Once a PCB design exceeds 30 V, strict safety standards apply. Minimum distances must be maintained between conductive elements to prevent leakage currents and dielectric breakdown. Standards such as DIN EN 60664 / VDE 0110, IPC‑2221A, and UL60950‑1 define these rules clearly.
As modern designs become more compact and multilayered, determining creepage distances becomes highly complex. Manual calculations often underestimate diagonal paths around board edges or drill hole rims, which can lead to serious safety issues.
Why Creepage Distances Are Hard to Evaluate
Creepage is measured along the surface of insulation materials, not through air. This means that even small topographical features such as uncoated holes, slots, and cutouts significantly influence the actual creepage path. PCB‑Investigator considers all these elements in its calculations.
Distance requirements depend on:
- Net voltage
- Material group (CTI)
- Pollution degree
These determine inner vs. outer creepage distances, e.g., 1.0 mm inner vs. 5.6 mm outer according to DIN EN 60664‑1.
In high‑voltage applications like drive technology, the risk of dielectric breakdown increases dramatically, making accurate evaluation even more critical.
Automated Creepage Analysis in PCB‑Investigator
The Creepage Analysis feature automates this otherwise slow and error‑prone process. PCB‑Investigator computes the shortest creepage distances between conductive parts and between these parts and the board outline.
It offers three key analysis modes:
- Net‑to‑Net: For direct comparisons between two individual nets.
- Net‑Group‑to‑Net‑Group: For complex networks with grouped signals.
- To Outline: For distances from nets to the board edge.
A powerful capability is the option to include board outline and routing paths in the calculations, enabling accurate inter‑layer creepage evaluations.
3D Visualization Enhances Insight
Once the computation is complete, results can be reviewed in both 2D and 3D. The 3D visualization highlights complex creepage paths created by shallow angles, board edges, or hole rims — situations easily misinterpreted during manual distance estimation.
This makes identifying critical routes faster, clearer, and more reliable.
Conclusion
Creepage analysis is essential for high‑voltage PCB design — yet one of the most challenging aspects. PCB‑Investigator’s automated Creepage Analysis helps avoid errors, saves engineering time, and improves functional safety.
For PCB developers, compliance engineers, and HV specialists, it’s an indispensable tool in achieving robust and standards‑compliant PCB designs.
