PARTS PLANNING Optimizing Component Selection by Connecting the Designer to the Supply Chain A new generation of connected design platforms, called engineering data management (EDM) systems, addresses issues of extended product development cycles by continually synchronizing supply-chain information with PCB design libraries, and alerting engineers to changes and conflicts. by Bob Potock
DfX PCB Designers Hold Smart Factories Ransom Many companies have ended up “just living with” multiple, repeated PCB fabrication and assembly issues for years, regarding them as a given. If smart factories are to work, however, this has to change. Here’s how.. by Michael Ford
ADDITIVE PROCESSING Savings and Efficiencies with Printed Silver Flexible Circuits Historically, a designer’s only recourse as electronics packaging became denser was to incorporate flexible PCBs to route traces around 3D structures. Innovations in printing and component attach are seeing light, flexible printed silver circuitry in high-density applications where more costly traditional etched copper circuits were once exclusive. by Greg Kuchuris
DfM Managing Rule Checks The DfM validation challenge has increased over the past decade, thanks to the proliferation of new technologies such as flex boards, rigid-flex, chip-on-board, embedded components, and others. A new generation of design for manufacturing tools makes it possible to validate the design against design rules of all technologies and manufacturers that will be involved with the product in the early stages of the product development process. by Humair Mandavia
SIMULATION Algorithm for Constructing the Transient Process in a Meander Delay Line in PCBs A graphic-analytical method for simulation of the transient process, as described by the authors, allows users to identify the basic mechanisms of pulse distortion in a meander delay line, and obtain the analytical dependencies for calculation of the efficient delay of signals at any predetermined level of receiver. by S.A. Sorokin, Ph.D. and S.M. Chudinov, Ph.D.
EMS TOP 50 Automotive and Automation In a year of stalled outsourcing – even mighty Foxconn took a step back – two sectors continued to drive EMS forward. Who were 2016’s individual winners and losers? by Mike Buetow
FO-WLP Is Fan-out Wafer-level Packaging Right for Your Product? FO-WLP offers the ability to support more I/O, a smaller vertical footprint, cost reduction by eliminating the interposer, and improvements in electrical and thermal performance. But achieving these advantages requires overcoming some significant challenges. by Narayanan (TV) Terizhandur
ADDITIVE PROCESSING Semi-Additive Process for Low Loss Buildup Material in High-Frequency Signal Transmission Substrates To decrease signal loss and increase signal integrity at a high transmission speed, the surface of dielectric materials should be very smooth, with excellent adhesion between them and fine-line circuitry. A novel material promotes signal integrity at high frequencies through high plating-resin adhesion and a smooth dielectric interface. by Fei Peng, Ph.D., Naomi Ando, Roger Bernards and Bill Decesare
NOISE CONTROL Voltage Drops across Traces and Vias With today’s low impedance circuits, voltage drops may introduce an unacceptable amount of noise or signal level uncertainty into a circuit, leading some designers to avoid the use of vias on boards altogether. How to predict the voltage drop across a trace, and why the voltage drop across a via is almost negligible by comparison. by Douglas Brooks, Ph.D., Norocel Codreanu, Ph.D., and Dr. Johannes Adam
IPC APEX RECAP Reinvigorated in San Diego The annual IPC trade show captured a brighter industry mood, with plenty of activity for assemblers and – for a change – fabricators. by Mike Buetow
COMPLANARITY Understanding PCB Design Variables that Contribute to Warpage during Module-Carrier Attachment In an effort to improve attachment yield rates of a module to a carrier board, a design of experiment evaluated several PCB design variables believed to contribute to warpage during reflow. The objective was to isolate key design parameters that contribute most to the attachment problems. Shadow moiré was used to provide accurate warpage profiles of the six-up module arrays before and after top- and bottom-side assembly, and again before and after attachment to the carrier board. by Donald Adams, Todd MacFadden, Rafael Maradiaga and Ryan Curry
STANDARDS Cost and Risk Reductions Using the IPC Traceability Standard Many see traceability as a burden to the manufacturing process, and having to comply or conform to yet another process or standard is not considered a good day in the office or factory. IPC-1782 removes such headaches. by Michael Ford
THERMAL MANAGEMENT Thermal Effects around Right-Angle Trace Corners Should designs use 90o corners, or is the risk of increased current density – and its concurrent heat spike – too great? A study of thermal gradients around the corners on a PCB. by Douglas Brooks, Ph.D., Norocel Codreanu, Ph.D., and Dr. Johannes Adam
CONNECTORS Creating Robust, Durable Overlap ZIF Connections in 4 Steps Similar to card-edge connectors, zero insertion force connectors are popular but easy to damage during insertion. Robust design goes beyond simply lining up edges on top of each other. by John Talbot
