Printed circuit boards are important in product development as they form an essential backbone, connecting and supporting electronic components in a compact, reliable, and manufacturable package, enabling smaller and more efficient devices by replacing tangled wires, while prototyping ensures early defect detection, cost savings, and performance optimization before mass production. They streamline production, reduce size, and improve device functionality and lifespan.
But creating a reliable printed circuit board requires precision, planning, and rigorous testing. Critical capabilities in this regard are identifying design errors, improving performance, and ensuring cost-effectiveness, making test solutions an indispensable part of the development process.
Integration into the Siemens framework enables companies to prepare designs and implement robust test strategies early in the PCB assembly manufacturing process, enabling earlier defect detection, reduced costs, faster time-to-market, and improved product quality and reliability.
ASTER’s expertise also strengthens Siemens’ Design for Manufacturing (DFM) offering.
Managing the Growing Complexity of Electronics
Founded in 1993 and based in Cesson-Sévigné, France, ASTER is today a leading provider of software tools for verifying, assembling, and testing printed circuit board assemblies. The company provides compelling software solutions for physical design verification of DFM for printed circuit board manufacturing, assembly, and testing, along with robust test coverage analysis and optimized test programming capabilities.
Its flagship product, TestWay, is known for its best-in-class DFT planning and implementation, enabling companies to prepare designs and implement robust test strategies early in the PCB assembly manufacturing process. TestWay complements Siemens Valor’s design for manufacturing and assembly to create a comprehensive DFM solution.
Siemens’ head of PCB systems, AJ Incorvaia, says that by adding. ASTER Technologies gives customers the ability to optimize designs much earlier in the design cycle.
“Absolutely, and this can dramatically reduce costs, speed up time to market, and help ensure the highest possible level of product quality and reliability. It’s about providing our customers with a complete, integrated solution that sets them up for success from the very first design concept to final production,” he says.
Strategic fit for complex electronic systems
ASTER’s solutions are primarily used in sophisticated, advanced designs in the computing/HPC, automotive, and networking sectors, where developing efficient and cost-effective test strategies is crucial. This acquisition enables Siemens to expand its differentiated and comprehensive DFM solution for the global PCB market.
“Joining forces with Siemens is an incredibly exciting next chapter for our team and our customers. We have always been passionate about helping engineers create error-free PCB designs through advanced test coverage analysis,” says Christophe Lotz, founder and CEO of ASTER Technologies, and he continues:
“Now, as part of Siemens, we have an unprecedented opportunity to integrate our expertise into a broader, industry-leading portfolio. This means our innovative solutions can reach more customers, enabling them to achieve even greater efficiency, quality, and competitive advantage. We are excited to contribute to Siemens’ vision of a truly integrated digital thread for electronics design and manufacturing with just enough testing.”
Expanding Siemens EDA portfolio
With this acquisition, Siemens AJ Incorvaia says it is “providing customers with the best electronic system design technology they need to design the best products and build them efficiently and with high quality.”
Clearly, the integration of ASTER technology will sharpen manufacturing capabilities in the PCBA design portfolio, expanding Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio and creating a significant competitive advantage. This move enables Siemens to offer a full spectrum of DFM capabilities, helping customers ensure that designs not only meet manufacturing requirements but also proactively optimize test strategies from the earliest stages of development.
