56 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022
Flexible Hybrid Electronics Design:
Reducing Time to Market E
Emerging innovations in the flexible hybrid
electronics (FHE) domain are enabling new
applications across multiple industries due to
their highly flexible structures and additive
manufacturing processes. e smaller form
factor, lighter weight, and conformal capabili-
ties are ideal for IoT edge devices in health and
fitness monitoring, military asset identification
and tracking, automotive displays and sensors,
aerospace radar, and so robotics. Significant
industry research led by NextFlex is optimiz-
ing the processes from design through manu-
facture for FHE products.
DARPA Kicks Off Program to Explore
Space-Based Manufacturing E
DARPA's Novel Orbital Moon Manufacturing,
Materials, and Mass Efficient Design program
is underway with eight industry and university
research teams on contract. e selected teams
are tasked to provide foundational proofs of
concept in materials science, manufacturing,
and design technologies to enable production
of future space structures on orbit without the
volume constraints imposed by launch. All
manufacturing would be done in orbital con-
struction facilities and the results utilized in
orbital applications.
Prototron Circuits Installs Maskless
Model 5600 LED Direct Imager E
Prototron Circuits of Tucson, Arizona, has
recently installed a Maskless Model 5600 LED
Direct Imaging machine. e Maskless Model
5600 allows for processing .003 mil lines on
most applications.
American Made Advocacy: What Happens
in Washington Happens to Us All E
Like many of you, I've spent the last few years
grappling with the challenges posed by a global
pandemic. Whether it's staffing a production
line or obtaining key materials, PCB manu-
facturers and their suppliers have had to adapt
quickly to a radically changed environment.
We're more than 700 days into this new world,
but as an industry, we cannot allow our day-
to-day focus on operations to distract us from
what is happening in Washington and what it
means to the microelectronics ecosystem.
Testing Todd: Has Universal Fixture
Testing Gone the Way of the Dodo? E
Although flying probe testers have become
common place in today's manufacturing the-
atre, one must wonder if the fixture tester, spe-
cifically the universal grid or "pin in hole" fix-
ture has any valuable use in the electrical test
arena? e advancements in flying probe tech-
nology are undisputed with the new abilities to
do many of the tests that benchtop testing his-
torically required.
Catching Up With Alpha Circuit's
Prashant Patel E
ere is plenty of evidence that the Ameri-
can PCB industry is going through a revital-
ization. While a few new companies are being
established, others are being rejuvenated as
investors gain more interest and confidence
in domestic PCB companies. I reached out to
Prashant Patel, owner and president of Alpha
Circuit Corporation in the greater Chicago
area. I wanted to hear about his investment and
the unique path he took to owning a PCB shop.
