PCB Libraries

What PCB Libraries does

PCB Libraries is a privately held software company that develops PCB (printed circuit board) library automation tools built around its flagship product, Footprint Expert. Founded in 2003 by Tom Hausherr, Jeff Mellquist, and Nick Ban, the company was acquired by Valor Computerized Systems in December 2008; the original team regrouped in 2011, released Library Expert in July 2012, and relaunched as Footprint Expert in January 2021 after a complete rewrite. PCB Libraries is headquartered in Peoria, Arizona, operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees, and serves PCB designers, CAD librarians, and engineering teams across aerospace, defense, consumer electronics, medical devices, energy, transportation, and research/education markets.

The company's core technology is the proprietary CAD LEAP (Libraries Enhanced with Automated Preferences) engine, which separates component physical dimensions from design rules and enables batch generation of footprints and 3D STEP models compliant with IPC-7351, IPC-7352, and IPC J-STD-001 standards. Footprint Expert outputs to 25 CAD formats (Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD, Mentor/Siemens PADS and Xpedition, Zuken CADSTAR/CR-5000, KiCad, EAGLE, DipTrace, Pulsonix, Proteus, and others), is backed by a Parts on Demand (POD) component database of more than 2 million parts, and is augmented by add-on modules including the Librarian (FPX) tool, BOM Builder Service, and 3D STEP generation. The company's reported installed reach exceeds 100,000 PCB designers and engineers worldwide, with named customers including Lockheed Martin, Intel, Tesla, Boston Scientific, Siemens, Medtronic, STMicroelectronics, NXP, National Instruments, Halliburton, USPS, and Yale University. PCB Libraries is an IPC member company actively involved in IPC-7351/7352/J-STD-001 standards development.

PCB Libraries generates revenue through a multi-stream model: one-time perpetual licenses (Single User, Network, Global Network), annual subscription/lease licenses (SL and Cloud Lease), recurring annual maintenance contracts ($149 to $2,096 per seat per year depending on CAD format and 3D add-on), transaction-based Parts on Demand credits (starting at $5-10 per part), and a BOM Builder Service priced per extracted part. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the pcblibraries.com website with free evaluation downloads and a Freemium Footprint Calculator, supplemented by an enterprise field-sales motion and a worldwide distributor network covering North America, Europe (8 countries), Asia (5 countries), and Israel. A late-2024 partnership with Siemens (Mentor Graphics) embeds Footprint Expert into Xpedition and PADS Professional deployments.

Name

PCB Libraries

Legal name

PCB Libraries, Inc.

Website

https://pcblibraries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PCB Libraries develops Footprint Expert, an IPC-standards compliant PCB library automation tool using proprietary CAD LEAP technology, supporting 25 CAD formats. The company serves PCB designers and engineering teams at enterprises including Lockheed Martin, Intel, Tesla, Siemens, and STMicroelectronics globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

PCB Design Automation Software

NAICS

Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412), Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

PC/Desktop Software Stores (BPAMADAB), Asset Creation, Pipeline, DCC Integration & Content Management Tools (MPAFAFAL)

Keywords

• PCB library automation
• Footprint generation software
• CAD library management
• IPC-7351 compliance tools
• PCB design software

Headquarters

HQ city

Anthem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Perpetual or subscription-based software licenses for the Footprint Expert tool, supporting multiple CAD formats. Licenses available as Single User, Network, Global Network, and Lease options. Each CAD format is licensed separately.
2. Annual Maintenance: Annual maintenance plans providing software updates, access to Parts on Demand (POD), BOM Builder Service, and additional features. Maintenance commences from when previous maintenance expired.
3. Parts on Demand (POD) Credits: Credits system for requesting new parts not in the database. Credits purchased in bundles, non-transferable and non-refundable. Part requests cost extra per credit.
4. Free Footprint Calculator: Free version of the footprint calculator with basic functionality to drive conversion to paid software versions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PCB Libraries develops and sells PCB Footprint Expert, a CAD library automation software powered by proprietary CAD LEAP technology. The product automates creation of PCB footprints and 3D STEP models across 25 CAD formats, compliant with IPC-7351, IPC-7352, and IPC J-STD-001 standards. Complementary offerings include a 2+ million part Parts on Demand (POD) database, BOM Builder Service, 3D STEP module, and Librarian library management tool.

Product overview

PCB Libraries offers a unified PCB library automation platform centered on the Footprint Expert product. The core Footprint Expert software uses proprietary CAD LEAP Technology to automate PCB footprint and 3D model creation compliant with IPC-7351, IPC-7352, and IPC J-STD-001 standards. The platform is modular, with add-on CAD format outputs (supporting 25 different CAD tools including Altium, Allegro, OrCAD, PADS, Xpedition, KiCad, EAGLE, and others), a Parts on Demand database (2+ million parts), 3D STEP model generation, BOM Builder Service, and Librarian tools. A free Footprint Calculator tier provides basic functionality at no cost. Annual maintenance plans unlock all updates and premium support features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Footprint Expert: The company's flagship PCB library automation software that builds PCB libraries in 25 CAD formats with CAD LEAP Technology
• Parts on Demand (POD)
• BOM Builder Service
• CAD LEAP Technology
• Footprint Expert Lite

Products and services

• PCB Footprint Expert Primary CAD library development tool powered by CAD LEAP Technology that automates PCB footprint and 3D model creation across 25 CAD formats. Supports IPC-7351, IPC-7352, and IPC J-STD-001 standards with configurable user preferences. Targeted at PCB designers, engineers, and CAD librarians.
• Parts on Demand (POD) Online component database with over 2 million parts that complements Footprint Expert, providing instant access to component manufacturer data for library creation. Available in subscription bundles of parts per month with credit-based pricing for custom part requests.
• BOM Builder Service Bill of Materials extraction and building service that pulls parts from the Parts on Demand database. Free for POD parts with optional pay-per-part pricing starting at $10 per part. Available to customers on active maintenance.
• 3D STEP Module 3D STEP model generation module that auto-generates 3D component models alongside footprints for dozens of component families with customizable color preferences.
• Librarian (FPX) Library management tool for organizing, searching, and managing component data files. Allows batch creation and editing of component libraries with user-defined custom rules using the FPX file system.
• Free Footprint Calculator Free version of the footprint calculator with basic functionality for creating standard PCB footprints without CAD export. Includes free training webinars, support, and updates with no expiration date. Drives conversion to paid software versions.
• PCB Footprint Expert Maintenance Annual maintenance plans providing software updates, access to Parts on Demand, BOM Builder Service, and technical support. Includes all upgrades released during the maintenance period.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cuts footprint creation costs by as much as 99% per part
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration26 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• IPC - Association Connecting Electronics IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCB Libraries collaborates with IPC on standards development for IPC-7351, IPC-7352, and IPC J-STD-001. The company has been actively involved in IPC standards development for many years and was involved in the original development of the IPC-7351 LP Calculator.
• Siemens (Mentor Graphics)majorTechnology or IntegrationSiemens (through Mentor Graphics acquisition) started releasing Footprint Expert to Xpedition and PADS Professional customers in late 2024. PCB Libraries continues selling licenses for customers wanting multiple CAD format support, direct updates, and training from PCBL.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ultra Librarian: Provides PCB footprints, symbols, and 3D models across many CAD tools, overlapping with PCB Libraries' Footprint Expert output and POD content. Distributed via EMA Design Automation and partner EDA vendors.
• SamacSys: Provides free PCB footprints, symbols, and 3D models for component libraries across major EDA tools, directly competing with PCB Libraries' Parts on Demand service and Footprint Expert output library.
• SnapEDA: Offers a component library and footprint-generation service for PCB designers, with broad CAD format support. Acquired by Cadence in 2021, making it both a direct peer and a channel for competitor distribution.
• Component Search Engine: Online component database offering footprints, symbols, and 3D models for PCB design, providing a free and paid alternative to PCB Libraries' Parts on Demand content.

Broad incumbents

• Altium: A leading EDA platform whose Altium Designer includes native library management and component database features. Now part of Renesas, Altium is a primary ecosystem partner (PCB Libraries supports Altium output) and a broad incumbent in the same workflow.
• Siemens EDA: Major EDA platform (Xpedition, PADS, Mentor) with native library management. Began bundling PCB Libraries' Footprint Expert for Xpedition/PADS Professional users in late 2024, making it both a distribution partner and a broad incumbent that could internalize this capability.
• Cadence Design Systems: EDA platform behind Allegro and OrCAD with native library and component management. Acquired SnapEDA in 2021, broadening its component-library footprint and positioning it as a broad incumbent adjacent to PCB Libraries' core market.
• Zuken: EDA vendor behind CR-5000, CADSTAR, and eCADSTAR with native component library features. PCB Libraries supports Zuken formats directly, making Zuken both a channel partner and a broad incumbent in the same PCB design ecosystem.

Others

• KiCad: Open-source EDA suite with a community-maintained component library. PCB Libraries explicitly supports KiCad output and is a complementary tool provider, making KiCad an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor in paid library automation.

Emerging players

• Library.io: Smaller component library and footprint service targeting PCB designers, with partial overlap to PCB Libraries' POD offering and Footprint Expert output — represents the emerging, free/low-cost end of the component library market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PCBLibraries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pcb-libraries-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PCB Libraries