Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1514628
62 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2024 at was why we joined in and worked with UL to create a comprehensive list of resin chem- istry definitions for designers. If you're a PCB designer, you ask, "What do I need to know to make my decision?" Now, they can look it up and know exactly what it means when you say "primary resin," "flame retardant," or "filler." We have a basis of understanding and some common language. Goodwin: We worked on those definitions and proposed that they be included in the pream- ble of the IPC-4101 specs. Morgan: I'm proud of our work with UL in adding definitions for resin chemistry terms in UL 746E. We all worked hard to ensure we had a base level (of terms and definitions) in place. It's the first step. e next work to be done— which is a lot—is to move into the performance area, which hasn't been mapped out yet. Goodwin: ose performance criteria should include physical, mechanical, and electrical properties. Morgan: We've oen argued that we should try and curate these within our industry sectors. at makes sense. If we've learned anything, it's that the design process is far from materi- als. Designers don't understand detail about the material side. Why would they? Even for PCB manufacturing, the designers don't have a comprehensive understanding. Now, the designer can say to the engineer, "I'm a designer for automotive cabins," and the engineer says, "Here's a set of standards that will be appropri- ate for your kind of designs," or "I design ECUs for under the hood." Now, here are the prod- ucts that would fit there. It's not the end of the story, but a starting place for these guys. If you can give them a starting place, how much eas- ier the job is. Goodwin: is happened naturally with ther- mal management. It was a new thing that came along with thermal modeling so the designers have a much deeper connection to the materials in that sector than they do in any other. Morgan: I suppose this started with LED light- ing as well. Initially, before IMS was used in everything, you had a very well-defined usage area. If you were designing for LED, you were designing the same way, more or less. On the other side, we've gone the other way entirely. I see it clearly and IPC does as well. There's more of a need than ever to under- stand the landscape of materials. Goodwin: Yes, but the risk is generally in over- specifying materials that damage their project economically and all down the supply chain. Supply chain has changed hugely in the past five or six years, and you can't build a reac- tive, fast, flexible supply chain for every prod- uct. It's impossible. What we have inside Ven- tec in the overseas business, outside of Asia, are people coming to us who may have speci- fied another supplier on their signal integrity materials, but they can't get them. ey are being required to buy large quantities of lam- inate they do not need, or wait several weeks for delivery. Alun Morgan