Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1361971
82 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2021 service. Yaad's group and our design team are working shoulder-to-shoulder to better define the rules of the design, taking into consider- ation market needs, new practices, and pro- duction guidelines. Now we are in the midst of training the designers to do design for minia- turization and 1-mil line and space. It's not the same as regular design; it also requires knowl- edge of what happens aer fabrication, like the coating. Most of the time, a typical conformal coating won't be enough. We need to use some other technology, CVD for example, that gives us the ability to make things smaller. Between the coating and the PCB manufacturing, of course, is SMT. We also trained our assembly staff, so they would know how to handle small- er assemblies, so to speak. Maybe next time we can elaborate because some new capabilities are still in progress. Johnson: And you have gone so far as to actual- ly put together a program, the All-in-One pro- gram. Einhorn: Yes, our concept is All-in-One. Not just referring to all the key aspects of the sup- ply chain—purchasing, logistics, etc.—that are under one roof. We are also practicing All-in- One technology or integrative engineering, meaning that the engineers are working to- gether to provide our customers with the best solution. From a supply chain standpoint and operations standpoint, of course, it's going to be faster. But it's also going to be more reli- able because the different technologies are in- tegrated, and there are no interfacing mistakes between assembly, PCB manufacturing and the design. Johnson: In other words, when they come to you, they're going to be able to talk with you about the design, the design rules, manufac- turing constraints, very competitive manu- facturing tolerances, and capabilities down to 1 mil and so forth, all the way through to the end. ey're going to get a finished, complete board assembly back from you that's ready to put on the bench and functional test. Einhorn: Exactly. We are also doing the func- tional test and, in some cases, box build. is is another service that we've added. We are getting away from high volume consumer goods and focusing on very unique systems, from surgery systems through drones to for- eign object detection systems for runways in airports. You can understand the complexity of this latter system. It combines optics and la- sers and other stuff. And everything is being done here. is system comprises 15 types of PCBAs, to be more exact. And for all of these, we've done everything together, in-house, for our customers. And, by the way, time to mar- ket was very crucial, and within less than half a year we finished design, procurement, pro- duction, and delivery of 300 systems. It was quite a challenge, and we're proud to say that we've met it. Johnson: Given the fact that this is a U.S.-Is- raeli transfer of technology, international trade becomes a factor. How does ITAR af- fect working with PCB Technologies? Are there any particular complications that a U.S. company would need to be aware of or plan for in having their subsystems manufactured in Israel? Most of the time, a typical conformal coating won't be enough. We need to use some other technology, CVD for example, that gives us the ability to make things smaller.