PCB West 2015 Recap

It is always great to attend PCB West and see the many PADS customers I’ve known for years! Although most are from Silicon Valley, others came from quite a distance. I think the award for the farthest travel goes to Milan Klauz from the Czech Republic!

The highlight for me was the reception for PADS customers hosted by Mentor Graphics. The Board System Division’s VP and GM, AJ Incorvaia, and the PADS Product Line Director, Paul Musto, spoke about the direction of the PADS product line. Paul talked about the new 3D capabilities coming to PADS this fall; these capabilities were also demonstrated on the show floor. Furthermore, he talked about our roadmap for core PCB enhancements – many taken directly from Mentor’s Ideas website.

AJ re-iterated Mentor’s commitment to PADS, thanked the many PADS customers at the reception for their loyalty, and forecasted development completion on PADS VX.1.2 (November) and PADS VX.2 (mid-2016).

Another highlight was talking to many of the PADS customers who had the opportunity to see a demo of PADS 3D. Every one of them was blown away by the new functionality that will be included in the PADS Standard and Standard Plus suites this fall.

If you missed PCB West, you can still try the new PADS 3D! Our Beta program is live now – just sign up at http://www.mentorpcb-beta.com/PADS/index.php and let us know what you think.

PADS VX.1.2 is right around the corner!

Jim