Case Study: EPFL Switzerland achieves streamlined 3D PCB development and mechatronic integration with Altium Designer

EPFL Switzerland - Customer Case Study

EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) — particularly the Mobots research group — faced the challenge of supporting extremely varied electronic development needs across teaching and research, from first‑year student projects to PhD work and complex mechatronic systems. With many users at different skill levels and historically compartmentalized CAD practices, boards frequently required multiple physical iterations because mechanical integration issues and component collisions weren’t discovered until after assembly.

By adopting Altium Designer’s 3D capabilities and using detailed, contextual component models, EPFL is able to visualize PCBs “like the real thing,” overlay mechanical assemblies, define conductive structures as polygon GNDs, and run placement and location checks directly in 3D. The result is fewer redesigns, better first‑time builds, reliable connector and cable routing, and more confident integration between electronic and mechanical teams — benefits EPFL plans to scale further with improved user training.

EPFL Switzerland