Siemens Boosts Power in PCB Design and Test with ASTER

[Cengiz Özemli]

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## Siemens Strengthens PCB Design and Test Processes with ASTER

Siemens has acquired ASTER Technologies to enhance its printed circuit board (PCB) design and test processes. This acquisition integrates ASTER's "shift-left" DFT approach, which enables early validation for testability, reliability, and manufacturability, into Siemens' Xpedition and Valor software.

Siemens aims to improve product quality, reduce rework, and accelerate time-to-market across its electronic systems portfolio by combining virtual test simulation with PCB design and manufacturing workflows. Producing high-quality products depends on the testability of components and long-term functionality, safety, and performance.

### ASTER Technologies' Shift-Left Design Principle

ASTER employs an innovative "shift-left" design principle that performs testing, reliability analysis, and quality assurance before PCB fabrication, typically during the conceptual design phase. This ensures that design for test (DFT) and design for manufacturing (DFM) are conducted concurrently in the early stages, before the production process begins.

### TestWay Express Software

ASTER's TestWay Express software simulates how testable electrical systems are; it identifies untestable components, electrical rule violations, or missing test points before the PCB is manufactured. The software estimates test coverage with theoretical models at every design stage.

For example, TestWay uses digital twin technology to simulate the capabilities of a solder paste inspection (SPI) machine. If there is a risk of false alarms due to anomalies in solder height or volume, or because the circuit board is too dense, engineers are alerted to this.

### Siemens and ASTER Integration

With Siemens' acquisition of ASTER, ASTER's test "shift-left" DFT principle is integrated into Siemens' Xpedition and Valor software, strengthening the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio. This combination offers customers holistic DFT and DFM capabilities for developing high-quality electrical products and systems, shortening time-to-market, and reducing costly rework.

Siemens Xpedition provides complex schematic capture, setup, and simulation management, while Valor ensures the manufacturability of designs with new product introduction (NPI) and DFM assessments for the production line. These two software solutions connect the design environment with actual production in a digital chain.

The integration of ASTER's technology strengthens Siemens' presence in the global PCB market, while ASTER also reaches a wider customer base, contributing to the "digital chain" vision.