Siemens has acquired ASTER Technologies, a privately held provider of printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) test verification and engineering software. This move integrates ASTER's advanced "shift-left" design for test (DFT) functionality directly into Siemens' Xpedition software and Valor software – part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software.
The acquisition gives customers an integrated digital thread from PCB design engineering to manufacturing, enabling earlier defect detection, reduced costs, accelerated time-to-market and improved product quality and reliability.
Founded in 1993, and based in Cesson-Sévigné, France, ASTER has established itself as an important supplier of software tools for verifying, assembling and testing PCB assemblies for more than 30 years. The company provides DFM physical design verification software solutions for PCB fabrication, assembly and test, alongside test coverage analysis and optimized test programming capabilities. Its flagship product, TestWay, is known for its DFT planning and implementation, enabling companies to prepare designs and implement test strategies early in the PCB assembly manufacturing process.
ASTER's solutions are primarily used in designs across computing/HPC, automotive and networking sectors, where developing efficient and cost-productive test strategies is crucial. This acquisition allows Siemens to expand its differentiated and comprehensive DFM solution for the global PCB market.
