Microelectronics industry standards organisation JEDEC has announced that it plans to release 3D models of new standard modules, packages, and socket outlines, in addition to the traditional 2D drawings it provides.

“The demand for 3D models in electronics design and manufacturing is set to grow exponentially with the expansion of the Internet of Things and the drive towards digital manufacturing through automation,” claims John Norton, chair of the JEDEC JC-11 Mechanical Standardisation Committee. “JEDEC is helping to enable this growth through the development of 3D models for our standard designs to complement the 2D drawings offered today and by establishing a universal schema for presenting real part data to software. These resources will greatly reduce time to market, eliminate opportunities for human error, and reduce manufacturing costs across the industry.”

The organisation has confirmed that the parts will be made available in a standard, universal format which can be imported by the most common 3D computer aided design (CAD) packages in use in the microelectronics industry today. It has also announced a new standard schema based on the Extensible Markup Language (XML), which will allow for the automatic generation of compatible 3D models based on user inputs or information stored in a database.

The models are not yet available, but more information is set to be published to the JC-11 Mechanical Standardisation committee page in the near future.