DECEMBER 2023 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 63
This year, PCB Carolina drew
1,200 attendees and so many
exhibitors that some "overflow"
booths had to be set up in a
classroom near the show floor, as well as in the reg-
istration area. There was no down time on the show
floor, even when classes were in session, and when-
ever classes would end, there was a flood of people
onto the show floor. Many of the classes focused on
AI, with Cadence's Taylor Hogan presenting the key-
note on AI's role in PCB design.
It's safe to say that
millions of dollars,
not to mention man-
hours, are wasted
each year because
of over-constrained,
overly complicated PCB designs.
Much of this is due to the increase in
signal speeds and rise times, even in
"mature" PCBs, and the extra cost is
already part of the budget.
Avnet has made thousands of customizable refer-
ence designs easily accessible to engineers in the
Americas in its new self-service online tool Design
Hub. Design Hub is powered by AVAIL, Avnet's
engineering tool with a vast reference design library
that helps designers develop system-level solutions
quickly and easily any time of day. The tool lever-
ages more than 70,000 solutions to common design
problems. These solutions are automatically loaded
into the engineer's design based on their specific
requirements.
In 1972, I learned the adage
"Measure twice, cut once" from my
seventh-grade woodshop teacher,
Mr. Fenoglio. To this day, I hear his
voice every time I use a pencil to
mark a piece of wood that I'm ready
to cut. I mark it and then re-measure
the edge to which it will join before
sawing or drilling.
During PCB West, Andy
Shaughnessy and Kelly
Dack met with Paul Cooke,
senior director of business
development, Ventec Inter-
national Group. In this interview, Paul discusses
some of the global trends he's seeing in new materi-
als that address the issue of stacked microvia failure,
and his drive to educate North American designers
about the use of pure resin and no-flow materials.
During PCB West, Insulectro held an
educational showcase at its office
in San Jose that focused on flexible,
printed electronics, and advanced
materials. After the courses con-
cluded, I spoke with Chris Hunrath, VP
of technology, about the company's
efforts to educate PCB designers, and
the variety of material options avail-
able for customers who want to push
the envelope of innovation.
For the latest news and information, visit PCBDesign007.com
Avnet's Design Hub Makes Reference
Designs More Accessible to Engineers
Kris Moyer:
Simplifying Your Design
PCB Carolina 2023 Breaks
Attendance, Exhibitor Records
Insulectro: Education
Begins with the Designer
Target Condition:
What the Heck? A PCB
Tech Spec Check
New Materials Simplify Fab
and Design Processes
