PTC Onshape Adds Altium Integration to Improve ECAD-MCAD Collaboration

The integration helps electrical and mechanical engineering teams reduce file-based exchanges, improve design synchronization, and identify PCB fit issues earlier in product development.

PTC announced a new integration between its cloud-native Onshape computer-aided design (CAD) and product data management (PDM) platform and Altium. The Onshape Altium Connector helps to enable electrical and mechanical engineering teams to collaborate more effectively by bringing Printed Circuit Board (PCB) designs directly into Onshape and keeping changes synchronized across both platforms.

Building products with electronics requires close coordination between electrical and mechanical teams. However, that coordination can become difficult when teams rely on emailed files, manual updates, and separate versions of design data. These workflows can lead to time spent exporting data, reconciling versions, and identifying issues too late, such as boards that do not fit correctly or misaligned connectors.

The Onshape Altium Connector creates a direct connection between the two platforms, bringing PCB designs from Altium into Onshape so teams can assess fit earlier, track changes in real time, and stay more aligned as designs evolve.

onshape altium circuit board

Key benefits of the Onshape Altium Connector include:

• Works entirely in the cloud, with no file conversions, downloads, or manual data transfers required.

• Keeps electrical and mechanical designs more in sync, with changes made in either platform automatically reflected in the other.

• Helps teams identify design problems earlier by verifying that circuit boards fit correctly within their enclosures before issues become costly to fix.

• Provides built-in version control, with electrical history managed in Altium and mechanical history managed in Onshape.

• Enables browser-based access so stakeholders can review, comment on, and mark-up designs without requiring software installation on their device.

With Onshape and the rest of its portfolio, PTC is supporting its vision for the Intelligent Product Lifecycle by helping manufacturers and product companies build a product data foundation, extend the value of that data across the enterprise, and accelerate AI-driven transformation. The new Onshape Altium Connector fits into this broader direction by helping electrical and mechanical engineering teams collaborate more effectively, assess PCB fit earlier, track changes in real time, and stay aligned as designs evolve.

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