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66 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021 Additive electronics, particularly as it per- tains to PCB fabrication processes, is garner- ing a lot of attention. e ability to form much tighter feature sizes than typically available from subtractive etch PCB fabrication pro- cesses, along with significant RF benefits, is opening new possibilities for PCB designers as they work to nav- igate the increas- ingly complex bal- ance between func- tionality, size, and complexity. As with any new technol- ogy, there is a learn- ing curve for PCB designs. is is the second in a series of columns intended to shed light on the experience these early adopters have gained. Here, I speak with Tomas Chester, founder and hard- ware designer for Chester Electronic Design. Tara Dunn: Tomas, you are a well-known designer and instructor in the industry, but for those who have not had the opportunity to meet you, could you please start with a quick introduction? Tomas Chester: Sure. I am a hardware design engineer from Ontario, Canada. In 2017, I founded my own contracting and consulting firm, Chester Electronic Design. Since then, I have worked on all manner of boards from IMS to semi-flex. In 2020, I started the Ontario Canada PCEA Chapter, and in 2021, I joined the PCEA Execu- tive Board. I am also a full-time Altium instructor for their Essentials and Advanced courses. Dunn: at is an impressive resume. I am positive that founding your own contracting and con- sulting firm requires you to have knowl- edge in many differ- ent types of technol- ogy. One thing you and I have talked about quite a bit is the potential benefits of using 25-micron trace and space or below in PCB design. What were some of your initial thoughts? What caught your eye? Chester: My initial thought jumped to the possible use cases in those ultra-small design A Review of Additive Electronics PCB Talk by Tara Dunn, AVERATEK