Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Current Issue

Current Issue

Our newest column shares tips and tricks and lessons learned over 30 years in PCB design.

With today's complex printed circuit board (PCB) designs challenging us at almost every stage of the design process, along with shortened project schedules and shrinking budgets, achieving success is no easy feat. Smaller component packages, faster signal edge rates or rise times, and increased design for manufacturing (DfM) challenges all make it difficult to achieve success and get product to market on time and under budget. The foundation for achieving success is understanding PCB design (the full design process) and mastering the power of today's EDA tools.

Even so, design teams can lose valuable time on unproductive tasks. Designers need a collaborative approach to electronic systems design that keeps them connected through all engineering disciplines and gives them best-in-class solutions to handle complexity across the entire PCB design process.

Read more: The 5 Pillars of PCB Design Best Practices

Greg Papandrew

A discussion with PCBAA president Shane Whiteside.

I recently sat with Shane Whiteside, president and CEO of Summit Interconnect, in his capacity as chairman of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America (PCBAA), to discuss the state of the PCB industry and the effects of the additional tariffs currently in place.

Whiteside’s PCB manufacturing and leadership career spans several decades, which lends itself well to PCBAA’s mission to advocate for a stronger US PCB industry. The association is working hard to educate and influence those in Washington, DC on the importance of a secure US electronics supply chain.

Read more: Taxes v. Tariffs: Which is Better for PCB Investment?

Naka nailed it: The domestic PCB industry will flounder without a clear direction.

“History is always repeating itself, but each time the price goes up.” – Will Durant

In February 2017, I wrote a column titled “An Afternoon with Naka” in which Hayao Nakahara (or Naka to his friends) – a true PCB veteran embarking on his 60^th year in the industry – described the state of the US PCB manufacturing. Naka nailed it then. And eight years and two presidential administrations later, his analysis is just as applicable.

Let’s review some of what I call his “Naka-isms” and how they apply, with the additional element of tariffs, which, for obvious reasons, are top of mind for many in our industry right now.

Read more: US PCB Manufacturing: 8 Years Later, the Same Challenges – Only Bigger

A top-down strategy is needed to change course.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations have taken significant steps to bring manufacturing back to the United States. But realistically, when will this goal become feasible, and at what cost?

For domestic PCB buyers who currently rely on Asia for production, how much longer will they need to shoulder the burden of tariffs for boards that cannot be produced in the US within a reasonable timeframe?

In late May last year, the US Trade Representative announced another one-year reprieve from the 25% tariff on two- and four-layer rigid printed circuit boards. While this exemption applies to only a narrow portion of PCBs manufactured in China, it provides some relief to OEMs and EMS companies facing severe supply chain challenges. This short-term measure, however, does little to address the broader issues of manufacturing capacity and technological capability in the US.

Read more: Even with Tariffs, China Still the Better PCB Option – For Now