60 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2020
4. April (Increased Focus on Health and
Wellness Transforms the PCB Industry): Our
increased focus on health and wellness drives
technology advancement for personal devices,
and those used in the delivery of healthcare.
This trend also drives both PCB production
innovation and a long-overdue update of the
employer/employee relationship.
5. May (Picking a Phototyping Strategy):
Since no two design projects are the same,
your approach to prototyping should be flex-
ible. Your needs will be different every time.
Are you going for fast-and-dirty prototyping?
Do you need a quick turnaround time? Will it
be easier for you to use a DIY prototyping tech-
nique?
6. June (The Power of Forward Thinking):
Innovating is fun, and creativity can be a good
outlet for people, but PCB design seems to be a
rigid set of rules and not fun or creative. How-
ever, it really can be an opportunity to have
fun and be creative and still create a highly
effective and manufacturable PCB.
7. July (Reassessing the Risk of Offshore PCB
Manufacturing): Making the right decision
about domestic versus offshore PCB manu-
facturing depends on a thorough cost-benefit
analysis. Your results will vary depending on
volume and design requirements. We encour-
age our customers to look for the hidden costs
in offshoring and seriously consider its less
quantifiable pain points.
8. August (The Nuts and Bolts of Electrical
Testing): Understanding the process of electri-
cally testing a bare PCB is key. The more that
a designer can understand the manufactur-
ing and testing processes, the better the PCB
design. This column imparts some of the key
points around electrical testing.
9. September (How to Know If a CAD Tool Is
Right for You): The most important tool that
a PCB designer can have at their disposal is
the CAD tool. There are many different tools
available, ranging from very simple and free to
super powerful and expensive and everything
in between. Depending on the goal of a par-
ticular project, many designers have several in
their tool belt. This column explores what to
look for in a CAD tool. It can be a very per-
sonal choice, but knowing what to look for can
make that search more productive.
10. October (Unraveling the Mysterious BGA
Routing Mess): In an effort to pass on many
tips to help become a better PCB designer, this
column was aimed at solutions to make the
process of routing a sometimes tricky BGA
component easier using logical steps to make
it happen. Sometimes, left to their own pro-
cesses, the resulting design may not be a treat
to manufacture. (The more you know.)
11. November (The New Recipe for Customer
Service Success): What does customer service
look like now in the midst of the pandemic?
What does it need to look like to meet and
exceed the needs of the customer? Al Secchi,
global customer support and sales manager,
shares his thoughts.
Bob and I had a lot of fun sharing some of
what we have learned in our over 60 years of
combined PCB experience. With that much time
in the industry, there are so many tips, pitfalls,
stories, and knowledge tidbits that we can still
share. We are really looking forward to a year
of growth and higher expectations as more and
more people get back to work, adapt to this new
normal, and continue to innovate, create, and
design. If there are topics that you are interested
in us exploring, reach out to us and let us know
what is on your mind. DESIGN007
Matt Stevenson is the VP of sales
and marketing at Sunstone Circuits.
To read past columns or contact
Stevenson, click here.
