock. Sherlock is the first-of-its-kind Automated Design Analysis software for analyzing, grading, and certifying the expected reliability of products at the circuit card assembly level.
The new Sherlock release incorporates several unique improvements along with client-requested enhancements. An improved parts database enables the user to build and continuously update their local database in real time, automating the data input process and greatly accelerating time to project completion. Additionally, two new modules are available to customers, DFMEA and ICT.
The Sherlock DFMEA module modernizes component-level Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis by automating the laborious process of entering in all pin-to-pin interactions. Through a combination of intelligent parsing of design files, including net lists and bill of materials, and DfR Solutions' internal reliability knowledge, DFMEA spreadsheets with thousands of lines can be generated in a matter of seconds, allowing the design and reliability teams time to focus on the most important aspects of this reliability assurance activity. The module is also fully compliant with AIAG and SAEJ1739 standards for DFMEA.
Bed of Nails test fixtures can damage components during In Circuit Testing (ICT) by inducing an excessive amount of flexure. This is especially true for large, complex assemblies that use Pb-free materials. The electronics industry has experienced widespread pad cratering, cracked ceramic capacitors, and broken ball grid arrays (BGAs) because of a failure to identify a rapid, low-cost solution to this problem. Sherlock, through its ability to simulate the combination of design and manufacturing stresses, significantly improves upon the current industry trial and error process. Precise deflections and strains caused by non-optimized ICT fixture and support can be identified in minutes and mitigated or eliminated before first prototype is built. This advanced functionality can be used by all levels of engineering and management and allows for tradeoff analyses, saving costly board damage and redesign.
DfR Solutions
Part Number: Sherlock V2.4
