See thermal risk before the first prototype
In PCB design, the most expensive problems are often the ones you only discover after fabrication. Local overheating, excessive current density, or unacceptable voltage drop can all remain hidden until late verification. PCB-Investigator Physics helps move that analysis much earlier into the development phase.
With this plug-in, engineers can simulate the physical behavior of a PCB while the layout is still being shaped. That means critical hotspots, resistive bottlenecks, and layout-induced thermal issues can be identified and corrected before prototype cost and schedule impact start to grow.
Practical simulation for real engineering decisions
PCB-Investigator Physics covers the most relevant questions for power and thermal design. It simulates temperature rise caused by component dissipation and high currents, current density in copper constrictions or vias, voltage loss and line resistance between arbitrary pins, and even the actual current flow direction as an animation.
This is especially useful when you need to understand not just whether a design works, but where it is close to the limit. Engineers can use those insights to improve copper structures, adjust via placement, or optimize the layer stack with much better confidence.
Simulation is not about replacing testing. It is about making the first test build far more predictable.
Transient analysis adds a new level of insight
Starting with V10, PCB-Investigator Physics also supports transient simulations. That means you can evaluate how a board heats up or cools down over time, while time-dependent switching states and power losses are taken into account. For dynamic systems, that timing dimension matters a lot.
Simulation results can be saved as an interactive HTML report, making it easy to document findings, share results with stakeholders, and keep design decisions traceable.
Why teams use it
- Detect thermal hotspots early in the design cycle
- Analyze current density, voltage drop, and line resistance
- Improve layout and layer structure with built-in editing tools
- Run transient simulations from V10 onward
- Generate interactive HTML reports for documentation
- Reduce prototype iterations and development cost
If thermal behavior is part of your design risk, simulation should be part of your workflow. Learn more about PCB-Investigator Physics and see how it can support your next PCB design review.
