Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1484263
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 to doing interesting things right here in Amer- ica with manufacturing. But how quickly can PCB manufacturers create stand up capability? Our approach is closer to SpaceX than NASA. I feel like NASA does a decade of research in advance then gets it right on the first launch, whereas SpaceX keeps blowing up rockets on the launch pad until they find the critical path to success, in less time with lower cost. We call this "innovation through iteration." Because we are a fabricator with our capabilities in- house, we can iterate quickly to find critical paths to successful manufacturing techniques and novel approaches. Note that this makes fabs the hubs in domestic innovation, in the middle of engaging customers, suppliers, ven- dors, universities, etc. Johnson: Todd, do you feel like that develop- ment process is faster, cheaper, or both? Brassard: Both, but results will vary. We have had very challenging designs requiring less than a dozen iterations to solve, but also designs that have taken three times as many iterations. What we believe companies need to be successful, first and foremost, is the right attitude. is is followed by talented engi- neers, the right equipment set, and a progres- sive workforce who understand how impor- tant their jobs are to the success of the com- pany, their country, community, and families. Johnson: Will there be enough capacity in the United States to meet demand? Brassard: We believe there will be tremendous demand for domestically produced substrates. Enough that all manufacturers that want in will have their piece depending on their capa- bilities. LaBeau: ere must be enough domestic capacity, or it will be the next reason to ship the manufacturing technology back to Asia, thereby not meeting the "lab-to-fab" infra- structure needed to bolster the U.S. microelec- tronics ecosystem. Johnson: What do the fabs need to do to stand up the infrastructure to do this? Brassard: It starts with a demand signal, fol- lowed by a little research, an informed capi- tal investment, and you need to dedicate engi- neering time to develop new processes. ese days, because of geopolitical instabilities, it seems the U.S. government should have a role to play in speeding up the U.S. fabricator's abil- ity to invest with CapEx and process develop- ment, and offer demand signals to rebuild the U.S. electronics industrial base more quickly. Like I said earlier, technology develop- ment needs to be treated like infrastructure, like building roads. e government must assure that the U.S. has a constant stream of advancing technology to keep up with the rest of the world that's making the holistic investments and winning the industrial capa- bility and capacity races. e government must invest or incentivize until economics can take over. Build the roads and prosper- ity will follow. Johnson: Like our ability to have products— food products, in particular—in every cor- ner store, the way we do now that we take for granted, that we will have bananas year-round is because of our investment in the road net- work. Brassard: at's a great analogy. Does the gov- What we believe companies need to be successful, first and foremost, is the right attitude.