A Potpourri of Design PD Classes

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

What is invention without innovation? What is innovation without capability? What is capability without standards and guidelines? What are standards and guidelines without the design and manufacturing stakeholders who produce them?

Folks say that invention involves the creation of things entirely new, while innovation is the process of improving the creations or finding new ways to use them. This observation holds true in all realms of PCB design. However, PCB designers, seated at PCB design workstations with very powerful CAD tools at hand, often misunderstand the concept of invention. Like a new musician making a lead error in a blues riff will refer to off-color notes as “jazz,” many new PCB designers not checking in with supplier capabilities will consider their work an “invention.”

A mistake is a mistake. DFM is a step in the innovation process, which is a necessary part of design. If new materials or processes do not exist, applying the concept of invention involves long timelines and astronomical financial backing, which must occur in order to reach the goals of a new product concept.

On Sunday, April 7, I attended a “design for” Professional Development session taught by Dale Lee. Presented as a two-part morning and afternoon class, Dale covered some very important DFs: design for manufacture (DFM), design for reliability (DFR), and design for assembly (DFA), referred to holistically as DFX (design for excellence). Lee gave many examples that stressed the importance of following industry standards and guidelines in the design of printed boards and assemblies. He stressed the importance of becoming familiar with common materials, machinery, and processes the PCB industry uses in order to “design for” measured success needed by the industry in order to provide measurable quality, performance, and reliability.

 Later that morning, I bounced over to the “Ask the Flexperts” PD sessions featuring Mark Finstad and Nick Koop from TTM. Both innovators in their own rights, this Flexpert tag team was able to cover all aspects of flex and rigid-flex design principles to not only confirm industry-proven design methodology but follow up with tangible, expert, manufacturing stakeholder responses from TTM to illustrate what designers can do to improve their future flex designs. The two generously provided all attendees with a tote ring of flex circuit reference material, which can serve as a tactile guide in determining how flex structures behave mechanically.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the 2024 issue of Show & Tell Magazine, click here.