How to Documents with associated Design files? 1

[RTTaylor]

Hello - Our business includes design of Electronic Circuit boards. I have never understood how one can keep the integrity link between the actual Design file and the drawings it produces.
For example: A board designed using Altium or PADS can output 1) PCB fab drawing, 2) Circuit Card assembly Dwg, and others.... Drawings can be revised independently of each other. I wouldn't rev the PCB due to an assembly dwg note or assembly graphics change. But since the design file has changed along with the Assembly dwg I would want to have any future PCB changes access that updated design file, the latest file, so as not to lose work. Logically I would want to update the linkage between the PCB Dwg and the design file at this time also? Is there a better way to do this?

I have read and worked closely to Watts "Eng Doc Control Handbook". Up to now there hasn't been much to change, luckily.

Any suggestions would be wonderful.

RTaylor

 

[RTTaylor]

Sorry, Correction:
"How to manage documents with associated design files"?

 

[ptruitt]

I am not thrilled with this suggestion, but (because of CAD software limitations) consider setting up another designation system for the board design files. The design document would be revision controlled (as Watts or Garwood would recommend) and either be tabulated (Watts: XXXXXX-XXX hybrid Doc/PN)or reference one or more PNs (Garwood: Doc. 123456 Rev. A referencing PN 264853 and 335987). Then each PN would reference the board designation (745896). If the change is interchangeable, PNs would not change, just the board designations and the doc. revision. If non-interchangeable, one or more PNs would need to change and, of course, the doc. revision would also increment.