Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1475604
32 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2022 During these times of supply chain uncer- tainty, many product developers are consid- ering new ways to conserve materials—from laminates to components, layer reduction, and everything in between. Barry Matties and Happy Holden recently spoke with Alun Morgan, president of EIPC and technology ambassador for Ventec, about material conser- vation strategies for today's PCB designers and design engineers. Alun explained why this may be the perfect time to educate PCB designers about conserving materials: When a model is broken, the people involved are much more open to new ideas. Barry Matties: As companies try to navigate these challenging times, they're considering changing their strategies. What other options do they have? Material Conservation: The PCB Designer's Role Alun Morgan: e only other option is stopping completely. Cease operations. And that really is an issue. Matties: Material conservation must be a con- versation in many facilities today. Morgan: Yes. And actually, I hope we can come out of this and start accepting Happy's very simple suggestion. He said, "Why don't we just reduce the thickness of the boards?" at would save a huge number of resources, just a huge number, which has got to be a good thing. Using less material is a good thing in any way, shape, or form. Happy Holden: Everybody is buying direct imaging equipment now, but the thing is they're still designing 4-mil lines and spaces. Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team