ASC’s John Johnson Bullish on the U.S. and High-tech PCBs

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

It was a good couple of days at the SMTA UHDI Symposium in Avondale, Arizona, in early April, where John Johnson, head of technology at American Standard Circuits (ASC) and resident PCB expert on UHDI in the real-world of manufacturing, was a presenter. As the symposium ended, I visited with John, who reflected on what he considered most important and what had made the greatest impression on him.

Marcy LaRont: John, it’s always good to talk with you. This was your third SMTA UHDI Symposium, so what were your impressions about the information presented?

John Johnson: Recapping the symposium, the NSWC Crane presentation was quite in-depth and provided a lot of insight into what's going on with the DoD Executive Agent, PrCB EA. They’re trying to help the industry develop and bring new technology to scale; it is very encouraging. There are several programs out there that can help us, but we have to know how to find them.

LaRont: Were you familiar with PrCB EA (Printed Circuit Board Executive Agent)?

Johnson: No, so that was interesting. It also helped me better understand the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC). We've participated by writing white papers, but being able to get to the next level and possibly discover new avenues to pursue for support was encouraging.

LaRont: I'm always struck by the Crane guys. They seem almost as frustrated as we are with the government’s pace.

Johnson: I agree. The U.S. PCB industry is experiencing a resurgence, but more needs to be done. Having the government step in and save Denkai, the last copper foil producer in the U.S., even at the very last minute, was critical. It also highlighted that we have only one glass-weave supplier left in the U.S. Our laminate and resin supplies are very low.

On the other hand, looking forward, there are some high points with ACCM opening up in Sparta, Wisconsin. It’s a manufacturer of build-up materials competing with ABF, which is sourced solely from one supplier in Japan.

The bottom line is that people are looking to invest in the U.S. again, and that’s awesome. We're starting to see new ventures where people are even building new board shops. Some of the larger OEMs are creating captive workhouses again. That’s a good trend.

LaRont: John, what else stood out for you today among the presentations?

Johnson: Carolyn Fries from Guided Particle Systems presented some unbelievable patterning technology they're successfully using, along with the processes they’ve developed. I was awestruck by looking at the innovation there.

I was really intrigued by the presentation from Lisa Chen of Intel because it's critical to know how to measure peel and shear strength for ultra-fine lines. Currently, there is no good way to measure it. Their INEMI task group is working to develop a technique and create a new standard. That was encouraging to hear. Those developments are critical to our ability to work with ultra-fine lines.

Overall, there was a lot of attention in the afternoon session on assembly. That may be the most important part of the manufacturing process we need to talk about now. I believe UHDI assembly is our next big challenge in this country. In past conferences, we have talked about designing for assembly, but looking at the stencil is important too.

LaRont: I had not given much thought to stencil design before listening to the presenters, and it was fascinating. There are some significant challenges.

Johnson: The science behind it is quite unique. Then, of course, there is the solder paste and particle size. At a certain range of “small,” how do you get the solder to transfer through the stencil to the board? Their rules are remarkable.

LaRont: It was interesting to learn about how the transfer efficiency metric is changing how we may need to change the way we calculate annular ring.

Johnson: Exactly. This was a chance for some of us in the industry to get together and talk about some of the challenges we are facing in real terms and to help others along, as well as trying to understand where the technology is headed.

It is moving so fast, and, as you heard me say, the tsunami is coming. If it depends on us riding the wave, the more prepared we are, the better for all of us

LaRont: We hear a lot about onshoring and the defense sector’s lack of capacity. What does that mean for a company like ASC? Can you double your capacity, and is the demand signal clear enough to merit that?

Johnson: We're already working to double our capacity. We're expanding our building space and buying more equipment. Every signal we have indicates that our business will grow leaps and bounds over the next couple of years. The choice is either to be ready or to lose the opportunity, and that is the key point. Our CEO, Anaya Vardya, has always been very forward-looking, preparing for what’s next and ensuring that we can capitalize on opportunities. His support for the ultra HDI program has been unbelievable. We've been working on UHDI since early 2021. He saw the future and committed to it.

People and companies are responding to the need. There have been recipients of government grants to support those efforts, including TTM, GreenSource, and Calumet Electronics. That's great, but more companies need to experience that government assistance and recognition to encourage us to keep building.

LaRont: With the three companies you mentioned, the DoD gave them funds, but much of it was based on their ability to match the government funding with private investment. It wasn't an outright grant. Can SMEs operate within that same type of arrangement?

Johnson: Certainly. It depends on each company’s individual financial situation. But if you are given an opportunity, sometimes that is the incentive you need to get there, to make that match. Otherwise, what is the alternative?  

LaRont: Eventually, you will just go away.

Johnson: That will happen; our industry will get smaller before it gets bigger. Here in the U.S., there will be a lot of support from the big DoD contractors because they recognize the need. They've analyzed the market and know capacity is tight.

LaRont: They're burning through drones like nobody's business.

Johnson: That's right. With the global political environment and wars on many fronts, it's very unsettling. But at the end of the day, those armaments have to be replaced. So, you'll have demand there, plus new technologies. All of that together will drive our economy for a long time to come.

LaRont: John, you just did a series of podcasts on UHDI. American Standard Circuits builds some amazing technology. What do you see in the next two years, and what's got you most excited?

Johnson: I see us heading pretty heavily into IC substrate-like PCBs. We're already doing them now. I believe demand will increase very quickly, and that business will jump quite dramatically.

LaRont: Will PCB fabricators in the United States be able to do substrate-like PCBs? It is a bit of a different animal.

Johnson: Yeah, that’s true, and there are some U.S. fabricators that have not fully accepted the fact that we're moving past HDI. I believe that once they see it, they'll muster, but they'll be behind the times.

At ASC, the level of our technology and our company is increasing by leaps and bounds. It is good to be part of it.

LaRont: John, it’s always good to talk to you.

Johnson: Thanks, Marcy.