This presentation shows the advantages of EMC simulation in the design flow of modern electronics based on a demonstrator board realized and manufactured by FESTO AG, Esslingen (D). It will be demonstrated and thoroughly explained how a combination of measurements and simulations can help to extract component models for further usage in the simulation workflow. The EM simulation for conducted and radiated emission analysis uses both 3D field calculation and circuit simulation in order to offer highest flexibility and to speed up simulations.

In the past, EMC engineering was often associated with numerous measurements. They are usually applied late in the design process as they require working prototypes which are not available for a long time. When problems arise in the tests, a lot of effort has to be spent on troubleshooting in order to pass the test e.g. by applying some countermeasures. Often the source of the problem is still undetected and only the symptoms are mitigated. This approach can be very cost intensive as changes to the design at a late stage of the design process may require extremely high effort. In the worst case the time-to-market of the product can be delayed causing additional costs and stress with the end-customer.

The idea for the cooperation between CST and FESTO came up during a conference when some engineers asked themselves how well EMC simulation and measurements can be matched on a realistic demonstrator board. FESTO is a leading world-wide supplier of automation technology and performance leader in industrial training and educational programs. In this project, CST brought in experience in 3D EMC/EMI simulations and FESTO provided the layout, the hardware, and the EMC measurements.