Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1073397
38 FLEX007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2019 confidence unless you amass a large volume of data to support the prediction. Although well- respected technology thought leaders were making these predictions, the data they were using did not include input from all the indus- try stakeholders. Also, I observed firsthand the commitment and drive of engineers. Engineers like challenges. If you tell an engineer that their future is quickly disappearing and that they need to find something else, they will innovate and extend the applicability of the technology. I feel that the introduction of new substrate materials with unique properties is fueling innovation and expanding the electronic product landscape. At this time, we are not replacing FR-4; it still has a significant amount of life. Goldman: I've seen that in basic circuit boards where it was said that we'd never see another single-sided board. Gamota: I agree. Never say never. If you look at the wearables industry, most products today are single-sided. Single-sided is mandated because the biggest pain point for designers is the con- nector and its durability when the substrate to which it is attached is deformed. No one has developed a connector that can withstand the strain experienced by wearable electronics, limiting designs to a single-side topology. It is suggested that double-sided topologies will not be realized until connectors are developed that use self-healing materials that relax to their initial state after being subjected to multi-axis deformation. Although single-sided is the stan- dard today double-sided should be available in the future if history is repeated. There hasn't been enough focused innovation around the connector. Today, engineers are trying to lever- age well-established connectors like buttons (e.g., conductive materials) and other types of known connectors. Many in the industry are predicting the introduction of novel connectors to address the gaps based on public reports of R&D efforts. Shaughnessy: Flex manufacturers have told me that the only problems designers usually have is with the simple stuff. They get all the SI right, but then they put the connectors in the wrong spot on the bend of the flex or too close to the edge. Some say that the assembly for flex or rigid-flex is the worst part. Gamota: Exactly, and that is the area where I think leveraging the digital twin tools that we're starting to see will help designers overcome these common problems. As the digital twin tools ingest larger product data sets, the designers will have the ability to simulate the product design, product manufacturing process, and product in-field performance in the virtual world. In the future designers will be able to identify potential failures using a digital twin provided they have access to the data. The development of an accurate digital twin could have a significant impact—the number of physical products built for the design, engineering, and product validation testing could be drastically reduced (reducing indirect and direct labor time and cost). There would be no need for the building of tens, hundreds, and even thousands of physical products to test under different environmental and mechanical conditions. Once we can collect accurate representative data sets and feed it back into the digital twin tools we will be able to optimize the design, process, and performance of the product. With the adoption