Blog
Engineering insights & updates.
From hardware engineering workflows to product development strategy.
Your AI Agent Isn't Wrong. It Just Can't Touch a Real Tool.
An engineer asked an AI assistant whether a steel beam would hold. It confidently said yes. The real factor of safety was 0.73. The problem wasn't the model. It was that the model was never allowed to run a real calculation. Four independent signals this week point to the same missing layer.
The $450 PCB: AI Can Design Hardware Now. It Can't Verify It.
A developer ran an AI agent on a custom PCB with no human verification. Five assembled boards cost €130. Getting the design right cost $450 in API credits. Generation works. Engineering correctness doesn't — and the market is starting to put a price tag on the missing verification layer.
Verification Theater: Why Agents Can't Check Their Own Work
Dan Luu tested 26 verification techniques against agentic coding and found agents perform verification theater — superficial technique, vacuous proofs, formal methods that made correctness worse. Four independent signals this week converge on one answer: verification must be external, deterministic, and human-gated.
Your AI CAD Agent Doesn't Have a Reasoning Problem. It Has a Context Problem.
Three independent open-source builders just hand-built the same missing layer: a shared product-context document their agents can work from. The models keep getting better. The context keeps being missing. That's the bottleneck.
Altium + Onshape + Duro: 5 Integration Gotchas (and How to Set Up the Stack Right)
Altium 365 for ECAD, Onshape for MCAD, Duro for PLM — a popular modern stack with expensive integration traps. Five gotchas from real implementations: design BOM vs manufacturing BOM, as-built truth, integration order, and the setup checklist that avoids them.
Best Engineering Change Management Software for PLM (2026)
Comparing the best engineering change management software in 2026: how Arena, Duro, Upchain, Propel, Windchill, and Teamcenter handle ECOs — with real reviewer quotes.
Best PLM for Defense & Aerospace Hardware (2026)
The best PLM software for defense and aerospace hardware in 2026 — comparing Arena GovCloud, Windchill+ FedRAMP, Teamcenter, and Propel on compliance evidence.
Best PLM for Hardware & Software Co-Development Teams (2026)
Which PLM actually serves hardware and software co-development? Comparing Arena, Duro, Upchain, Propel, and Windchill on firmware, branching, and change workflows.
Best PLM for Hardware Teams (2026): 6 Tools Compared
Comparing the best PLM software for hardware teams in 2026: Arena, Duro, Upchain, Propel, Windchill, and Teamcenter — with real ratings, real quotes, and where ProductFlo fits.