EchoStar’s Les Beller Shares the PCB Design-to-Fab Process

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

The same goes for many of the front end design tools today, however, I don't see an evolution of the designer being edged out. What I do agree with you on is a lack of younger blood coming into this industry and working under the wings of some of us old guys, picking up on our experiences and growing from it. I see this challenge in our company as well. Really good layout people are difficult to locate as we can be an elusive breed.

Matties: How do we solve that problem? How do we bring this appeal to the younger generation?

Beller: One way is at the university and high school level, through electronics and robotics clubs, etc. We have a robotics club at our company for employees' children and it’s been a great success. You have to get the youth fired up about what it means to design something and what it means to write a simple program. Try to get them interested in hardware and then get them into electronics design, layout or mechanical drafting. With all these new tools, 3D printers, etc., the sky is the limit as far as designing product goes. We are going to need these people to do it, otherwise we're going to have to offshore it.

Matties: I think 3D printers are the catalyst. I liken that to when the personal computer came out. It was such an enabler of society that it really transformed the way people interact, and I think the 3D printing is also going to revitalize the manufacturing mentality in America in a way that we haven't seen in years.

Beller: Correct, and whether 3D printers will really work at a production level or at a mechanical integrity level is yet to be seen, but do they work to get an idea on paper that you can actually hold in your hand?  Yes—and that's what's important. These printers are being used heavily at Echostar.

Matties: Do they engage young people to manufacture? The real value of this is when they start printing out the bike part, or whatever they need, and start designing on their own. We're going to see a crop of engineers coming out of the school system in the next generation.

Beller: I believe so, too. I know that a local model airplane club actually has a 3D printer that you can rent time on, because these guys want to change their model airplanes and adjust them and make them better at what they do. That same type of thing should be happening for colleges and high schools—enabling their creative spirit.

Matties: I completely agree. Are there any other thoughts that you'd like to share with designers?

Beller: I would have to say the biggest thing I ever did was get my butt out of the design chair and get into the board houses to figure out what the challenges are for them and how my job could make the products cheaper and easier to fabricate. By getting into the board houses, I was spring-boarded into a larger company, quality engineering, process engineering, and everything else. So all I can say for the designers would be, "Don't be afraid to get out of your chair and go look over the back of some of the hardware engineers at your company, or go to your local PCB shops and tell them you want to walk around and understand how the process works.” This is also good for one’s personal growth.

Doing that was the “3D printer” of my layout career—understanding what the factories need to go through to use what I just designed. Why does the via count impact the fab process? Why does it cost more? Why does the size of my vias matter? Why does it matter if there is contamination inside the partially tented vias? What is controlled Impedance?

I would say that just for the design community at any age, get out of your chair, get away from behind the monitor and involve yourself more with the design team and with your local fab shops.

Matties: Great advice. Les, thank you so much. This has been great.

Beller: Yes, it has been, and I appreciate it. Thank you, Barry.

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