Target Condition: Distribution of Power—Denounce the Ounce
Fresh PCB Concepts: Resilience and Renewal in Domestic PCB Manufacturing
Designers Notebook: Power and Ground Distribution Basics
Material Conservation: The PCB Designer's Role
September 1, 2022 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
During these times of supply chain uncertainty, many product developers are considering new ways to conserve materials—from laminates to components, layer reduction, and everything in between. Barry Matties and Happy Holden recently spoke with Alun Morgan, president of EIPC and technology ambassador for Ventec, about material conservation strategies for today’s PCB designers and design engineers. Alun explained why this may be the perfect time to educate PCB designers about conserving materials: When a model is broken, the people involved are much more open to new ideas.
Barry Matties: As companies try to navigate these challenging times, they’re considering changing their strategies. What other options do they have?
Alun Morgan: The only other option is stopping completely. Cease operations. And that really is an issue.
Matties: Material conservation must be a conversation in many facilities today.
Morgan: Yes. And actually, I hope we can come out of this and start accepting Happy’s very simple suggestion. He said, “Why don’t we just reduce the thickness of the boards?” That would save a huge number of resources, just a huge number, which has got to be a good thing. Using less material is a good thing in any way, shape, or form.
Happy Holden: Everybody is buying direct imaging equipment now, but the thing is they’re still designing 4-mil lines and spaces. Well, if you went to 2-mil lines and spaces and had half the number of signal layers, you would also need fewer power and ground layers. Unfortunately, currently in North America, if you can’t route the board with 4-mil lines and spaces, you add more layers, you make the thing more complicated, and use more materials.
You don’t go back and reconsider: Should I use 3/3? No, you just slap in more signal layers. Well, that’s great, but what if your vendors can’t buy the material? That’s not a solution. North America is particularly bad at that. You’ve got to start looking at other solutions because doing it the same old way (SOW) that we did 40 years ago will not work. When we have a material crisis, you can’t get copper foil. You can’t get prepreg. Well, stop using copper foil. Stop using as much prepreg. Extend what you have.
Morgan: Or use less. The message you’re giving, Happy, is one that we’ve heard before, which is that you must get to the designers and explain because if you don’t get the designers on board, they won’t design the boards that way. Many of us have spent our working lives talking to designers. Of course, there are a lot of them and every time we’ve talked to one set, there’s a new batch of designers coming along.
They need to understand what this is all about, because they would never come to that kind of conclusion naturally—to make the board thinner. They would never come to that conclusion because they don’t understand. But in the space of a short presentation, you could probably give designers a huge amount of information and help them make the change. Maybe this will be the catalyst for designing for conservation (DFC), because we haven’t seen the worst of it. I’m certain of that. Maybe it will be the catalyst that will drive some proper change.
Happy, you and I know what some of the possibilities are if we can get designers to think in terms of material conservation. I’m not saying that we know everything, but we know some things that could work, and this might be the time. This may be our chance to actually do something to reduce material consumption, starting with board design.
To read the rest of this interview, which appeared in the August 2022 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
Trouble in Your Tank: Understanding Interconnect Defects, Part 1
11/04/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankThis month, I’ll address interconnect defects (ICDs). While this defect continues to rear its ugly head, don’t despair. There are solutions, most of which center on process control and understanding the relationship of the chemistry, materials, and equipment. First, though, let’s discuss ICDs.
Target Condition: Distribution of Power—Denounce the Ounce
11/05/2025 | Kelly Dack -- Column: Target ConditionHave you ever wondered why the PCB design segment uses ounces to describe copper thickness? There’s a story behind all of this—a story that’s old, dusty, and more than a little absurd. (Note that I didn’t add “Like many of us.”) Legend has it that back in the days of copper tinkers and roofing tradesmen, the standard was set when a craftsman hammered out a sheet of copper until it weighed one ounce, when its area conveniently matched the square of the king’s foot.
WestDev Announces Advanced Thermal Analysis Integration for Pulsonix PCB Design Suite
10/29/2025 | WestDev Ltd.Pulsonix, the industry-leading PCB design software from WestDev Ltd., announced a major enhancement to its design ecosystem: a direct interface between Pulsonix and ADAM Research's TRM (Thermal Risk Management) analysis software.
Designers Notebook: Power and Ground Distribution Basics
10/29/2025 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe principal objectives to be established during the planning stage are to define the interrelationship between all component elements and confirm that there is sufficient surface area for placement, the space needed to ensure efficient circuit interconnect, and to accommodate adequate power and ground distribution.
Episode 6 of Ultra HDI Podcast Series Explores Copper-filled Microvias in Advanced PCB Design and Fabrication
10/15/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 has released Episode 6 of its acclaimed On the Line with... American Standard Circuits: Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI) podcast series. In this episode, “Copper Filling of Vias,” host Nolan Johnson once again welcomes John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits, for a deep dive into the pros and cons of copper plating microvias—from both the fabricator’s and designer’s perspectives.