EMA adds Power Integrations 3D models to CAD library

By Warren Miller, contributing writer

EMA Design Automation has recently opened up its Ultra Librarian CAD library of models for Power Integrations components, giving engineers the opportunity to access field-tested models for use in their own designs. The symbols, footprints, and 3D models of the Power Integrations designs are available for free at ultralibrarian.com , power.com , and digikey.com . Power Integrations’ electronic components have been incorporated into high-voltage power-conversion applications in everything from TVs and computers to smart phones and kitchen appliances — and now developers are free to integrate them into whatever their own imaginations can come up with.

Ultra Librarian 3D models offer higher accuracy than more generic 3D specifications, which can be important for tight-space requirements, according to EMA, and are subject to more than 30 examinations by the Ultra Librarian team before they are verified by Power Integrations engineers. “All features such as matching pin names and numbers, accurate cross-probing between symbols and footprints, and 3D models are precisely aligned with the footprints,” said EMA.

Power Integrations specs can be downloaded in formats for almost every electronic design automation (EDA) and computer-aided design (CAD) tool on the market, and all available designs are constructed so that the corresponding symbols, footprints, and models work together correctly.

“We chose to provide Ultra Librarian-based models for Power Integrations components because we wanted the highest-quality design models possible, and we wanted it freely available to the widest audience,” said David Chen, director of applications engineering for Power Integrations, in a statement. “Giving our customers the ability to download design-ready, verified models allows them to easily and correctly create designs using our high-performance electronic components.”

Example model selection window. (Source: Power Integrations)

The Power Integrations website makes models easily available right from the associated product page. Models like those shown in the above diagram cover schematic symbols used by EDA tools to represent components in a design, device footprints when creating printed circuit boards, and 3D models for creating virtual versions of the final product for use in creating the physical element used to house the device or in simulations for thermal analysis, vibration, and other real-world concerns.

Power-conversion designs are ubiquitous in all manner of electronic products, and low power consumption and energy efficiency are paramount in such designs. Smart utility meters, for example, commonly implement power-conversion systems to help regulate energy consumption. With the help of EMA’s design-ready models, it might have just become a little easier for developers to create more ways of doing just that.