Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Features

Features

I referred to "panel rails" in my blog about V-score panels, but I didn't explain the "whats" and whys" of panel rails. You might find yourself asking "what are panel rails and why would I want to use them?"

The rapid increase in the electronic complexity of motor vehicles calls for specific considerations relating to reliability, modular design,

The annual list of the largest contract assemblers proves looks can be deceiving.

To the uninitiated, a look back at the past few years of the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Top 50 would suggest the industry has been growing and at a strong pace. The last time the No. 50 entry on the list fell in terms of revenue was in 2011. And this year was the first where it required at least $300 million ($328 million, to be exact) to make the list.

How to treat every power distribution system as a custom design.

Are you losing sleep over power integrity on your boards?

If so, this is for you.

PCB manufacturing has come a long way in a hurry, as a walk through Electropac’s PCB Museum reminds us.

A highlight of a trip to Electropac’s printed circuit board plant in Manchester, NH, is the PCB Museum. In it, the company has dozens of photos and artifacts from 38 years of manufacturing. President and cofounder Ray Boissoneau allowed a PCD&F reporter to photograph some of the equipment and products during a tour in April.

Assemblers demand a complete CAD data package for more effective manufacturing.

Panelization, also known as the processing of boards in an array format, keeps small boards attached to each other within a single, larger substrate. Panelization is used to process multiple small boards through assembly, and is becoming more prevalent as board sizes shrink.