Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1464168
62 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 to use this additive technology to reduce or reset the technology curve." Rather, they think, "I'm going to throw it into my kitchen sink of soup, and I'm going to add it all at once." at has been a hard adoption. Barry Matties: What is the tipping point for a designer to start looking at additive technol- ogy? LaBeau: One example would be placing a com- ponent with particularly dense I/O or having to add layers to accommodate fan-out. A designer can route many more 20-micron traces than 75-micron traces inside of a BGA. e ability to redesign PCBs to take advantage of additive manufacturing will depend on where a design is within the OEM's lifecycle, although com- ponent shortages may force redesigns. When it comes to new engineering or manufactur- ing technologies, for example direct dispense solder mask, the PCB industry is pretty risk averse. To get PCB shops to accept new manu- facturing methods, the product had better not come out looking much different. Conversely, taking a little risk may just lead to a PCB shop developing manufacturing capabilities that support next generation electronics. Matties: It's better to be in the front than in the rear. e first fax machine didn't make all the money. It was the second one. Todd Brassard: Again, the fracturing of the man- ufacturing pipeline represents a significant bar- rier to innovation. One way we believe we can break down these barriers is with the multi- party NDA, allowing OEMs to have direct con- versations with supply chain CTOs and high- level engineers with the goal of developing novel solutions. You want 2,500 or 5,000 I/O on a substrate the size of your thumbnail? You will need the materials, chemistry, lithogra- phy, and equipment suppliers and distributors' CTOs in the room with the OEM. I'm thinking about this as a "micro industrial commons." If the team can make it work, all companies have something novel to sell to their customers. Matties: What do you think the most important message we should be communicating to the industry regarding additive and semi-additive should be? LaBeau: I think people need to be aware of what additive technology is, and that they understand how to get their shop to utilize it. Maybe they're not ready for it yet. What are the opportunities, and where can they start to dabble with additive technology? It seems that if we can prepare the material correctly, we can apply copper to anything. If a company can have foresight of what the future can bring and start to think about their design for manufacturing and engineering, and how they take the next step to utilize an additive technology, or even use thinner foils, that's a first step into mSAP. Just use some thinner foils, and start to baseline your Cpks, and how you can keep going further. No one can flip that coin that easily unless their capital expenditure budgets allow for Meredith LaBeau