National Instruments

SUNSTONE CIRCUITS COLLABORATES WITH NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS TO SIMPLIFY PCB PROTOTYPING

Through Sunstone’s ECOsystem^SM, Users of NI Multisim and NI Ultiboard Circuit Design Tools Can Now Utilize Sunstone’s Online Ordering Method

Mulino, Ore. – March 2, 2009 – Sunstone Circuits^® (Sunstone), the printed circuit board (PCB) prototype solutions provider, has joined forces with National Instruments (NI) to offer an integrated PCB prototype and quick-turn design environment, enabling NI Multisim and NI Ultiboard customers to easily order prototype PCBs via the Sunstone ECOsystem^SM Design Environment.

"Traditionally, the PCB prototype design process included barriers between the design flow and the prototype process. As a result, design problems often do not emerge until the fabrication phase, forcing costly and unnecessary redesigns," said Terry Heilman, president and CEO of Sunstone. "Through our collaboration with National Instruments, we provide resources, best practices and important manufacturing information to the engineer while they design—not after—which vastly improves productivity. It is yet another reason why Sunstone is the easiest PCB solutions provider to do business with."

Once a prototype design is completed in the Multisim and Ultiboard circuit design tools, customers can easily order PCBs online from Sunstone by visiting /multisim. NI provides Sunstone’s DFM rules and file specifications of the Ultiboard layout tool, helping to ensure board designs will be manufactured correctly the first time. Customers who order through Sunstone may also access Sunstone’s live customer support anytime, 24/7/365.

"Through the Sunstone ECOsystem^SM design environment, our users can now access Web resources and technical documentation to easily fabricate their PCB prototypes," said Vincent Accardi, general manager at National Instruments Electronics Workbench Group. "Prototyping is now simpler than ever for NI customers due to the online ordering, quick prototype turnaround, and more than 35 years of experience that Sunstone brings to the PCB design process. NI has collaborated with Sunstone because we share the mission of simplifying the PCB design experience, and we are proud to have Sunstone Circuits as a part of our PCB design and prototyping network."

Sunstone ECOsystem^SM Provides Best-in Class Design Options 
Breaking down barriers in the PCB industry, the Sunstone ECOsystem^SM improves the PCB prototyping process for designers, from concept to delivery, by integrating the four discrete segments of PCB prototyping:

• Knowledge – PCB designer expertise
• Tools – Design packages and software
• Parts and Libraries – Sourcing and tracking of PCB components
• Manufacturing – PCB manufacturing capability and expertise

Through NI support and participation in the Sunstone ECOsystem^SM design environment, Sunstone provides PCB prototype expertise to NI customers with a quick and simple online ordering method for PCB prototypes. Learn more about the National Instruments and Sunstone Circuits industry-leading collaboration at www.SunstoneECOsystem.com.

About Sunstone Circuits
Sunstone Circuits^® pioneered the online ordering of printed circuit boards (PCBs), and is the leading PCB solutions provider with more than 35 years of experience in delivering quality engineering software along with quick and on-time PCBs for the electronic design industry. Sunstone Circuits is dedicated to improving the PCB prototyping process from quote to delivery (Q2D^®) and provides “live” customer support every day of the year (24/7/365). For more information about Sunstone’s PCB solutions plus online quote and ordering process, please visit Sunstone.com andPCB123.com.

Trademarks: PCB123, Q2D^®, and Sunstone ECOsystem^SM Design Environment are trademarked by Sunstone Circuits.

About National Instruments National Instruments www.NI.com is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 25,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 10 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 10 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company’s investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090, e-mailing [email protected] or visiting www.ni.com/nati.

LabVIEW, Multisim, National Instruments, NI, ni.com and Ultiboard are trademarks of National Instruments.