EMC tests are expensive and EMC laboratories are sometimes booked up for weeks. Since such tests are usually only carried out at a very late stage of the project due to the availability of prototypes, a failed EMC test can significantly jeopardize the success of the project.

The goal must therefore be to pass the release-relevant EMC test on the first try if possible. In order to be successful here, EMC conformity must be a driving criterion in the development of new systems right from the start. CST Studio Suite offers all the necessary tools to accompany the complete development process.

In the 3D simulation, Maxwell's equations are completely solved. Relevant material properties such as the frequency-dependent complex permeability for the ferrite material or loss factors for dielectrics can be taken into account. Such a depth of detail is only possible with a 3D simulation. As a result, e.g. S-parameters or even impedances of the calculated structure can be evaluated. Furthermore, the 3D model can be automatically converted into a reduced equivalent circuit, which is integrated into the electrical network. In this way, impedances and damping behavior are already mapped realistically in the system simulation

Since the 3D model is linked to the network, after the system simulation it is possible to return to the 3D world in order to analyze the field results at the simulated operating point.
Following the motto "make the invisible visible", coupling paths can be displayed and
radiated emissions can be evaluated

Besides the direct integration of the reduced equivalent circuit, there is also the possibility to integrate S-parameter files into the circuit simulation. These can either come from a 3D simulation or even from a measurement, if a measurement of the S-parameter matrix is reliably possible for the component in question. The model structure can thus be completely modular and the level of complexity or detail can be increased as development time progresses. At the beginning of the development, very simple network models are started, which are successively detailed. In this way, the necessity mentioned at the beginning of this article of having EMC conformity in mind right from the start can be implemented very simply and economically.

A hybrid approach can also be taken in the 3D model. For example, capacitors can be considered directly in the model or ports can be used in place of the capacitors. In the network simulation, RLC networks representing the capacitors can be connected to these ports. In this way, a very efficient and fast investigation of several capacitor variants is possible without having to repeat the complete 3D calculation. Due to the low computation time, such a model is thus ideal for the application of numerical optimization methods, which are also available in CST Studio Suite.