Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1500943
24 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2023 Feature Q&A by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 Fabricators are fairly vocal about the design issues that they encounter, especially with brand-new customers. ey are, aer all, the next step in the process. But we don't hear as much about design issues from EMS providers. is month, we asked experts from the PCB assembly segment to share their thoughts about design challenges that affect technologists on the EMS side. ey offer a look at the world of PCB design from downstream in the process, and they raise several interesting points. Have your assembly partners offered you any advice on design for assembly (DFA) tech- niques? Michael Ford Aegis Software What is your main concern for PCB designers? Design for sustainability (DFS), including the right to repair, product and material reuse, and effective recycling, as well as the CO 2 and energy impacts of materials and products are the sustainability credentials that custom- ers across the industry are building into their requirements. e industry has a choice—to be driven by carrots from customers in a way that is good for them and the industry, or wait for the inevitable sticks from governments, which typically introduce a sudden burden without a focus on complementary benefits. Designers need to take extreme care now when defining and measuring their designs against these emerging requirements. They must understand how to benefit from these requirements and be able to communicate information in a way that ensures the privacy of IP. Emerging technologies address these concerns, but to save investment and expense, they should be adopted in a way that creates interoperability throughout the industry. Unlike manufacturing, where a single part- ner is responsible for producing many of the same product line together, the recycling of products happens at random as individual products reach end of life. Information for sus- tainability must therefore be available more widely, smartly, and more securely. A holistic discussion is needed. Michael Ford DESIGN CHALLENGES: From the Assembler's Viewpoint