Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1511625
NOVEMBER 2023 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9 Nolan Johnson is managing editor of SMT007 Magazine and co-managing editor of PCB007 Magazine. Nolan brings 30 years of career experience focused almost entirely on electronics design and manufacturing. To read other columns or to contact Johnson, click here. complex; everything is moving. It's like try- ing to throw a rock over a house, and hitting another rock you can't see while it's flying through the air. Oh, one more thing: You're riding a bicycle." is engineer's example certainly was evoc- ative of that challenge. Every little detail needs to be right down the middle of its own "sweet spot" to accomplish the task; there is very little tolerance. Every single piece of that very com- plex process—launch, orbit, escaping orbit to go translunar, course corrections along the way, and braking exactly right to enter lunar orbit—needs very precise actions with an indi- vidual sweet spot. An error in the middle will only compound its way through the rest of the process. In IC fabrication, in crystalline silicon, the IC engineers have the luxury of a remarkably stable foundation upon which to build in a highly regulated environment. Study the chal- lenges in obtaining consistent, high-quality printed circuit registrations at today's geome- tries, and it does start to feel like a moonshot. When the coefficient of thermal expansion in your substrate can be larger than the features you are fabricating, getting all of them to line up across multiple layers is an exercise in mul- tiple moving targets. In the flex world, there may be fewer layers, but that doesn't make it easier; some of the flex substrates are like plating on a sandwich bag. I digress (but only a little). What's key here is ensuring proper regis- tration from layer to layer across the entire pr inted c irc uit b oard. It's a ho li st ic pro - cess requiring anticipation, prediction, pre- cise attention at each step, and detailed data tracking and monitoring, because a slight error up front will only snowball as the pro- cess continues. In this issue, we talk with some industry experts on getting it right with registration, with an overarching theme on how to keep all your steps in their respective sweet spots. Alex Stepinski shares his from-the-field les- sons on how to design fabrication processes for improved registration, and some of his sig- nature "hacks." Happy Holden returns to the value of coupons, and XACT's Andrew Kelley discusses the use of planning soware tools to anticipate misregistration and compensate. We also visit with Aidan Salvi at Amitron, a PCB fabricator committed to improving reg- istration—to the tune of 60+ pieces of new equipment and development of a Factory 5.0 model. Also in this issue, we bring you columns from Preeya Kuray, who interviews U.S. Rep. Blake Moore; Paige Fiet discussing tech- nical terminolog y for newcomers; Henr y Crandall continuing his look at wearable medical devices; Mike Konrad showcas- ing the innovative engineering programs at Dartmouth; and a PCBAA member profile on Hari Pillai. By the time you finish this issue, you will likely notice that registration and process data are interrelated. Registration can only be as precise as your processes and the data you use to monitor those processes. Sensors, data warehousing, data analysis, and data-driven process control are central to improving reg- istration. Just like the moonshot, precision is required at each step, even while all the com- ponents might be in motion. I'd also like to welcome Marcy LaRont, who joins I-Connect007 as a manager editor for PCB007. If you've worked with Marcy in the past, you'll be just as excited as we are to bring her expertise and professional experi- ence to our editorial team. I know you'll make her feel welcome. PCB007