Elementary, Mr. Watson: Rules of Thumb—Guidelines vs. Principles for PCB Design
Beyond Design: High-speed Rules of Thumb
Global PCB Connections: A Technical Overview of Long-flex Printed Circuit Boards
Freedom CAD: Navigating the Unpredictable Design Marketplace
October 26, 2016 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Miller: If the question is related to the design community, it's really important to recognize that the world is evolving and what you did two years ago isn't going to get you where you need to be two years from now. The tools are changing, the technology's changing, and there's a huge push on trying to stay current with what's out there in the industry and what changes. At a higher level, I'm in meetings all the time with customers where they're wrestling with tradeoffs. It's the tradeoff of pushing the state of the art as far as their DFM rules, standards and what their CMs or their internal factories are willing to accept. Yet they're being pushed to differentiate their products in the marketplace and do things that nobody else is doing. You can't do that all the time staying in the safe box of “this is the way we always do things.”
Matties: And you have to do it wisely, because even with unlimited resources, you could still wind up being a Samsung and having phones burn up from bad design.
Miller: I was talking to a few of my counterparts in the industry last night at Geek-a-Palooza about the fact that the technology is challenging us on a daily basis. It's really important that we look to bring in new designers. Mutually, we have a lot of mature designers that have been in this business for 30–40 years. There's not a lot of young people coming into replace the aging designers. At Freedom CAD, we have invested in a program to bring in and train new designers, and we're now in our third class of apprentice designers. There's a lot of designers that do things the old-fashioned way because that's the way they've always done it. It may get the job done, but it's not as efficient. The young designers are much more interested in finding out how to do things efficiently and use the tools to their optimum intended use.
Matties: More productivity per minute. Anything that we haven't talked about that you feel like we should be sharing?
Miller: No, I think we're proud of what we do and that we've built a good reputation in the marketplace. The core bones of this company have been in this PCB design business since the beginning. Lou and Lauren Primmer and the company were one of the first CAD users in the country, and they started in this business at the time of Mylar and tape. The bones of the company go back that far and PCB design has come a long way since then.
Matties: Wow, that's great. Thank you so much for sharing your insight and time today with us.
Miller: Thanks, Barry.
Page 3 of 3
Share on:
Suggested Items
Unlocking Advanced Circuitry Through Liquid Metal Ink
10/31/2024 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPCB UHDI technologist John Johnson of American Standard Circuits discusses the evolving landscape of electronics manufacturing and the critical role of innovation, specifically liquid metal ink technology, as an alternate process to traditional metallization in PCB fabrication to achieve ever finer features and tighter tolerances. The discussion highlights the benefits of reliability, efficiency, and yields as a tradeoff to any increased cost to run the process. As this technology becomes better understood and accepted, even sought out by customers and designers, John says there is a move toward mainstream incorporation.
Fresh PCB Concepts: The Critical Nature of Copper Thickness on PCBs
10/31/2024 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsPCBs are the backbone of modern electronics and the copper layers within these boards serve as the primary pathways for electrical signals. When designing and manufacturing PCBs, copper thickness is one of the most critical factors and significantly affects the board’s performance and durability. The IPC-6012F specification, the industry standard for the performance and qualification of rigid PCBs, sets clear guidelines on copper thickness to ensure reliability in different environments and applications.
Book Excerpt: The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to... DFM Essentials, Ch. 1
10/25/2024 | I-Connect007The guidelines offered in this book are based on both ASC recommendations and IPC standards with the understanding that some may require adjustment based on the material set, fabricator processes, and other design constraints. This chapter details high-frequency materials, copper foil types, metal core PCBs, and the benefits of embedded capacitance and resistor materials in multilayer PCBs.
The Cost-Benefit Analysis of Direct Metallization
10/21/2024 | Carmichael Gugliotti, MacDermid AlphaCarmichael Gugliotti of MacDermid Alpha discusses the innovative realm of direct metallization technology, its numerous applications, and significant advantages over traditional processes. Carmichael offers an in-depth look at how direct metallization, through developments such as Blackhole and Shadow, is revolutionizing PCB manufacturing by enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness. From its origins in the 1980s to its application in cutting-edge, high-density interconnects and its pivotal role in sustainability, this discussion sheds light on how direct metallization shapes the future of PCB manufacturing across various industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, and beyond.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Pattern Plating
10/16/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsIn the previous episode of I-Connect007’s On the Line with… podcast, we painted the picture of the outer layer imaging process. Now we are ready for pattern plating, where fabrication can get tricky. The board is now ready to receive the copper traces, pads, and other elements specified in the original CAD design. This article will lay out the pattern plating process and discuss constraints in the chemistries that must be properly managed to meet the customer's exacting manufacturing tolerances.