Printed circuit board (PCB) design software is an excellent tool for designing PCBs for electronic devices. By using PCB design software, engineers can not only solve problems related to power integrity and signal, but also modify and improve the entire circuit structure. PCB design software can be easily integrated with other associated plug-in PLM software, which can help engineers better analyze PCB layout and design. In recent years, the electronics manufacturing industry has a strong demand for PCB design software. According to the latest data released by Future Market Insights (FMI), the global PCB design software market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 12% from 2016 to 2026, and will achieve revenue of US$4.7551 billion by the end of the forecast period.
Needless to say, compared with other traditional technologies, PCB design software can eliminate problems faster and significantly reduce board debugging time. Therefore, in order to reduce development time and avoid project delays, the electronics industry is rapidly adopting the latest version of PCB design software. There is no doubt that the consumer electronics industry is the main end user of PCB design software. Due to the rise of smart wearable devices and smart phones that require highly complex circuit board designs, the use of PCB design software has been widely used in such electronic manufacturing fields.

In addition, such software enables engineers to run simulations to help them identify real-time problems related to application circuits. Other tasks can be easily accomplished through PCB design software, such as testing fault tolerance, input signals and achieving the desired output. In turn, this saves time and money because potential errors can be corrected before the physical prototype is built. In addition, sometimes engineers will find wrong placement of components after the circuit is manufactured, so the entire process must be repeated.

Most technology companies, especially those in North America, rely heavily on PCB design software for product development. Due to increased R&D investment, the market PCB design software in this region will continue to grow at an alarming rate in the next few years.

Designing printed circuit boards often becomes complicated because the process involves the integration of multiple wires and components. Therefore, the chance of error is usually high, and it is always recommended that engineers run PCB simulations to avoid additional costs. In addition, PCB design software functions (such as automatic routing, automatic adjustment and automatic placement) can greatly reduce the chance of error, thereby making PCB manufacturing easier.

By using PCB design software, engineers can experiment with the circuit board design and even make minor improvements to it without having to make any major budget expansions for the project. This is considered to be the main factor driving the growth of the global PCB design software market. However, operating PCB design software requires a high level of professional knowledge and skills, because understanding them can be a time-consuming task.

Recently, developers are uploading free PCB design software versions on the Internet, which have a wide range of applications in circuit board design. In countries such as the United States, China and Russia, software piracy is very common, which forces companies to lower the price of original software. FMI analysts have regarded it as a major obstacle to market growth.

Some of the leading companies operating in the global market for PCB design software include Mentor Graphics Corporation, Cadence Design Systems and Zuken. The developers are actively working to consolidate their market position through collaboration and A&M and further expand their product portfolio.