Driving Innovation: Mechanical and Optical Processes During Rigid-flex Production
It’s Only Common Sense: Your Biggest Competitor Is Complacency
The Chemical Connection: Onshoring PCB Production—Daunting but Certainly Possible
EV Industry Facing Bottleneck Challenges
March 18, 2021 | Nolan Johnson, PCB007Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Nolan Johnson talks with Eduardo Benmayor, general manager at Aismalibar, about materials challenges facing the powertrain portion of the automotive EV industry. Eduardo also speaks about what he sees as the biggest challenge facing EVs—infrastructure.
Nolan Johnson: Aismalibar is in a position to have a unique perspective on some of the dynamics in automotive production. What are you seeing as major trends in automotive currently?
Eduardo Benmayor: As you may know, in the automotive industry the percentage of electronics inside the car is growing every year, so that’s been on the table for many, many years. Right now, we see three main families of electronics inside the car. The first is related to securities, radars, detectors and all kinds of cameras. Then, we have all the power electronics, which Aismalibar is focused on: AC/DC converters, DC/DC converters, on-board charging stations or external charging stations, all related to high power and a lot of heat. The third family is telecommunications and communications of the car with external devices and the internet, which is a completely different area of the electronics business.
Our business is mainly focused on how the electronics engineers are designing the heat dissipation and dielectric strength around the electronic chargers inside the car. This drives them to a lot of different problems, and all these problems are viewed with different solutions. We don’t see a clear trend in the automotive industry; sometimes the big players go in one direction with IGBT technologies, others go to the MOSFET technologies, while others go with a completely different technology. There is not a standard trend, in general.
Johnson: How do you cope with that?
Benmayor: We listen to all of them, because you can study and learn from the different cases. They normally ask us to offer them the best solutions, which are always focused on two main aspects. First, what Aismalibar can offer in terms of releasing heat from the electronics through metal PCB boards. That’s one direction. The other direction is how much power can be applied to these inverters, AC/DC converters or DC/DC converters, granting the dielectric strength at the initial point and through the aging of the material. This is a big topic today. Let me give you a very clear example.
When designers want to increase the power of the boards, they normally tend to increase the voltage up to, let’s say 600 or 800 volts constant on a power module. By applying this much current through such a thin dielectric layer, their main concern is how to keep the dielectric strength during X amount of thousand hours, combined with high temperature and high humidity. They are concerned with how to keep these high voltages running on the devices, and at the same time, keep the device stable and capable of running for a long time. This is a challenge today. Our R&D team is working very hard on how to achieve these goals, to avoid copper migration and other aspects that influence the long run of the dielectric layer in a metal PCB board.
To read this entire interview, which appeared in the March 2021 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Real Time with... SMTAI 2025: Exploring Career Opportunities in Electronics Manufacturing with The Training Connection
10/29/2025 | Real Time with...SMTAIMarcy LaRont introduces William Graver, a senior technologist with a rich background in electronics. William discusses the critical role of training in the industry, noting the high demand for skilled workers. He clarifies the difference between certification and practical training, emphasizing the need for hands-on experience. William encourages young people to explore careers in electronics manufacturing.
Rehm Thermal Systems Opens Its Own Subsidiary in India
10/28/2025 | Rehm Thermal SystemsRehm Thermal Systems has officially opened its new subsidiary, Rehm Thermal Systems India, in Bengaluru. With this new location, the company moves closer to electronics manufacturers in India to better tap market potential, shorten service routes, and provide direct on-site process consulting.
Laurette T. Koellner Rejoins Celestica’s Board of Directors
10/28/2025 | Celestica Inc.Celestica Inc., a global leader in data center infrastructure and advanced technology solutions, announced that Laurette T. Koellner has rejoined its Board of Directors.
Mapping the EV Landscape: Markets, Platforms, and Powertrains
10/28/2025 | Stanton Rak, SF Rak Companye-Mobility is the defining transformation of 21st-century transportation. As legacy OEMs, startups, and governments race to electrify vehicle fleets, the landscape of e-Mobility is expanding into previously unimaginable territory. But with innovation comes complexity, and with complexity, a need for systems that are not only high-performing but also reliably engineered for the long haul. Understanding the diversity and scale of the EV marketplace is essential to grasping the reliability challenges ahead.
China Plus One: Vietnam and Thailand Manufacturing Solutions
10/28/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineU.S. electronics manufacturing companies are weighing the “China Plus One” solution as they strategize how best to mitigate the ever-increasing pressures and costs of manufacturing in China. Several global markets, particularly Thailand and Vietnam, are seeing significant growth in their sectors. This article breaks down the pros and cons of each market, including a look at U.S. tariffs and how each country is addressing a significant skilled labor gap to support their electronics manufacturing goals.